in perpetuity, as the rule of faith and the instrument of salvation. It would appear, then, that some of the most explicit declarations of Holy Scripture, as to the true character of Christ, and the design of His incarnation, were called forth in consequence of the profane speculations of men of corrupt minds. The evil was human or diabolical in its origin, and transitory in its duration. The good, of which God in His adorable providence made it the occasion, is great and endless. : One of the practical conclusions to which we are led by the facts now adduced is thus expressed by the Psalmist "Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." (Psalm xxxvii. 1, 2.) "God esteems it one of His glories that He brings good out of evil; and therefore it is but reason we should trust God to govern the world as He pleases; and that we should patiently wait till the change cometh, or the reason be discovered." * * Jeremy Taylor. A A CHAPTER XIV. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD A MORAL DISCIPLINE. THE dispensations of Divine Providence towards mankind are so arranged as to serve as tests of character. No man is at liberty to affect independence, but each is bound to live in entire and habitual subjection to the Creator's will. This was required of Adam from the first moment of his being; and "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," which grew "in the midst of the garden" of Eden, was the test of his obedience. He was required so to repress every feeling of vain curiosity, and every dictate of his appetite, as to abstain from the fruit of that tree, however inviting it might be to the taste, and however "desirable to make one wise;" because such was the Creator's will. Persuaded by his wife, who had been beguiled by the serpent, he was disobedient to the Divine command; and thus "Brought death into our world, with all our woe." Since the fall mankind have been dealt with by God, not upon the principles of strict and rigorous law, but under a constitution of grace and mercy, which contains a provision for the full and free forgiveness of all sin. Yet still an absolute submission to the will of God is required in every human being; that submission is subjected to a great variety of tests; and individual men obtain favour with God, or are rejected by Him, according to the manner in which they pass through the ordeal. "Submit yourselves therefore to God," (James iv. 7,) is an admonition, compliance with which is no less a privilege than a duty. This is a subject which is confirmed and illustrated in almost every page of the Bible; but we have only space for the consideration of a few examples. When Abraham was seventy-five years old, he was directed to leave the land of his birth, and take up his residence in a distant country, with which he was altogether unacquainted. There were reasons for this requirement, which he did not at this time perceive. Notwithstanding the mysteriousness of the command, and the painful sacrifice it involved, he "went out, not knowing whither he went," yielding an implicit submission to the authority of God. (Gen. xii. 1, 4; Heb. xi. 8.) At a subsequent period he received the promise of a son by Sarah his wife; but the fulfilment of the promise was delayed for several years, till it could only be fulfilled by a miracle. Still the faith of the patriarch was unshaken. He fixed his attention exclusively upon the omnipotence and fidelity of God, regardless of all difficulties and of second causes, when God had pledged His veracity. (Gen. xv. 4; xxi. 2; Rom. iv. 19-21.) It was further declared to him, that the posterity of Isaac should be numerous like "the stars of heaven;" but before a child was born to Isaac, the father was directed to slay him, and offer him as a burnt sacrifice to God. Yet the faith of Abraham endured even this test, severe as it was. He believed that if Isaac were put to death, and his body reduced to ashes, God would raise him up again, so that the promise would not fail. Without questioning the goodness, the authority, or the faithfulness of God, he therefore "took the knife to slay his son," as he lay bound upon the altar; and, having thus passed through the fiery trial, he was relieved from the painful duty imposed upon him, and in return received special tokens of God's approval. He "gave glory to God" by an absolute reliance upon God's truth and power; and thus became the father of the faithful, the great example of believers to the end of the world. The character of Job was subjected to tests quite as severe as those by which the character of Abraham was tried. He was a man of vast wealth, of deep piety, of great generosity, held in honour by all his contemporaries, and eminently blessed with respect to the children that God had given him. God Himself not only acknowledged Job to be His "servant," but declared that there was "none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man." (Job i. 8.) In respect of property he "was the greatest of all the men of the East; " and "there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters." His sheep, and his servants that had the care of them, were destroyed by lightning; his camels were stolen by Chaldeans, and the men that had the charge of them were murdered by these daring thieves; then his sons and daughters were all slain by the falling of the house of their eldest brother, where they were assembled on a festive occasion. Under all these calamities the holy man "rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job i. 20–22.) Sad and overwhelming as were these calamities, further trials of his faith and patience were yet in reserve. "The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes." (Job ii. 6-8.) Yet even under this severe visitation, and the evil counsel of his wife, who failed in this emergency of his affairs to be "a helpmeet for him," the patient sufferer uttered the memorable words, "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" "In all this did not Job sin with his lips." The "good" which men receive from God is perfectly gratuitous. The "evil" that they receive is the just consequence of sin, and at present is far less than they deserve to suffer. The "good" therefore calls for thankfulness, and the "evil" for penitence and submission. Such was the feeling and the acknowledgment of Job in his deep depression. But even yet his sufferings were not ended. His "friends," instead of supporting him by a kind sympathy, rashly concluded that the calamities which had come upon him were judgments from God, inflicted on account of some secret sin to which he had been addicted and this assumption they maintained with pertinacity and bitter words. In the eager debate that : |