and destroy it. So it was in regard to this pursuit of the man who had troubled the camp of Israel : the lot fell on the riglit tribe, then on the right family of that tribe, then on the right household, and lastly on the right individual in that house- hold : — and to every human being it speaks in this awful lan- guage, " Be sure your sin will find you out."]
That we may see how important a truth this is in a practical view, we shall proceed to shew,
II. That in this character he is constantly to be re- garded by us —
His hand and his will we should trace,
1. In every thing that is past —
[Have we been loaded with benefits ? they must be re- ceived as from Him, " from whom cometh every good and per- fect gift." It matters nothing whether our blessings came to us by inheritance, or wei*e the fruit of our own industry : to God, and to God alone, must they be referred, as their proper source ". Have we, on the other hand, been visited with afflic- tions ? We should know, that " they did not spring out of the ground," but proceeded from his gracious hand ; since " there is no evil in the city, but the Lord himself hath done it." Thus Job viewed all his diversified trials : he overlooked the second causes, and fixed his eyes on God alone : " The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away."
Now in all this we see the great importance of tracing every thing to the Lord ; for by our blessings we are inflamed to gra- titude, and by our troubles are softened to submission.]
2. In every thing that is future —
[If nothing can occur without his special appointment, how safely may we commit to him our every concern ; and how confidently may we expect a happy issue of every occurrence ! Can we do better than leave ourselves at his disposal? Were it possible that he should err, or that, having devised any thing, he should be unable to accomplish it ; or that, having begun to accomplish it, he should, through versatility, change his purpose, and alter his dispensations; we might then not feel so well satisfied with having every thing subject to his disposal : but when infinite wisdom and goodness concur to direct all our concerns, and infinite power also engages to overrule every thing for our good, we may well dismiss every fear, saying with the Apostle, " I know whom I have believed, and that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him." We may be as composed as Hezekiah was when surrounded by Senna-
" 1 Chron. xxix. 14.