him, not only for the sins committed long ago, but for those of daily incursion. Our best act would condemn us, if he did not " bear the iniquity of our holy things." He is our only deliverer from the wrath to come : to Him therefore let us flee continually, and " cleave unto him with full purpose of heart."]
Jam. i. 1G, 17. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with ivhom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
THERE is much evil in the world. But people are little aware from whence it proceeds. We forget that at the first creation there was no such thing as evil, either natural or moral, in the whole universe. God, it is true, could have prevented the existence of it : and so he could have prevented the existence of the world itself, which only came into being through the operation of his sovereign will and of his almighty power. It is not for us to inquire, why he permitted evil to exist. Doubtless he will ultimately be glorified in all that he has done, yea and, on the whole, in all that he has permitted, though we cannot exactly say how that glory shall accrue to him. All that we, in our present state, are called to, is, to feel and to maintain that he does all things well : that, however he may permit, he does not do evil ; but that, on the contrary, all good, and nothing but good, is to be ascribed to him.
Now it is of great importance that we should, at least as far as regards ourselves, have just views of this matter, since for want of them we greatly err. So the Apostle evidently intimates in the words which we have read : from whence I will take occa- sion to shew, I. The true character of the Deity —
He is here declared to be the only, and the un- changing source of all good —