o
would give to every drooping and desponding soul : " Fear none except the Lord of Hosts himself." Him you can never fear too much : " Let him therefore be your fear and your dread." But, having him for your Protector, you need fear none else : for " if He be for you, who can be against you ? "]
Hear ye then as from God himself,
III. A word of encouragement —
[To his people of old this adorable Saviour was " a Sanc- tuary :" cmd such he will be to us. You remember that when the Man-slayer had once got within the city of refuge, he was safe : the pursuer of blood could not touch him. So, when once you " have fled to Christ for refuge," you are out of the reach of every enemy ; " Your life is hid with Christ in God:" nor can all the powers of darkness ever destroy it. It is not by power only that you are protected, but by love, and truth, a\\d. faithfulness. The Lord Jesus Christ has pledged his word, that none shall ever pluck you out of his hands":" yea, and Jehovah has " confirmed his word with an oath, on purpose that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, you may have the stronger consolation °." What then have you to do but to repose your confidence in him, assured, that "heaven and earth shall sooner pass away, than one jot or tittle of his word shall fail ?" Know ye then for your comfort, that " the name of the Lord is a strong tower ; and that if you run to, and take refuge in it, you are safe?," safe from every enemy that would assault you ; safe in tune, and safe in eternity.]
And now I appeal to you whether the true behever be not the happiest person upon earth ?
[I grant, he may be an object of the most inveterate hos- tility both to men and devils. But he has " horses of fire and chariots of fire all around him^;" yea, " the Lord Jehovah is himself a wall of fire round about him""," for his protection. Compare the state of Ahaz and all his people at this time with that of those who believed the prophet's word. Who were the happier, those who feared the confederacy, or those who feared the Lord ? See also the state of Hezekiah's mind at the time of Sennacherib's invasion: " The virgin, the daughter of
Israel, hath laughed thee to scorn ^" " The Lord will
put a hook in thy nose, and a bridle in thy jaws, and turn thee back by the way by which thou camest*." This is the effect of a realizing sense of God's providence. The man who fears the
n Johnx. 28, 29. " Heb. vi. 17, 18. p Prov. xviii. 10.
•J 2 Kings vi. 14 — 17. ^ Zech. ii, 5. s Isai. xxxvii. 22.
* Isai. xxxvii. 29.