Shall this be thought an exaggerated description ? I do not say that the Divine presence is equally realized by all, or by any equally at all times : there are seasons when a Peter may be " of little faith0 ;" and a Paul may need a special revelation for his support, saying to him, " Be not afraid; but speak, and hold not thy peace ; for I am with thee ; and no man shall set on thee to hurt theep." Nevertheless, in the general habit of their mind, their language is like that of David ; " I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies'1."]
1 Isai. iv. 5. k 2 Kings vi. 17. * Zech. ii. 5.
m 1 Pet. iv. 14. n Heb. xi. 27. ° Matt. xiv. 31.
p Acts xviii.9, 10. i Ps. xviii. 1—3.
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With such views of the believer's character, you can have no doubt of, II. His blessedness —
Here let the abruptness of the address be borne in mind. The Psalmist, instead of proceeding, as might have been expected, to declare the blessings which a person of this description should receive, addresses himself to that person in these animated terms : " Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence ; he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust : his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." now, in these terms, he, in the very name of God himself, and in the most assured manner, pledges to him the protection,
1. Of God's power — [If war were raging in our country ; or pestilence, like that which desolated Judea after David had numbered the people, and which probably gave occasion to this psalm, were carrying off multitudes all around us ; we should enter more fully into the subject before us, and see more forcibly the exalted privi- leges of the true Believer. But we must remember that there is a moral " pestilence" raging all around us, and sweeping myriads into the pit of destruction. We should remember, too, that there is a spiritual " fowler," who entangles, in his net, millions, unwary as the silly bird, and " leads them captive at his willr." What is the example of men in every walk of life, but one deadly contagion, from which it is almost im- possible to escape ? And what are those lusts and temptations with which we are continually beset, but baits, whereby the devil seeketh to ensnare us to our everlasting ruin ? And who can preserve us from these snares, but God himself? Little will human wisdom or power avail against such potent enemies. Peter imagined himself secure enough from denying his Lord, when he formed so steadfast a resolution respecting it : but, as our Lord had forewarned him, " the cock did not crow twice, till he had denied him thrice." And whomsoever Satan should get into his sieve, he would prove us all to be chaff, if we should be left without timely succour from on high8. But " God will keep the feet of his saints4," and not suffer them to fall a prey to the destroyer. The care of a hen over her brood is well known. When a bird of prey is hovering over them,
r 2 Tim. ii. 20. Toy cta/3o\ou 7rayidoc e£u)ypr)fiiroi. s Luke xxii. 31. l 1 Sam. ii. 9.
654.] THE BLESSEDNESS OF GOD's PEOPLE. 135
she calls them under her wings, and there preserves them in perfect safety. The bird of prey, when searching for them, can behold nothing but the dam. Thus will God preserve his people from all their enemies : " He will cover them with his feathers, and under his wings shall they trust:" yea, "their lives shall be hid with Christ in God," beyond the reach of harm : and because " Christ himself is their life, when he shall appear, they also shall appear with him in glory u." What was done by God for Israel in the wilderness, shall be done by him for every soul that puts its trust in himx ]