Psalm 106 (Confitemini Domino)

Where are the hymnes, where are the honors due
To our good God, whose goodnes knowes no end?
Who of his force can utter what is true?
Who all his praise in praises comprehend?
O blessed they whose well advised sight
Of all their life the levell straight doe bend,
With endlesse ayming at the mark of right.

Lord, for the love thou dost thy people beare,
Graunt thought of me may harbor in thy mind:
Make me with them thy safeties liv'ry weare,
That I may once take notice in what kinde
Thy kindness is on thine elected showne:
That I may gladdnes in their gladdnes finde,
Boasting with them who boast to be thine owne.

Indeede we have, as our fore-fathers done,
Done ill, done wronge, unjustly, wickedly:
For (that I may begin where they begun)
Thy workes in Egipt wrought, they passed by,
Quite out of thought thy many bounties fell,
And at the sea they did thy pacience try:
At the Red Sea, they did, I say, rebell.

Yet God (O goodnes) saved for his name
These mutiners, that this his might might show,
For he the waters did rebuking blame,
The waters left at his rebuke to flow
On sandy deepe, as on the desert sands,
Unwett in waves he made his people goe:
Setting them safe from all their haters hands.

For look how fast their foes did them pursue,
Soe fast, more fast the sea pursu'd their foes:
All drencht, all dead, not one left of the crue.
Then loe beliefe, then thankfullnesse arose
In faithlesse, gracelesse hartes: but in a trice
Oblyvion all remembraunce overgrowes
Of his greate workes, or care of his advise.

For gluttonous they flesh in desert crave,
That they forsooth might try th'allmighties might;
As gluttons fitts, they flesh in desert have,
For fully fedd, yet far'd in pining plight.
What should I utter how from Moses they
And holy Aron sacred in Gods sight,
Through envy sought to take the rule away?

The very earth such mischiefe griev'd to beare,
And opning made her gaping throate the grave,
Where Dathan and Abiram buried were,
Buried alive with tentes and all they have.
Whose complices the flash of angry fire
Surprised soe, none could from burning save,
In ashes rak'd they found their treasons hire.

A molten god they did in Horeb frame,
And what? forsouth the suckling of a cow;
Their heav'nly glory chang'd to beastly shame,
They more then beastes, before a beast did bow.
A calfe, nay image of a calfe they serv'd,
Whose highest worshipp, hay they should alow,
God was forgott, who had them soe preserv'd.

Preserv'd them soe by miracles of might,
Done in the plaines where fertile Nilus flowes:
And wondied workes; which fearefully did fright,
The oker bancks their passage did inclose.
Therefore their wrack he meant; which while he meant,
Moses his chosen in the gapp arose,
And turn'd his wrath from wrackfull punishment.

What more? the land that well deserv'd desire
With fond disdaine mistrustfull they reject:
Their tentes doe flame with hott rebellious fire,
Jehovas wordes receav'd with no respect.
For which he in the desert overthrew
Them selves, their sonns, with fathers fault infect,
Scatt'red, exil'd, no certaine country knew.

For they to Pehors, filthy idoll, went,
And what had bin to dead things sacrific'd,
Forbidden foode, abhominably spent,
Soe God with anger mightely surpris'd
His hurtfull hand against their health did raise;
But Phinees, justice done, their lives repris'd,
And for that justice purchas'd endlesse praise.

Could this suffice? Nay, farther at the brooke,
The brooke of Brail, they did the Lord incense:
Which then his name of their contention tooke;
Where Moses self did smart for their offence,
For inly angred that he rashly spake,
Forgetting due respect and reverence,
Which for his rashnesse God did angry make.

After their sonnes came to that lovely land,
Noe better minded, all be better blest,
Would not roote out (as stoode with his command)
The Pagan plants, who then the place possest,
But grew together up, and did as they,
In idoll service forward as the best:
In idoll service roote of their decay.

For they both sonnes and daughters offered
Unto their gods; gods? no, they devills were:
Whose guiltlesse bloud, which wastfully they shed,
Imbru'd the idolls Canaan did beare;
The land defiled was with murthers done,
Whiles they in workes no filthines forbeare,
And in conceiptes a whooring mainly run.

Soe God incensed grew against his owne,
And plainly did his heritage detest:
Left them to be by strangers overthrowne,
Lorded by foes, by enimies opprest.
Often he freed them by his force divine:
But when their witts would give his wrath no rest,
Left them at length in worthy plagues to pine.

He left them long, yet left them not at last,
But saw their woes, and heard their waylfull cries,
Which made him call to thought his cov'nant past-
Soe chang'd, not only in him self did rise
Repentant pitty of their passed paines:
But their captivers now relenting eyes
His ruth of them to tender yelding traines.

Goe on, O God, as them, soe us to save:
Rally thy troopes that widely scattred be,
That their due thankes thy holynesse may have;
Their glorious praise thy heav'nly pow'r may see-
O God of Izrael, our God, our Lord,
Eternall thankes be to eternall thee:
Lett all the earth with praise approve my word.