THE MYSTERIOUSNESS OF SOME OF THE
DIVINE DISPENSATIONS.

PRICE 1d.

means unusual-that David gives the salutary advice-" Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity."

This apparent injustice in the dispensations of a gracious Providence, however satisfactorily it may be reconciled to the mind of the true believer, has yet been employed by the enemies of the truth as an argument that the Supreme Being does not concern himself with the affairs of his creatures; that what are termed the leadings and purposes of his providence are merely the results of chance; for that it is absurd to suppose that God would act so unjustly as to permit his faithful servants to encounter a variety of hardships, not unfrequently to pass their lives in sickness and destitution, while those who have not his fear before their eyes-who despise and set at nought all his requirements-are in the enjoyment of the comforts and frequently of the luxuries of life.

BY THE REV. THOMAS BISSLAND, M.A., Rector of Hartley Maudytt, Hants. THAT God is righteous in all his ways, and, however frequently mysterious, just in all his dealings towards the children of men, is a truth which is inseparable from our notions of a perfect Being. The declaration of the prophet Jeremiah will readily be allowed"Righteous art thou, O God." The indignant reply of the apostle will readily be adopted"Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." And yet, perhaps, there are few persons to whose mind the question has not suggested itself, wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper-wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? We find Job, for instance, asking, "Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight with them, and The design of this essay will be to "justheir offspring before their eyes. Their houses tify the ways of God to man"-to prove that are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God the injustice so much insisted on by the unupon them." While Asaph uttered the lan- believer is only apparent, and that, in fact, guage of complaint-"I was envious at the God's dispensations are all regulated by the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the tenderest feelings for the welfare of his faithwicked. For there are no bands in their ful people. Nor is the establishment of these death; but their strength is firm. They are points a matter of little importance. There not in trouble as other men; neither are they is in man a natural inclination to murmur plagued like other men. Therefore pride against God-to call in question his goodness, compasseth them about as a chain; violence his wisdom, his justice. Of this inclination covereth them as a garment. Behold, these the enemies of the truth have not been slow are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; to take advantage. How needful is it then they increase in riches. Verily I have for each one of us to become fully convinced cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my that whatever God does must be just as well hands in innocency." And it was to correct as merciful; that, if there be any apparent this spirit of complaint-a spirit by no inconsistency in the plans of his providence,

VOL. XII.-NO. CCCXLII.

[London: Joseph Rogerson, 24, Norfolk-street Strand.]

Y

it must be only apparent, and that in reality all must be ordered by him for the best.

ployed, as God would have it, in the furtherance of his glory and the promotion of the good of others. How frequently is the man of wealth an object of envy, even at the very moment he deserves to be an object of most intense commiseration; and such he ought to be when he squanders on the indulgence of his own selfishness-in pampering his ap petites and gratifying his pride-those resources which are placed within his power for far higher, and nobler, and more important ends. It has been well said, indeed, that "the prosperity of fools shall destroy them;" and in how many instances has this been the case? How melancholy is it to observe the tendency of worldly riches to alienate the soul from God, to impede their possessor in the road that leads to Zion, and ultimately to cause him to tread a broader and easier path! Perhaps there is not an object on earth more painfully distressing than of a man prospering in the things of time, and yet a bankrupt with respect to those of eternity; a man for whom God has done much, but who will do nothing for God; who has received many blessings from the hand of his Creator, and yet will not dispense with his own hand for the supply of his fellow-creatures' necessities. Surely such a one ought not to excite our envy: surely his wretched condition need not be the object of our desire. Over him we ought rather to weep, as we doubt not the angels of God are weeping, while we earnestly pray that he may yet feel the tremendous responsibility that there is laid upon him, to improve the talents committed to his care.

And, first, it may be well to consider whether the way of the wicked may be said to prosper, or that they can be happy "who deal very treacherously." Prosperity and adversity are terms which convey very different notions to different minds. To the worldling they convey the notion of an abundance of earthly possessions, and the sensual gratification which this abundance places within man's reach. But, by the true believer, he only is regarded as prospering whose soul is advancing in grace and in knowledge, and in meetness for a participation of heaven's glories; and he only is esteemed happy who, being mercifully reconciled to his heavenly Father, is enjoying the privileges, and participating in the blessings, and animated by the hopes conferred upon the adopted children of God. The wicked may prosper in a worldly point of view. Their riches may increase; their flocks and herds may multiply; their garners may be full and plenteous with all manner of store; and upon the change or in the market-place they may be regarded as persons of consequence and of property, and as exceedingly fortunate in all their speculations, and lucky in all their enterprizes; and yet, meanwhile, they may be utterly destitute and poor and wretched in God's sight; and they may be total strangers to that peace of conscience and serenity of mind without which happiness can never be found. Who would declare that Dives was prospering, when his purple and fine linen and daily sumptuous fare were only hardening his heart against his heavenly Benefactor? It was Lazarus who was prospering-not Dives: it was the humble beggar who lay at the gate-not the occupier of the splendid mansion: it was the diseased, destitute, afflicted child of God-not the pampered worldling. It is of importance to feel assured, then, that outward prosperity as it may exist with internal destitution, so it is not to be regarded as a mark of the divine favour, nor as an evidence of real happiness and substantial joy and this conviction will enable us to perceive how untenable is their position who, viewing man's estate sim-sations of his providence. We shall then ply with regard to his external circumstances, scruple not to affirm that there is injustice in the dispensations of the Almighty.

But, again, it may be remarked that this very prosperity which calls forth the envy and excites the astonishment of so many, who, discontented with their own condition, scruple not tos it in judgment on the Almighty's procedure in the government of the universe, may prove, and must prove, a curse rather than a blessing to its possessor, if not em

Now, if we keep in view this great and important truth, that this world is to all of us but a passing scene, on which when the eye of man closes, it must open upon an eternal state of being; if we only habitually endeavour to realize the fact, that every thing is necessarily evil which has a tendency to hurt the soul, and that nothing is essentially valuable which does not tend to promote the soul's advancement in meetness for glory, our estimate of God's providential dealings will differ much from those who accuse him of injustice in the dispen

admit that we are very inadequate judges of his modes of procedure, and that, so far from cavilling, we ought to submit with the most entire resignation to his most holy will. But the class of objectors alluded to appear entirely to lose sight of the fact that this world is but the dawn of man's existence; that, however life may be protracted, it can bear no ratio to eternity. They argue solely on the supposition that man's life is to consist in the abundance of the things which he

And many desire to be brought to the conviction that God does not interfere in the affairs of his rational creatures, that they may get rid of the responsibility to live to his glory and in his service. It is quite a mistake then to suppose that it is unnecessary to enter upon such topics as that under consideration, when it is more than probable that to the minds of some the notion of injustice on the part of Jehovah may have presented itself, and they may have been thence led to entertain unworthy views of his character, which lies at the root of all practical atheism. They may be led to adopt the paralyzing notions of those who exclaimed-"It is in vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances ?"

Is any reader inclined to cavil at the justice of the Divine Being, from this apparent inconsistency in the mode in which he bestows his temporal benefits? Let him se

possesseth; that, where there is abundance of earthly goods, there must be happiness; that, where there is want of these, there must be misery. Here lies the fallacy of their argnments. It were vain to assert that a certain competence is not necessary for the enjoyment of life, that health and strength are not blessings, that poverty and disease are not truly hardships; still must it be acknowledged that, even under external circumstances apparently the most adverse, true happiness is to be found; and this will be the case when the heart is surrendered to God; when a living faith in the Saviour enables us to overcome not merely the follies, but the miseries of the world; and when the hopes are substantially fixed on that better and never-ending inheritance which is laid up in store for all true believers in Jesus. But who is it that can appreciate this happiness? Certainly not those who seek to arraign the divine wisdom and justice. Who is it that can tell of the un-riously consider what has been now advanced : speakable comfort which arises from a sense of the pardoning mercy of God in Christ Jesus? And who would not exchange this comfort for all the treasures of earth? Certainly not those who are envious at the supposed prosperity of the wicked. It is the true believer who is qualified to judge of the attributes of God. It is he alone who can form a correct estimate of the character of Jehovah, who can bear his testimony to the infinite mercy of that Jehovah towards himself, and who, enlightened by the Eternal Spirit, the fountain of light, can discover the admirable adaptation of all Jehovah's dealings for the promotion of the everlasting welfare of his faithful people.

Enongh has been said, I trust, to show how vain and futile is the argumen by which the unbeliever, on the score of injustice in the divine dispensations, endeavours not only to throw discredit on that sacred voiame which proclaims the tender care which God exercises over his creatures, but even to root out all notion of a particular and superintending Providence. Nor let it be thought that such disquisitions are not necessary. Let it not be said that it is unnecessary to endeavour to prove what all are willing to admit. Alas, there is reason to fear that, even among professing Christians, there are often doubts and misgivings and apprehensions as to the truth of Christianity. Many, who are ashamed to declare that they are not satisfied with the evidences on which our holy faith rests, yet entertain secret, lurking doubts. Many, who would blush to enlist under the banners of infidelity, and to appear openly hostile to the truth of the gospel, yet seek to flatter themselves that the gospel may not be true, that they may speak peace to their consciences.

let him be assured that not only has the Lord Jehovah a right to do whatever pleaseth him in heaven and earth, in the sea and all deep places, but that he ever exercises that right with consummate wisdom, infinite justice, boundless mercy. For listen to his own gracious declaration: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; neither let the mighty man glory in his might: let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this--that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Let him endeavour to realise the humiliating fact that it is his own blindness and ignorance which cause him to err when considering the divine procedure, and that the day will unquestionably arrive when every difficulty will be solvedwhen the Lord God Almighty will not only be admitted to have been great and marvellous in his works, but in his ways just and true.

Is the reader prospering in the world, at the same time conscious that his soul is not prospering, that he is making no advancement in grace, and in knowledge, and in meetness for heavenly glories? Let me remind him how utterly evanescent are all the objects of earth; how soon its riches and its pleasures and its joys must be relinquished; and how little a man is profited, though the world be gained, if the soul is lost for eternity. "The world passeth away, and the lust thereof; and he alone that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Let me beseech him to meditate on the forcible language of the psalmist " I saw the wicked in great power, flourishing like a green bay tree; I passed by, and, lo, he was gone: I