Ps. Ixii. 5 — 8. My soul, umit thou only upon God : for my ex- pectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation : he is my defence ; I shall not he moved, hi God is my sal- vatio7i and my glory : the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times ; ye people, pour out your heart before him ; God is a refuge for us.
THERE is scarcely any thing that more offends the ignorant and ungodly, than a profession of main- taining fellowship with Jehovah, and of receiving from him certain communications which are un- known to the world at large. Such pretensions are considered by them as the offspring of spiritual pride
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and incurable presumption. But it will scarcely be supposed that the Gospel has reduced us to a lower state than was enjoyed under the law, or deprived us of pri\ileges that were possessed under that less per- fect dispensation : yet behold, with what intimate access to God the Psalmist was favoured, and what communion with him he teaches every contrite sin- ner to expect ! It is worthy of observation, that in this psalm there is not one single petition, or thanks- giving : the whole of it is occupied in stating what comfort he found in God, and in encouraging others to expect the same. Especially in the words which we have just read, we see, I. His happy experience —
Great and manifold were David's trials, from his earliest youth even to his dying hour. But " in all he encouraged himself in the Lord his God :"
He waited upon God as his all-sufficient help —
[The psalm begins with affirming this : and, in our text, he encourages his soul to persevere in this blessed course : " My soul, wait thou only upon God." As for men, he found that they could not be relied upon : both rich and poor were alike but a broken reed, " a lie and vanity ^" Nor could power or wealth afford any better ground of confidence ^. God alone has the power requisite for supplying the wants of his creatures'' ; and therefore "from God alone was all his expectation''." To him he looked in all his troubles, whether of a temporal or spiri- tual nature. When persecuted by Saul, he fled to his invisible Protector, and took refuge under the shadow of Jehovah's wings
In like manner, when assaulted by Satan, his great
spiritual adversary, " he gat him to his Lord right humbly," and
sought in him that salvation which He alone can give
Under all circumstances he considered God as able, willing, yea and pledged too, to deliver him: and to him he ran, as to a strong tower, in which he found unfailing security. As to the time and manner of his deliverance, he left that entirely to God.]
He found in God all that his diversified necessities required —
[He was never disappointed of his hope. The many mi- raculous escapes which he experienced, testify that God was ever nigh at hand to help him • — and the peace and sta- bility which he obtained in his soul after his most grievous fall,
a ver, 9. i^ ver. 10. <= ver. 11. ^ ver. 5.