924.]
cursed the day of their birth ; and the latter, scarcely less excusable, prayed impatiently to God to " take away his life," in order to liberate him from his troubles'1. Even the Saviour himself, in his afflictions, adopted the language of the Psalmist, " My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roar- ing'?" And no doubt the hands of the strongest will hang down, and the heart of the stoutest faint, if God strengthen them not to drink the cup which men and devils concur to put into their hands.]
But it would not be thus with them, if they used aright,
II. The antidote provided for them in the Scriptures —
In the Scriptures, Jehovah is represented as order- ing and overruling all things; and as being a God,
1. Of almighty power —
[There is nothing in the whole universe which did not derive its existence from his all-creating hand ; nor is any thing left to its own operations without his sovereign control. Be it either good or evil, it subsists only through his permission ; as God himself has told us: "I form the light, and create dark- ness : I make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do all these things k." Even the murderers of our blessed Lord, though per- fectly free agents in all that they did, " effected only what the hand and counsel of Jehovah himself had determined before to be done1." Be it so then: our guilt lies heavy on our souls; our corruptions work with almost irresistible force ; our troubles of divers kinds threaten utterly to destroy us : but is there no power able to deliver ? Cannot He who created all things by a word, and spake them into existence, accomplish for us what- ever our necessities require ? " Is his ear heavy, that he cannot hear; or his arm shortened, that he cannot save"1?" Were we left to the uncontrolled power of our spiritual enemies, we might well despair : but whilst God is seated on his throne, we need never fear but that he will interpose for our relief, if only we cast our care on him. " If we cast our burthen upon him, he will sustain us."]
2. Of unerring wisdom —
[Because God does not exert his Almighty power for us at the first moment that we implore his aid, we suppose " that our way is hid from him, and our judgment is passed over from him," or? in other words, that he has utterly cast us off. But
h 1 Kings xix. 4. ' Ps. xxii. 1. * Isai. xlv. 7.
1 Acts iv. 28. m Isai. lix. 1.