up.' And so Moses in that Ps. xc. 1, 'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations ;' or as the Hebrew hath it, thou hast been our refuge-place in generation and generation. By this Hebraism, generation and generation, the prophet sets forth all generations, to shew that there hath been no generation wherein God hath not been the refuge of his people. God was a refuge to his people before the flood, and he hath been a refuge since the flood, and he will be a refuge to his people, whilst he hath a people in the world. All the time that Moses and the people of Israel were a-travelling up and down in that terrible howling wilderness, wherein they were compassed about with dreadful dangers on all hands, God was a refuge and a dwelling-place unto them. In all their troubles and travels for four hundred years together, God was a shelter, a refuge, and an house of defence unto them. Every man's house is his strong castle, and thither he retreats when dangers come ; and thus did the people of God in the text. When dangers threatened them, they still run to their God, they still made their retreat to the Holy One of Israel. A man that hath God for his por- tion, when he is at worst can never be houseless nor harbourless. As long as God lives, he can never want an house, a mansion-house to hide his head in. All the powers on earth and all the powers of hell can never unhouse, nor never unharbour, nor never unshelter that man that hath God for his portion. It was,a witty saying of that learned man Picus Mirandula, ' God created the earth for beasts to inhabit, the sea for fishes, the air for fowls, and heaven for angels and stars, so that man hath no place to dwell and abide in but God alone.' And certainly he that by faith dwells in God, dwells in the best, the noblest, the safest, and the strongest house that ever was dwelt in. And so Ps. xci. 1,2,' He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge, and my fortress : my God ; in him will I trust.' In this whole psalm the safety of a saint is set forth to the life ; to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, notes the defence and protection of God. Those words, ' shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,' are a metaphor taken from a bird or an hen, that hides her young ones under her wings, and so secures them from the kite, or any other birds of prey. God never wants a wing to hide his children under ; and look, as little chickens run under the wings of the hen when danger is near, so the people of God do commonly run under the wings of God when danger is near. And certainly, that Christian may well bid defiance to all dangers, and easily and sweetly sing away all cares and fears, who can by faith shelter himself and lodge himself under the shadow of Shaddai. Look, as the worldling in all his straits, troubles, trials, dangers, and wants, still runs to his bags, to his earthly portion for succour, for com- fort, for support, for relief, for shelter, for protection,^ Prov. xviii. 11 ; Mat. xix. 24 ; 1 Tim. vl 17. So a Christian in all his troubles, trials, and distresses, still runs to his God for shelter, comfort, and support : Ps. xxxi. 1-3, ' In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust ; let me never be ashamed : deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to
^ I have read of a wretched worldling, who being sick to death, called for one of his bags of gold, and laid it to his heart, and then cried out. Oh it will not do, it will not do ; and then called for another, and still cried out, Oh it will not do, it will not do.
Lam. III. 24.] an akk for all god's noahs. 87
me ; deliver me speedily : be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress : therefore, for thy name's sake, lead me, and guide me.' Ps. Ixi. 2, 3, ' 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.' Ps. xciv. 21, 22, * They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and con- demn the innocent. But the Lord is my defence ; and my God is the rock of my refuge.' Ps. Ivii. 2, ' I will cry unto God most High ; unto God that performeth all things for me.' Isa. xxv. 9, ' And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have waited ibr him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.' Micah vii. 7, ' Therefore I will look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of my salvation : my God will hear.' Thus you see that the saints in all their straits and trials do still run to God. They know that that God that is their portion is an all-suffi- cient God, and that he is a sun and a shield to them that walk uprightly ; and therefore they delight to be still a running under his shadow. A man that hath God for his portion, may truly say in his greatest dis- tresses and troubles. Well, though I have no riches to fly to, nor no friends to shelter me, nor no relations to stand by me, nor no visible power on earth to protect me, yet I have a God for my portion that is always willing to supply me, and able to secure me : Ps. xviii. 1, 2, ' 1 will love thee, O Lord, my strength,' or as the Hebrew hath it, * I will dearly love the Lord,' or ' I will love him with inmost bowels of affections,' as a tender-hearted mother loves her dearest babe with the inmost bowels of affections. ' The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.' In this verse you have nine several expressions to discover what an all-sufficient refuge God is to his people in their greatest distresses. When a Chris- tian is at worst, yet he hath bread celestial, bread to eat that the world knows not of The grand policy of a Christian to secure himself against all dangers is to run to God. But,