1. God is its founder.

2. God is its lawgiver.

3. It is a defenced city (Zechariah 2:5).

4. It is an exalted city. The character of the King raises her in the scale of importance. The Lord Jehovah has His palace within her; there He, at times, manifests the glories of His character and the splendour of His majesty. This city is also exalted by the numerous and valuable privileges she enjoys; every subject has free access to a throne of grace, there to present his suit, to make known his grievance, and to supplicate every needful favour. There is also perfect freedom in this city; no galling shackles, no dreaded fetters, are employed to enslave, but every subject of Christ enjoys the sweetest liberty in walking according to the given law of heaven. Here it is freedom to obey and liberty to serve.

II. THE SUPPLY OF THIS CITY.

1. The good providence of God is a stream which continually follows the Church. A thorough conviction of the superintendence of an all-wise Providence is productive of the greatest joy and satisfaction to the Christian. He rests satisfied, depending on the word of truth that "all things shall work together for good."

2. The Holy Scriptures are a stream from the Deity, inasmuch as they are emphatically the revelation of God, and they contain matter of joy to the Christian in many respects. In this volume he finds information for the mind, the strongest motives to Christian obedience, a sacred impulse to his zeal, an increasing ardour to his affections, and new encouragement for hope.

3. The influences of the Spirit. He who hath begun a good work will carry it on.

4. Its joy "shall make glad the city of God." The gladness of the Church comes from God, a pure spring, so that it must be pure in its nature. Indeed, He alone is the source of all the believer's comforts, however numerous and various they may be.

(D. Jones.)

I. THE SECURITY OF THE CHURCH. Trace its history from first to last and see how it has been preserved.

II. ITS TRANQUILLITY. For therein are to be found men who are —

1. At peace with God.

2. Under the holy government of their Lord, which restrains all passion and temper.

3. In communion with God.

4. In the use of religious ordinances.

III. THE SUPPLY OF THE CHURCH. "A river." Think of the source, the continuance, the fulness, of this stream of heavenly truth, bright and pure.

IV. THE GLADNESS OF THE CHURCH.

1. It is noble and worthy of rational beings.

2. It is satisfying.

3. It is sanctifying.

4. It is benevolent.

5. It fits us for scenes where gladness is eternal.

(R. Watson.)

I. A RIVER FLOWS FROM A FOUNTAIN, and this river "proceeded out of the throne of God and the Lamb," the infinite bosom of our Father and our God.

II. IT IS EXHAUSTLESS as the fountain from whence it flows.

III. IT IS IN PLACES SHALLOW, whilst in others its depths cannot be fathomed.

IV. IT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

V. FERTILITY FOLLOWS IT.

VI. ITS CHANNEL IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

VII. IT IS A HIGHWAY by which great treasures are conveyed to us; and it is a great means of communication between us and heaven.

VIII. IT RISES TO THE HEIGHT OF ITS SOURCE.

IX. IT REARS ALL DOWN BEFORE IT by its force and pressure.

X. IT IS A DEFENCE to the city which it surrounds.

XI. IT REARS OFF ALL IMPURITIES.

XII. IT IS A GLADDENING SPECTACLE. Then let us value the work of the Holy Spirit.

(J. Cummins, D. D.)

II. THE STREAMS Some rivers are fed by streams; not so this one" it gives out streams but receives none, like the river of Damascus, whose branches surround the city. These streams are —

1. Pardoning mercy.

2. Purifying mercy: for it would be of little use if purity were not given as well as pardon.

3. Pacifying mercy — to keep me quiet in the midst of this unquiet world.

III. THE FRUIT. The river is to make glad the city of God. That is, God's Church and people; and the great purpose of the river and all its streams is — to make them glad: to bring up a smiling landscape around them, to fill their lips and hearts with praise.

IV. ITS SOURCE. It is far above out of your sight. So is it, even, with earthly rivers: they do not at once reveal their source. You must travel up and up the stream, and leave plain for hillside, and still press on ere you come to the fountain head. And for this river you must ascend to the boundless lake of Divine love.

V. THE CHANNEL — the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him it flows down to man.

VI. THE POWER that brings the streams close home to us, so that we may have the blessing, is the power of the Holy Spirit. See what He has already done in the Scriptures and in the Church.

(F. Tucker, B. A,)

II. THE CONSTITUENTS of this gladness.

1. The special relationship established.

2. The revelations vouchsafed.

3. In the intercourse main-rained.

4. In the blessings bestowed.

5. In the holy effort called forth.

6. In the praise evoked.If God has given us reasons for joy, we ought to do all we can to increase the volume and force of the stream of joy rippling or rolling by to others.

(Homiletic Magazine.)

1. However large in its volume as it gets nearer the sea, every river is small in its beginnings. Thus, also, it is with the grace of God in the soul of man. The most experienced believer will testify that if he would trace back the work of grace, which has grown so steadily, to its first beginnings, the contrast is most marvellous. If he can at all identify its first commencement, he will tell you that it was some apparently trifling incident in his life — a word in season — an earnest sermon — an unaccountable thought — a sleepless night — a witty, but godly rebuke — a mother's parting charge — a loved one's consistent Christian influence and conduct — or a sudden check in a career of cruelty and sin.

2. It is possible for a river to be much contaminated by what is thrown into it, as it passes through populous towns; but it is impossible to change the nature of the water which is thus contaminated. Give the careful chemist a sufficient quantity of the most polluted river-water, and he can obtain from it, by filtration, distillation, and re-distillation, the pure and wholesome fluid which God has provided for us, and which He has guarded from defilement by decreeing that it shall everywhere and always have one fixed and unaltered composition, and that its constituent gases shall be so closely united that they can only be separated by a difficult and expensive process. Take the water of any river, fresh from its source, and you will readily perceive that it is pure in its nature. Need I say that it is so with the grace of God?

3. The grace of God, like a river, is perpetual in its movements. The lake may be stagnant, unless some river runs through it; the canal must be kept as free from any current as possible; but the river is always on the move. So it is with the grace of God in the soul of man. However hidden it may be, it is ever living and ever moving. Geographers tell us that the river Guadiana, in Spain, conceals itself in the earth for some fifteen miles of its course. But it is still there. In like manner, however concealed, the grace of God is at work in the heart of every believer.

4. It is peaceable in its course. "Still waters run deep." There may not be the stillness of the stagnant lake; but there is the quiet, or even the silence of the flowing river. But we must not take this characteristic of God's grace as a recommendation to us to shut up our cares or joys into our own souls, and never share them with others. God's people should not be silent when there is opportunity to declare what He hath done for their souls.

5. The grace of God, like a river, is powerful in its current. It is said that the Rio de la Plata, a South American river, which is two hundred miles broad where it enters the Atlantic Ocean, is so powerful in its current, that fresh water may be taken up by vessels sailing near it for many a league from land. But what is this physical force, compared with the irresistible power of the grace of God?" Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power."

6. It is plentiful in its supply. The river runs through meadow, and garden, and country, and city, serving some useful purpose wherever it goes. Here it nourishes the cornland upon which the precious crops are springing up; and there it affords a ready means of watering the carefully-tended garden. In one place it turns a mill, to afford maintenance to an honest family and grind corn for hundreds of other families; in another place it supplies water for a canal, to convey these products of industry to the populous town or the factor's store. Ever increasing, as it nears its destination, boats and even ships are borne upon its plentiful waters, until at last it joins the great and wide sea. Is it not so with the grace of God? Does not the figure fall far short of the fact?

II. THE CHURCH OF GOD COMPARED TO A CITY. A city affords security for life and property. It furnishes facilities for the transaction of business. It ensures liberty to every honest and faithful citizen: and it provides society for all who reside in it. This is precisely what the Church of God affords to its individual members — the most complete security for the believing soul, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; the only thorough liberty which the soul can experience, for "if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"; and the highest form of human society upon earth; for the apostle says (Ephesians 2:19, 20). The Church of God may be called a city, because it is a community in which law and order find their highest developments. "The love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Corinthians 5:14), is its unfailing spring of Christian obedience and activity. The Republic of France used to stamp upon its coins "Liberty, Egalite, Fraternite"; but never did any government in this world succeed in realizing such an ideal of human happiness. True liberty, true equality, true friendship and brotherhood, are to be found only in the Church of God. It is a city set on an hill that cannot be hid. It may be called "the city of God," because it abounds with houses of God — it is "the holy place of, the tabernacles of the Most High." Its walls are Salvation, and its gates Praise.

III. THE MEANS OF GRACE COMPARED TO STREAMS. Just as the faithful Israelites drank of the spiritual Rock which followed them, and "that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4), so with us to-day. There is the Word of God, ever ready to furnish us with some refreshing stream of Divine comfort and strength. There is the throne of grace, ever open to our supplications in time of need. There is the public worship of God, where we may taste afresh the calm which comes from the assurance of sins forgiven. There is the preaching of the Gospel, which should be to us "as cold waters to a thirsty soul," and as "good news from a far country." There are the occasional services of the Church, by which we are studiously and solemnly reminded of the immense privileges which belong to those who are truly servants of God. And there are, particularly, two copious and important streams, which deserve to be far more reverently and extensively used and appreciated — the Sacraments of the grace of God, Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion.

(J. Mitchell.)

I. THE CONTRAST.

1. In the certainty of supplies. Gihon might have been dried up; in times of great heat, the most abundant fountains in that country are often dried up; even Jordan, their greatest river — their only great river — is sometimes brought so low as to be reduced almost to a small stream. But when does the river of grace ever become dry?

2. Gihon's waters were but shallow. But who can fathom the depth of this river, the love from which it springs?

3. The course of Gihon might have been diverted, might have been turned into a new channel. When Jerusalem was besieged, it is not told us whether Titus turned the current of Gihon; yet it-might have been so. But who can turn the current of God's grace? Who can dam up that stream?

4. There is a contrast in the quality of the waters. No doubt the inhabitants of Jerusalem drank of this river, and were glad. They drank and were refreshed, and thanked God. Yet it only slaked their thirst; it did not go above that. But what is there not in the pardon of my sin? what is there not in the acceptance of my person? what is there not in the clear witness of the Spirit with my spirit that I am a child of God? If you enjoy that it shall be something more than slaking the thirst of the body.

II. THE RESEMBLANCE.

1. The waters of this Gihon were brought to Jerusalem by an aqueduct, and carried by conduits through the streets into the temple. It went through one of the high hills of Jerusalem. Hezekiah, therefore, must have had great difficulty. And the whole current of the Gospel must run through difficulties — what to the natural sense would appear impossibilities.

2. There is another strong line of resemblance, which is, that the Lord employs human agency. God was at no loss about Gihon; had He a mind, it would have bubbled up in the midst of Jerusalem; He wanted not the hands of men; it might have sprung forth at the base of that hill on which the temple was built. But Hezekiah's zeal must be called forth — his loss of money, his loss of time, his patience in the midst of disappointments. The water was brought into Jerusalem, and it was brought by human agency. God delights in human agency. When that agency is laid in the dust, laid low at the foot of the Cross, He delights to make use of it. It is His glory to work by human instrumentality.

(J. H. Evans, M. A.)

1. By His Word.

2. By His ministers.

3. By His Spirit.

II. THE HAPPY CONSEQUENCES OF HIS PRESENCE IN REFERENCE TO HER FINAL SAFETY AND HER TIMELY DELIVERANCE FROM PRESENT TROUBLES.

1. How great are the privileges of true believers.

2. How necessary it is to ascertain our individual interest in these blessings.

3. How great is our encouragement to prayer.

(W. Mayors, M. A.)

II. GOD MAKES HIS PEOPLE SENSIBLE OF THEIR NEED WHEN THEY FORGET IT. He did so by Israel. He said, "I will go and return to My place till they acknowledge their offence and seek My face; in their affliction they will seek Me early" (1 Kings 8:38, 39).

III. SUCH SENSE OF NEED REQUISITE TO MAKE MEN SEEK HIS ASSISTANCE IN PRAYER.

(J. Foot, D. D.)

     4045   chaos
     4203   earth, the
     5196   voice
     5367   kingdoms

Psalm 46:4-7

     7271   Zion, as symbol

The Lord of Hosts, the God of Jacob
'The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge.' --PSALM xlvi. 11. Some great deliverance, the details of which we do not know, had been wrought for Israel, and this psalmist comes forth, like Miriam with her choir of maidens, to hymn the victory. The psalm throbs with exultation, but no human victor's name degrades the singer's lips. There is only one Conqueror whom he celebrates. The deliverance has been 'the work of the Lord'; the 'desolations' that have been made on the 'earth' …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The City and River of God
'There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 7. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.'--PSALM xlvi 4-7. There are two remarkable events in the history of Israel, one or other of which most probably supplied the historical …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Desolations of the Lord, the Consolation of his Saints
IT SEEMS THAT EVERYTHING Christlike must have a history like that of Christ. His beginnings were small--the manger and the stable. So with the beginnings of that society which we love, and which we believe to be the very incarnation of the Spirit of Christ. Its beginnings also were small; but its latter end shall doubtless greatly increase--for, hath not the end of Christ become exceedingly glorious? He hath ascended up on high; he sitteth at the right hand of God, our Father; and doubtless this …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Eighteenth Day for Peace
WHAT TO PRAY.--For Peace "I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplication be made for kings and all that are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."--1 TIM. ii"He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth."--PS. xlvi. 9. What a terrible sight!--the military armaments in which the nations find their pride. What a terrible thought!--the evil passions that may at any moment bring …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Of the Presence of God
Of the Presence of God The soul that is faithful in the exercise of love and adherence to God above described, is astonished to feel Him gradually taking possession of their whole being: it now enjoys a continual sense of that Presence, which is become as it were natural to it; and this, as well as prayer, is the result of habit. The soul feels an unusual serenity gradually being diffused throughout all its faculties; and silence now wholly constitutes its prayer; whilst God communicates an intuitive …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Higher Degree of Prayer, which is that of the Simple Presence of God, or Active Contemplation.
The soul, faithfully exercising itself in the affection and love of its God, is astonished to find Him taking complete possession of it. His presence becomes so natural, that it would be impossible not to have it: it becomes habitual to the soul, which is also conscious of a great calm spreading over it. Its prayer is all silence, and God imparts to it an intrinsic love, which is the commencement of ineffable happiness. Oh, if I could describe the infinite degrees which follow! But I must stop here, …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Stronghold
[Psalm 46] [41]Luther. 1530. trans. by William Gaskell, 1855 A sure stronghold our God is He, A trusty shield and weapon; Our help He'll be and set us free From every ill can happen. That old malicious foe Intends us deadly woe; Armed with the strength of hell, And deepest craft as well, On earth is not his fellow. Through our own force we nothing can, Straight were we lost for ever, But for us fights the proper Man, By God sent to deliver. Ask ye who this may be? Christ Jesus named is He, Of Sabaoth …
Catherine Winkworth—Christian Singers of Germany

The River of God
C. P. C. Ps. xlvi. 4 From the Rock that God has riven Flows the sacred river, Through the wastes of barren ages, Ever and for ever. Still on this side and on that side, Grow the healing trees-- Bearing fruit for all who hunger, Leaves for all disease. From the everlasting fountains Still it flows along, Making glad the holy city Of eternal song. From the throne of Christ in glory, Rock that God has riven, Onward still the crystal river Bears the life of Heaven. Sheep lie yet in quiet pastures …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity. Be Strong in the Lord
Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 8,7,8,7,6,6,6,6,7 Ein feste Burg [118]Luther. 1530. Hymn composed on the road to Worms. trans. by William Gaskell, 1855 A sure stronghold …
Catherine Winkworth—Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year

The Lord of Hosts. --Ps. Xlvi.
The Lord of Hosts.--Ps. xlvi. Come, and behold the works of God, What desolations he will make; In vengeance when He wields His rod, The heathen rage, their kingdoms quake; He utters forth His voice;--'tis felt; Like wax the world's foundations melt; The Lord of Hosts is in the field! The God of Jacob is our shield. Again He maketh wars to cease, He breaks the bow, unpoints the spear, And burns the chariot;--joy and peace In all His glorious march appear: Silence, O Earth! Thy Maker own; Ye gentiles, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

An Antepast of Heaven. --Psalm Xlvi.
An Antepast of Heaven.--Psalm xlvi. There is a river pure and bright, Whose streams make glad the heavenly plains, Where, in eternity of light, The City of our God remains. Built by the word of His command, With His unclouded presence blest, Firm as His throne, the bulwarks stand; There is our home, our hope, our rest. Thither let fervent faith aspire; Our treasure and our heart be there: Oh! for a seraph's wing of fire! No,--on the mightier wings of prayer,-- We reach at once that last retreat, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Letter Lii to Another Holy virgin.
To Another Holy Virgin. Under a religious habit she had continued to have a spirit given up to the world, and Bernard praises her for coming to a sense of her duty; he exhorts her not to neglect the grace given to her. 1. It is the source of great joy to me to hear that you are willing to strive after that true and perfect joy, which belongs not to earth but to heaven; that is, not to this, vale of tears, but to that city of God which the rivers of the flood thereof make glad (Ps. xlvi. 4). And in …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

God is Our Stronghold and Our Stay
[835]Ein Feste Burg: Martin Luther, 1529 Psalm 46 Version by Elizabeth Wordsworth, 1903 God is our stronghold and our stay, Our hope in tribulation; What though the mountains rock and sway To earth's long-hid foundation? What though the ocean roar, Fast gaining on the shore, The hurtling storm rage loud Beneath the thunder cloud? Our hearts are all untroubled. The might of water sinks to rest; How calm yon river glideth, God's city mirrored on its breast, The house where he abideth! Hushed be all …
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

The Faults Committed in this Degree --Distractions, Temptations --The Course to be Pursued Respecting Them.
As soon as we fall into a fault, or have wandered, we must turn again within ourselves; because this fault having turned us from God, we should as soon as possible turn towards Him, and suffer the penitence which He Himself will give. It is of great importance that we should not be anxious about these faults, because the anxiety only springs from a secret pride and a love of our own excellence. We are troubled at feeling what we are. If we become discouraged, we shall grow weaker yet; and reflection …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Opinions
Of the Hebrew Doctors on the great Day of Judgment, and of the Reign of the Messiah then to come. Carpentarius, in his Commentary on the Alcinous of Plato, p. 322, asserts, that "the seventh millenary was called, by the whole school of the Cabalists, the great day of judgment, because then they think that God will judge the souls of all." He means, by the name of Cabalists, (if I am not mistaken,) the Talmudic doctors, according to whom, in more than one author, that tradition is found to be recorded. …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

A Manifestation of God in Answer to Prayer
A MANIFESTATION OF GOD IN ANSWER TO PRAYER ". . . When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." -- Acts 4:31. This remarkable manifestation of God reveals the effectiveness of prevailing prayer. It vividly discloses the fact that prayer can accomplish much. It is apparent that neither the apostles, nor the assembled company of devout believers were astonished at the marvelous …
T. M. Anderson—Prayer Availeth Much

Notes on the Third Century
Page 161. Line 1. He must be born again, &c. This is a compound citation from John iii. 3, and Mark x. 15, in the order named. Page 182. Line 17. For all things should work together, &c. See Romans viii. 28. Page 184. Lines 10-11. Being Satan is able, &c. 2 Corinthians xi. 14. Page 184. Last line. Like a sparrow, &c. Psalm cii. Page 187. Line 1. Mechanisms. This word is, in the original MS., mechanicismes.' Page 187. Line 7. Like the King's daughter, &c. Psalm xlv. 14. Page 188. Med. 39. The best …
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament