which I suppose him to be spoken of in the psalm before us. He is that David whom God has anointed to rule over his Church and people, and through whom he will shew himself at all times mighty to save.]
Through Him, then, we must seek for God's effec- tual help —
[Through him must we look for the acceptance of our prayers ; and from him must we expect those communications which God has promised to his believing people. " God has made him strong," not for us only, but "for himself "also; see- ing that in this mode of dispensing his blessings he is particu- larly glorified. This is the account given us by an inspired Apostle : " Him hath God highly exalted, and given him a name above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father \" And to the same effect our Lord himself also says, " What- soever ye shall ask in my name, that will / do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son i." Let not any one, then, hesitate to look thus to Christ, from an apprehension that, in so honouring the Son, he should dishonour the Father : for God would have " all men to honour the Son even as they honour the Father:" and he declares, that " he who honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father who hath sent him k." Be it remembered, then, that Jesus is " the way, the truth, and the life ; and that no man cometh unto the Father, but by him V]
From the passage before us we may further learn, II. What we should seek for at His hands —
Doubtless we are permitted to ask for deliverance from trouble. But there are other things which we are far more concerned to ask, even things for the production of which affliction itself is sent us. We should seek,
1. The communications of God's grace — [These are of infinitely more importance than any tem- poral deliverance. With these, every affliction is light : without them, no enjoyment whatever is of any real value. Whatever be our state as it respects ease or trouble, we are dead, and need to be " quickened ; " we are rebellious, and need to be " turned." The first thing, then, that we should seek, should be quickening and converting grace. Every creature in the
h Phil. ii. 9—11. ' John xiv. 13.
k John v. 23. ' John xiv. 6.