Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

With those whose mansions glitter in his sight,
Calls the delightful scenery all his own.
His are the mountains, and the valleys his,
And the resplendent rivers. His to enjoy
With a propriety that none can feel,
But who, with filial confidence inspir'd,
Can lift to heaven an unpresumptuous eye,
And smiling say, My Father made them all.

In all his afflictions and distresses he has recourse to the omnipotence of God, to which the righteous always run and find safety. This is his present help in every time of trouble: his help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. In the midst of enemies and temptations which would otherwise prove far too successful against him, it is his privilege to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. And with that power around him which commanded the light to shine out of darkness, which called all things into being, which is in all, and above all, what resistance may not he surmount, what strong hold may not he pull down, what enemy either within or without may not he overcome? Who, or what, shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribula-. tion, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. Why should we not humbly but confidently believe that we shall be holden up, since God is able to make us stand? What reason have we to trust and to rejoice in that omnipotence that brings to our aid the kind and measure of help which we require-that brings a fulness of mercy to succour us, and infinite wisdom to guide us, and that gives to the promises of un

changing truth their utmost fulfilment? Whatever be the trials or the darkness through which we are called to pass, let us not entertain a doubt of its sufficiency in due time to relieve us; but rather let us believe with the heroic sufferers of other times, that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us. Humble your

selves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Let your faith acquire strength by resting continually on the omnipotency of God, and let it thus encourage you to corresponding zeal and perseverance in the path of duty, to a noble elevation above the fear of man, who has no power but what is given him from above, and to a firmer reliance on the Almighty God who performs all things for you. Seek unto God, and unto God commit your cause; who doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number.

IV. The omnipotence of God, more perhaps than any of the divine perfections, presents to the ungodly and the sinner an object of terror. It is because this mighty power is not fully contemplated, is not really believed in, that it is so much disregarded and contemned in the world. Though preserved by it every moment, how insensible are they to its existence, how apt are they to abuse it, and how prone to trust in themselves or in their fellow-creatures, rather than in it! But there are moments even on earth, when the slumbers of the conscience are disturbed, when the arm of God is revealed, and when the sinner, trembling and astonished, asks, Will he plead against me with his great power? When the soul is thus

awakened, the slightest consideration of omnipotence will impress it with the conviction that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The wrath and omnipotence of God give to eternity an awfulness which it is impossible for the mind fully to contemplate. But these are the attributes which are to be exhibited for ever in that place where the wicked shall have their portion. And who knoweth the power of his anger? Who can tell what it is when the omnipotence that planned and built the heavens, begins to punish? "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker. Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. There is no darkness or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves from his sight." How overwhelming the thought, that to all such there is a period approaching when the strength of numbers, when the confidence of human power, when all the distinctions of earth will disappear, and when no other covering but their sins shall come between them and the omnipotence of Him who sits upon the throne! Should not the consideration of this mighty power awaken your anxieties, and lead you now to seek reconciliation with him who would rather exercise it in fitting you as vessels of mercy unto glory, than in displaying it in your just condemnation and punishment. Of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do, you have no cause to be afraid; but I will forewarn you whom you shall fear: fear him, which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him.

182

CHAPTER VI.

THE WISDOM OF GOD.

WISDOM Consists in the pursuit of a good end, by the use of the best means. It therefore requires both benevolence and knowledge; and the combined exercise of both these attributes is essential to the existence of wisdom. There may be knowledge without wisdom, because knowledge is the mere apprehension of the understanding; and there may be benevolence without wisdom, because benevolence merely regards the rectitude of the will and the intention; but in wisdom, the understanding and the heart, the intellectual and active powers, are united.

The power, the omniscience, the goodness of God being infinite, it follows that his wisdom also must be infinite. He alone is originally, and perfectly, and unchangeably, the only wise God. The highest created beings, however exalted in intelligence, and upright in their designs, may err in their counsels, and may come short of what they aim at; but he, because he knows all things, and can accomplish all things, must always compass his end. There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord. The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, "Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it; and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

The proofs of the infinitude of the divine wisdom are so numerous, so striking in nature, and in providence, and in grace, as to render any thing like a full survey of them impracticable. But a few of the more remarkable examples are sufficient for deepening our convictions, and for enabling us to say with a grateful and admiring heart, How manifold are thy works, O Lord-in wisdom hast thou made them all!

Before looking over the works of the Creator for proofs of the perfection of his wisdom, we must previously fix in our minds the test by which we are accustomed to judge of the highest efforts of wisdom in man. That theory we regard as the best which accounts for the phenomena it treats of by the fewest possible principles; and that practical art we consider as coming nearest to perfection which attains the end This is proposed by the least complicated means. our standard of judging in estimating the wisdom of man: let us by the same standard examine the wisdom of God.

In so far as science has made us acquainted with that universal system of which our world forms only á part, we find the greatest variety produced by means the most perfectly simple. The single principle of gravitation determines the planets in their orbits, and the descent of bodies to the ground. The sun, in consequence of this principle, and of its being luminous, communicates to the bodies which surround it, motion, light, heat, regularity, and harmony; and to their inhabitants, food and raiment, usefulness, activity, and enjoyment. To this principle, occasioning the annual circuit of the earth, we owe the revolution of the

« ZurückWeiter »