A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM LXI.
_David fleeth to God upon his former experience.—He voweth perpetual service unto him, because of his promises._ To the chief Musician upon Neginah. A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock _that_ is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, _and_ a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given _me_ the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; _and_ his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, _which_ may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. This is a prayer against the enemies of the people of God, and especially also for magistrates, and for the king—that God would increase faith in him, and further him in the knowledge of his holy name and word; that he may walk in faith and in the fear of God; that his government may be happy and endure; and that religion and good government may not be injured and distracted by seditions and wars. For Solomon, in his Proverbs, says, “That for the sins of the people, God changes kings and kingdoms.” But where there are many kings, there, (according to the manner of all human vicissitudes,) what one builds up, another casts down: as the proverb goes, “A new king, a new law,”—all changes in a state are dangerous: happy is that kingdom, therefore, which, being once well constituted, is long preserved in the same state.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.