3267. Under His Shadow

A Sermon Published On Thursday, September 14, 1911.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. {Ps 91:1}

1. I must confess concerning my short discourse, as the man did of the axe which fell into the stream, that it is borrowed. Its outline is taken from one who will never complain about me, for to the great loss of the church on earth she has left these lower choirs to sing above. Miss Havergal, last and loveliest of our modern poets, just when her tones were most mellow, and her language most sublime, has been caught up to swell the music of heaven. Her last poems are published with the title, “Under His Shadow,” and the preface gives the reason for the name. She said, “I should like the title to be ‘Under his shadow.’ I seem to see four pictures suggested by that: under the shadow of a rock in a weary plain; under the shadow of a tree; closer still, under the shadow of his wing; nearest and closest, in the shadow of his hand. Surely that hand must be the pierced hand, that may often press us severely, and yet always encircling, upholding, and shadowing.”

2. “Under his shadow,” is our winsome subject, and we will in a few words enlarge on the scriptural plan which Miss Havergal has bequeathed to us. Our text is, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The shadow of God is not the occasional resort, but the constant abiding-place of the saint. Here we find not only our consolation, but our habitation, not only a loved haunt, but a home. We ought never to be out of the shadow of God. It is to dwellers, not to visitors, that the Lord promises his protection. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”: and that shadow shall preserve him from nightly terror and ghostly evil, from the arrows of war and of pestilence, from death and from destruction. Guarded by omnipotence, the chosen of the Lord are always safe; for since they dwell in the holy place, close by the mercy seat, where, the blood was sprinkled of old, the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day, which always hangs over the sanctuary, covers them also. Is it not written, “In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion, he shall hide me in the secret of his tabernacle”? What better security can we desire? As the people of God, we are always under the protection of the Most High. Wherever we go, whatever we suffer, whatever may be our difficulties, temptations, trials, or perplexities, we are always “under the shadow of the Almighty.” Over all who maintain their fellowship with God the most tender guardian care is extended. Their heavenly Father himself intervenes between them and their adversaries. The experience of the saints, albeit they are all under the shadow, yet differs concerning the form in which that protection has been enjoyed by them, hence the value of the four pictures which will now engage our attention.

3. I. We will begin with the first picture which Miss Havergal mentions — namely, THE ROCK sheltering the weary traveller. “The shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” {Isa 32:2} {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 1243, “Rivers of Water in a Dry Place” 1234} {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2856, “Our Hiding Place” 2857} {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 3031, “The Shadow of a Great Rock” 3032}

4. Now, I take it that this is the place where we begin to know our Lord’s shadow. He was at the first to us a refuge in time of trouble. Weary was the way, and great was the heat; our lips were parched, and our souls were fainting; we sought for shelter and we found none; for we were in the wilderness of sin and condemnation, and who could bring us deliverance, or even hope? Then we cried to the Lord in our trouble, and he led us to the Rock of Ages, which of old was cleft for us. We saw our intervening Mediator coming between us and the fierce heat of justice, and we hailed the blessed screen. The Lord Jesus was a covering for sin for us, and so a covert from wrath. The sense of divine displeasure, which had beaten on our conscience, was removed by the removal of the sins itself, which we saw to be laid on Jesus, who in our room and place endured all its penalty.

5. The shadow of a rock is remarkably cooling, and so was the Lord Jesus eminently comforting to us. The shadow of a rock is more dense, more complete, and more cool than any other shade; and so the peace which Jesus gives surpasses all understanding, there is nothing like it. No chance beam darts through the rock-shade, nor can the heat penetrate as it will do in a measure through the foliage of a forest: Jesus is a complete shelter, and blessed are those who are “under his shadow.” Let them take care that they remain there, and never venture out to answer for themselves, or to brave the accusations of Satan.

6. Just as with sin, so with sorrow of every kind: the Lord is the rock of our refuge. No sun shall strike us, nor any heat, because we are never outside of Christ. The saints know where to flee, and they use their privilege.

   When troubles, like a burning sun,

      Beat heavy on their head,

   To Christ their mighty Rock they run,

      And find a pleasing shade.

7. There is, however, something of awe about this great shadow. A rock is often so high as to be terrible, and we tremble in the presence of its greatness. The idea of littleness hiding behind massive greatness is well illustrated; but there is no attractive thought of fellowship, or tenderness: even so, at the first, we view the Lord Jesus as our shelter from the consuming heat of well-deserved punishment, and we know little more. It is most pleasant to remember that this is only one panel of the fourfold picture. Inexpressibly dear to my soul is the deep cool rock-shade of my blessed Lord, as I stand in him a sinner saved; yet there is more.

8. II. Our second picture, that of THE TREE, is to be found in the Song of Solomon: — ”Just as the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” {So 2:3} {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 1120, “The Apple Tree in the Wood” 1111}

9. Here we have not so much refuge from trouble as special rest in times of joy. The spouse is happily wandering through a woods, looking at many trees, and rejoicing in the music of the birds. One tree especially charms her: the citron with its golden fruit wins her admiration, and she sits under its shadow with great delight; such was her beloved to her, the best among the good, the fairest of the fair, the joy of her joy, the light of her delight. Such is Jesus to the believing soul.

10. The sweet influences of Christ are intended to give us a happy rest, and we ought to avail ourselves of them: “I sat down under his shadow.” This was Mary’s better part, which Martha almost missed by being encumbered. That is the good old way in which we are to walk, the way in which we find rest for our souls. Papists and formalists, whose religion is all ceremonies, or all working, or all groaning, or all feeling, have never come to a satisfying conclusion: we may say of their religion as of the law, that it made nothing perfect; but under the gospel there is something finished, and that something is the sum and substance of our salvation, and therefore there is rest for us, and we ought to sing, “I sat down.”

11. Dear friends, is Christ to each one of us a place of sitting down? I do not mean a rest of idleness and self-contentment — may God deliver us from that; but there is rest in a conscious grasp of Christ, a rest of contentment with him, as our All in all. May God give us to know more of this. This shadow is also meant to yield perpetual solace, for the spouse did not merely come under it, but there she sat down as one who meant to stay. Continuance of repose and joy is purchased for us by our Lord’s perfected work. Under the shadow she found food; she had no need to leave it to find a single necessary thing, for the tree which shaded also yielded fruit; nor did she need even to rise from her rest, but sitting still she feasted on the delicious fruit. You who know the Lord Jesus also know what this means.

12. The spouse never wished to go beyond her Lord. She knew no higher life than that of sitting under the Well Beloved’s shadow. She passed the cedar, and oak, and every other goodly tree, but the apple tree held her, and there she sat down. “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us any good?’ But for us, oh Lord, our heart is fixed, our heart is fixed, resting on you. We will go no further, for you are our dwelling-place, we feel at home with you, and sit down beneath your shadow.” Some Christians cultivate reverence at the expense of childlike love; they kneel down, but they dare not sit down. Our divine Friend and Lover does not wish that it should be so, he would not have us stand on ceremony with him, but come boldly to him.

   Let us be simple with him, then,

      Not backward, stiff, or cold,

   As tho’ our Bethlehem could be

      What Sinai was of old.

13. Let us use his sacred name as a common word, as a household word, and run to him as to a dear familiar friend. Under his shadow we are to feel that we are at home, and then he will make himself at home to us by becoming food for our souls, and giving spiritual refreshment to us while we rest. The spouse does not say here that she reached up to the tree to gather its fruit, but she sat down on the ground in intense delight, and the fruit came to her where she sat. It is wonderful how Christ will come down to souls that sit beneath his shadow; if we can only be at home with Christ he will sweetly commune with us. Has he not said, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart?”

14. In this second form of the sacred shadow, the sense of awe gives place to that of restful delight in Christ. Have you ever figured in such a scene as the sitter beneath the grateful shade of the fruitful tree? Have you not only possessed security, but experienced delight in Christ? Have you sung, — 

   I sat down under his shadow,

      Sat down with great delight;

   His fruit was sweet unto my taste,

      And pleasant to my sight?

This is as necessary an experience as it is joyful; necessary for many uses. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and when we delight ourselves in the Lord then we have assurance of power in prayer. Here faith develops, and hope grows bright, while love sheds abroad all the fragrance of her sweet spices. Oh! go to the apple tree, and find out who is fairest among the fair. Make the light of heaven the delight of your heart, and then be filled with heart’s-ease, and revel in complete contentment.

15. III. The third view of the one subject is, — THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS — a precious word. I think the best example of it, for it occurs several times, is in that blessed psalm: “Because you have been my help, therefore I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.“ {Ps 63:7} {See Spurgeon_Sermons No. 2166, “Experience and Assurance” 2167}

16. Does this not illustrate our Lord as our trust in hours of depression? In the psalm now open before us, David was banished from the means of grace to a dry and thirsty land, where no water was. What is much worse, he was in a measure away from all conscious enjoyment of God. He says, “I will seek you early. My soul thirsts for you.” He sings rather of memories rather than of present communion with God. We also have come into this condition, and have been unable to find any present comfort. “You have been my help,” has been the highest note we could strike, and we have been glad to reach to that. At such times, the light of God’s face has been withdrawn, but our faith has taught us to rejoice under the shadow of his wings. There was no light; we were altogether in the shade, but it was a warm shade. We felt that God who had been near must still be near us, and therefore we were quieted. Our God cannot change, and therefore since he was our help he must still be our help, our help even when he casts a shadow over us, for it must be the shadow of his own eternal wings. The metaphor is of course derived from the nesting of little birds under the shadow of their mother’s wings, and the picture is very touching and comforting. The little bird is not yet able to take care of itself, so it cowers down under the mother, and is happy and safe there. Disturb a hen for a moment and you will see all the little chicks huddling together, and by their chirps making a kind of song. Then they push their heads into her feathers, and seem happy beyond measure in their warm abode. When we are very sick and severely depressed, when we are worried with the care of pining children, and the troubles of a needy household, and the temptations of Satan, how comforting it is to run to our God — like the little chicks to the hen — and hide away near his heart, beneath his wings. Oh, tried ones, press closely to the loving heart of your Lord, hide yourselves entirely beneath his wings. Here awe has disappeared, and rest itself is enhanced by the idea of loving trust. The little chicks are safe in their mother’s love, and we, too, are beyond measure secure and happy in the loving favour of the Lord.

17. IV. The last form of the shadow is that of THE HAND, and it seems to me this points to power and position in service. Turn to Isaiah: — ”And he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver he has hidden me.“ {Isa 49:2}

18. This undoubtedly refers to the Saviour, for the passage proceeds: “And said to me, ‘You are my servant, oh Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.’ ‘And now,’ says the Lord who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, ‘Though Israel is not gathered, yet I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.’ And he said, ‘It is a light thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, so that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Our Lord Jesus Christ was hidden away in the hand of Jehovah, to be used by him as a polished shaft for the overthrow of his enemies, and the victory of his people. Yet, inasmuch as it is declared of Christ, it is also true of all Christ’s servants, since as he is so are we also in this world; and to make quite sure of it, we have the same expression used in the fifty-first chapter, where, speaking of his people, he says, “I have covered you in the shadow of my hand.” {Isa 51:16} Is this not an excellent minister’s text? Every one of you who will speak a word for Jesus shall have a share in it. This is the place where those who are workers for Christ should long to be — ”in the shadow of his hand,” to achieve his eternal purpose. What are any of God’s servants without their Lord but weapons out of the warrior’s hand, having no power to do anything? We ought to be as arrows of the Lord which he shoots at his enemies, and so great is his hand of power, and so little are we as his instruments, that he hides us away in the hollow of his hand, unseen until he shoots us out. As workers, we are to be hidden away in the hand of God, or to quote the other metaphor, “in his quiver he has hidden me”: we are to be unseen until he uses us. It is possible for us not to be known somewhat if the Lord uses us, but we may not aim at being noticed, but, on the contrary, if we are as much used as the very chief of the apostles, we must truthfully add, “though I am nothing.” Our desire should be that Christ should be glorified, and that self should be concealed. Alas! there is a way of always showing self in what we do, and we are all too ready to fall into it. You can visit the poor in such a way that they will feel that his lordship or her ladyship has condescended to call on poor Betsy; but there is another way of doing the same thing so that the tried child of God shall know that a beloved brother or a dear sister in Christ, has shown a fellow feeling for her, and has spoken to her heart. There is a way of preaching, in which a great divine has evidently displayed his vast learning and talent; and there is another way of preaching, in which a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, depending on his Lord, has spoken in his Master’s name, and left a rich unction behind. Within the hand of God is the place of acceptance, and safety; and for service it is the place of power, as well as of concealment. God only works with those who are in his hand, and the more we lie hidden there, the more surely he will use us before long. May the Lord do to us according to his Word, “I have put my words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of my hand.” In this case we shall feel all the former emotions combined: awe that the Lord should condescend to take us into his hand, rest and delight that he should condescend to use us, trust that out of weakness we shall now be made strong, and to this will be added an absolute assurance that the great purpose of our being must be served, for what is urged onward by the Almighty hand cannot miss its mark.

19. These are mere surface thoughts. The subject deserves a series of discourses. Your best course, my beloved friends, will be to enlarge on these hints by a long personal experience of abiding under the shadow. May God the Holy Spirit lead you into it, and keep you there, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Exposition By C. H. Spurgeon {Ps 91; 63}

A Psalm written for comfort, but it is not addressed to all mankind, neither, I venture to say, to all believers, but only those who are described in the first verse.

1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

It is not every worshipper who comes there who shall be so privileged but those who dwell there, as Simeon and Anna dwelt in the temple. So there are some who abide in Christ, and his words abide in them. They live near to God. They receive therefore better favours than those who only come and go. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High.” He who has learned to stand in the holy of holies, near the blood-sprinkled mercy seat, to whom prayer is a matter of constant privilege and enjoyment — he dwells in the secret place. Such a man, living near to God, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. You know when you walk with a friend, in certain positions of the sun your friend’s shadow falls on you; but you cannot expect to have the shadow of your friend unless you are near him. We read in the Song, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight.” There must be nearness to get under the shadow. So there must be great access to God — great familiarity with him — there must be something of the assurance of faith — before we shall be able to grip such a word as what follows in this psalm. Read it again, and if you have not attained to it labour for it.

2. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; I will trust in him.”

Observe the sweetness of making a personal application of any passage in the Word. “I will say.” A general doctrine gives us little consolation until we can make a particular application of it. Oh, for faith — daring, personal faith — to say, “I will say of the Lord ‘He is my refuge and my fortress.’” That was saying a great deal, but it was saying a great deal more when the psalmist added, “My God.” He could not say more than that. God is a refuge and a fortress for us, but he is infinitely more than that. We cannot tell what he is. Rather, we cannot tell what he is not; but we sum it all up when we say, “My God.” And surely it is only natural to add, “I will trust in him.” Why, who could help it? If this God is our God, and such a God — such a refuge and such a fortress to his people — surely we must trust him. Come, if you are troubled tonight — if you have any doubts and fears — may the Spirit of God enable you to make this the blessed resolution of your Spirit — ”My God, I will trust in him.”

3. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler,

You cannot see it. You do not know it to be a snare. The bird does not suspect the fowler. “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” If the bird knew it was a net it would not fly into it. You do not know your temptation, young man. No, and the oldest and most experienced Christian is not aware of the traps which the fowler is setting for him. But surely he shall deliver you if you abide near him — so near that his shadow falls on you. If you dwell in secret with him, surely, he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler.

3. And from the noxious pestilence.

From the noxious pestilence of error which is the worst of pestilences, because it preys on the soul. Foul air which injures the bodily frame is bad enough; but what is that foul teaching which destroys the soul — which would, if it were possible, deceive the very elect? But surely if you live near to him he shall deliver you from the noxious pestilence.

4. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall trust: his truth shall be your shield and buckler.

It is a marvellous verse. I do not think that any devout man would have been daring enough to use such language as this if he had not been led to do so by the Holy Spirit himself. Where the Holy Spirit leads the way we may safely follow; but it would have been unsafe for mere poetry’s sake to talk about God’s “feathers” and “wings.” Yet see the condescension of God. He compares himself here to the hen that broods her little ones. Oh child of God, nestle down closely under the warm breast of everlasting love, and hide yourself beneath the mighty wings of the everlasting and eternal God. So you shall be secure.

5. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day;

For if this alludes to temporal dangers, — 

   Not a single shaft shall hit,

      Till the God of love sees fit.

And if there is a covert allusion here to spiritual dangers — to the arrows of the wicked one and to the alarms which fill the soul when the presence of God is withdrawn — if you dwell near to God you shall know no fear of these things, for neither death nor hell can injure the man who lives in God.

6-10. Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your habitation; there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

And it is very wonderful when men have lived near to God, and have received special faith to grasp such a promise as this, how they have outlived the most deadly pestilences. I compiled some time ago a little list of names of devout men who in the times of pestilence remained in the field to visit the sick and to attend to those who were dying; and it is marvellous that they outlived them all, and their names stand now in the catalogue of fame as benefactors of the race. They had special faith given, and they used that faith for trusting in God. I have already said that I do not believe that this applies to all believers, for good men die as well as bad men in days of pestilence; but there are some who dwell near to God to whom the promise comes with special power; and they have been able to do and dare for God without fear, and their faith has been abundantly rewarded.

11, 12. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

They get a special commandment to take care of the saints of God — the angels, those unseen but swift and mighty messengers of heaven. When David had the troops paraded before him, when they were going out to fight Absalom, he gave them all a charge that they should not touch the young man Absalom; and yet, you know, he died. But God’s angels keep his commandments, listening to the voice of his word; and so when he gives them a charge of what to do he says, “Oh you angels, today watch over my people; keep them in all their ways. Be to them as a mother who bears up her child in her hands, and if they are likely to encounter even some minor trial, lest they should slip and sin, bear them up lest they dash their foot against a stone.” Now comes a glorious promise.

13. You shall tread on the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon you shall trample underfoot.

God often gives victories like these to his people, so that Satan and all the powers of evil are trampled down by the holy childlike confidence of the man who is resolved to serve his God.

14. Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known my name.

He has no merits: he does not claim any. But he loves me, and therefore I love him, and I will deliver him because he loves me. Oh, love the Lord all you saints, love him more and more; for this love of yours shall bring a sweet reward to you.

15. He shall call on me, and I will answer him:

Were there ever words fuller of consolation than these? “He shall call on me.” Grace will take care to give us the spirit of prayer. “And I will answer him.” Grace will give the answer.

15, 16. I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Now, it is not a promise to every good man that he shall live for a long time, for some among the best of men die in very early youth, but still they have had a full life, for life must not be measured by years. Oh, how much do some men pack into a little time! How much of life there may be in the man whose course is finished before he is thirty years of age; and how little may some live who expand their days into 80 or 90 years. Belzoni’s {a} toad — you remember the piece of poetry into which some imaginative person has cast his diary, how once in a thousand years it crept from under a stone and winked with one eye. Well it did not live much in the course of two or three thousand years: it existed. But a man who is full of holy duties and earnest purposes lives long even though the time is short.

{a} The Toad Journey, By Jane Taylor, See Explorer "https://books.google.ca/books?id=jJIAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=Belzoni+toad++poetry&source=bl&ots=oPDK7bCHQs&sig=6UkGTeYX7Bef-AFRgIUyHDFVhvQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG3cHjzuTWAhWOwYMKHSkQAd8Q6AEIPDAIv=onepage&q=Belzoni%20toad%20%20poetry&f= false"

Psalm 63: A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah, — 

Exiled, ill at ease, hunted, exposed to danger. Yet he could sing. And some of the sweetest Psalms came out of the bitterest afflictions. God’s singers are like nightingales that reserve their sweetest music for the night. Whenever you and I come to be in the wilderness may we refresh ourselves with such a Psalm as this.

1. Oh God, you are my God;

Everything else has gone, but you are my God. There are gods of the heathen, but you, the true and real Jehovah, are my God. Oh, what a blessed thing it is to take a firm grip of God in this way, “Oh God, you are my God.”

1. I will seek you early:

“Oh,” one says, “why did he seek God if God was his?” Would you have him seek another man’s God, then? No; it is because he is ours that we seek him and desire his company. If you know God to be your God you will not be satisfied unless you are living near him. “I will seek you early.” I will not wait. I cannot wait. I cannot tarry. I must not tarry. I will seek you early.

1. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Thirst is one of the strongest longings of our nature. Hunger you can appease for a while, but thirst is awful. There is no appeasing that. When once a man is thirsty, he must have water or die. “My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where no water is.” No means of grace; nothing to help me; no believers all around me; left alone thirsting for my God. And yet it is so precious a thing, so sure a sign of grace to thirst for God anywhere that one may be thankful even to be in a dry and thirsty land if one possesses a true thirst for God.

2. To see your power and your glory, just as I have seen you in the sanctuary.

He had seen God in his holy place, and he longs to see him again. Those who never knew God do not want to know him. But those who have known him desire to know him more and more. If you do not long for the bread of heaven it is because you never tasted it. He who has once tasted it will sigh and hunger until he is satisfied with it.

3. Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you.

“Better than life”; and surely life is better than anything else. “Skin for skin; yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.” Life is better than food. Life is better than riches; and if the lovingkindness of God is better than life then we have a very high price set on it, but not too high a price. Oh, that you and I may know how sweet, how precious, is the lovingkindness of God; and then we shall say that it is better than life. And because it is so my lips shall praise you. Not only my heart, but I will do it openly. I used to speak vanity when I served vanity. Shall I not now speak out for God when I have come to serve him? My lips shall praise you.

4. So I will bless you while I live: I will lift up my hands in your name.

I will confess you. I will rejoice in you. I will work for you. I will encourage myself in you. I will lift up my hands in your name. Are any of you cast down? Do your hands hang down? Then lift them up in God’s name. Nothing else can make you strong. The name of the Lord shall be your strength.

5, 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips: when I remember you on my bed, and meditate on you in the night-watches.

God’s people know what perfect satisfaction means. When God reveals his love to them and Christ draws near in the fulness of his grace, then they would not change places with the kings of the earth. Not all the richest dainties that were ever served up at royal banquets are equal to the love of God. My soul, not my body but my innermost self, my very life, shall be satisfied even as with marrow and with fatness. The oriental’s idea of luxury is to eat fat. How they will eat what we could not endure; but we, dear friends, understand the metaphor and appreciate what is meant by David. God will satisfy us with the best of the best, with marrow and fatness. He will make that satisfaction double as with marrow and fatness; and we shall be so satisfied that we shall have nothing left to do but to praise. “My mouth shall praise.” Says our poet, — 

   All that remains for me,

   Is but to love and sing,

   And wait until the angels come

   To bear me to their King.

He who wrote that verse knew what was meant by this, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips.”

7. Because you have been my help, therefore I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.

That is God’s logic. One likes to see “therefores” in Scripture. They are inferences drawn with great accuracy. You have been my helper. Well, then, you will be my helper; and if I cannot see your face I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. I know that you are there, if I cannot see you; and if I only know that you are there by the shade that you cast over me — that calming cooling shade which dampens the ardour of my worldly spirit — if this is all that I get from you, yet I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.

8. My soul follows closely after you:

I am after you, my God, closely after you, following closely after you longing for you, like a dog at the heels of his master’s horse, going with all his might, following closely after you. Oh, this is a healthy condition to be in. If you cannot yet reach your God, yet if you follow closely after him it is well with you, for notice the next sentence: — 

8. Your right hand upholds me.

No man follows after God unless God helps him to do so. It comes from the grace of God. When you are seeking God it is because God is seeking you; and though you do not know it there is a vast amount of grace couched in this desire.

9, 10. But those who seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

Or jackals, as his name became.

11. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by him shall glory: but the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Very hard work to stop it though, for they are always breaking out in a new place. They always have some new falsehood. A shovelful of earth will do it, if nothing else will. Let everyone here who is accustomed to slander or to speak evil of his neighbour listen to this prophetic voice: “the month of those who speak lies shall be stopped”; but the mouths that speak the praises of God shall go on singing for ever and ever. May such mouths be ours.

C. H. Spurgeon’s Useful Books at Reduced Prices.

The Salt-Cellars. Being a Collection of Proverbs, together with Homely Notes on them. By C. H. Spurgeon. “These three things go to the making of a proverb: Shortness, Sense, and Salt.” In 2 vols., cloth gilt, published at 3s. 6d. each, offered at 2s. 6d. each; Morocco, 7s. 6d. each.

“For many years I have published a Sheet Almanac, intended to be hung up in workshops and kitchens. This has been known as ‘John Ploughman’s Almanac,’ and has had a large sale. It has promoted temperance, thrift, kindness to animals, and a regard for religion, among working people. The placing of a proverb for every day for twenty years has cost me great labour, and I feel that I cannot afford to lose the large collection of sentences which I have brought together; yet lost they would be, if left to die with the ephermeral sheet. Hence these two volumes. They do not profess to be a complete collection of proverbs, but only a few out of many thousands.” — Extract from Preface.