ungodly, he merely gives scope for the exercise of dispositions which already exist in their own minds ; but, in influencing the godly, he first infuses holy dispositions into their minds, and then calls forth those dispositions into exercise by the operation of his own grace, exciting and strengthening the soul for the duties to which it is called.
Do we not then see, that God only is to be feared ? that, if we secure his favour, not all the universe can hurt us ? Let a Laban, or an Esau, come forth against us, God can restrain his rage% and make " the wrath of man to praise him:" or let an enraged army determine to destroy us, he can by a single word assuage their malice, and avert the storm. " The hearts of kings are in his hand as the rivers of water, and he turneth them whithersoever he wilP." " If therefore God be for us, we may be sure that none can be against us."]
3. How sure his word !
[In the instance before us it was fulfilled, notwithstanding all the parties strove to counteract it. The ten tribes would have submitted to Rehoboam's yoke, if only he had spoken kindly to them at first : they had no design in the first instance to separate from him. The advice of the young men was given with a view to keep the people in subjection by fear : and the determination of the army was to reduce them by force. Thus all endeavoured to preserve the kingdom entire ; yet all were accessary to the division of it. Thus shall every word of God be fulfilled in its season. If that did not fail which depended, so to speak, on the voluntary actions of men, much less shall that which shall be executed by God alone. He has told us that " the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven ; " but that " the wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the people that forget God : " and shall either of those declarations fall to the ground ? No ; not a jot or tittle of them shall ever fail. O that we may be wise, and learn to " tremble at the word of God," whilst yet we may escape his threatenings, and secure the possession of his promised inheritance I]
s Gen. xxxi. 29. and xxxiii. 1, 4.
t Prov. xxi. 1. If this were a subject for the Fifth of Novemher, it might here be shewTi in what a mysterious way God preserved our nation from the plot that had been formed for its destruction.