Fret not thyself in vain

Verse 1
Fret not thyself in vain
At Evil Men’s success, (Ps. 37:1, Ps. 37:7, Prov. 24:19)
Nor envy them the fatal Gain
Of prosperous, Wickedness; (Ps. 73:3, Prov. 23:17, Prov. 24:1)
For all their Pomp shall pass,
Their Glory, Wealth, and Power, (Ps. 49:16-17)
Cut down, and wither’d as the Grass,
And fleeting as the Flower. (Ps. 37:2, Ps. 90:5-6, Ps. 92:7, Ps. 103:15-16, Isa. 40:6-8, James 1:10-11, I Pet. 1:24)

Verse 2
Trust in the Lord, and still
Thy Faith by Works approve, (Ps. 37:3, James 2:18)
So shall He stablish Thee, and fill (II Thess. 3:3, I Pet. 5:10)
With Blessings from above: (Ps. 37:3)
Delight thee in thy GOD,
And GOD Himself shall give, (Ps. 37:4, Job 22:26, Isa. 58:14)
Shed in thy Heart his Love abroad, (Rom. 5:5)
And there forever live. (Eph. 3:17)

Verse 3
Commit unto the Lord
Thyself and all thy Ways, (Ps. 37:5, Prov. 16:3)
Trust Him to keep his faithful Word, (I Thess. 5:24, Heb. 10:23)
And bring the thing to pass; (Ps. 37:5)
He shall in all Men’s sight
Thy Righteousness display, (Ps. 37:6, Ps. 98:2, Isa. 62:1-2)
Thine Innocence as clear as Light,
And glaring as the Day. (Ps. 37:6, Matt. 13:43)

Verse 4
Thou in the Lord be still, (Ps. 46:10)
With patient Hope attend, (Ps. 37:7, Lam. 3:25-26, Rom. 8:25)
And wait the Councel of his Will, (Ps. 106:13, Eph. 1:11)
And calmly mark the End. (Ps. 37:37)
Ah, let not go thy Peace,
Nor at the Sinner grieve,
Who vainly boasting his Success
Doth for a Moment live. (Ps. 37:1, Ps. 37:7, Ps. 37:35-36, Job 20:5)

Verse 5
Cast thy Concern away, (Ps. 55:22, I Pet. 5:7)
Thy rising Grief controul,
Least Anger into Sin betray,
And poison all thy Soul: (Ps. 37:8, Eph. 4:26-27)
Cut off by Wrath Divine
The Wicked soon shall cease, (Ps. 37:9-10, Ps. 37:22, Prov. 2:21-22)
But who on GOD their Souls recline
They shall the Land possess. (Ps. 37:9, Ps. 37:29, Ps. 37:34, Ps. 25:12-13)

Verse 6
Pass a few Days or Years,
The Sinners Boast is o’re,
His Pomp no more on Earth appears,
His Place is found no more; (Ps. 37:10, Ps. 37:35-36, Job 20:5-9)
But still the meek shall live
With every Blessing blest, (Ps. 37:11, Matt. 5:5, Eph. 1:3)
Fulness of Gospel-Peace receive, (Ps. 37:11, Eph. 6:15)
And Everlasting rest. (Rev. 14:13)

Verse 7
The Wicked plots the Death
Of the detested Just, (Ps. 37:12, Ps. 37:32)
And gnashes on Him with his Teeth (Acts 7:54)
Who puts in GOD his trust: (Ps. 37:12)
But GOD shall Him deride; (Ps. 2:4, Ps. 59:8)
He sees his Evil Day
Approach, to end the Tyrants Pride, (Ps. 37:13)
And sweep from Earth away. (Ps. 104:35, Prov. 2:22)

Verse 8
Sinners have drawn the Sword,
And ready bent their Bow (Ps. 37:14, Ps. 11:2)
To slay the Servants of the Lord,
The Needy to o’rethrow: (Ps. 37:14, Ps. 11:2)
But GOD his Power shall shew,
And take his Servants part, (Ps. 118:7)
Their Bow shall break, their Sword go thro’
Their own malicious Heart. (Ps. 37:15)

Verse 9
The Little of the Just
’Tis better to possess,
Than all the Wealth of those that trust
In their own Wickedness: (Ps. 37:16, Isa. 47:10)
Their Strength shall be broke down,
Their Insolence and Power; (Ps. 37:17)
But still the Lord upholds His own,
And keeps them evermore. (Ps. 37:17, Ps. 37:24, Ps. 37:28, Ps. 121:7-8)

Verse 10
He knows their happy Days,
Their Lot shall still abide; (Ps. 37:18)
In Time of Dearth the righteous Race
Shall all be satisfied;
Kept in the evil Time, (Ps. 37:19, Job 5:20, Ps. 33:18-19)
While all the Wicked fail, (Ps. 37:20)
Haters of GOD, they bear their Crime, (Ps. 81:15, Rom. 1:30)
And vanish into Hell. (Ps. 37:20, Ps. 9:17)

Verse 11
The Wicked Borrower owes,
But never pays again, (Ps. 37:21)
Mercy the Righteous Lender shews
And gives his Gifts to Men, (Ps. 37:21, Ps. 37:26)
Whom GOD hath curs’d shall cease
Uprooted by his Hand, (Ps. 37:22, Matt. 15:13)
But whom He condescends to bless
They shall possess the Land. (Ps. 37:9, Ps. 37:11, Ps. 37:22, Ps. 37:29)

Verse 12
In Paths of Righteousness
He leads his Servant right, (Ps. 23:3, Prov. 8:20)
His Servant’s steady Walk He sees
With favour and Delight: (Ps. 37:23, Ps. 37:31, Prov. 11:20)
Tho’ into Trouble cast
He shall not fall away,
The Lord supports and holds him fast, (Ps. 37:24)
And shall for ever stay. (Ps. 37:18, Ps. 37:28)

Verse 13
I never yet have seen
The Righteous or their Seed
Wandring among the Sons of Men,
And destitute of Bread. (Ps. 37:25)
Freely he gives, and lends: (Ps. 37:26, Ps. 112:5, Ps. 112:9)
And what to GOD is given
In Blessings on his Seed descends (Ps. 37:26, Ps. 112:2)
Who lays up Wealth in Heaven. (Matt. 6:20, Matt. 19:21, Luke 12:33)

Verse 14
Evil do Thou eschew,
Do good with all thy Power, (Ps. 37:27, Job 1:1, Ps. 34:14, I Pet. 3:11)
And perfect Holiness pursue, (II Cor. 7:1, Heb. 12:14)
And dwell for evermore: (Ps. 37:27, Ps. 37:29)
Lover of Holiness
The Lord preserves His own, (Ps. 37:28, Ps. 31:23, Ps. 97:10, Ps. 145:20)
When all the Sinners Offspring cease
Forever lost and gone. (Ps. 37:28, Ps. 109:13)

Verse 15
Saints shall possess the Land,
And dwell forever there, (Ps. 37:9, Ps. 37:11, Ps. 37:29)
Confess the Faith by which they stand, (Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 11:20, II Cor. 1:24)
The Righteousness declare: (Ps. 37:30, Ps. 40:9-10)
The Law is writ within
The pure and perfect Heart, (Ps. 37:31, Ps. 40:8, Jer. 31:33, Heb. 8:10, Heb. 10:16)
The Saint indeed shall never Sin, (I John 3:6, I John 3:9, I John 5:18)
Or from his GOD depart. (Ps. 37:31, Jer. 32:40)

Verse 16
The Wicked Eyes the Good,
And watches to devour, (Ps. 37:32, Ps. 10:8-9)
GOD, will not leave his Saint, pursu’d
By persecuting Power; (Ps. 37:33)
Tho’ Men arrest, arraign,
And judge him in their Day, (Ps. 37:33, I Cor. 4:3)
The Lord shall soon his Cause maintain, (Ps. 9:4, Ps. 140:12)
His Innocence display. (Ps. 37:6)

Verse 17
Thou in the Saviour hope,
And in his Statutes live,
So shall He keep, and lift thee up, (James 4:10, I Pet. 5:6)
The Promise to receive. (Ps. 37:34, Heb. 10:36)
When the Ungodly fall,
Thou shalt their Ruin see, (Ps. 37:34, Ps. 91:8)
And glorify the Judge of All (Gen. 18:25, Heb. 12:23)
Who then appears for Thee.

Verse 18
I have the Wicked Seen,
In all his Pomp and Power,
Fair as the Lawrel-tree, and Green,
And flourishing his Hour: (Ps. 37:35, Ps. 92:7)
I pass’d, and look’d again;
The Mighty Man was not:
I sought his Place, and sought in vain; (Ps. 37:10, Ps. 37:36, Job 7:10, Ps. 103:15-16)
His Place was clean forgot. (Ps. 34:16, Ecc. 8:10)

Verse 19
Observe the Saint of GOD
Who walks in Uprightness, (Ps. 37:37, Ps. 15:2, Prov. 10:9)
The Man in perfect Love renew’d, (I John 4:17-18)
His End is glorious Peace. (Ps. 37:37)
While wicked Souls at last
Together all descend (Ps. 37:38)
Into a Flaming Tophet cast; (Isa. 30:33, Matt. 25:41, Rev. 20:15)
Damnation is their End. (Ps. 37:38, Phil. 3:19)

Verse 20
But GOD rewards His own,
With Heavenly Happiness; (Matt. 5:12)
And saves them till their Course is run, (II Tim. 4:7-8)
And keeps in their Distress:
From all their Foes the Just
A present Saviour have, (Ps. 37:40)
And, for in Him they put their Trust,
He shall for ever save. (Ps. 37:40)