And it can be owing to nothing but criminal stupidity, or infidelity, that any overlook the hand of God, in what they suffer or enjoy. The prophet reproves Belshazzar fer disregarding the care, protection and goodness of his Creator. The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." Whether men are rich or poor, whether they are prosperous, or unprosperous; whether they are in health or sickness; whether their friends, relatives and connexions are spared or taken away, they ought to acknowledge the hand of God in all his dispersations towards them. And this acknowledgment implies something more than a mere speculative belief, that all the good and evil that falls to their lot, comes through the overruling hand of God. Multitudes are willing to say in words, and they believe what they say, that God governs the world and directs all events, prosperous and adverse; and yet neither realize nor love this most interesting truth. They feel and act, rejoice or mourn, hope or fear, as though God were not in all their thoughts. But Job realized and approved of the divine agency under his afflictions. He felt and enjoyed this consoling and humiliating truth. He said, "Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil? And again he said, "Though he slay me yet will I trust in him." He felt himself to be in the hands of God, as clay is in the hands of the potter. And thus it becomes all men to acknowledge, with deep sensibility, that it is God who gives or takes away their comforts and enjoyments, and who raises them up, or casts them down by his holy and sovereign hand. Nor is this all. For, II. They ought to bless, as well as acknowledge God, under both the smiles and frowns of his providence. Job acknowledged, that God had given and taken away, and then adds what is still more important, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." He blessed God in taking away, as well as in granting his favours, though the taking away was extremely distressing and paintul. And in this it is said "he sinned not," but felt and conducted right. He ought to have blessed God under both the smiles and frowns of his providence. And what was his duty in his situation, is the duty of the bereaved and afflicted, in all other similar cases. For, 1. God never takes away any favours from mankind, but what he meant to take away when he gave them. It is true, he does not inform the subjects of his mercies, how long he intends to continue, or how soon he intends to take away his favours; but he always determines in his own mind, before he bestows any blessing, how long that blessing shall continue, and whether it shall or shall not be removed during life. As he always has some purpose to answer by every good gift, so when that good gift has answered the purpose for which it was given, he takes it away, and not before. So that he acts from the same benevolent motive in taking away, as in bestowing his favours. Could we see his motives in giving, we could see his motives in taking away; and of course. the same goodness asiing the consequences of giving; nor, if he means to take it away, without weighing the consequences of taking it away. He always gives and takes away after the counsel of his own will, or his original designs, which, like himself, are perfectly holy, just, and good. If mankind have reason to bless God for giving, in any instance, they have the same reason to bless him for taking away what he has given. This is always true in respect to God, though not always true in respect to men. They may have better motives in giving than in taking away. They may give in kindness, but take away in'unkindness. But the kind parent of the universe never treats his creatures so. He gives and takes away from precisely the same benevolent motives. And this is a good reason why mankind should bless him under both the smiles and frowns of his providence. judgment, which ought to convince them that he is more ready to give than to take away. This ought to fill their hearts with gratitude, and cause them to bless the Lord at all times. For they always have reason to feel and say, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, and because his compassions fail not." 3. The afflicted know that whatever personal evils God brings upon them, he constantly seeks the general good of the universe, and that all the sufferings they endure, are calculated and designed to answer that wise and benevolent purpose. All personal evils and calamities are intended and suited to promote the general good, whether they do, or do not promote the private, personal good of the sufferers. Job's calamities, which were designed for his good, were no less designed for the benefit of thousands, in all future ages. They have been, are now, and will be, instructive and consoling to multitudes, who have heard, and will hear of his sufferings and patience. Abraham's trial was designed not only for his good, but for the good of the children of Abraham from generation to generation to the end of time. The series of calamities, inflicted on the murmuring Israelites, have answered, and will answer important purposes to the world in general from age to age. God makes use of individuals to teach and to warn the world, by chastisi ted m whet 2. The favours which God continues, are generally more numerous and more important than those he removes. Life itself is paramount to all other earthly favours; for were they all taken away but that, that alone would overbalance all the losses and bedreavements which could be sustained. Hence the prophet demands, "Wherefore should a living man complain?" But God generally spares far more than he takes away, and mingles innumerable mercies with his judgments. The r and continue tations of h flicted, and he fore ordinary effects; yet they could not work one real miracle, and were constrained to acknowledge, that they could not do that by their enchantments, which Moses did by the finger of God. Elijah also, who challenged the idolatrous diviners to work a miracle, completely defeated all their exertions, and wrought a miracle that confounded their false pretentions, in the view of a vast multitude of spectators. The magicians could not interpret Pharaoh's dreams, nor tell what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. But if their imposture had not been exposed, we might know from reason and scripture, that they were impostors. None but God, who knows his own designs, can possibly foreknow and foretell what events are to take place in future. He accordingly challanges all pretenders to divination, to make good their pretensions, by foretelling what he has not revealed. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring forth, and shew us what shall happen. Let them shew the former things what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them, or declare to us things to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." It is presumption in any created being to pretend to know any thing of futurity, which God has not revealed. It is virtually making himself equal to God. Were it true, though it is not, that diviners do make a league with evil spirits, who promise them assistance to foretell future events; yet they cannot fulfil their promise, for they are profoundly ignorant of every thing which God has not revealed. All diviners, therefore, are vile impostors, and extremely criminal, not only for seeking diabolical assistance, but for pretending to possess it. From the nature of divination it is apparent, that men have no right to apply to diviners, soothsayers, or fortune-tellers, to discover any object that is lost, or to foretell any thing in future. It is contrary to both reason and scripture to seek to know what none but God can tell. All the predictions of impostors are only conjectures, which are totally destitute of certainty. Though they may and sometimes do conjecture right; yet they employ forbidden means to pry into futurity, and they stand condemned by God, whether they do, or do not think they possess diabolical assistance. God may overrule their arbitrary signs, to foretell some future events, or to discover some unknown objects, often enough to deceive both themselves and those who apply to them; yet this neither exculpates them, nor those who seek to them and place confidence in them. It is extreme folly in those, who do not believe that they have any intercourse with, or derive any knowledge or assistance from invisible spirits, to apply to them; and it is extremely criminal in those, who do believe that they are assisted by a diabolical influence, to apply to them, for they are partakers in the guilt of the impostors to whom they apply, and exposed to run into all their errors and delusions. The account which we have given of divination, authorizes the assertion, that all modes of trying fortunes, whether by books, or by lots, or by cards, or by cups, are very criminal and dangerous. All these modes of trying fortunes |