word, " Ask, and ye shall have," will be a dagger to their souls. Dear Brethren, do but think of this in time. Think on what easy terms, if we may so speak, heaven may be now obtained. If only you truly " fear God," and " call upon him in truth," you may be perfectly assured that you shall never be cast out. If God, unsolicited, gave you his only-begotten Son to die for you, what will he refuse you when you call upon him ? He may delay indeed for a time to answer you ; but not beyond the fittest time. " Continue instant in prayer" then, yea, " pray and faint not ;" for God cannot resist the importunity of prayer. The unjust judge complied with the widow's request at last: and "will not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him ? I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily."]
Ps. cxlvii. 12 — 14. Praise the Lord, 0 Jerusalem; praise thy God, 0 Zion : for he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; he hath blessed thy children ivillim thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, andjilleth thee with the finest oj wheat.
THE common habit of mankind is, to rest in the gift, and forget the Giver. But we should make the gifts of God a ladder, as it were, whereby to ascend to him; and take occasion from every blessing he communicates to magnify and adore that bounty from which it proceeds. Nor should we be so engrossed with our personal mercies, as to overlook those which are national. The pious Jews thought they could never sufficiently praise their God for his mercies vouchsafed to Israel. The theme that beyond all delighted them was, to recount the wonders of love and mercy which their nation had experienced from their first coming out of Egypt even to the day wherein they lived. Who was the author of this psalm we do not know : but it seems evidently to have been written after the return of the Jews from the Babylonish Captivity, and most probably in the times of Nehemiah, v/ho rebuilt the wall of Jeru- salem, and dedicated it to God with sacrifices and songs of praise '". Certainly God's interpositions for-
that
* Neh. xii. 27, -13. * Thanksgiving Sermon for Peace.
490 PSALMS, cxLvri. 12 — 14. [439.
that people exceeded all tha{ ever he did for any other nation : but next to Israel, methinks, we of this Country may adopt the language at the close of this psalm, " He hath not dealt so with any nation ^" Let us consider,
I. The grounds here stated for praise to God — ■ We forbear to enter on the Jewish history for the
elucidation of our text; intending rather to confine
ourselves to the mercies which we are at this time
called to commemorate.
Behold then what the Lord hath done for us !
Behold,
1 . The protection he hath afforded us from ivithout — - [Not a country in Europe, except our own, but has suffered
from the ravages of war: yet we, with our vast extent of coast, assailable from every port in Europe, and with every Power in Europe at one time leagued against us, have been preserved from invasion ; notwithstanding we were, far beyond any other nation, the objects of envy and hatred to our most powerful Foe ; and notwithstanding the immense preparations that were made by him for our destruction. But God has truly " strengthened the bars of our gates," so that they could not be forced ; or rather " he himself has been a wall of fire round about us," so that not even any serious attempt has been made to invade our land. Other nations far less accessible than ours have been made scenes of most dreadful devastation '^j but with respect to us, such a restraint has been imposed on our enemies, that they could never carry into execution their cruel projects '^'^.]