shall be as grass, and forge ttest the Lord thy Maker**? " Beloved Brethren, " sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself in your hearts, and let him be your fear, and let Jiim be your dread''."]
2. Trust in God—
[Excellent was that resolution of the Psalmist, " In the name of our God we w^ill set vip our banners y." It is not pos- sible for our confidence to be too strong, provided only it be humble. There are, I confess, two different kinds of confi- dence, which yet I consider as dangerous in the extreme : one of them is founded upon systematic notions of divine truth, without any mixture of holy fear ; and the other arises from some dream or vision, or enthusiastic conceit, about the word coming to their mind in a peculiar way. Against both of these I would guard you with all my might. The only confidence that is pleasing to God is that which is softened with fear, and tempered with contrition. Let that be in exercise to the utmost possible extent, and then you may adopt the entire language of this psalm : "I will rejoice ; I will divide She- chem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver : Moab is my wash-pot ; over Edom will I cast out my shoe : Philistia, triumph thou because of me." The plain import of all which is concentrated in the con- cluding verse, " Through God I shall do valiantly : for He it is that shall tread down my enemies." Only trust in God ; and then, in every place where you go, you may behold an altar with this inscription : " Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord is -my ban- ner^" Yea, the very graces which you exercise shall be in you a pledge, that God will fulfil and perfect in you the good work he has begun.]
u Isai. 11. 12, 13. ^ Isai. viii. 12, 13.
y Ps. XX. 5. 2 Exod. xvii. 15.