THE WAYS OF GOD.

Stormy wind fulfilling His word."-Ps. cxlviii. 8.

THERE is strength and power in the inanimate creature, before which the wisdom and strength of man are alike futile. But God has measured the strength and power of every creature, not only by His omnipotence, but by His love also. "I am persuaded," says the apostle, "that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus." Blessed thought! every creature may try to effect this separation, but none shall prevail. But is not the thought, while equally blessed, yet more wonderful to conceive that every creature has its distinct mission, either in judgment or mercy, or in mercy on the one side and judgment on the other? "For thus saith the Lord God, How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence;" all these creatures have their distinct mission from the Lord to fulfil His word. So also the stormy wind, the most uncontrollable element, has its mission from the Lord to fulfil His word. Does Jonah fly from the presence of the Lord? God knows how to arrest him, and to get glory to His own name; and in the result to show mercy even to Jonah. "The Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken." (Jonah i. 4.) But it was not broken; that was not the mission of the great wind; it had respect to Jonah, and to him alone, and

it fulfilled the word of the Lord. But God had other creatures at His command in reference to Jonah. "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah." (Verse 17.) And again after Jonah's disappointment, because that mercy rejoiced against judgment, and that the Ninevites were spared on their repentance, "the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief." (Jonah iv. 6.) Then again "God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted." (Verses 7, 8.) "The great wind," "the fish," ‚""the gourd," "the worm," "the vehement east wind," had each of them a distinct mission from God, and fulfilled His word.

Does Jehoshaphat, after his signal deliverance, join himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who did very wickedly, and do they make ships in Ezion-gaber? "Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish." (2 Chron. xx.) The stormy wind fulfilled His word.

If "Euroclydon" rages in the Mediterranean, it fulfils its mission in bringing honour to the Lord's prisoner, the only one calm and collected in the midst of danger, and for whose sake all that sailed with him in the ship were spared. (Acts xxvii. 24.)

But if God "commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves of the deep" (Ps. cvii. 25), He also stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people" (Ps. lxv. 7): and intelligent creatures, in their passions and interests as uncontrollable by human power as the waves of the sea, have their mission. And God can

say to the one or the other, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." (Job xxxviii. 11.)

If it be marvellous in our eyes that things unintelligent and inanimate have not only their mission, but are made subservient to God's purpose of blessing His people, for "not even a sparrow falleth to the ground without our Father," our admiration becomes deeper when we find the opposition of human passions, and complication of human interests, made to serve a definite end, and to go straightforward to that end. Such appears to be the instruction to be drawn from the symbol of the Cherubim, as seen by the prophet Ezekiel. Such controlling and directing power is also presented to us in "the Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. v. 6)-full power of order and control under universal superintendence.

That God effectuates His purpose by means of moral and intelligent, and therefore responsible agents, who have nevertheless not the least conception of what they are thus doing, or the purpose they are subserving, is almost an overwhelming thought; yet it must be received as an axiom by those who bow to the autho

rity of Scripture. The Lord sends the proud" Assyrian against an hypocritical nation; against the people of His wrath He gives him a charge. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so. It is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.” (Isa. x. 5-7.) Cæsar Augustus issues his decree for taking the census of the empire, for wise political reasons; little did he mean, neither did his heart think, thus to bring about the accomplishment of a remarkable prophecy concerning Him who is Lord of lords, and King of kings. The wisest men, the ablest politicians, the most renowned conquerors, whilst they are pursuing heartily and intelligently the object they have proposed to themselves, are ignorantly subserving another purpose which is not in their hearts. Religious prejudice and ignorance have their mission, as well as the stormy wind, or proud Assyrian. "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers: but those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled." (Acts iii. 17, 18.)

But the most interesting as well as the most wonderful power of order and control is found within the Church itself. Regarding the Church in its actual condition, it appears to us in hopeless disorder and confusion; yet, notwithstanding this appearance, the only-wise Master-builder is rearing a building of perfect symmetry and beauty, in due time to be manifested, without a single stone either wanting or out of place. (Rev. xxi. 9-27.)

In the rearing of this building He is now employing

various workmen; yet these workmen are working by different plans of their own, often pulling down each other's building, because it is not according to their fashion, and sometimes building again what they themselves have destroyed. In appearance the several workmen have no common plan, no rule, no compass, no plummet; rearing several detached buildings, and each one glorying in the work of his hands, as if they were destroying the Temple instead of building it. This must doubtless be to the damage of all. But under the superintendence of Him whose servants they are, they are all working for His end, although their passions, vanity, self-seeking, and littleness, may have an end of their own, or make them think that the Lord's end can only be attained by their way. It is truly blessed when the Lord Himself is honoured in His way as well as in His end. But notwithstanding the follies and bye-ways of His servants, He is working for His end through them; and we are able in some measure to understand how He is doing this.

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"And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." (Mark xvi. 20.) Now it is only just so far as the Lord is working with His servants that they are working with and for Him. (2 Cor. vi. 1.) He will set aside and burn up the wood, hay, and stubble;" that for which their energy, it may be, has been spent, and in which their chief interest has been occupied. But that for which Hẹ hath wrought mightily in them (and His very might is calm and patient, compared with human energy), "the gold, silver, and precious stones," He will preserve.