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Psalm

I am for peace; but when I speak they are for war. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and cxx. 7. earth.

cxxi. 2.

For I know that the LORD is great, and that our LORD is cxxxv. 5-18. above all gods: Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast. Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharoah, and upon all his servants. Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan and gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people. Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants. The idols of the heathen are silver and Tractarian gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they ite admirers speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, of graven but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

and Pusey

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8.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou exxxviii. 7, shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

14-21.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: cxxxix. marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up

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against thee?
I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them
mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try
me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul : for I am thy servant.

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: my goodness and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Bow thy heavens,

O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: The LORD prescrveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.

:

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

31,

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, Isaiah i. 17-26, 28, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be made as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. Therefore saith the LORD, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterwards thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

ALMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus. Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy special grace preventing us, thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through Jesus Christ our LORD, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

City, Easter Day, 1856.

AN EXPOSITION

OF

JUST AND DIVINE PESTILENCE

TAKEN FROM THE WRITINGS OF

DANIEL DE FOE,

A CITIZEN OF LONDON, MERCHANT ADVENTURER, AND SHIP-OWNER.

"The pestilence which walketh in darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noon-day."-PSALM Xci. 6.

Pestilence brought from abroad.

Ir was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard, in ordinary discourse, that the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in the year 1663, whither they say it was brought, some said from Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.

We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days, to spread rumours and reports of things; and to improve them by the inventions of men, as I have lived to see practised since. But such things as those were gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now. But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence it was that this rumour died off again, and people began to forget it, as a thing we were very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter end of November, or the beginning of December, 1664, when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of

the plague in Long-acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury- Commences in the city lane. The family they were in endeavoured to conceal it as of Westmuch as possible; but as it had gotten some vent in the dis- minster. course of the neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it. And concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident tokens of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they gave their opinions publicly, that they died of the plague; whereupon it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also returned them to the hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the usual manner, thus :

Plague, 2.-Parishes infected, 1.

The people showed a great concern at this, and began to be alarmed all over the town, and the more, because in the last week in December, 1664, another man died in the same house, and of the same distemper; and then we were easy again for about six weeks, when none having died with any marks of infection, it was said the distemper was gone; but after that, I think it was about the 12th of February, another died in another house, but in the same parish, and in the same manner.

This turned the people's eyes pretty much towards that end of the town; and the weekly bills showing an increase of burials in St. Giles's parish more than usual, it began to be suspected that the plague was among the people at that end of the town; and that many had died of it, though they had taken care to keep it as much from the knowledge of the public as possible; this possessed the heads of the people very much, and few cared to go through Drury-lane, or the other streets suspected, unless they had extraordinary business that obliged them to it.

This increase of the bills stood thus; the usual number of burials in a week, in the parishes of St. Giles's in the Fields and St. Andrew's Holborn, were from 12 to 17 or 19 each, few more or less; but from the time that the plague first began in St. Giles's parish, it was observed that the ordinary burials increased in number considerably. For example:

From December 27 to January 3. St. Giles's. 16
St. Andrew's 17

January 3 to January 10. St. Giles's. 12

St. Andrew's 25

January 10 to January 17. St. Giles's. 18

St. Andrew's 18

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