* Deprease, Loard, Scoticè.
No fears shall then my soul depress, *
Though thus my enemies increase :
[3] And therefore now arise, O Lord, *
And graciously thy help afford.
(3) He desires God's help be-
cause he is not afraid of his
enemies; others, I think, usu-
ally desire it when they are
afraid.
(4) The doctor has a mighty
affection for the particle thus :
he uses it four times in this (the
3d) Psalm, and one hundred
times in other places; and al.
ways wrong
(5) That is as much as to say,
that he that can do all things
can defend a man; which I
take to be an undoubted truth.
(6) Are they malicious out of fraility, or frail out of malice?
But you, my frail [6] malicious foes,
Who do my power despise,
Since those alone the Lord has blest
Who do from sin refrain,
He therefore grants what I request,[8]
And hears when I [9] coniplain.
Then shall my soul with more divine
And solid joys
abound ;
Than they with stores of corn and wine,
Those earthly riches, crown’d.[10]
(1) And yet, to show I tell
no fibs,
Thou hast left me in thrall
To Hopkins eke, and doc-
tor Gibbs
The vilest rogue of all.
(2) Ay, and open foes too;
or his repose would not be very
calm.
(3) Thy heavy hand restrain;
Have mercy, Dr. Gibbs :
Do not, I pray thee, paper
stain
With rhymes retail'd in
dribbs
(4) That bit is a most glori-
ous botch.
(5) The squeaking of a hog-
grel.
(6) To listen to thy doggrel.
For how shall I sustain
[5] Those ills which now I bear? My vitals are consum’d with pain,
[6] My soul oppress’d with care !
(7) The doctor must mean
himself; for, I hope, David
never thought so.
(8) Then he is a dunce for
crying.
Lord, I have pray'd in [7] vain,
So long, so much opprest;
My very [8] cries increase my pain,
And tears preveut my rest :
These do my sight impair,
And flowing eyes decay;
While to my en
I fear
Thus [9] to become a prey.
If I've not spar'd him, though he's grown
My causeless (1) enemy;
Then let my life and fortune [2] crown
Become to him a prey.
(9) That is, he is afraid of
becoming a prey to his enemies
while his eyes are sore.
(1) If he be grown his cause-
less enemy, he is no longer
guiltless
(2) He gives a thing before
he has it, and gives it to him
that has it already; for Saul
is the person meant.
(3) But why lend? does he
design to return it back when
he has done with it?
(4) Profane rascal! he makes it a struggle and contention between God and the wicked.
But, Lord, thy kind assistance [3] lend;
Arise in my defence : According to thy laws [4] contend
For injur'd innocence,
That all the nations that oppose
May then confess thy power ;
Therefore assist my righteous cause,
That they may thee adore:
For equal judgment, Lord, to thee,
The nations [1] all submit;
Be therefore [2] merciful to me,
And my just soul acquit (3].
(1) Yet in the very verse be-
fore, he talks of nations that
oppose.
(2) because all nations sub-
mit to God, therefore God must
be merciful to Dr. Gibbs.
(3) Of what?
Poor David never could ac-
quit
A criminal like thee,
Against his Psalms who could
commit
Such wicked poetry.
(4) Observe the connexion.
(5) That's right, doctor; but
there will be no contending, as
you desired a while ago.
Tis wonderful that Providence
Should save thee from the
halter,
Who hast in numbers without
Thus, by God's gracious providence [4],
I'm still preservd secure,
Who all the good and just defends
With a resistless [5] power.
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