re he clucketh for them, the farther
they go from him. And therefore can we not doubt that, if we will
follow him and with faithful hope come running to him, he shall in
all matter of temptation take us near unto him and set us even
under his wing. And then are we safe, if we will tarry there, for
against our will no power can pull us thence, nor hurt our souls
there. "Set me near unto thee," saith the prophet, "and fight
against me whose hand that will." And to show the great safeguard
and surety that we shall have while we sit under his heavenly
feathers, the prophet saith yet a great deal further, _"In
velamento alarum tuarum exaltabo."_ That is, that we shall not
only sit in safeguard when we sit by his sweet side under his holy
wing, but we shall also under the covering of his heavenly wings
with great exultation rejoice.

XI

Now, in the two next verses following, the prophet briefly
comprehendeth four kinds of temptations, and therein all the
tribulation that we shall now speak of, and also some part of that
which we have spoken of before. And therefore I shall peradventure
(unless any further thing fall in our way) with treating of those
two verses, finish and end all our matter.

The prophet saith in the ninetieth psalm, "_Scuto circumdabit te
veritas eius; non timebis a timore nocturno, a sagitta volante in
die, a negotio perambulante in tenebris, ab incurso et demonio
meridiano._ The truth of God shall compass thee about with a
shield, you shall not be afraid of the night's fear, nor of the
arrow flying in the day, nor of business walking about in the
darknesses, nor of the incursion or invasion of the devil in the
midday."

First, cousin, in these words "the truth of God shall compass thee
about with a shield," the prophet for the comfort of every good
man in all temptation and in all tribulation, besides those other
things that he said before--that the shoulders of God should
shadow them and that also they should sit under his wing--here
saith he further that the truth of God shall compass thee with a
shield. That is, as God hath faithfully promised to protect and
defend those that faithfully will dwell in the trust of his help,
so will he truly perform it. And thou who art such a one, the
truth of his promise will defend thee not with a little round
buckler that scantly can cover the head, but with a long large
shield that covereth all along the body. This shield is made (as
holy St. Bernard sait