[You should never forget what an Almighty Friend you have. How many times in this psalm are you reminded, that the Lord, even the Almighty God, is your helper and deliverer! Were he less powerful, or less vigilant, or less worthy of credit, you might well fear. But what ground can he have for fear, who has God himself for his refuge ? O ! learn to say with David, " The Lord is my strength and my salvation ; whom then shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid?" I ask not from whence your dangers or your fears arise : for, if they were a thousand times greater and better founded than they are, this one answer were sufficient to remove them all, "If God be for you, who can be against you ? " Only rely on God, and you are safe. See how ten- derly he chides your unbelieving fears K If under any circum- stances you are tempted to indulge an unbelieving fear, check yourselves instantly, as David did ; and say with him, " Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my Godk."]
1 Isai. xl. 27—31. k Ps. xlii. 11.
Ps. cxxiv. 1 — 8. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say ; If it had not been the Lord tvho teas on our side, when men rose up against us : then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath teas kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul : then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, tvho hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers : the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.*
THE Psalmist, after some great deliverance either from foreign enemies or civil insurrection, records, for the instruction and encouragement of the Church in all ages, the goodness of God towards him. The precise occasion on which it was penned, is not known. Instead therefore of dwelling on historical events, which, as applied to the psalm, must be at
a This Psalm is with peculiar propriety read on the fifth of No- vember. This small sketch is inserted merely as a sketch, to shew- in how small a space a sermon may be contained. The Discourse that follows it was the one used on the occasion.