The Wicked in their Pride do PERSECUTE the Poor; And boast themselves of their Heart's Defire, and bless the Covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.

Through the PRIDE of their Countenance, they will not feek after God; God is not in all their Thoughts : Their Ways are always grievous; the JUDGMENTS of God are far above, out of their Sight.

They say in their Hearts, they shall not be (f) MOVED, and that they shall never be

in ADVERSITY.

Their Mouth is full of Curfing, Deceit, and Fraud; under their Tongue is Mifchief and Vanity.

They say in their Hearts, God hath FORGOTTEN, he hideth his Face, he will never see :

(g) 1 Pet. 111. 12. The Eyes of the Lord are over the RIGHTEOUS,

and his Ears are open to their Pray

ers: But the Face of the Lord AGAINST them that do evil.

But God beholdeth (g) MISCHIEF and SPITE, to requite it with his Hand. The Poor committeth himself to God, who is a HELPER of the FATHERLESS:

He will break the Arm of the wicked and the evil Man. For the Lord is King for ever and ever, and the Heathen shall perish out of the Land.

The f Lord trieth the RIGHTEOUS; but the Wicked, and him that loveth Violence, his Soul hateth.

Upon the (b) WICKED he shall rain Snares, Fire, and Brimstone, and an horrible Tempeft; this shall be the Portion of their Cup.

(h) Lake XXI. 34, 35. Take heed to your selves, left at any time your Hearts be overcharged with SURFEITING and DRUNKENNESS, and CARES of this Life, and so that Day come upon you unawares. For

as Snare it come on all them that dwell on the Face of the whole Earth.

For the righteous Lord loveth RIGHTEOUSNESS; his Countenance doth behold the Upright.

The Fool hath faid in his Heart, There is no God;

they are corrupt, they do abominable Works:

They neither will understand, nor feek God.

• Pf x. 2, to 7, 11, 14, to 16.

• PS. XIV. 1, tos.

PS. XI. 5, 7.

They They (i) are altogether be

come filthy.

(i) See before Rom. 111. 12,

The Workers of INIQUITY have no Knowledge, who eat up God's People as they eat Bread, and call not upon

the Lord.

But God is in the Generation of the RIGHTEOUS. Their Sorrows shall be multiplied, that haften after another God.

The Hand of God shall find out all his Enemies. He shall make them as a fiery Oven, in the Time of his Anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in his Wrath, and the Fire shall devour them :

Their Seed shall be destroyed from the Earth. God will give them according to their Deeds, and according to the Wickedness of their Endeavours, he will render to them their Deserts.

Because they regard not the Works of the Lord, nor the Operation of his Hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.

The lying Lips shall be put to Silence, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the RIGHTEOUS.

Many m Sorrows shall be to the Wicked: But he that trusteth in the Lord, Mercy shall compass him about. The Face of the Lord is against them that do Evil, to cut off the Remembrance of them from the Earth.

Evil shall flay the Wicked, and they that hate the RIGHTEOUs shall be desolate :

They shall be as Chaff before the Wind.

Their Way shall be dark and flippery, and the Angel of the Lord shall perfecute them.

DESTRUCTION (k) shall come upon them at unawares, and the Net that they have hid shall catch themselves.

(k) Phil. 111. 19. Whose End is DESTRUCTION, whose God is their Belly, and whose Glory is in their SHAME; who mind earthly things.

The Tranfgreffion of the Wicked faith, that there is no Fear of God before their Eyes.

They flatter themselves in their own Eyes, until their INIQUITY be found to be hateful.

Their Words are Iniquity and Deceit, they have left off to be wife and do good.

They devise Mischief upon their Beds.

The Workers of Iniquity are cast down, and shall not be able to rife.

Confider this, ye that forget God, left he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

The Fool hath faid in his Heart, There is no God; they are corrupt, and have done abominable INIQUITY. God looked down upon the Children of Men, to fee if there were any that did understand, that did seek the Lord.

They are altogether become filthy.

For the Workers of INIQUITY have no Knowledge, who eat up God's People as they eat Bread, and call not upon God.

Death shall seize upon them, and they shall go down quick into Hell; for Wickedness is in their Dwellings, and among them.

God shall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old; because they have

no Changes, therefore they

fear not God.

But the Lord will bring

See the former References.

them down into the Pit of DESTRUCTION: Bloody and deceitful Men shall not live out half their Days.

Pfalm L. 22. * Pfalm LIII. 1, to 4.

PS. LV. 15, 19, 23.

In other Parts of the Pfalms, and of the Holy Scriptures, are contained many more Representations of the BLESSEDNESS of the RIGHTEOUS, and the MISERIES of the UNGODLY, too long to be here inferted.

THE THE

VANITY, Shortness, and UNCERTAINTY

OF

HUMAN LIFE,

As it is represented in the

PSALMS;

Compared with other Parts of the Scripture.

(a) Job XIV. 1,2,3. Man that is born of a Woman, is of few Days, and full of Trouble: He cometh forth like a FLOWER, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a SHADOW, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine Eyes upon such an one, with thee? I Chron. XXIX. 15. For ard bringest him into JUDGMENT we are Strangers before thee, and Sojourners, as were all our Fathers. Our Days on the Earth are as a SHADOW, and there is none abiding.

Ifai. xL. 6, 7. All Flesh is Grafs, and all the Goodliness thereof is as

the Flower of the Field. The Grass withereth, the Flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; furely the People is Grafs. The Grafs withereth, the Flower fadeth, but the WORD of our God shall stand for ever. 1 Pet. 1. 24,25. All Flesh is as Grass, and all the Glory of Man as the Flower of Grafs: The Grafs withereth, and the Flower thereof falleth away; but the WORD of the Lord endureth for ever.

• Pfalm XXXIX. 3, to 13.

Behold, thou hast made (b) Ecolef. 1. 12, 13. I the Preachmy Days as an HAND- er was King over Ifrael in Ferufa

BREADTH, and mine Age is
as NOTHING before thee :
Verily every Man, at his best
State, is altogether (6) VA-

NITY.

Surely every Man walketh in a VAIN SHEW: Surely they are difquieted in vain; he heapeth up RICHES, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? My HOPE is in thee.

Deliver me from all my Tranfgreffions; make me not the Reproach of the Foolish. I was dumb, I opened not my Mouth, because thou didst

lem; and I gave my Heart to feek and fearch out by Wisdom, concerning all things that are done under Heaven: This fore Travail hath God given to the Sons of Men, to be exercised therewith. Chap. II. to ver. 12. I said in mine Heart,

Go to now, I will prove thee with MIRTH, therefore enjoy PLEASURE; and behold, this is alío VANITY. I faid of Laughter, it is mad; and of Mirth, what doth it? I fought in my Heart to give my self unto WINE (yet acquainting my Heart with WISDOM) and to lay hold on FOLLY, till I might fee what was that Good for the Sons of Men, which they should do under the Heaven, all the Days of their Life. I made me great Works; I builded me Houses; I planted me Vineyards; I made me Gardens and Orchards, and I planted Trees in them of all kind of Fruits: I made me Pools of Water, to water therewith the Wood that bringeth forth Trees. I got me Servants and Maidens, and had Servants born in my House: Also I had great Poffeffions of great and fimall Cattle, above all I gathered me also * Silver and