most agreeable, because they are most at ease. And such is God to the believer. " In every place, God is to him as a little sanctuary g," where he finds himself at rest. He carries his wants to God, and " casts all his care on him," and enjoys that peace which passeth all understanding. In this sense he says for his own encouragement, " Return unto thy Rest, O my soul:" and attests for the glory of his God, " Lord thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations11."]
In connexion with this experience of the believer, let us consider, II. His privilege —
The expression in the text seems to exceed the bounds of truth : but the more it is examined, the more will it be found to be strictly true. The man who makes God his habitation shall have no evil befall him :
1. None here — [No casual evil shall befall him. There is no such thing as chance ; every thing, even to the falling of a sparrow, is ordered of the Lord. As for the children of God, " their heavenly Father hath given his angels charge over them, to keep them in all their ways ' ; " and if any thing were to hap- pen to them, they (the angels) would contract a fearful respon- sibility for their neglect. We must not however imagine that Believers are at liberty to rush into needless dangers; for our Lord, when tempted by Satan to cast himself from a pinnacle of the Temple in expectation that the angels would preserve him from injury, replied, " Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God : " but nothing can happen to them except by the Divine appointment: they are hid in the shadow of their Father's hand, and " their very hairs are all numbered."
But it may be thought that penal evil may come to them. This however we utterly deny. That they may be " visited with the rod," we readily acknowledge : but there is a great dif- ference between the vindictive arm of an incensed judge, and the gentle chastisements of an indulgent parent. The cup that may at any time be put into their hands may be bitter; but it has not in it one drop of wrath : it is altogether mixed by love ; and not an ingredient can be found in it, which they themselves shall not one day confess to have been salutary and beneficial.
In short, no real evil shall befall them. That they may have troubles, is certain : that their troubles may be heavy and ac- cumulated, is also certain. But who accounts even the ampu- tation of a limb evil, if it be the only and infallible method of
8 Ezek. xi. 16. h Ps. xc. 1. l ver. 11, 12.