Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons Psalm 18:3 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies. Few men have known more of the variegated scenes of human life than David. I. DAVID'S PURPOSE. "I will call upon the Lord." Here we have what he declares concerning the Lord — that He is "worthy to be praised." By considering why we praise men we may be furnished with reasons why God is worthy to be praised. 1. We praise men for the beauty of their persons. 2. For the largeness of their minds. But what are all the intellectual attainments of mortals compared with the infinite mind of God? 3. For the benevolence of their hearts; for their tender sympathetic feelings towards the objects of distress. Then how much does God deserve our praise for His benevolence? This in God is universal, absolute, wonderful, and perpetual. "His mercy endureth forever." 4. For the liberality of their actions. God scatters His gifts with a most liberal hand. That we may conceive how worthy God is to be praised, consider Him not only in His absolute, but also in His relative character. As a friend, a king, a father. Man's excellency is derived, God's attributes and perfections are essentially His own. II. DAVID'S CONFIDENCE. Or what he asserts relative to himself: His purpose was pious, rational, scriptural, necessary, and beneficial. He says, "I shall be saved from mine enemies." This supposes — 1. That he had enemies. 2. That he was in danger from his enemies. And 3. That he had no expectation of saving himself. (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons.) Parallel Verses KJV: I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.WEB: I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies. |
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