be afraid of thunder and lightning? Were he but sensible what a Protector he has, he would feel assured that no evil could come unto him. How varied are God's promises to him in the psalm before us ! How diversified also are the assurances given him by Eliphaz in the book of Job r ! Let him only commit himself to God, and he has nothing to fear. Let us then, beloved, have faith in God ; and let those words of David be our song in this land of our pilgrimage; " God is our refuge, &c. ; therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the waters be carried into the midst of the sea s : &c."]
r Job v. 19—24. a Ps. xlvi. 1—4.
Ps. xci. 14 — 16. Because he hath set his love upon me, there- fore will I deliver him : I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, arid I will answer him : I will be with him in trouble ; I tvill deliver him, and honour him. With long life tvill I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
THE Scriptures are the charter of the Christian's privileges. They contain the most minute and accu- rate description of his character, and set forth, in all the variety of expression that language can afford, the blessings he enjoys. The declarations concerning him in this Psalm may certainly be interpreted as re- lating to the Messiah, because when a passage out of it was applied to Christ, he did not deny its refer- ence to himself, but shewed with what limitations the passage was to be understood a. That it refers also to the church cannot admit of doubt. Throughout the whole of it the character and blessedness of God's people are delineated ; but with peculiar force and beauty in the concluding verses. In discoursing upon them we shall consider,
I. The character of God's people —
They "know the name" of God —
[The name of God as proclaimed by himself, is recorded in the Scriptures b; and the Christian has a view of him as
a Compare ver. 11, 12. with Matt. iv. 6, 7. b Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.