God is for His beloved not only the foundation on which they dwell in safety, but their perpetual covering. They dwell safely because He is so. There are many tender shapes in which this great promise is presented to our faith. Sometimes God is thought of as covering the weak fugitive, as the arching sides of His cave sheltered David from Saul. Sometimes He is represented as covering His beloved, who cower under His wings,' as the hen gathereth her chickens' when hawks are in the sky. Sometimes He appears as covering them from tempest,' when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,' and' the shadow of a great rock' shields from its fury. Sometimes He is pictured as stretching out protection over His beloved's heads, as the Pillar of cloud lay, long-drawn-out, over the Tabernacle when at rest, and on all the Glory was a defense.' But under whatever emblem the general idea of a covering shelter was conceived, there was always a correlative duty on our side. For the root-meaning of one of the Old Testament words for faith' is fleeing to a refuge,' and we shall not be safe in God unless by faith we flee for refuge to Him in Christ.
