Psalms 79:9

Help us, O God of our salvation.

The highest Divine title, and the highest human privilege

I. The highest Divine title. “God of our salvation.” God in creation appears transcendently great; but in salvation we see--

1. A higher kind of power: moral power; the power to manage, master, and mould free rebellious intelligences.

2. A higher love. The love of compassion, forbearance, forgiveness.

II. The highest human privilege. To be saved involves the restoration oral.

1. A lost moral life.

2. Lost harmony.

3. Lost usefulness. (Homilist.)

A nation’s prayer in time of distress

I. The petition itself.

1. It is very fit for nations under heavy pressures and calamities to confess their sins to God publicly.

2. It is very proper for such an afflicted nation to pray earnestly to God for help and deliverance.

II. The motive or argument used.

1. By the Name of God, in Scripture, is frequently to be understood God Himself in all His excellences, attributes and perfections; and the glory of His name is the rendering those perfections conspicuous and observable; so that to move God for His name’s sake, or the glory of His name, is to move Him, that the effects of His Divine attributes may be made visible and illustrious in the sight of men, so that they may be had in just esteem and veneration.

2. What particular reasons the Jewish nation had to petition God, to glorify those His attributes on their behalf.

(1) As they were a nation selected from the rest of the world, and made the peculiar people of God.

(2) As the people of the Jews were politically united to God, their Sovereign in a national bond, or covenant, so He expressed Himself frequently to have a particular kindness for them, giving them many repeated promises of establishing their government and the succession of their kings in the royal line of David to perpetual generations.

3. Inquire what general encouragement there is for other nations to address to God upon the same motive. And the encouragement is sufficient, in that God has upon occasions declared by His holy prophets that He is not a little concerned for His own honour, He would have His name known and published in all the world, He would have that honour given to Him, which is due unto His name, to all His names; for He is styled in Scripture by many names, not only with respect to His essence, and existence, but also to His supereminent attributes and properties.

4. Inquire, as far as it is fit for us, upon what occasions, and at what seasons it may be proper for a nation to use this motive in their addresses to God.

(1) When the existence and providence of God is called in question, denied by some, and exposed and profaned by others.

(2) When they themselves or others, whom common humanity and Christian charity oblige to commiserate, lie under great oppressions; in this case men may confidently apply themselves to God, for the sake of His honour and for His holy name.

III. Application.

1. If Almighty God have such a respect to the honour of His name, as to accept the addresses that are made to Him upon that motive, it is a great encouragement to us to make use of it upon all occasions; especially upon occasion of using some extraordinary offices of devotion.

2. Let us be careful that we do not as publicly dishonour Him by our sins as we pretend publicly to honour Him by our devotions. (Bp. Gardiner.)

Deliver us, and purge away our sins.

Sins forgiven for Jesu’s sake

There is an old book in Paris called the “Chancellerie Book.” It is like our own “Doomsday Book,” in which all the records are inscribed--all the records of William the Conqueror’s division of the land of England. The Chancellerie Book does likewise for France. It has the record of the cities, towns, and villages, with the amount of taxes to be paid by each. As you turn over the old pages of that book, you come to “Domremy,” and, behold! there are no taxes to be paid by Domremy. Across the page there is written in bold writing, “Free, for the maid’s sake.” No taxes for the sake of Joan of Arc, the heroine who flung the English out. Ah, me! when those books are opened when the Lord takes His place on the great white throne, and He comes to my life on earth, behold! across the otherwise condemning page there is written, with letters of His own atoning blood, “Sins forgiven for His name’s sake.”

Man’s need of cleansing from sin met in Christ

A rough parable of Luther, grafted on an older legend, runs somewhat in this fashion:--A man’s heart is like a foul stable. Wheelbarrows and shovels are of little use, except to remove some of the surface filth, and to litter all the passages in the process. What is to be done with it? “Turn the Elbe into it,” says he. The flood will sweep away all the pollution. Not my own efforts, but the influx of that pardoning, cleansing grace which is in Christ will wash away the accumulation of years, and the ingrained evil which has stained every part of my being. We cannot cleanse ourselves.