warfare, has not yet been glanced at: the assaults which are made upon the believer by the enemies of his soul. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.' These enemies, it will be seen, are severally, the "fleshly lusts that war against the soul;" our "adversary, the devil, who goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour;" and the children of this world, the men of this generation, who "have their portion in the present life;" hating the servant, as they once hated the Master; persecuting the disciple, as once they crucified the Lord. But here, too, "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith:" the shield of faith is endued with power to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Taking g 1 Peter ii. 11. Luke xvi. 8; Psalm xvii. 14. 9. h 1 Peter v. unto ourselves the whole armour of God, we shall be enabled "to withstand throughout the evil day, and having done all to stand:" while the language is already recorded, which we shall adopt for our own, at the close, "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who hath loved us!" m 1 Eph. vi. 13. m Rom. viii. 37. CHAPTER V. The Provision. THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES : THOU ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL; MY CUP RUNNETH OVER. WE E have seen, in the preceding verse, what provision has been made by the Good Shepherd for the sheep of His fold, under the pressure of severe affliction, in the extremity of human trial, yea, even in the last struggle of expiring nature, as each and all of these may be symbolized by "the valley of the shadow of death." We observed, at the same time, that this most impressive image might be applied to that dejection and depression of the spirit, which is a "bitterness the heart only knoweth," as well as to that "great fight of afflictions," which makes him who is engaged in it, like David, or like Paul, "a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. When Paul commemorates " a his rescue from the mouth of the lion, he employs this remarkable language, which is literally and most strikingly illustrative of the words of the Psalmist; "Who hath delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us." We are led, therefore, by the words now under review, as they relate to the further progress of the sheep of Christ through the wilderness of this world, to contemplate the believer after he has been rescued from the pressure of stern adversity, or the power of strong temptation. a 1 Cor. iv. 9. b 2 Cor. i. 10. In passing the "valley of the shadow of death," he may be grievously molested and impeded by the enemies of his peace; but his Good Shepherd "provideth him a table before them all; sustains him in the exercise of all his privileges, in the enjoyment of all his comforts, in the assurance of the ultimate fulfilment of all his bright and holy expectations. And this is accomplished, so to speak, in the very presence" of the enemy and avenger, subdued and "stilled" of God. What then, first, in the spiritual application of the Psalm, are the enemies here intended; and what is the provision made by the Good Shepherd for the strengthening and refreshing of the souls of His people, in despite and in defiance of them all? We have already seen that the enemies of the believer are threefold: the flesh, which would deceive, and the world, which would beguile, and the devil, |