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discovered—and that with equal certainty-though | have been planned, the remainder is fortuitous; the event be not anticipated-will all things but we glorify him for a world where the great and the little are alike objects of his care; where he who 'counts the stars,' likewise numbers the hairs of our heads;' where he who 'raises up' Pharaoh, or hews down' Nebuchadnezzar, suffers. not even a sparrow to fall to the ground' without his knowledge and consent.

work together for good to them that love God.'
Nay, the scriptures cast their light even beyond
this region of obscurity, and discover that even
those events that arise from the sins of men-
sins which God hates, which his law denounces,
and which his justice will punish-sins of which
God is not, and cannot be the author-are yet
under the control of his government, advance
his designs, fulfil his purposes, and illustrate his
perfections, as much as those events that arose
from obedience to his commands and devotedness
to his glory. Thus Joseph informs his brethren
who had sold him unto Egypt, 'Be not grieved,
nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me
hither; for God did send me before you to pre-
serve life.' In which words, Joseph does not
mean to say, 'Be not grieved nor angry with
yourselves for the sins of envy and covetousness,
which induced you to sell me hither; but be not
grieved nor angry for the mere act of selling me,
which event God has overruled to our common
preservation.' Indeed, in an evil world, such as
this world confessedly is, if God were deprived
of the means of over-ruling and directing those
events that originate from the sins of men; if
while the wrath of man worketh not the right-
eousness of God,' the wrath of man did not ac-
complish the plans of God; and if the wrath
of man did not praise him; and if the remain-
der of the wrath he did not restrain,' little would
remain of this world as the field of God's man-cal considerations.
agement; and he would be virtually excluded
as its moral and efficient governor.

But God is not, and cannot be excluded from governing any department of his works, or from directing any class of events. His wisdom plans, his power accomplishes all things.

How blind is man when he will not see this! how perverse when he will not acknowledge it! We praise an architect for the beauty, grandeur, stability, and convenience of a dwelling. We praise a mechanist for the ingenuity of his invention, and its perfect adaptation to effect his purposes; and if in the dwelling we perceive some apartments of which we cannot discover the intention, or in the machine some wheels or springs of which we cannot discover the use-surely we do not conclude the apartment formed no part of the original plan, or that the wheel and the spring arose without and beyond the intention of the mechanist. And so, comparing earthly with heavenly things-so is it with God. We glorify him, not for a world totally without a design; not for a world in which, though some few parts

But the glory of the divine plan can never be fully understood or appreciated, so long as it is confined to the mere formation and government of the world. Its true character is not discovered till we view it as providing for the salvation of sinners. It is when we see how God hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him; in whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,'—it is then, and not till then, that we discover the glory of a plan which originating in the depths of eternity, is developed in the fullness of time, and which runs through eternity, displaying at once the glory of God, and dispensing salvation and happiness to redeemed sinners.

This view of the divine plan, purposes, and government, is calculated to suggest many prac

1. From how many unnecessary, useless, and tormenting personal fears, anxieties, and cares should it set the believer free! Give no thought for your life,' said our Lord, 'what ye shall eat, of what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, wha ye shall put on. Is not the life (which God stil continues,) more than meat, and the body (which he still upholds) more than raiment? Behol the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither d they reap, nor gather into barns; yet you heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not muc better than they? And why take ye though for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do the spin : and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of thes Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of th field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast int the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink or, wherewithal shall we be clothed ? For you heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need

But seek ye first the kingdom | very pitiful.' of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.'

all the rest, but surrounded by multitudes of inferior thoughts, plans, and designs, of which there seems no end. Multitudinous as the waves of the sea, man's thoughts are rolling on; and as wave succeeds wave with voice and motion unexhausted, so thought succeeds thought not only undiminished but increasing still.

dwell.

Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of,' was addressed, by our Lord, to believers in the days of his flesh, and are certainly as truly applicable in the days of his absence in glory.

4. The 'devices' of man's natural heart are, when thoroughly examined, deliberate plans against God. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against hi Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast their cords from us.' Yea, though they be the 'cords of love,' tender and attractive. though they be the bands of a man,' rational in evidence, and binding in conscience, yet hand joins in hand,' with combined and borrowe

In these 'devices' against God, however, no God, but man, generally appears the object of antipathy. Of this fact, Balak and Balaam ar two of the most notable examples. So far from professing to devise any thing against him, Bala sought his object, professedly, by worshippin God. Balaam was God's professed prophe and priest; and both Balak and Balaam a knowledged God's power and, in their own per verted senses, both sought his favour and bles ing. But while the ostensible object of the devices' was the ruin of Israel, the real obje of each was the frustration or reversal of an a knowledged 'counsel' of God.

2. But the thoughts of man's heart are characterized by Solomon as devices,' when contrasted with the 'counsel' of the Lord. Now a device is either some plan by which inventive ingenuity supplies a deficiency, overcomes an obstruction, or accomplishes an unexpected end; or it implies some subterfuge in which cunning, hypocrisy, or dishonesty, secretly meditate or attempt what openly they dare not avow. And, in this last sense it is, that the heart of man-of might, to break them violently asunder, and cas man unrenewed in the spirit of his mind-is them contemptuously away. charged with many devices.' How many are the devices by which profession labours to pass for principle! How many the 'devices' by which hypocrisy labours to deceive others, and often succeeds, for a time, in deceiving itself! How many the 'devices' by which infidelity seeks to evade the evidence of God's word and the warnings of conscience! How many the 'devices' by which worldliness excuses its love of forbidden pleasure, and covetousness its love of unhallowed gain! How many the 'devices' of lukewarm hearts which have forgotten their first love,' to account for, or excuse, or rest satisfied with, their spiritual declensions! How many the 'devices' of the prayerless, whether in the closet, the family, or the congregation, to evade that fellowship' with God, and that acquaintance with their own hearts, which prayer absolutely requires! And how many the 'devices' of dying and accountable beings, to banish the thoughts of that death which is at the door, and of that 'wrath to come' in the judgment that follows! And yet, these are but a few of the most coinmon and superficial of the 'devices' of man's heart. Beyond all these, there is an endless, a nameless, and undistinguish-repeal, by their neglect, the ordinance of t able multitude of 'vexing thoughts,' or vain ima- Lord's supper, though enforced by the high ginations, or forms of deep deceitfulness,' or of all authorities, and the most touching of errors,' which the heart they inhabit cannot appeals, the dying request and injunction of fully understand, and of secret faults' from Redeemer. which even the believer requires daily to be 5. The last characteristic we shall notice 'cleansed.' 'Our Father who art in heaven, give the 'devices' of man is, their invariable disa us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our pointment. Man's devices,' like his righteo trespasses,' is alike the language of self-know-ness, are as the morning cloud and the ear ledge, experience, humility, and faith.

3. The 'devices' of man's heart are generally, for a time at least, secret from the world; and, as we have discovered by the word of God, are sometimes hidden from the heart where they

In their devices' against God, it is farther be observed, that while God himself, so far fro being the declared object of opposition, may the object of professed respect, still the oppos tion is really against himself, because it is again his law, or ordinances. Thus a human legisl ture repeals, in part at least, the law of the sa bath-a partial repeal that includes, in princip the repeal of the whole; and not a few profess followers of the Lamb do all in their power

dew. Like Jonah's gourd they expand in night, bloom in the morning, and promise a p manent shade through the day; but the worm sin is knawing at the root unseen, and when most needs a hiding place from the wind,' a

'a shadow in the heat,' man's head is left defenceless-and disappointed in his hopes, dissatisfied with himself, disgusted with the world, if grace prevent not, he is found loudly murmuring and vainly contending against his Maker.

But God's ways are not man's ways.' His counsels' embracing empires and churches, and descending to families and individuals, surveying the whole circle of birth, and life, and death, ling in all the variations of joys and sorrows, of gains and losses, successes or disappointments; in all these his counsels' shall stand. They cannot fail of their accomplishment, for they are planned in unerring wisdom; they cannot fail of a blessing to them that love the Lord Jesus, for they are based on eternal love. Neither is he a man that he should change, nor the Son of man that he should repent, but while all other things are uncertain and unstable, the counsel of the Lord that shall stand.'

sume into smoke; they shall consume away. But the steps of the good man—the man made good by the renewing of the Holy Ghost-the steps of the good man are ordered by the Lord. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him in his hand. The law of his God is in his heart-written there by the love of the Lord Jesus-and none of his steps shall slide.'

SIXTEENTH DAY.-EVENING.

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.' Rom. viii. 28. AMONG the marks of a true believer, knowledge holds a conspicuous place. A believer in Jesus knows what no other knows. No man knoweth the Son but the Father, and none knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.' The believer knows that his Redeemer liveth.' The believer knows that if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, he has a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' And, amidst all the darkness, difficulties, and contradictions of a 'present evil world' he knows that all things work together for good.'

But let not the believer be impatient, or disappointed, if the 'devices' of man appear for a time to wise or too strong for the counsel' of the Lord. Hear, O humble believer, hear thou the word of the Lord. Fret not thyself because of evil ders, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way; because of the man that Eringeth wicked devices to pass. For they shall soon be cut down as the grass, and wither as 1. The wisdom and knowledge of God work the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; together with our ignorance and folly for good. so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thouO the depth of the riches both of the wisdom halt be fed. Delight thyself in God, and he shall and knowledge of God! To the wisdom of ive thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy God we are indebted for the whole plan of *y unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he redemption. The wisdom of God devised the Mall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth means for rendering the plan effectual. The thy righteousness as the light'—even the righte- wisdom of God has counteracted the malice, sness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ the cunning, and the power of all enemies. The anto all and upon all them that do believe- and wisdom of God has destroyed the wisdom of the thy judgment as the noon day'-even the judg-wise, and brought to nothing the understanding Tent of grace, Well done, thou good and faithful of the prudent. Hath not God made foolish the servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom'-its own favourite but vain philosophy-knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching,' rather by the preaching of foolishness to save them that believe.'

And whilst sentence against an evil work is at speedily executed,' neither let the wicked sume, nor the believer doubt. The counsel' the Lord must be an emanation of his nature, and pattern of his character; and as God is ng-suffering his judgment must wait upon mercy. But yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider 2s place, and it shall not be. But the meek hall inherit the earth, and shall delight themlves in the abundance of peace. But the iced shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, they shall con

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ourselves are unable to do any thing, can | up on high, and received gifts for men, the proeffectually do all things through Christ strength- mise of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, was the ening us.' endowment of his church; and the promise of his own coming, is still the manna upon which she feeds, and the rock at which she drinks. Now behold how effectually the promises work in company with our doubts and fears. 'I remembered,' saith the Psalmist, I remembered God and was troubled; I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed. I communed with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone? Doth his promises fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said, this is mine infirmity; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old.' Thus doubts and fears, conducting to deeper examination, do but clear the foundations of faith, and consolidate the building of God which they only seemed calculated to demolish.

3. The judgments and chastisements of the Lord work together with mercy for good. Behold the goodness and severity of God,' how harmoniously they combine to awake us from the sleep of death,' then to show us the path of life and of joy;' how violently they detach us from sin, and how tenderly they draw us to the Lord! Like the unsparing plough, the one breaks up our fallow ground;' like the gentle dew from heaven, the other descends upon the seed of the word. God's judgments, in the forms of personal and family afflictions, were Job's real friends. They led him at once to a clearer sight of God, and a deeper knowledge of himself. They led him from the giddy and destructive precipice of self-justification to the depths' of humiliation from which he cried to God, 'I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.' 'Before I was afflicted,' saith the Psalmist, 'I went astray; but now I have kept thy law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. I know, Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.' And Paul, who had the deepest experience of the heaviest trials, yet pronounces these all to be light afflictions,' commissioned to 'work out for us a far more exceeding, even an'sword of the Spirit.' Satan's subtilest temptaeternal weight of glory.' And so they do work, not as effecting an atonement for our sins-for the blood of Jesus Christ' alone cleanseth us from all sins,' but by effecting, through the Spirit,' the mortification of our sins. By working through the Spirit' new graces in our souls --and more especially the grace of patience, by which we are in measure assimilated to the Lord Jesus Christ, and prepared for the enjoyment of his kingdom. But God, in the midst of judgment, remembers mercy, and sets the one over against the other' not as antagonists in providence and grace, counteracting one another, but as fellow-labourers in the same field, where the weed that is plucked by the hand of judgment gives room for the growth of the seed that is sown by the hand of mercy,

4. The promises of God work together with our doubts and fears for good. Since the beginning of the world God has made himself known to his people in a promise. The seed of the woman' was promised to bruise the head' of the serpent. The seed of Abraham' was promised to bless all nations. When Jesus ascended

5. The strivings of the Spirit and the temptation of Satan, yea, the power of holiness and the guilt of sin, all work together for good. The temptations of Satan afforded to our Lord his first recorded opportunity of testing, as it were, the efficacy of scripture. The assaults of infidelity have served both to draw and to sharpen the

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tion but discovers to the believer more and more of the deceitfulness of his heart; and compels him to pray more fervently for the daily renewing of the Holy Ghost.' It is the pain of disease that makes us prize the physician. It was when the law came,' that sin revived' and Paul died.' It was then he discovered he was a wretched man;' it was then he cried, Who shall deliver me?' and it was then he was filled with thankfulness for deliverance through Jesus Christ his Lord.'

But do all these things work together for good to all? No. There are those to whom the glorious gospel of the blessed God' is 'the savour of death unto death. Two marks distinguish those for whom all things work together for good; they love God, they are the called according to his purpose.

What, then, are the distinguishing marks of those who love God?

1. They are drawn to God by a grateful sense of sins pardoned, graces conferred, and glory promised and secured. "We love him because he first loved us.'