2. He suffers Satan to instigate them to evil —
[" Satan is always going about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour : " but he cannot act without divine per- mission : he could not tempt Job, or even enter into the herd
a Rom. ix. 17.
of swine, till he had first obtained leave of God. For the most part, God imposes a restraint on this our inveterate enemy; or, if left to himself, he would soon " sift us all as wheat," and reduce us all to the lowest ebb of wickedness and misery: but at times he leaves the fiend somewhat more at liberty, and permits him to exercise his power over his wretched vassals. On these occasions Satan operates upon their minds with more than usual violence, and not only leads them captive at his will, but instigates them to the commission of the most heinous crimes. Of these acts God is frequently represented as the author, whilst in other parts of Scripture their origin is referred to Satan. We are told that Satan moved David to number the people ; and that he sent forth lying Spirits into all the prophets of Baal, that they might induce Ahab to go up to Ramoth-gilead to battle, where he was sure to fall. But both these things are also said to have been done by Godb. The fact is, that God did these things through the agency of Satan ; that is, he permitted Satan to act according to the impulse of his own mind, and left the persons whom he assaulted to comply with his temptations.]
3. He withdraws from them his restraining grace —
[Man needs nothing more than to have the preventing grace of God withheld, and he will as surely fall, as a stone, cast out of the hand, will gravitate to the earth. Now it is in this way that God often punishes the sins of men : he leaves them to put forth the depravity of their own hearts : he with- holds those mercies which he sees they despised, and gives them up to follow their own vile propensities without restraint. To this effect, it is often said in Scripture, " So I gave them up ; " " So I gave them up." Yea, the sacred records speak yet more strongly, and represent God as " blinding the eyes of men," and " hardening their hearts0." But we must not imagine that God ever actively concurs in the production of sin : in fact, there is no occasion for any active exertion on his part ; nothing further is necessary than for him to withdraw his preventing grace ; and evil will blaze forth, as fire will to consume the stubble, when no counteracting influence is used to extinguish the flames.]
To remove all objection against his participating in the actions of wicked men, we proceed to point out,
II. The benefit arising from acknowledging Him in them —
b 2 Sam.xxiv. 1. with 1 Chron. xxi. 1. and 2 Chron. xviii. 20 — 22. c Exod. vii. 3, 18. Isai. vi. 9, 10, which is quoted six times in the New Testament.
5G.^\ god viewed in Joseph's advancement. 289
It may be thought that such an acknowledgment, if it did not make God a minister of sin, would at least represent him in a very unamiable light ; and that it would tend to justify men in their iniquities. But we affirm, on the contrary, that such an acknow- ledgment is calculated rather to bring good to man, and honour to our God.
1. It affords us sweet consolation under our troubles —
[Were we to look no further than to second causes, we should be grieved beyond measure at the instruments of our affliction, and be filled with apprehensions at their malevolent desires. But when we reflect that our enemies are no more than the sword in our Father's hand, and the rod with which he corrects us; when we consider that his design in correcting us is widely different from theirs d, and that after he has made use of them for our good, he wall cast them into the fire e, and receive us to his bosom in an improved state f, our minds are pacified, and we say, " It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." What a source of comfort was this to Job, when the Sabeans and Chaldeans slew his servants and his cattle ! " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord ! " It is thus with all the sons and daughters of affliction, when once they can view the hand of God in their trials : they adopt the language of the Psalmist ; " I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because Thou didst it."]