purpose''. And scarcely less visible was his agency in the destruc- tion of our great adversary. God allured him into the heart of the Russian empire, and inclined him to continue there, till his retreat was become impracticable : and to a still further infatua- tion did he give him up; for, instead of retreating with his forces entire to the confines of his own kingdom, where he might, humanly speaking, have defied all the efforts of the allies, he madly retained an untenable position, till he was re- duced to the necessity of risking all upon a single battle. In these errors of his we see him given up to judicial blindness in order to his destruction, precisely as the enemies of Zion were in the days of old : " Many nations," says the prophet Micah, " are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel : for he shall
GATHER THEM AS SHEAVES INTO THE FLOOR. AHse and thresh,
O daughter of Zion^l " Indeed, notwithstanding the backward- ness of men to " consider the operation of God's hands," there is scarcely a thoughtful person to be found, who does not see it, and acknowledge in the present instance, that he gathered them together in both those places as sheaves into the floor.
But we must not think that God interposes only in great concerns, such as the fate of empires : he equally interests him- self in all the events that are daily and hourly occurring : and from him does our success flow, even in the most trivial matters. Have we succeeded in business? It is "he that has given us power to get wealth '^." Have our agricultural labours been followed with an abundant increase? Not the abundance only, but the skill we exercised, was altogether from " God, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working^." Have we prospered in our spiritual course, and gained the victory over our spiritual adversaries? We must say with Paul, " He that hath wrought us to the self-same thing is God^:" " Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ^!" Whatever evil we escape, or whatever good we enjoy, God must be regarded as the true, the only source of all. " In him are all our fresh springs^;" and " of him is our fruit found '^ :" and all the glory must be his alone'.]
3. To look to the final issue of every thing —
[Who that saw the issue of Sennacherib's invasion, would not prefer the salutary trials of Jerusalem before the short- lived triumphs of the proud Assyrian ? and who that considers
<" ver. 24. with Exod. xiv. 17. ^ Mic. iv. 11 — 13.
e Deut. viii. 17, 18. f Isai. xxviii. 23—29.
e 2 Cor. v. 5. ^ 1 Cor. xv. 57. and 2 Cor. u. 14,
i Ps. Ixxxvii. 7. •^ Hos. xiv. 8. ^ Isai. xlv. 5 — 7.
875. J Christ's qualifications for his office. 539
aright, does not now congratulate the yet bleeding countries of Europe, especially those who have derived spiritual benefit from their afflictions, and look with pity on the fallen oppres- sor, laden as he must be with an intolerable load of conscious guilt, and the curses and execrations of half the human race ? We may have been stumbled for awhile, jvist as David was, at the sight of prosperous wickedness; but, if with him we enter into the sanctuary, and contemplate the end of these men, or if we look at their end as exemplified in our fallen adversary, we shall know how to judge of such mysterious dispensations'". In like manner we may learn how to judge of every thing, whe- ther prosperous or adverse, in our own aflTairs. Let us look to the final issue. What will prosperity benefit us, if it draws us from God, and leads us, like the rich fool, to fix our happiness on things below? On the other hand, what reason can we have to complain of afflictions, if they be sanctified to our spi- ritual and eternal good? Has the stone reason to complain that it receives many strokes, when it is thereby fitted for a conspicuous place in the Temple of the Lord ? or the vine, even granting it to be fruitful, that it is " pruned, when it is made thereby to bring forth more fruit?" or the vessel, that it is put into the furnace, when it is thereby rendered meet for the Master's use? Be not then so much concerned to get rid of present trials, as to have them made subservient to the good of yoiu- souls. Only beg of God, that " his whole tvork may be performed upon you" and leave the means of accomplishing that work to Him, who ordereth every thing with unerring- wisdom and unbounded love. You will then see, ere long, that " he hath abounded towards you with all wisdom and prudence ;" and in all future trials you will say, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."]