Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.
Psalm CVXX. John Vicars
O
Amidst his holy congregation;
Shew forth his works, set forth his fame,
Sing praise, sing praise unto his name;
And let the heart, and tongue, and voice
Of them that love the Lord, rejoice.
O seeke and search his power supernall;
O seeke and sue to come in sight
Of his most lovely beauty bright;
Of his most amiable face,
Full of refulgent heavenly grace.
Recount with true gratification
The wondrous works which God had done,
By famous facts his honour wonne;
Let not his judgments just depart
From your most mindful, thankful heart.
Ye saint-like seed, first propagated
From Abraham, God’s servant deare,
Which him in faith doth loue and feare—
Ye sons of Jacob, his delight,
Extol the Lord’s majesticke might.
He only of us best deserveth
To be our Lord and Soveraigne blest,
Having apparently exprest
His judgments just, his equity;
Which all the world can testifie.
To all that in his promise rested,
Even to his saints a thousand fold,
Which on him with faith’s hand lay hold,
Unto his everlasting praise,
His word he hath made good always:
That cov’nant good, once precontracted
To Abraham and Isaac’s seed,
And so to Jacob’s sons decreed,
And unto Israel stablisht sure,
To time’s last period to endure;
And (thus) to those his truth confirmed;—
Behold, I Canaan freely give
To you and yours, therein to live;
This lot of your inheritance
My name and fame (there) to advance.
Was yet of slender valuation,
Did yet but very small appeare,
When (thus) his love esteemed them deare;
And that beside their number small,
They in the land were strangers all;
Without all settled habitation,
Now here, now there, conducted still
By their all prudent Pilot’s will;
Who suffered no man wrong to take
But plag’d princes for their sake.
Let none offend my deare anointed,
Nor use my prophets spightfullie!
For these are precious in mine eye.
Fierce famine (then) the Lorde orelaide,
Whereby their staffe of bread decaide:
By whom (foresent) they were sustained,
Tho’ thither he a slave was sould,
Tho’ foes in fetters him did hold,
Untill, in heaven’s appointed time,
God heard his cause, cleared him of crime.
And him from prison did deliver,
The Ægyptian king was to him kinde,
And in him did such wisdom finde,
That of his kingdom and whole state
He made him lord, prince, potentate.
And to his lore and lure conducted,
His senators by Joseph taught:
Then Jacob was to Egypt brought—
I’ th’ land of Ham (then) Israell
Did as a harbour’d stranger dwell.
And to great numbers multiplied,
And then their foes did farre transcend:
Which only did their foes offend,
Which turned their love to hatred great,
Their smiles to guiles and slie deceipt.
And holy Aaron much respected,
Both whom to Ægypt soone he sent,
There to declare his great intent,
And in the land of Ham to showe
His signs and wonders, to their woe.
Did them obey with expedition,
And overspread all Egypt’s land:
And by Heaven’s all ore-ruling hand
Their waters all gore blood became,
And slew all fishes in the same.
The land and lodgings where they rested,
Not sparing Pharao’s chamber neate:
He sent huge swarms, noisome and greate,
Of crawling lice and stinging flies
’Mongst their heard-hearted enemies.
And with feirce flames of fire them bained,
And thereby totallie orethrew
Vines, fig-trees, yea, all trees that grew;
Their caterpillars did abound,
Great grasshoppers their fruits confound.
And strongest of their land confounded,
Yea, ev’n the prime of all their strength,
And led his servants forth at length,
All fraught with gold or silver store:
Not one was feeble, faint, or poore.
Being of their presence thus deprived,
Such feare of them had broke their hearte;
And as they thus did thence depart
A cloud by day hid them from heate,
Their guide by night a fire most great.
With manna sweet their state sustained,
Whiles through the wildernesse they went;
And then the rigid rocke he rent,
From whence did floods of water flow,
To quench their thirst, as they did goe.
With mindfulnesse of promise plighted,
So (then) the Lord did mind the same,
And, to his everlasting fame,
He brought them forth with mirth and joy
Whence they had lived in dire annoy.
That all the labours, lands, and treasure
Of heathen folke his flock did take,
That they might not his lawes forsake,
But faithfully observe his lore,—
Oh let us praise the Lord therefore!