The psalter of David with titles and collects according to the matter of each Psalme : whereunto is added Devotions for the help and assistance of all Christian people, in all occasions and necessities.

THE PREFACE.

IT is naturall for all men when they are straitned with fears, or actuall infelici∣ties, to run for succour, to what their fancy, or the next opportunity pre∣sents, as an instrument of their ease and remedy. But that which distingui∣shes men in these cases, is the choyce of their Sanctuary: for to rely upon the Reeds of Aegypt, or to snatch at the Bul-rushes of Nilu••, may well become a drowning man, whose Reason is so wholly invaded and surpriz••d by Fear, as to be uselesse to him in that confus••∣on: But he whose condition (although it be sad) is still under the Mastery of Reason, and hath time to deliberate, unlesse he places his hopes upon something that is likely to cure his misery, or at least to ease it, by making his affli∣ction lesse, or his patience more, does deserve that misery he groans under. Stripes and remedilesse miseries are the lot of Fools, but Afflictions that happen to w••se men, or good men, represent indeed the sadnesses of mortality, but they become Monuments and advantages of their Piety and Wisdome.

In this most unnaturall Warre ••ommenced against the greatest solennities of Christianity, and all that is called, God, I have been put to it to run somewhither to Sanctu∣ary; but whither, was so great a question, that had not Re∣ligion been my guide, I had not known where to have found rest or safety, when the King and the Laws, who by God and Man respectively are appointed the Protectors of Innocence and Truth, had themselves the greatest need

of a Protector. And when in the beginning of these trou∣bles I hastned to His Majesty, the case of the King and His good Subjects, was something like that of Isaac, ready to be sacrificed, the wood was prepared, the fire kindled, the knife was lift up, and the hand was striking, that if we had not been something like Abraham too, and against hope have beleeved in hope, we had been as much without com∣fort as we were in outward appearance without remedy.

It was my custome long since to secure my selfe against the violences of Discontents abroad, as Gerson did against temptations, in angulis & libellis, in my books and my retirements: But now I was deprived of both them, and driven to a publick view and participation of those dan∣gers and miseries which threatned the Kingdome, and disturbed the eavennesse of my former life. I was there∣fore constrained to amasse together all those arguments of hope and comfort, by which men in the like condition were supported; and amongst all the great examples of trouble and confidence, I reckon'd King David one of the biggest, and of greatest consideration. For conside∣ring that he was a King, vexed with a Civill Warre, his case had so much of ours in it, that it was likely the de∣votions he used might fit our turn, and his comforts su∣stain us.

And indeed when I came to look upon the Psalter with a neerer observation, and an eye diligent to espy my ad∣vantages and remedies there deposited, I found very many Prayers against the enemies of the King and Church, and the miseries of Warre. I found so many admirable promises, so rare variety of expressions of the mercies of God, so many consolatory hymnes, the commemoration of so many deliverances from dangers, and deaths, and Enemies, so many miracles of mercy and salvation, that I began to be so confident as to beleeve there could come no affliction great enough, to spend so great a stock of comfort as was laid up in the treasure of the Psalter: the saying of S. Paul was here verified, if sinne [and misery]

did abound, then did grace superabound: and as wee beleeve of the Passion of Christ, it was so great as to be able to satisfy for a thousand Worlds; so it is of the com∣forts of Davids Psalmes, they are more then sufficient to repair all the breaches of Mankind. But for the particular occasion of creating confidences in us that God will de∣fend his Church and his Anoynted, and all that trust in him, against all their Enemies, (which was our case, and contained in it all our needs for the present) I found so abundant supply, that of 150. Psalmes, some whereof are Historicall, many Eucharisticall, many Propheticall, and the rest Prayers for severall occasions, 34. of them are expresly made against Gods and our enemies; Eleven expresly for the Church, four for the King; that is, a third part of the Psalms relate particularly to the present occa∣sion, beside many clauses of respersion in the other, which if collected in one, would of themselves, be great argu∣ments of hope to prevail in so good a cause.

This which experience taught me now, I was promised before by a frequent testimony of the Doctors of the Church, who give the Psalter such a Character as is due to the best and most usefull book in the whole World, viz. The most profitable of books: the treasure of Holy instructions, consummationem totius paginae Theologicae, the perfection of the whole Scripture; so the ordinary Glosse calls it; arma juvenum, parva Biblia, tribulatorum solatia, the young mans armory, the little Bible, the com∣fort of the distressed, so others; to be said by all men up∣on all occasions, is the counsell of the most devout amongst them. But concerning the Psalter there are good words enough, and reall observation of advantages in the severall prefaces before the Commentaries upon the Psalms, set forth by the Fathers, and Writers of the first and middle ages. I leave the particular enumeration of them, to the learned Divines of our Church, to whom it is more proper; the summe of them is this, which Tertullian alone hath expressed in his Apology ag••inst

the Gentiles, Omnes Bibliothecas, & omnia monumenta unius Prophetae scrinium vincit, in quo videtur thesaurus collocatus esse totius Judaici Sacramenti, & inde etiam nostri, this book alone of the Prophet David, hath in it some excellencies beyond all the monuments of Learning in any Library whatsoever, and is the store-house both of the Jewish and Christian Religion.

But that which pleases me most is the fancy of S. Hila∣ry, expounding the Psalter to be meant by the Key of David, spoken of by S. John in his Revelation: And pro∣perly enough; for if we consider how many mysteries of Religion are open'd to us in the Psalter, how many things concerning Christ, what clear vaticinations concerning his Birth, his Priesthood, his Kingdome, his Death, the very circumstances of his Passion, his Resurrection, and all the degrees of his Exaltation-more clearly and expli∣citely recorded in the Psalter, then in all the old Prophets besides, we may easily beleeve that Christ with a Key of David in his hand, is nothing else but Christ fully open'd and manifested to us in the Psalmes in the whole mystery of our Redemption. Omnes penè Psalmi Christi personam sustinent, saith Tertullian. Almost all the Psalmes repre∣sent the Person of Christ. Now this Key of David, opens not onely the Kingdome of Grace, by Revelation of the mysteries of our Religion, but the Kingdome of Heaven too, it being such a Collection of Prayers, Eucharist, acts of hope, of love, of patience, and all other Christian ver∣tues, that as the everlasting Kingdome is given to the Heire of the House of David, so the Honour of opening that Kingdome is given to the first Prince of that Family; the Psalmes of his Father David are one of the best inlets into the Kingdome of the Sonne. Something to this pur∣pose is that saying of one of the old Doctors, Vox psal∣modiae si recto corde dirigatur, in tantum omnipotenti Deo aditum ad animum aperit, ut intentae animae vel Prophe∣••iae mysteria, vel compunctionis spiritum insundat. The saying or singing of Psalmes opens a way so wide for

God to enter into the heart, that a devout soule does usually from such an imployment receive the grace of compunction and contrition, or of understanding Prophecies.

Upon such premises as these, or better, the Church of God in all ages hath made Davids Psalter the greatest part of her publike and private devotions; sometimes divi∣ding the Psalter into seven parts, that every weeks devo∣tion might spend it all.

Sometimes decreeing that it should be said day and night. Otherwhile injoyned the recitation of the whole Psalter before the celebration of the blessed Sacrament; and after some time it was made the publike office of the Church.

It was the generall use of Christendome, to say the Psalmes Antiphonatim, by way of verse and answer, saith Suidas; and so ancient, that the Religious of S. Mark in Alexandria used it, saith Philo the Jew; and S Ignatius, or else Flavianus and Diodorus brought it first into the Church of Antioch.

And for the private Devotions, that they chiefly con∣sisted of the Psalmes we have great probability from the strict requiring it of the Clergy, and particularly from them who came to be ordained, great readinesse of saying the Psalter by heart. It was S. Hieroms counsell to Rusticus, and when S. Gregory was to ordain the Bishop of Ancona, his inquiry concerning his Canonicall sufficiency was, if he could say Davids Psalmes without book; and for a dis∣ability of doing it, John the Priest was rejected from the Bishoprick of Ravenna. But this I conceive more relates to their private, then to their publick devotions, for I cannot think but that in respect of the publick Liturgy, it was enough for Bishops and Priests to read the Psalm; the requiring ability to remember them was to ingage them to a frequent use of so admirable devotions, in their pri∣vate offices.

But the Psalms were not onely of use to the Church, as they lay in their own position and form, but the devout men of severall ages drew them into Collects, Antipho∣naries, Responsories, and all other parts of their devoti∣ons. Th••y made their Prayers out of the Psalms, their con∣f••ssions, their doxologies, their ejaculations for the most part were clauses or periods of the Psalter. S. Hierome made a collection of choyce versicles, and put them toge∣ther into their severall classes, and that was much of his devotion; the Collection is still extant under the Name of S. Hierome's Psalter. S. Athanasius made an Index of the severall occasions and matters of prayer and Eucha∣rist, and fitted Psalms to each particular, that was his de∣votion, the Psalms intire as they lay, onely he made titles of his own. I have seen of latter time a short hymne of some eight verses, which are indeed very choyce senten∣ces out of severall Psalms set together to make a compen∣dium of Liturgy of Breviary of our necessity, and devo∣tions, collected by S. Bernardine, it is a very good Copy to be followed. But if we look into the old Liturgies of the Eastern and Western Churches, and where we will almost into the the private devotions of the old Writers, we may say of them in the expression of the Prophet, Hau∣riebant aquas è sontibus Salvatoris, they drew their waters from the fountains of our Blessed Saviour, but through the limbecks of David.

But the practice of this devotion I derived from a high∣er precedent, even of Christ and his Apostles: for before the passion immediately, they sung a Psalm, saith the Scri∣pture, Hymno dicto, saith the vulgar Latine, having recited or said a Psalm. But however it was part of Davids Psal∣ter that was sung, it was the great Allelujah, as the Jews called it, beginning at the 113. Psalme, to the 119. ex∣clusively, part of that was sung. But this devotion conti∣nued with our Blessed Saviour as long as breath was in him, for when he was upon the Crosse, he recited the 22. Psalme ad verbum, saith the Tradition of the Church,

and that he began it, saith the Scripture, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The whole Psalme is rather a history then a prediction of the Passion; and what Ter∣tullian saith of the whole Psalter is particularly verified of this, Filium ad Patrem, id est, Christum ad Deum verba facientem repraesentat, it represents the Sonnes addresse to his Father, that is, C••rist speaking to God. Against the example of Christ if we confront the practice of Anti∣christ, nothing can be said greater in commend••tion of this manner of devotion: for B. Hippolytus, in his Oration of the end of the world, saith, that in the days of Anti∣christ, Psalmorum decantatio cessabit, they shall then no more use the singing or saying of the Psalmes; which when I had observed, without any further deliberation I fix'd upon the Psalter, as the best weapon against him, whose comming we have great reason to beleeve is not far off, so great preparation is making for him.

From the example of Christ this grew to be a Practice Apostolicall, and their devotion came exactly home to the likenesse of the design of this very Book: they turn'd the Psalmes into Prayers.

Thus it was said of Paul and Silas, Act. 16. They pray∣ed a Psalme, so it is in the Greek; and we have a Copy left us of one of the Prayers or Collects which they made out of the bowels of the second Psalme, it is in the fourth Chapter of the Acts, beginning at the 24. verse, and ends at the 31. And now I have shown the reasons of my choyce, and the precedents that I have followed. This last comes home to every circumst••nce of my Book. I onely adde this, that since according to the instruction of our blessed Saviour, God is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth; no worshipping can be more true, or more spi∣ritu••ll then the Psalter said with a pure minde and a hearty devotion. For David was Gods instrument to the Church, teaching and admonishing us (as our duty is to each o••her) in Psalmes and Hymnes, and spirituall Songs, an•• the Spirit of Truth was the Grand Dictator of what David

wrote; so that we may confidently use this devotion as the Church of God ever did, making her addresses to God most frequently by the Psalms: so Prudentius reports the guise of Christendome:

Te mente purâ, simplici, Te voce, te cantu pio, Rogare curvato genu, Flendo & canendo discimus.Hymn. 2. Cathemer.

The Prayers which I have collected out of the Psalms, are nothing else, but the matter of the Psalmes put into ••nother mood, and fitted to the necessities of Christen∣dome, and of our selves in particular, according to the first designation or secondary intention of the blessed Spi∣rit: for the use of them could not expire in the person of David, though first occasioned (many of them) by his per∣sonall necessities: for all Scripture was written for our learning upon whom the ends of the world are come, (saith the Apostle) and Christ, and his Apostles, and the Church of all ages, hath taught us by their example and precepts, that the purposes of the holy Ghost were of great extent, and the profits universall both for times and occasions: so also were the Prayers which the Church made out of the Psalms, and sung them in her publick offi∣ces. S. Austin found great advantages by such devotions, as himselfe witnesses; Cùm reminiscor lachrymas meas quas fudi ad cantus Ecclesiae in primordiis recuperatae fidei meae, magnam instituti hujus utilitatem agnosco. When I call to minde the many teares I shed when I heard the Hymnes and Psalms of the Church, I cannot but acknow∣ledge the great benefit of this institution.

And yet besides, the spirituall sense of an actuall devo∣tion, which is sooner had in this use of the Psalms then of other Prayers, I have had a meditation that this manner of devotion might be a good Symbol and instrument of Communion between Christians of a different Perswasi∣on:

For if we all would communicate in the same pri∣vate devotions, it were a great degree of Peace and Cha∣rity. The Nicen•• Fathers in their zeale against Heresie, forbad their people to be present at the Prayers of Here∣tiques; and they had great reason so long as they derived their Heresie into their Liturgy, into their very formes of Baptisme: But I am much scandalized, when I see a man refuse to communicate with me in my Prayers, even such as are in his own Breviary or Manuall. For me thinks it is strange that the Lords Prayer it selfe should be unhal∣lowed in the mouth of a Protestant, and yet the whole of∣fice from the mouth of one of their Priests, though never so wicked, though a Necromancer, a secret Jew, or any thing, so of their Communion, shall lose no title of its sanctity and value. So long as nothing of controversie is brought into our Prayers (and certainly we may very well pray to God without disputing) and Devotion is not made a party, he that refuses to joyn with me in what him∣self confesses true and holy, upon pretence I am a heretick, will certainly prove himself a Schismatick. For true it is, a Heretick is to be avoyded, that is in his temptation and in his heresie, just as a notorious Fornicator, an Adulte∣rer, a sentenc'd drunkard, and no more, the Apostles rule excommunicates all alike, with such men no not to eat, and this rule cannot with so much ease and certainty bee put to practice in the case of heresie, as in the case of drun∣kennesse, because heresie is as much harder to be judg'd, as the soule is more invisible then the body, especially if wee make heresy to be an error, not in the great articles of faith only, but to consist in minutes also, as all they do who refuse to communicate with Persons disagreeing even in the smallest article.

But hee that is ready to joyne with all the societies of Christians in the world, in those things which are certainly true, just and pious, gives great probation that he hath at least, animum Catholicam, no Schismaticall soul, because he would actually communicate with all Christendome,

if bona fides in falso articulo, sincere perswasion (be it true or false) did not disoblige him, since he clearly distingui∣shes persons from things, and in all good things commu∣nicates with persons bad enough in others. This is the Communion of charity, and when the Communion of beleef is interrupted by misperswasion on one side, and too much confidence and want of charity on the other, the erring party hath humane infirmity to excuse him, but the uncharitable nothing at all. This therefore is the best and surest way, because we are all apt to be deceived, to be sin∣cere in our disquisitions, modest in our determinations, charitable in our censures, and apt to communicate in things of evident truth and confessed holinesse. And such is this devotion; the whole matter whereof is the Psalms of David, and the prayers Symbolicall, and alike in sub∣stance, and of the same expression throughout, where it is not altered by circumstances.

So that I thought I might not imprudently intend this Book as an instrument of publike charity to Christians of different confessions. For I see that all sorts of people sing or say Davids Psalms, and by that use, if they under∣stand the consequences of their own Religion, accept s••t forms of prayer for their Liturgy, and this form in speciall is one of their own choyces for devotion; so that if all Christians, that think Davids Psalmes lawfull devotion, and shall observe the Collects from them to be just of the same Religion, would joyn in this or the like form, I am something confident the product would be charity, besides other spirituall advantages. For my own particular, since all Christendome is so much divided, and subdivided into innumerable Sects, I knew not how to give a better evi∣dence of my own beleef, and love of the Communion of Saints, and detestation of Schisme, then by an act of Re∣ligion, whose consequence might be (if men please) the advancement of an universall Communion. For in that which is most concerning, and is the best preserver of cha∣rity, I mean practicall devotion and active piety, the dif∣ferences

of Christendome are not so great and many, to make an eternall dis-union and fracture; and if we instance in Prayer, there is none at all abroad (some indeed wee have commenc'd at home, but) in the great divisions of Christendome, none at all but concerning the object of our prayers and adorations. For the Socinian shuts the Holy Ghost from his Letanies, and places the Sonne of God in a lower form of addresse. But concerning him I must say, as S. Paul said of the unbeleevers, What have I to doe with them that are without?

For this very thing that they disbeleeve the article of the holy Trinity, they make themselves uncapable of the communion of other Christian people of the Nicene Faith, and we cannot so much as joyn with them in good prayers, because we are not agreed concerning the persons to whom our devotions must be addressed; and Christen∣dome never did so lightly esteem the article of the holy Trinity, as not to glory in it, and confesse it publickly, and expresse it in all our offices. The holy Ghost toge∣ther with the Father and the Son must be worshipped and glorified.

But since all Christians of any publike confession and government, that is, all particular and nationall Churches, agree in the matter of prayers, and the great object, God in the mystery of the Trinity, if the the Church of Rome would make her addresses to God onely, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and leave the Saints in the Calendar, without drawing them into her offices (which they might doe without any prejudice to the suits they ask, unlesse Christs intercession without their conjuncture were im∣perf••ct) that we might all once pray together, we might hope for the blessings of peace and charity to be upon us all. I am sure they that have commenced this war against the King & the Church, first fell out with our Liturgy, and refused to joyn with us in our prayers: I have therefore a strong perswasion, that if we were joyned in our prayers, we should quickly be united in affections: and to this pur∣pose

I have some reason to beleeve this Psalter may doe good service.

For I have seen an Essay of this designe made by that prudent and pious Moderator of Controversies, George Cassander, who did much for the peace of Chri∣stendome, when disagreeing interests and opinions made the great Schisme in the Western Churches, he puts forth Devotions, and with them Collects for each Psalme. But I said, it was a meer Essay, they are short of what he could have done: but when I saw his name at them, I guessed what every man else would have guessed concerning him, it was a pursuance of his great designe for peace and charity.

I have se••n three more, the first by an old Saxon Priest or Bishop, in which there is nothing of offence, nothing but pious and primitive for the matter, but the Collects so short, that the Psalm did scarce passe through the Prayer, so little of the relish is left, that the percolation is scarce discernable.

A second was printed at Lyons, 1545. without the Au∣thors name, with a complying design of avoyding all of∣fence, and a not engaging God in our scholasticall wrang∣lings, but quite contrary to the Saxon; the Prayers are so full of Paraphrase, that I resolved to goe further, and see if I could speed better, and at last met with a Psalter printed lately at Antwerp by Command, very fairly in∣deed, with a Title and a Collect to every Psalm, all free from dispute, and partaking in the questions of C••risten∣dome, not so much as a gust or relish of his own party till the Psalter be done, the Prayers all good, and here I had fixed, but that I had found them very often to be imperti∣nent. But that which I observed in all these, is, that the de∣sign seems alike, and they are a form of devotion made for no private Sect, but for the benefit of all Christian people, which the Author of the Antwerp Psalter declines in his Additionall Devotions, where he brings in Letanies to Saints as grosly as he had before avoided it with discretion.

If any mans piety receives advantage by this intend∣ment, it is what I wish; but I desire that his charity might increase too, and that he would say a hearty Prayer, when his Devotion grows high and pregnant, for me and my family; for I am more desirous my Posterity should be pious then honourable. I have no ends of my own to serve, but to purchace an interest of Prayers; for I would fain have these Devotions goe out into a blessing to all them that shall use them, and yet return into my own bo∣some too: and if I may but receive the blessings of the Psalter, even the sure mercies of David, it will be like the reward of five Cities for the improvement of a few talents; I shall venture again in a greater negotiation, and traffique for ten talents; for there is no honour so great as to serve God in a great capacity; and though I wait not at the Altar, yet I will pay there such oblations of my time and industry, as I can redeem from the services of His Maje∣sty, and the impertinences of my own life.