Year: 1866

Although thou sayest thou shalt not see Hin


vet irlgment is before Him; therefore, tru'


thou in Him job 3j, II.


After detailing the causes and extcn


of the Affections of Job, the speaker pro


ccedcd to discuss the general proposition


that God has wise and holy purpose il


all that he does, and therefore justl.
demands our whole trust and conf
dence.


Intelligent men do not act without ;


purpose, and shall the All Wise One b,


charged with geater folly than men ar,


guilty Off Purpose or design is neces
sary to every act, or series of acts
among all intelligent beings, and nj
sacred history shows that God had {
purpose in all that he has done. Al
His works of Creation, Providence ant
Redemption bear witness to this truth.
But some may doubt the doctrine o.
Gods special Providence. This is q
doctrine of fundamental Importance
and therefore demands careful attention
The scriptures clearly teach it. "a
sparrow cannot fall to the ground with
out His notice. If God so clothc the
grass Of the field, will he not much more
clothe you" All the pages of history
in the Bible attest this doctrine. BE.
sides this, how can God hear and
answer prayer-how can he fulfill
prophecies and promises, if he does not
exercise n special providence in and
over all thingsi


But while this is true, and while
much that is wicked is suffered Ia
transpire, yet God is not the author OF
wickedness. He gives the murderer
time, and means, and energy to strike
the fatal blow, .but He is not guilty OF
the murder. Do you ask, why did He
suffer the wicked man TO do the deed !
In answer, ask yourself why He created
you at all, when He certainly knew be-
forehand that you would commit wick
ednessi While you are in His hands
You are at the same time an accounta-
BILE agent, and become, to all intents
and purposes, the author of your own
sins.


All history, sacred ard profane, is but
the record Of the execution OF Gods
purposes. All that wonderful series OF
events occurring between the calling OF
Abraham and the crucifxion Of Christ,
tend to the one central point, which is
Calvary. The history of the Church,
from the days of the Apostles down To
the present time, and onward, beyond
the limited range Of the human vision,
tend to the fulfillment Of a promise that
q time shall come when the knowledge
of the glory of the Lord shall cover the
earth as the waters cover ithe sea. All
events, of all time, are but parts of the
grand scheme TO be fully completed at
the last day. We may not understand
the design of particular events as they
occur, but this does not vitiate the pur-
pose for which they were intended.
His counsel shall stand, whether we ap-
prove or condemn.


Then, if God exercises special provi-
dcnce in all things tending to one grand
result, how complicated must his
providences bel They are like the
meshes of q great net, spread over all
space and for all times, with every mesh
with every other, and the
whole so vast that neither angels nor
man can comprehend it. The smallest
details in our lives are parts Of the great
system that reaches from the time when
the morning stars sang together for joy
down into the still far distant future,
when the mighty angel shall proclaim
with a loud voice that slime shall be no
longer The births and deaths of gen.
rise and fall of dynasties
and nstions-the progress of science
and civilization-are but the footprints
of the Almighty as he works ont the
final cause of all things.


Exhibiting goodness and mercy in all
his works, God has just claim to the
confidence and love Of all His intelligent
creatures. 1t is our high privilege to
trust in Him. But we must do this in
teIligently. We must know what we
are entitled to trust Him for. We mnst
his promises, for We are au-
to exercise this trust only for
what has been promised. It win not