Behold the brute creation : these, though incapable of sin, feel bitterly its penal consequences, and shew, beyond a possi- bility of doubt, that they inherit qualities which they did not originally possess; being hostile to each other, and in many instances the common enemies of man. The very earth itself also partakes of the curse due to sin ; and all the elements are armed against the human race, to inflict on them, as God shall appoint, the destruction they have merited.
I ask, then, Are not " clouds and darkness round about that God by whose ordinance these things exist? Can any one give a satisfactory explanation of them all, or even of any one of them? Yet we are sure that " righteousness and judgment are the habitation (the basis) of them all." For whether we
b Compare ver. 2 — 5. with Exod. xix. 11, 16.
c Acts i. 11. with Luke xxi. 27. d Ps. li. 5. Eph. ii. 3.
understand his ways or not, " his work is perfect, and all his ways are judgment : a God of truth, and without iniquity ; just and right is hee."]
Mark also his dealings with the individuals of mankind —
[What an amazing disparity do we find amongst the children of men ; some endued with great mental powers, whilst others, from their very birth, through a want of intellec- tual capacity, are in a state more helpless and degraded than the beasts themselves ; some possessing all the comforts of health, and others protracting a miserable existence, from which, at any moment, death would be a merciful relief! some destitute of the most common necessaries of life, whilst others revel in every species of luxurious abundance ! To what can we trace this vast diversity ; or, if we attempt to account for it on the common principles of equity, what shall we say ? Surely " clouds and darkness are round about it" all ; and faith is left to supply the deficiencies of reason. We know that God can- not err, and that " all his ways are both mercy and truth." His " way, indeed, is in the sea, and his footsteps are not known f :" but " his righteousness is like the great mountains, though his judgments are a great deepg."]
Inscrutable depths also will be found, II. In the revelation of his grace —
Here the difficulties are greater still. Consider,
1. The revelation itself — [What a mystery is here ! the substitution of God's co- equal, co-eternal Son in the place of his own sinful and rebel- lious creatures ; " the Holy One and the Just, in the place of the unholy and unjusth !" or rather, if I might venture to use such an expression, I should almost say, The death of an in- carnate God, in the place and for the sake of incarnate devils ! You remember what our blessed Lord himself said, even to those who called themselves the Lord's people : " Ye are of your father the devil ; and the lusts of your father ye will do1." Yet for such did Jesus die, even for the chief of sinners. Tell me, Are there not " clouds and darkness" here? Yet I hesi- tate not to say, that "righteousness" pervades it all; and "judgment," such as shall finally approve itself to the whole intelligent creation, is the basis of it. In fact, it is this which, above all other things in the whole universe, displays the righteousness of God, who, by exacting such a sacrifice, then most of all shews himself just, when he justifies those who believe in his dear Sonk.]
e Deut. xxxii. 4. f Ps. lxxvii. 19. s Ps. xxxvi. 6.
h 1 Pet. iii. 18. * John viii. 44. k Rom. iii. 25 26.
663.] god's ways dark, but just. 1G7
2. The objects selected to enjoy its benefits — [The great mass of mankind, from the Deluge to the time
of Abraham, were left in darkness, insomuch that the know- ledge of the true God had nearly vanished from the earth. And then was God pleased to fix on Abraham, an idolater in the midst of an idolatrous family and nation, and to reveal his covenant to Mm. To Isaac also, in preference to Ishmael his elder child ; and to Jacob also, in preference to Esau, was it given to be comprehended in this covenant ; yea, given whilst both of them were yet in the womb, and consequently before they had done either good or evil. Let any one explain this, or account for it in any other way than that suggested by our Lord : " Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." The same sovereignty appears at this hour, in choosing the poor, the weak, the vile, in preference, for the most part, to the rich, the great, the moral: for it is found, in ten thousand instances, that " publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom before the specious and self-righteous Pharisees." The man who sees no mystery here, only betrays his own ignorance and stupidity. A man with ever so contracted a view of this sub- ject, must of necessity exclaim, " O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out1 !"]