had not announced it to us. And this is the very view in which David himself speaks of it in another psahn : " Blessed be the Lord, my strength, my goodness, and my fortress ; my high tower and deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him ; or the son of man, that thou makest account of him "^ ? "]
2. The comfort which man derives from this view of the Deity —
[Every one, the meanest as well as the greatest of men, knows what is comprehended in the idea of a " habitation. " It requires no stretch of thought to grasp it : the image is familiar to every mind ; and presents itself in all its bearings to every one that has felt the blessings of civilized society. But if we suppose a person to be under the pressure of heavy affliction, whether from the persecutions of men or the assaults of devils, what a comfort must it be to him to contemplate the wisdom, the power, the goodness, the mercy, the love, the faithfulness of Almighty God; and to hear him saying, "Come, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut the doors about thee, and hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast** ! " how joyfully will he " hide himself in the secret of this tabernacle ; " and, like the manslayer that has got within the city of his refuge, lift up his soul in adoring grati- tude to God, and look with exultation on his disappointed foe ! The more we contemplate the sentiment that is here pro- pounded, the more we shall see occasion to admire the con- descension of our God, and to congratulate man upon the high privilege which is thus accorded to him.]
But it is not as an abstract senthnent that this truth is declared : it is embodied in a petition that is presented to God himself : and therefore, to view it aright, we must contemplate,
IL The petition urged —
That it is such a petition as every one will do well to offer, will appear, if we mark,
1 . The wisdom of it —
[Every man has enemies to encounter ; nor can any one encounter them in his own strength. But we have a vantage ground to which we may repair, a fortress that is absolutely impregnable. In our God we have not only a wall, but " a wall of fire ; " which, whilst it protects his people, will devour their assailants. With such a habitation open to us, would
" Ps. cxliv. 1—3. d Isai. xx^d. 20.