Vers. 9. There shall be no lyon, nor noy∣some beasts shall ascend by it, neither shall they be found there, that the redeemed may walke.
HE addes yet another fauour of God, and that is, that the people shall be deliuered frō all dangers, though they walked through the deserts. Before,* 1.1 among other curses of God he put this; that wild beasts should meet the Iewes in all places which way soeuer they trauailed: but now, being receiued into fa∣uor, they should be assailed neither by lyons, nor any other cruell beasts, because God would chase them away, that his redeemed might passe without hurt or danger. For al∣beit they had libertie to returne, yet they might well meete with many impediments in the way, and therefore he saith, The Lord shall remoue all anoyances that might any way stop their passage.* 1.2 Hence we gather a very necessarie doctrine, to wit, that the Lord not only begins the worke of our saluation, but cōtinues it vnto the very end, lest other∣wise his grace might be frutelesse and vaine in vs. First then he opens the way to giue vs en∣trance. [ 1] Secondly, he makes it plaine and easie, and [ 2] takes away all impediments. Thirdly, he goes with, [ 3] and before vs in the way. Lastly, he so continues [ 4] forth this grace in vs, that at the last he brings vs vnto his perfection.* 1.3 We must make vse of these foure points euery day. For albeit our hearts be set (whilest we liue in this world) to aspire to our inheritance which is in heauen, yet Satan laies many stumbling blocks before vs, and we are inuironed on euery side with in∣finit dangers, but the Lord who hath set vs in this way, and goes before vs, leading vs by the hand, will neuer leaue vs in the midway, but wil fullie perfect that vnto the end which he hath begun in vs by his Spirit. We may al∣so obserue, that the mouthes of rauening and wilde beasts are musled so by the grace of