New-York tribune., 1874-10-19
THE FOLLY OF DESPAIR.


Bishop Lay Easton Tni Church PTot'ta Episcopal
The Right Rev. DR.. Lay, Bishop of Easton,
preached in the morning in Trinity Church The text
was Job ill., s-l0 Then said his wife unto him. Dost
thou still retain thine integrity Curse God and de'
But he said her. Thou peakest one OF the foolish
women speaketh. What, shall receive good at the
hand Of Cod and shall we not receive evil In all ns
did not Job sin with his lips"
The Scriptures make frequenSmention OF the Day OF
the Lord said Bishop Lay and exhort us to make ready
for ID. But q mistake TO confine that term to the
last great day of DOOM There other days OF the
Lord which break the monotony of history and which
check the even flow of our individual hfe-days 1en
speak, the Lord comes down to see the ciy ana
the tower winch the children of buildings yes
and TO make Babel of their great designs Days wnen
God takes hold Of some individual man. emps nm as
he tempted Abraham lays mighty hand upon ms Very
hear-strings, and reuds and proves him until IN MS
the innermos secrets or MS nature are eposeu
And these days OF GOD most oien % arg berv
travelling at our ease, scarce conscious OF restrain
e he est co earut na Of But sud
denly arrested by strong mana. Lihe
horse mule mouths are held with BIT ana Dr1dle
When our spirits are most eate and tempers most
restless be stil" He says. and Know tnat am God
almost forgotten the rough paths of life, that same
strong hand changes our course abruptly ana we must
with dropping crest through the mlrY ways or
with painting heart breast the hil OF difficulty: Ana
what havoc is made in one such day OF the LORD ne
marches through land in Indignation, and IN that
day sweeps away with the besom OF destructon
the tolls and gains of centuries before The day OF me
young oak by the water side, with crown OF verdure
on It's head shelter beneath ts bows for the weary
and its displays him bruised ana tOrn rugged
dsmantled of al its honors Count no man happy
before he dies seest thou a man IN great pros, Pd
periiy suspend your Judgment unth tne uay
of God has passed over him III ,,1e he
survive the trial worth accounting OF II he be true,
fresh glory Will be added 10 him. To J00 that man per
feet and Upright Que that feared God and esehewed
eyIi time of VISITATION the day Of the Lord dit come.
NOby he bore the trial II one day the LaOeans roD9eu
MIN of ms cattle the fire of God destroyed his focks
ClalteaDS
while his children teastng and while he was max
ing Intercesson Tor them with Cod suddenly they al
persisted Impoverished and bereaved, ne fell down
upon the ground and worshped using those memora,
bic words: Naked came out " my m0lheFs WOMB ana
naked shall return thither. The Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away, blessed be tue name OF
the Lord" In all this JOB slnned pot nor
wife admired his patience; but when Goa pqt
flesh when his comeliness turned into corruption
ana the inflammation of his body was added 10 10 the
trouble of the spirit sne dee med the tmeioI
had passed. For do thus see 1t sometimes, Dy- |
ISLANDERS actually irritated at what they deem tue
splrltess patience the tame suonssi9n VI f
DOst thou sun retain thine integrity, she sad-stll
religious man when your religion mas ceased 70 pay any
thing, when IL exenpts you rom no Nn
God deals with you with the Vest OF tralsgre sors'
Your property honestly acquired and charitapy used s
gone The children Of your ITayeds rsIt ron sS
and made hldeOus "nat mas WRETCH uP9I , i
to DO with religion Curse God and die In JOBS wlIe
to nature OF the world in which we iive-nay, must
come and say likeness OF ourselves III
ont the basphemy but we think it, We may
not dare distinctly TO think 1t but there Is 10 the
doubt and away out Of sight somewhere IN our con-
scousness or Inconsistencies, injustice is at
tribnted TO God Perhaps we vail the feeng under the
decent phrase How strange that God should 10 thus
and So" covert up question about the recon
citation of Gods promise and his performance or we
imply II in the hesltang formula " SlpposlnS God TO
be on the good mans sl1e' as ,,h ~ ~ wete re
anything but an outrage and blasphemy 10
doubt for moment the infinite Justice ana nn-
bounded tenderness OF HIM VINO made US. buI
bold to speak out, and these are the true IL
terpreer Of all the querulous Now What nave they 10
ENORMOUSLY then Gods justice, OF Coos goodness. OF
Gods truth. They complain then that Goa does not
espouse the cause OF rlght ana Justice Iot ~ poaI %
fact the right does not win III THIS world
Honesty not invariably tine best policy. Wicked men
prosper more than good men; sih ana Outrage 20 un
punished goodness and Innocence are ar the bottom OF
the wheel. Or again they complain that God is not
good 10 US He leads US by DIS providence INTO dhi-
with partial success only 10 de
sert Us in our extremity. He lays great trouble on
ana nothing good comes OF all lie induces us to sell
all we have and gives as nothing II eXchang- Or they
complain again that lie Is not COD OF trutl lie has
promised to prayer and give what ask. ami yet
the and repeated prayers Of the best OF people
says one, 1 prayed tDat God would order my way-I
in aitn, but ony 10 ruin and sorrow. lprayed
for my dear boy, an angulsled moiher-nlgh and
day prayed for him with unuttera1e grodns, and as
the his bright har dishonOred IN tine dnst,
and his consume in unknown grave. GOd does
not prayer. Ant when these skepncs OF passion
ceased 10 speak, one OF deeper unbelief
will tell doubt God is Just and kind and true, but
then he has hand in what is now transpriDg-there
is no special providence. but only general one, Of
whose inexorabe laws are the victim. God framed
this machinery OF nature winding 1t up and set
ting it in notion Ii ROW its way, without iu-
reference. Hence the the swift and the bat
tic to the strong and head TO the wise aud riches TO
men understanding, ana favor Of skill Or in
the words OF a popular intdel proveTb, Heaven is
the side Of the heaviest artillery" The CONCLUSION from
ali these complaints is that do well 10 be angry when
the worm smites gourf; that IL Is in
God aud TO walk mOurnfuly before Him that however
beautiful faith and hope prayer and patience may be
In theory, they break down in practice II
seems almost wrong for say such things
in Gods holy house and before a Christian people
Methnks the angels shudder when they read such
thought IN a human heart May God give the grace
of repentance IL have thought said such
horrible wickednesses these In reply to his wife,
lob mentions two great faults IN her remOnstrance
What she said was foolish and ungratefu. Thou speak
est as one of the foolish speaketh What, shall
we receive good at the hand Of the Lord and shall
not receive evil ~ II is thus that would meet the
Dlants lust now usfolded. Let persuade yOu that
they are unreasonable aud they betoken unsraeful
spirit.
THE GATES OF ZION.