SE SELEREEEEER REREAD EES | THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, & Princeton, N. Jee” SGhin et From the PUBLISHER. i ee ae Oe 3 OY ASS SY BBB BG | Biei3o: «B25 1847 Balch, Lewis Penn Witherspoon, 1814-1875. God in the storm RRR © 4 vu =i OS 0 Ban 5 an 0 aS 8 an 6 Ca Ld me a ¥ Ca es Wyt & via SOK ats oy lpn tg hs aA ee at Digitized by the Internet Archive In 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https;//archive.org/details/godinstormnarrat0Obalc GOD IN THE STORM: A NARRATIVE eRe Ve idk oc Ee ak a ee a FE AN ADDRESS, BY REV. LYMAN BEECHER, D.D. AND A SERMON, BY THE BEV. THOMAS SMY TE Dierps PREPARED ON BOARD THE GREAT WESTERN, AFTER THE STORM ENCOUNTERED ON HER RECENT VOYAGE. ia NEW-YORK: ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET. PITTSBURG: 56 MARKET STREET. 1847. es sate * Ra? ag a: os ex ee i “a 7 vm - : wees ye } ee ci ROR er a ee Vi one Sac a i eam LD Any A roe te aa as eed a3 = ? Sard nt wc ¢ ay na fot ¥ 74. se ad eas —“ Ha, ense eee.) Sd Se, v ¢ a ) wet , ieee re oon ghee aioe eee eS est Be a he ne. ‘Hie estan CT ae a Sr Ame duee \ere na add TMT mee as Nite ie Te ae es ae a porttey aie _ a i APIO ) ADVERTISEMENT. —_~+—— THe nature and design of the following work will be apparent from its contents. It is a pillar of remembrance, a memento of danger and deliy- erance, and a testimonial of gratitude. It shows how God brings light out of darkness and good out of evil, to them that seek Him. The occa- sion gave rise to its contents, which were all written on board the vessel, for the purposes referred to in each, and given without modifi- cation or adaptation to the rules of refined taste or of caustic criticism. 'T'o our fellow-voyagers those, “‘ memorials of the sea” will be grateful; and to all who delight to trace God’s footsteps, even the repeated delineations of the storm, given in each of the publications, will be inter- esting as exhibiting in different lights one of God’s most wonderful works. ’ 4 ~?)S he bose OO aves pe “ ie. | Bekins Ye tien eh a goat t ry het 4 i Bs gee 8 ee - 8 < . ~ fe I nae j : a hae nla ae oe week eon aati . Ps: ; iy. bal tad aha elena ‘ wae ae om ¥ aay ot wheat Me, vay ica A iat dest iat purely Bask cee “a of 1 Martone ee ee ger hS wo oF anti Bie eae ; hit ph wet Ki ha Sele | i “4 P yer. ; ; Saget Be NK SiR, i labe hate Sa ne Eee aa sib SA Pil iz - ‘ £ Fal 4 DR. BEECHER’S ADDRESS TO THE MEETING CONVENED ON BOARD THE GREAT WESTERN, SEPTEMBER 22, 1846, To offer Thanksgivings to God for their Preserva- tion through the recent protracted Storm. I have never before been called to speak in circumstances like these. A few days since, we stood here before God, to supplicate deliverance from a threatened speedy death. I have before supposed myself not far from the grave, but it was at home, surrounded by my family and friends, and whatever could cheer the dying hour. But never, till ( 2 ) recently, did I realise, that probably there might be but a step between me and death; and in full health, amid the war of elements, await in suspense the stroke which at any moment might fall upon us all. But the storm is past, and we are all alive, to praise him who heard our supplications and preserved us. And what direction of our thoughts can be more proper, than a brief review of the perils we have passed through? The _ evidence of the Divine interposition in answer to prayer to save us, and the re- turns which it becomes us to make for our signal and merciful preservation. In respect to our dangers, I need not say to you who passed through them, that they were great. For thirty-six hours the wind raved and the waves rolled with a fury and power unknown, for so long a time, to the most experienced navigators on board. ‘Travelling mountains, with the power of the Iceberg, the Avalanche or Ceo;°) the Niagara, for one day and two nights, as far as eye could reach, covered the surface of the deep; thundering loud and unceasingly around us. The onset commenced on Saturday night, and raged increasingly till Sabbath morning, when, instead of mitigation, it gathered new power, and then com- menced the work of desolation. The sails on the fore yards, clued down, burst from their fastenings, and roared and flapped furiously, defying control. In the meantime, the sea rose rapidly, breaking over and against the ship. At 4 A. M. it had risen to a hur- ricane gale, and veering -to the North- west ; the ship at the same time broke from her course into the trough of the sea ; a condition of imminent peril, dur- ing which a sea broke in upon the main deck, and drove a great quantity of water into the engine room; a stroke at the heart of life, our machinery. At 11 o’clock, A. M., a heavy wave {48 7) broke over the fore part of the starboard wheel-house, and drove the iron life- boat and the ice-house—of some six or seven tons—furiously against the wheel- house and side of the ship; and before they could be fastened, the careening of the ship sent them sundry times back and forth, threatening instant destrue- tion. Such, and so rapid, were the ‘Successions of disaster, that an attempt was made to wear ship, as less perilous _ than her present condition ; but finding her uncontrollable, she was permitted to return to her course ; probably our greatest danger escaped. About noon, a mighty wave struck the starboard wheel-house, and tore up the fastenings of spikes, and iron bands and bolts ; throwing off the whole top and outside covering, breaking the under half of the spring beam, and shook to their foundation, and lowered per- ceptibly, the timbers which sustained the wheel, Thus enfeebling the arm of eo) our power in the climax of our danger. The wave, with portions of the wreck, rolled deep and dark over the quarter- deck ; one of which struck the Captain on the head, whilé the wave drove him insensible to the stern of the ship, where the network did but barely save him from an ocean grave. About 1 o’clock, while many were seated in the lower cabin, a sea struck the ship. A tremendous crash was heard on deck, and instantly the cabin was darkened, and torrents of water came pouring down through the sky- ‘lights; all sprang to their feet; and a seream of terror rang through the ship. At this time, the ship pitched and rolled so fearfully, that with no little difhculty we could maintain our position upon our seats, and not a few received bruises and contusions, notwithstanding their efforts. In these circumstances, you remem-_ ber, a proposition was made, and accept- ve) ed, I believe, by all who could attend, to meet in the lower cabin for prayer. It was prayer, not in words and forms merely, but the importunity of the heart ; crushed by perils fro which it could not escape, and pressed by the complex interests of time and eternity ; looking up to the only power in the universe that could save. Subsequently to this meeting, in the evening, Dr. Balch concluded to administer the sacramental communion in his own room, for his own, and the consolation of a few friends; but his purpose becoming known, the number who desired to unite so increased, that the service was administered in the cabin. Having no knowledge of the change of place, my- self and. some others of my ministerial brethren were not present. In the mean time the storm raged on; but from the time of our public supplications, the de- solations ceased. \ We had hoped, the preceding night, Ce 7 that the morning would bring a change ; and in the morning, that noon would | witness a favourable crisis ; and at noon, | the evening would realise our hopes, But the storm travelled on, from morn- | ing to neon, and from noon to evening, with augmented power, till it became evident that we must encounter the terrors of another night; and though our hopes of deliverance were not utterly extinguished, my own, and the general opinion was, that the ship would not ride out the storm of another night. Not that she would founder intact, amid any winds or waves the Atlantic would bring upon her; but that, smitten by their relentless powers, she would be torn, and crushed, and sunk. And now, while prayer unceasing went up to God, I have cause to know that, on the part of numbers, immediate preparations for eternity commenced, in the rapid re- trospect of the past, the circumspection of the present, and the anticipations of Cw the future ; and not a few, I trust, with calm resignation and peace that passeth knowledge, and joy unspeakable, were prepared to meet their God. And now the dreaded night came on, in darkness visible and terrible convul- sions. It was long and dreadful. On my pillow, without sleep, as I had done the night preceding, I watched it, and learned thoroughly the chart of the ship’s, and winds’ and waves’ motion. it commenced with a long, slow, roll of the ship, to and fro, almost from beam’s end to beam’s end, thrice repeat- ed. Then ensued a momentary quiet and onward motion of the ship, and then suddenly the thunder of winds and waves began, loud and louder, and more powerful and rending, as if every por- tion of our ship would be torn in frag- ments and scattered upon the deep. Then gradually the thunderings ceased, as if the elements, wearied and breath- less by their joint efforts, had paused to cm) rest and gain breath for another assault. This dreadful rotation continued till be- tween three and four o’clock, when all at once the one thunder seemed to burst into many thunders of equal power, and without intermission roared and_ tossed. and tore, as if the conspiracy of winds and waves were rallying all their forces, and making their last effort to destroy us. But gradually it subsided, only to give place, about five o’clock, to a squall more terrible. In the language of an intelligent passenger, “It struck the ship suddenly, a perfect tornado. She careened over, and buried her gunwales in the ocean; her wheel-house, covered by the waves, that helped the wind to lay her on her side. There she lay for a few moments, stricken powerless, at the mercy of the waves. At this criti- cal moment, when another wave might have finished her, the engine was true to her duty, and round and round thun- dered her iron wings; when gradually ( 10 ) recovering her upright position, the good ship quartering to the sea, came up to her course.” This condition of the ship in the deep gulf, on her beams’ ends almost, and covered with waves, was seen by another, who, witnessing her hesitation and trembling for so long a time in her deplorable condition, con- cluded that she would never rise. And the same deep careening was felt by another, who started up, thinking that all was over and the ship sinking in the waves of the sea. And now, at last, when the wind veered to the North, and the clouds were lifted up, and the morning light shone brighter upon us, and we thought all danger past, the real danger of the ship, in the lulling of the wind, travel- ling over such mountains and valleys of water, was scarcely diminished; per- haps even augmented. I stood at this time upon the quarter-deck, and beheld the expanse to the horizon around, filled (a) with mountains of water with crested top, tossing and raging in all directions. On one of these waves our noble ship rose gracefully to the top, whence I looked down to the deep gulf of waters below ; and another wave, tall as the one I rode upon, rushing onward to meet the ship as she descended; and the ship, like an arrow, dropping down to meet the wave; they met ; she paus- ed, trembled, and rose, and passed over. Three such waves, in rapid succession, our Captain saw approach the ship, in such direction as extinguished hope, and made him think her escape impos- sible ; each of which unexpectedly broke near the ship and passed harmlessly away. | Such are the evidences of our peril. Let us now survey the evidence, that God, in answer to prayer, interposed to protect and deliver us. By God, I mean not eternal, material, unthinking nature, of complex causations i, ie and indications of design, without a De- signer ; nor the mechanism of nature’s laws; the offspring of a Divine intelli- gence, and the sole executors of all the eternal counsels of his will, in his natu- ral and in his glorious mediatorial moral government ; a stupendous complex ma- chine ; one, on whose movements de- pend the physical events and moral histories of time ; whose pendulum, six thousand years ago, with cold heart and icy hand, he swung and turned his back upon our world, and has not en- tered it, and will not, till it has prepar- ed, by its own motions, his work for the Day of Judgment. There are no laws of nature, whose unwatched onward movement could ad- minister the rewards and punishments, and discipline and promised protections, in answer to prayer, of the remedial government of God. Left to them- selves, they move on without refer- ence to the character and deeds of ( 13) men, and the exigencies of a reforming government in the hand of the Mediator. They are uniform in all their attributes and results, and must be, to answer the permanent and uniform ends of their agency ; and can, by no power of their own, accomplish these steady re- sults, and veer about continually to meet the ever-changing exigencies of a moral providence, to meet the continual fluc- tuations of human character, no more than the battery, chained down to one direction, can send protection or death to all points of the horizon, and the infinite variable exigencies of good or evil within its circumference ; no more than an army can stand still and run at the same time, or march at the - same time upon a straight and an infi- nitely crooked line. And yet, in the hand of God, they have a work to perform, which he can employ them to do, without so innovat- ing upon their uniformity, as to abolish (me) science and experience, and the caleu- lations of life. Some of these laws, men, in a limited sphere, can modify and apply to wise and useful purposes, without innovating upon their general unmodified order: as in agriculture and chemistry ; and mock storms, volcanoes, and earthquakes ; and cannot the God of storms and earth- quakes do the same? Once, for a thou- sand years, he did control the Laws of Nature, in many respects, aside from their native course, in good and evil, ac- cording to its character and deeds, in maintaining or abandoning his institu- tions and worship. Thus corroborating, by the sanctions of time, the motives of Eternity, in maintaining his worship against the encroachments of Idolatry. He sent the plagues of Egypt to de- liver them; gave them bread from Heaven, and water and meat in the barren wilderness. Once in seven years their land lay fallow, and the year ( 15 ) preceding produced the results of two harvests ; and peace and war, and rain and drought, and abundance and famine, and sickness and health, and captivity or safety, were the varying and embodied allotments of their history, as they obeyed or disobeyed the laws and institutions of heaven. Now, I should be glad to know, where those laws of nature were, all this time; which are never reached by prayer, or touched by the hand of Omnipotence; and yet dodged about in endless mazes, to meet the ever-varying exigencies of a nation, for a thousand years, according to its character and deeds. How can prayer be answered by na- ture’s laws, when it is the single, onward, overpowering movement of na- ture’s laws which creates our distress, and nature has no ears to hear, and no mechanism to let on or let off the pres- sure as our exigencies demand? O God, it is thou that ridest on the whirlwind # ( 16 ) and directest the storm. So in the hur- ricane we understood the matter, and went directly to him, who on earth walked upon the waves and stilled the tempest, and brought his disciples to land. And with infinite benignity he heard our prayer, and comforted our troubled heart, and delivered us. By what law of wind or wave could our ship have held on her course for 386 hours, through raging winds, and over mountain waves and deep valleys, every moment changing their relation ‘to the ship and her course, and environ- ing her with the network of Death ; any one of which, had it struck her in one of the thousand ways it might, was suf- ficient to whelm her in the deep? Where now was the mechanism of nature’s laws to save us; and who but God, by his providential control of them, could have opened a way for the ran- somed of the Lord to pass? What mechanism of nature’s laws stopped the (MET >) wreck and desolation, which for half 4 day and more, had been multiplying upon us, from the time of our prayer, meeting, though the storm raged on for, #4 hours longer, with greater power and peril than before? Who saved us, | when the wind had knocked down our, good ship, and the wave had buried her gunwales and wheel-house, and she | struggled, and trembled, and groaned — through all her timbers, but could not. rise? And who stopped the lion mouth | of three successive waves, that rushed upon us, and broke and passed harm-— lessly away ? which produced the excla- mation of our Captain, “Surely there isa power above which is working for us.” And now, rescued from danger and death, by the merciful God to whom we cried in our distress; what shall we render unto him, each one of us, for this his merciful deliverance? Shall it be mere gladness that we have escaped, without gratitude to God? Shall it be ( Is ) the quick oblivion of our distress, and confessions of sin, and resolutions of re- formation, and prayers and promises, if God would hearus? Shall the World, its pleasures, business, and love, annihi- lated in the light of Eternity, return to its strength; and, like the waves we have passed, roll over us, and sweep us away? Have any of you, till now, neg- lected known duties ; will you not from this time resume them? Have you lived habitually, in habitual and known sins ; | and will you not break them off? I be- seech you to do so, by the mercies of God, and the terrors of that day, if you persist, when death will come indeed, and you will then cry, and God will not answer. Has God, by the trumpet-tongue of wind and wave, preached a sermon to your inmost soul, and swept away the ‘cobweb sophistries of your scepticism ? Be honest then, and fear God, and not the sneer of fools ; lest, if you relapse, ( 19 ) he send upon you strong delusions, that you may be damned, because you have no pleasure in the truth ; but have plea- sure in unrighteousness. Has he open- ed the eyes of any of you, the children of Christian parents, to see your sin and danger ; and broken up, fora time, your habits of procrastination ? How shall you escape if you neglect now so great salva- tion? ‘Think what your condition was when the storm commenced; a poor hardened, stupid, diawhasiinati ne sinner. Think what, a few days ago, you would have promised and given, to be as safe as you now are. And think what con- victions of sin the Spirit of God has wrought on you, by means of the storm. And will you now quench the spirit, and go back to stupidity and folly? Alas, my friends, if you do so, the Spirit of God may give you up forever. If you do so, the day may come, when fears and terrors, surpassing those of , the storm, will come upon you in desolation ; ( 20 ) and when you will again call on God, but he will not answer; and will ear- nestly seek him, but he will not be found. Now then, is God’s time and yours, to seek and secure the salvation of your souls. To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. In anticipation of the hour which might sink us together in a watery grave, I had considered what I should say to impenitent sinners like you, when in the jaws of death you should with loud voices cry to me, “ What, what must we do?” and my answer prepared was, Believe instantly on the Lord Je- sus Christ, and you shall be saved ; love him, confide in him, and commit your soul to him; and, spite of the strife of elements and a terrific sudden death, you shall be saved; and what I would have said in such an exigency, I now repeat. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. Have any of you who are professing ( 21 ) Christians, been living in a cold, for- mal state, conformed to the world in its temper, fashions, amusements, pleas- ures and business ; and have you con- fessed before God and bewailed these sins, and promised reformation, and found the tokens of pardon in the Love of Christ, shed abroad in your souls ; go your way then, in grateful love and steadfast obedience, lest, if you now fall away, a worse thing come upon you. And now let me inquire of my own heart, and of you, my beloved brethren in the ministry, what shall we render to the Lord, and how shall we fill up the measure of our new chartered time? I felt, as a father, the sudden, unlooked for parting with all my children, so long interwoven with every fibre of my heart ; and I prayed to the Lord that I might see them again. But, as a minister of Christ, I prayed more fervently to be spared, to do a few more things, which ( 22 ) I had projected, for his service and glo- ry. And Igo home, resolved to post- pone the work no longer, but with double diligence to attempt its comple- tion. And may it not be well that each of us, by such reminiscences of past neg- lect, be quickened to redeem the time by double diligence; to clear off the docket of duties neglected, and to fill / the remaining page of life with the things which ought to be done? And especially, shall we not give ourselves to prayer for those that sail with us in this ship, that God would begin and consummate a work of grace by ~his Spirit among them? ‘There has been much prayer already, I trust, for this purpose; and the solemnities of the scenes through which we have passed, have aroused attention and armed con- science with a new power; and pro- duced a new tenderness of mind and of good resolutions; a happy preparation Pe 5 to be consummated by the Spirit in an- swer to prayer. And shall we not in our general vocation, walk more by faith in things not seen, and less by sight and the influences of time? Be swayed less by ambition and the praise of men ; and less by the pleasures of sense, or intellect and taste; and less by things useful, which appertain to the outworks of religion; and more to our direct preaching and pastoral labours, for the conversion of sinners and the augmen- tation of holiness in the Church of God? With such a mainspring in the hearts, and preaching of God’s ministry, revi- vals will multiply, and the harvest of the world will be planted and reaped ; while without, all will be but a splendid formal. machinery of unholiness, while the whole world lieth in wickedness, and the battle goes against the Church, and the glorious things spoken concern- ing Zion are deferred. | Oh, my brethren, what is the itching ( 2 ) ear of mortals and the praise of men for brilliant classical sermons and splendid eloquence, which amuses the ear as a | pleasant song, or skilful music upon an instrument 5 but which awakens not the conscience, and pricks not the heart, and does not regenerate the soul by the power of the Spirit, and fit it for Hea- ven. God grant that by this storm we may all be made more spiritual, more prayerful, more faithful, and more suc- cessful and happy, in winning souls to Christ ! GOD'S PROVIDENCE THE JUST GROUND CONFIDENCE, LOVE AND GRATITUDE. A Discourse; BY THE REV. THOMAS SMYTH, D.D. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his good- ness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejotcing. Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him im the assembly of the elders. —-PSALM cvii., 21, 22, 32. As it regards the occasion on which this Psalm was written, we have no in- formation. Indeed, it would seem to have been designed for all occasions, and to refer to no particular event. Its illustrations are drawn from the general ( 2 ) course of Divine Providence, and ad- dressing themselves to men in “ whatso- ever state they are,” it teaches them therewith to be content, and therein to recognize, and seek, the divine guidance and blessing. The nature and object of the Psalm is, however, very apparent. ‘‘ Eternal mer- cy is the theme here proposed; and they who have tasted its sweets are in- vited to join in setting forth its praises.” As the preceding Psalms alluded to God’s dealings with Israel, this refers to His general superintendence of the material world, and his special care of mankind in general. And the admiring praise, confidence, and affection of all his creatures are shown to be imperative- ly binding, since all are the recipients of His kindness and compassion, and the objects of his watchfulness and inter- posing mercy. There are three truths of great and practical importance, which are here ‘ey ee forcibly impressed upon us, and to which we will briefly advert. I. And in the first place, it is here very distinctly taught that all the laws of nature, by which the physical and ma- terial world are governed, are under the direct and immediate control of God, and are made to work out the accomplishment of His plans. -It does not appear to have been the purpose of God so to order these laws as to se- cure in this world, and as ¢¢ regards the things of this life, a perfect distribution of rewards and punishments adapted to the various character of individual men. On the contrary, while the events that befall us here are sufficient to prove that on the whole, and in the ultimate result, virtue leads to happiness, and vice to misery, and that there is a moral Gov- ernor who has founded this distinction between right and wrong on the 1mmu- table and eternal principles of His own divine nature ; nevertheless it has ever 2 & N been observed by all classes and con- ditions of men, that the distribution of temporal blessings is characterized by great uncertainty and frequent varia- tions. Virtue is not always prosperous, nor vice always disastrous. On the contrary, outward wealth, honour, and happiness, frequently strew their flowers along the path, and weave their garlands around the brow, of the atheist, the in- fidel, and the ungodly ; while the meek and humble servant of the Lord is al- lowed to feel, as he urges on his weary way through sickness, poverty, and hu- miliation, that The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown. The observation of this inequality and uncertainty of Divine Providence has led in every country and age to the most bitter lamentation and com- plaint, and in many cases to utter scep- ticism and disbelief in any God, pro- vidence, or holiness. ae) Now that such is the character of the present dispensation, neither experience nor revelation permit us to doubt. “Death,” as the type and index of all earthly calamity, “has passed upon all men ;” and as it regards affliction, dis- ease, distress and misery, “one thing happeneth alike to all.” Inward char- acter is not measured by outward sta- tion, nor our standing in the estimate of God by our reputation among men. We are not permitted to expect our re- compense and reward in the good things of this life, nor to judge of the nature of our future inheritance by that of the frail tabernacle and poor condition in which weare here permitted to pass “ the days of the years of our pilgrimage.” “ ‘The days of darkness,” “ the bitterness of the heart,” must come upon us all, and from this fierce warfare of contending evil, ‘there is no discharge.” And here it is, brethren, that Reve- lation comes in to irradiate the dark- (3.4 ness which must otherwise envelope human life and destiny, and to relieve our minds from that fatality and atheis- tic rejection of all belief in God or his providence, into which they would be otherwise inevitably plunged. We see in the confessions of the Psalmist (Psal. Ixxiii), the state of mind to which, but for this blessed volume, we would all be brought ; and the hopeless misery which would crush and weigh down our hearts. And it is only when, like him, we come forth into the sunlight of di- vine truth, that “the eyes of our un- derstanding,” are enabled to take a coms prehensive view of the whole scheme of the divine government, and that, look- ing at the end as well as the beginning, the future as wellas the present, and the spiritual as well as the physical, we can ‘ed ustify eternal Providence, And vindicate the ways of God to men. In the light of immortality, and of a future judgment, when we shall all be oe awarded‘ according to the deeds done in our bodies, whether they have been good, or whether they have been evil,” and receive “ glory, honour, and immor- tality,” or “shame, and everlasting con- tempt,” we can at once perceive the wisdom of that economy which, while it gives assurance that virtue is the only pledge of security, and vice the sure prelude to destruction, leaves room for the exercise of faith and patience, and trusting confidence, and hopeful antici- | pation ;—makes manifest the true prin- ciples of the heart ;—weans the soul from earth, and elevates it to heavenly aspirations ;—and makes God’s people ‘willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord,” in that mansion where sin, sickness, sorrow, and trial will never come. But while Scripture warrants the con- ‘clusion of experience, that piety is not adequately rewarded by temporal bene- fits, and that the ungodly, like Dives, G8) are often permitted through a long life of prosperity, to enjoy their “goood things,” » it is at the same time very positive in ascribing the whole government and direction of all physical phenomena, as well as of all human events, to God’s overruling providence. “In His hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. He forms the light, and he creates darkness. He makes peace, and creates evil; I the Lord,” says he, “do all these things.” “The Lord maketh a way in the sea, and apath in the mighty waters. He doeth according to his will in the army of hea- ven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. He severeth the sea with his pow- er, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.” (Job. xii. 10. Is. xlvi7. Dan. v. 23. Isaiah xhii. 6, as and Job. xxvi. 12.) Such, however, my brethren, is not the view commonly received. Not only ( 9) among philosophers, but even among ma- ny nominal Christians, the opinion pre- vails that God sitsremoved from all direct and personal interest in his works, and leaves them to the silent and undisturbed operation of those laws by which they are controlled. ‘ And they say, how doth God know, and is there knowle dgein the Most High ?” (Psalm Ixxiii. 11.) These are the scoffers who say, “ Where is the promise of his coming ? for since the fa- thers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2 Peter, i.3,4,) “And they consider not in their hearts that I re- member all their wickedness.” (Hos. CVil. 2.) To all such reasonings, however,Scrip- ture opposes its positive affirmations, its clear and unquestionable promises, and its innumerable proofs, derived from the incontestible history of individuals and communities. It teaches us that the laws of nature are only the purposes of the fs | (10) Law-giver, and derive all their potency from the power, the wisdom, and the will, of God. Tt teaches us that these laws are subservient to God’s plans, and not independent of Him. It teaches us that while God governs by these laws, He works, also through them, the full ac- complishment of all “ the good pleasure of His will.” And it teachesus that while God upholds these laws in order to af- ford, in their constancy, a foundation for foresight, industry and toil, and is there- fore long-suffering and kind “ to the just and the unjust,” that, nevertheless, He “is not slack concerning his promises,” and that “‘ the day of the Lord ” in which wisdom will be justified and wickedness condemned, “ will come,” and will not tarry. And it teaches us that while na- ture moves forward in her undisturbed harmony, leaving her processes to carry life or death, peace or distraction, health or sickness, to those who come under their influence, God sits like a (diy governor at the helm of universal nature, and “makes everything to work toge- ther for the good ” of them that trust in Him, for the security and triumph of his Church, and for the punishment and overthrow of evil-doers. Such is the undoubted teaching of this:sublime Psalm. All things are here represented as under the immediate and direct control of God, whose ministers and servants they are. The material elements obey his-voice and do his will. The mighty ocean, with its world off waters and its irresistible billows, rised or falls, rages or becomes appeased) wages destruction or wafts in comfort and in security, according to the fiat. of His omnipotent will. (Ps. cvii. 23-30.) Even the inanimate materials of this solid earth become, through His power, animate with life, are covered with fertility and verdure, and bring forth the kindly herb and all the various “fruits of increase,’ or are turned into (92) a wilderness and barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell there- in.” (Ps. evil. 33-35.) The cattle also, and the various tribes of lower animals, are the Lord’s ;—receive their food at His hands ;—and are made to further the comfort and happiness of man. (Psalm evii. 38.) Ina still more eminent degree . are the persons of men under the wise governance of our Heavenly Father, so that life and death, health and sickness, prosperity and adversity, deliverance and endurance, and even the place of their habitation, are all chosen, and di- rected, and overruled by God. (Psalm evil. 9, 10-18, 14, 18,19.) Life is thus a pilgrimage through a wilderness of cares, in which God is our guide, and under all of which He is our support, and “a very present help in time of trouble.” But this is not all. For not only is this overruling providence of God represent- ed as extending to individual persons, and to all that can concern man’s bodily (21g) | or spiritual wants, but to comprehend also, in its wide and universal dominion, all the societies and nations of the earth. National calamities it declares to be di- vine judgments, and national prosperity a divine blessing ; and while the very loftiest of earthly potentates are de- scribed as not exempt from God’s au- thority and control, we are assured that the very meanest and lowest of mankind are not excluded from a participation in His loving-kindness and tender mercy. (Psalm evil. 34, 59, 35-38, 40, 41.) . II. But we are here taught, in the se- cond place, that in this exercise of His universal and particular providence, God displays the mora/ as well as the natural attributes of his being, and demonstrates in a pre-eminent manner that his “ ten- der mercy is over all his other works.” We are not to imagine that God’s providence is synonymous with the laws He has attached to the works of his hands. God’s overruling guidance of ( A) the laws of the physical, intellectual and moral world does not constitute these laws, or make them what they are. It implies necessarily their existence, and affirms only that as already in opera- tion they are guided and controlled. It is true that these laws are from God, “py whom all things consist,” but still they are from Him not as the God of providence, but as the God of creation. The nature of these laws, their neces- sity, their wisdom, and their adaptation, on the whole, to promote the safety, se- curity and comfort of mankind, might be shown, as it has often been, from a con- sideration of the constitution of the world, and the relation of its several parts to man and to one another. It is, indeed, too evident to admit of question, that the natural, necessary, and ordinary working of the laws of nature, is the preservation of order, stability, security and safety, and that all the evils that arise are only incidental to the accom- Cb} plishment of permanent and general benefit. But still this is not the ques- tion involved in the consideration of the divine providence. ‘The consideration suggested by this doctrine is—are these laws left to work out their imvoluntary results by the undisturbed force of me- chanical necessity, or are they overruled by that same wisdom which first im- posed them ; are they controlled by that same power which still sustains them ; and are they made to illustrate the good- ness and mercy of that great and gra- cious Being who first brought into being this habitable globe? Now that they are, is what is here affirmed. It is here taught that these laws are thus guided, and that we are not the helpless victims of involuntary and invincible laws, and the blind slaves of a system of heartless fatalism, but that we are subjects of a moral government, and under laws which are overruled by infinite wisdom and infinite goodness. Cay This goodness of God, as well as his other moral attributes—such as his jus- _ tice and his truth—are made apparent even in the calamities which are permit- ted to befal us, as well as in the mer- cies with which we are “ encompassed round about.” Goodness will itself re- quire the exercise of that moral disci- pline which is necessary to perfect mo- ral character; the punishment of evil and of evil-doers ; and whatever else is needful to make men awake to the con- sideration of their present condition, and their future destiny, and thus lead them to secure their best temporal and eter- nal interests. Now this is just the end aimed at, and the good accomplished by those manifold trials of various kinds through which we are here called to pass, and by which we learn that “ ver- ily there is a God that judgeth in the earth, and shat verily there is a reward for the righteous.” And it is when they see in all these events the purpose of Adio God towards his people, and his ven- geance towards his enemies, that “ the righteous shall see z¢, and rejoice ; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Who- so 7s wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving- kindness of the Lord.” But if this is true even of the calami- tiesand distresses of life ; ifeven in these we behold the goodness as well as the severity of the Lord ; how much more is it the case as it regards all those innu- -merable acts of loving-kindness and tender mercy with which God crowns his people, and which he makes to “ fol- low them all the days of their life.’’ III. We are therefore led to the third lesson which is here so pointedly en- forced, that the providence of God lays the foundation for love and confidence, and demands our gratitude and reliance. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! ( 18) “‘ And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. ‘Let them exalt him also in the con- gregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.” This doctrine is the foundation for prayer. Prayer is the supplication of that help and assistance from God which we cannot derive from any resources of our own, or from any created arm. It implies, therefore, and presupposes the possibility of His interference—not to alter and destroy, but to overrule and guide—those laws from which» we anticipate evil, and which He alone can “make to work together for our good.” This doctrine encourages us to effort both as it regards temporal and spiritual good. We work with all our might, be- cause we look for heavenly blessing ; and we “ work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because it is God ( 19 ) who worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” This doctrine also sustains us under difficulty. We are cast down, but not in despair. When we are weak then we are strong. And when we feel most deeply that in ourselves we are nothing, we are then able to do all things through Him who fills us with “all might in the inner man.” Yea, with this doctrine in our hearts, what can harm us, or who can be against us? No evil can befall us but what God “ will enable us to bear, and with every trial He will make a way of escape.” Even in death we need not despair, nor “fear any evil when we enter into the dark valley ” of death’s fearful shadow. Even there His rod and his staff shall comfort us. Dark- ness will become light, and despair tri- umph, and in the fulness of joy we shall exclaim, “‘ O, death, where és thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ?” It is apparent, therefore, that where ( 20 ) there is right feeling, and a right state and disposition of the heart, God’s guid- ance will be acknowledged in the events and the direction of our lives, and His condescending goodness in all the mer- cies and deliverances with which he kas vouchsafed to bless us. Nothing is more apparent than this truth in all the re- cords of the Bible, and especially in the overflowings of the heart of God’s be- lieving people as exhibited in this book of Psalms. Of this feeling, in connexion with this very subject, I had a recent and most powerful illustration, which at once sug- gested, and led to the immediate pre- paration of this discourse, while on board the Great Western Steamer dur- ing her recent voyage. We left Liver- pool on September 12th, with about 150 passengers on board, amid the congratu- lations of a numerous throng of specta- tors and friends ; with a smooth sea and a favouring breeze ; and full of hope ( Bj and buoyant anticipation of a speedy voyage and a happy reunion with our families and friends. For eight days our voyage was unusually peaceful and prosperous ; but like Israel, in our pros- perity we forgat God, and failed to recognise His hand, and to recount His mercies. For while we had two ser- vices on the Sabbath, we had no daily service of praise and prayer, although, as it subsequently appeared, there was on board a large number of professors of religion, and but few despisers of it.* * Probably a disposition to have such a service (which was generally attended by nearly all the passengers during the remainder of the voyage) was repressed by a doubt whether its observance would be in accordance with the rules of the ship, es- pecially as many of the passengers had knowledge of the harsh and illiberal policy enforced on board the Cunard line of steamboats, in one of which, I am informed, a petition of a large number of pas- Sengers to be allowed to hear a very distinguished preacher was refused, and that, too, when no other minister officiated. ( 22 ) On Saturday evening, (September 20th), we were overtaken by a gale blowing from the 8. W. Probably not a passenger on board slept during the night. Indeed, every thing was in commotion, both below and upon the decks. Whatever was moveable was heaving toand fro ; and while the how!- ing of the winds, as they swept by the masts and cordage, the breaking of timbers, the shattering and flapping of the shivered sails, and the rattling of chains, chairs, furniture, and utensils, filled the mind with “a fearful looking for of” impending destruction ; all the strength of the passengers was neces- sary t oprevent themselves from being | hurled from their places of repose. The morning brought with it a realization of these midnight fears. All was confu- sion and alarm. But little provision could be prepared, and that little could with difficulty be received. ‘The lights ae » re) le ee ( 28 ) over the cabins had been broken by the force of the waves, which were now sweeping over the vessel in all direc- tions, so that every place was wet and comfortless. It was, indeed, almost im- possible to make a passage from the forward cabin to the principal saloon. The wind—which shifted about 20 points during the gale—had roused so many cross seas, and seas of such stupendous size and irresistible fury, that although we were lying to, with the helm hard- lashed, and avoiding as much as possible the approach of the waves towards the sides of the vessel, they were neverthe- less driving against her with increasing number and incalculable power. Many of them, it was computed, could not have combined less than fifty tons of wa- ter,which was impelled with the momen- tum of an avalanche. The vessel, too, was enveloped in an atmosphere of spray, so that none but the hardiest eee ae ( 24) seamen could venture on the deck, and frequently even these could only secure their footing by the help of some firm fixture. About mid-day, after repeated flood- ings of the cabin, a huge wave ‘struck the vessel at midships; tore away the whole covering and protection of the paddle-wheel, and bent the wheel it- self; swept from its firm foundation, and split into two pieces, the entire house devoted to the keeping of provisions ; tore from its fastenings the immense iron life-boat which hung over the mid- dle of the ship, and almost: carried it overboard ; ripped up a part of the deck with the funnel guard of the machi- nery ; carried away the guards to the deck stairways ; and then poured its vast contents over the upper deck, sweeping with it the captain, who had been stun- ned by a blow from the broken timbers, and was preserved onJy by the iron err at 2 ee. CE . ( Mp. >) guards, and then burst from their firm stancheons the boats fastened to the ship’s side I was looking upwards from the saloon when this wave rolled over us, after making every one reel and stagger under its shock like a drunken man. It almost obscured the light of day, and I felt that we were actually with- in the bosom of the deep. Soon, how- ever, it appeared as if we should be com- pletely submerged in water, for the im- petuous torrent forced its way down the cabin-stairs, and filling its broad gang- way, forced a passage through the win- dow into the ladies’ saloon, and from thence poured along the cabins. Fearful was that moment which—as we felt the vessel through all her timbers tremble under the dreadful stroke—brought the sad and awiul prospect of a speedy and inevitable destruction, in terrible reality before every mind. Then the most un- yielding hearts shrunk, and the most hardened became soft and tender, while (. 26% ) those who were most skilled in nautical affairs, and most experienced in sea-far- ing life, were most anxious and appre- hensive for the future. Indeed, our cap- tain, and another who had made some hundred voyages in some twenty differ- ent vessels, had never seen so fierce a hurricane, of such long and therefore ag- gravating force. At this moment the captain was seen retiring to his cabin to recover from his shock and the violence of the blow he had received, and from beneath the cur- tain was observed standing with clasp- ed hands and tearful eye before the por- trait of his wife and child, whom, as he afterwards* confessed, he never expect- * It must not be thought that the captain mani- fested any signs of fear, or in any way encouraged despondency or fostered despair. His conduct on this occasion was in the swpposed secresy of his own private cabin, and gave proof of genuine tender- ness of heart and of true manhood ; while his im- mediate return to duty and exposure, and his undis- turbed calmness and courage proved him to be wor- CHS ed to see again in the flesh, since he looked for a repetition of such shocks, and the consequent ruin of the vessel, whose deck timbers had already mani- fested signs of being shaken. It was, therefore, with emotions of peculiar so- lemnity the passengers constituted a meeting for prayer, and cast their help- less souls upon the mercy of that only Being who could hold in His hands the winds and the waves, say unto them, “thus far shalt thou go,” and command them to be at peace. And as the eve- ning brought no cessation of the storm, it was proposed, in addition to prayer, to administer the communion to such as were prepared to receive it. Never had Il witnessed such a scene, and never could I have realized its solemnity. About seventy sat around the tables, and about eight of them, after conversa- thy of the high and responsible situation he occu- pies with so much honour to the Directors, and so much gratification to all his passengers. ( 28 ) tion with the minister, for the first time, and there,in silent reverence, avouched their faith in the Redeemer, their confi- dence in His blood and merits, and their hope for death, judgment and eter- nity, through His interceding love and mercy. The effect was most happy. A calm and delightful repose seemed to take the place of anxious solicitude, and we all sought some situation where we might await the issues of another night. New terrers awaited us during that eventful night. The winds had gath- ered fresh force, and the waves intenser violence. Instead of being driven be- fore the fury of a pursuing enemy too powerful for resistance, we were expos- ed to the rage and clamour of contend- ing hosts, and shattered by that very violence with which they dashed one against another. The fiercest winds of heaven exhausted their vengeance on the deep, and the deep aroused its angry billows, with which it mount- — ( 29) ed up to heaven to repel arfd. drive back its dread assailant. And as the hurri- cane wheeled about to make its onset from some new quarter, the waves dash- ed one against another, and, worked up into ungovernable rage, poured their united force in all directions, against the invisible foe. In the midst of these as- sailants, thus encountering one another, we lay helpless and hopeless. We mounted up to heaven, and then de- scended into the depths ; were naw car- ried upwards as if to sink stern foremost into the abyss, and again rolled upon our beam-ends as if about to be over- turned, and cast forth into the bowels of the deep. There we lay, with as little power to resist or escape, as when the avalanche has loosened itself from its hold, and pours down its mountain mass upon the helpless villagers below. For thirty-six hours we had hung bal- anced between life and death, with the ( 30 ) weight that pressed the scales of death downward increasing momently, and the hopes that still preserved the downward tendency of the scale of life becoming fainter and fainter. But while the gates of death were opened to receive us, He who has the keys of death and hell in his hands, delivered us from going down to the pit, and rescued us from the very jaws of destruction which were wide opened. to engulf us. The winds obeyed his voice, and retired to their secret cham- bers. The waves heard his command, and shrunk within their appointed bounds ; and that ocean which seemed to have been aroused to a ceaseless agi- tation, gave evidence of approaching rest. «The waters saw thee, O God; the waters saw THEE; they were afraid ; the depths also were troubled. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven. Thy way was in the seas, and thy path in the great waters.” “ He divided the G2 sea,and caused us to pass through ; and he made the waters to” subside. When we cried unto Him in our trouble, he saved us out of our distresses. “At his rebuke the winds and the waves fled, and at the voice of his thunder they hasted away.” The noise of their bat- tle was hushed, and the fury of their encounter stayed. All their power against us was nought. We _ passed through the waters, but they did not overflow us, and through the floods, but they did not get hold upon us. God walked upon the wings of the winds, so that they could not harm us; and set a bound to the waters, so that they could not overwhelm us. Then were we glad because their fury was quie%ed, and we were enabled to hope that God would bring us to our desired haven. The violence of the hurricane having now abated, although still tossed about like a feather in the air, we were found on ‘Tuesday morning, with almost no ex- ( 32 ) ception, in the main saloon, to return solemn thanks to Him whom the winds and the waves had obeyed, and to praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. And as our service proceeded, and the Rev. Dr. Beecher, in full consonance with the occasion, depicted the dangers we had escaped, and the duties we now owed, and portrayed the still greater dangers of everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the duty of at once flying from the wrath to come, every heart was melted, and those who had never prayed before, were bent in humble supplication to the Lord. It was then proposed that resolutions be adopted expressive of our thankful- ness to God ; and that, as a testimonial of our gratitude to Him, and to those brave seamen who had so nobly acted as His instruments, we should raise a contribution, to be divided among the captain, officers, and crew, and also con- _ s tribute something towards the founda- tion of an Institution in New-York, to be called The Great Western Institution, for the relief of the Widows and Or- phans of those who have perished at sea. The amount collected was, for the for- mer $1000, and about $600 for the latter. And now, brethren, let the narrative of this event, and the exposition of this subject, lead us all to feel, in view of ’ the past dealings of God towards’ us as individuals, that love and gratitude which such a review is adapted and in- tended to inspire. What a picture, my -brethren, was presented by the scene I have attempt- ed to depict! Could an actual portrai- ture be drawn of the whole event—and could that picture bring to light the emotions and the thoughts of every heart—how sublime and impressive would it be! Could we see that chaos of agitated waters; the vessel, like a ( 34 ) cork, tossed to and fro upon its billows, —the dark misgivings, and fearful ap- prehensions of every passenger,—the penitence and remorse which, like a dark. shadow, covered the remembrance of past. sinfulness,—and the anxious alarm with which all looked to Him who was now standing at the door, and of whose throne justice and judgment are the habitation ;—how would it fill us also, even now, with sympathetic emo- tions, and correspondent fears. And as we saw those clouds dispersing; the rays of hope breaking through, “like sun-blinks in the storm of death ;” the thoughts and hopes of life animating with joy every countenance ; that tem- pest-tossed vessel again become the ha- bitation of peace, and joy, and mutual congratulation ;—how would our hearts exult with theirs, and beat high with emotions of gratitude and praise. Let every imagination, then, create, from this partial statement, such a pic- — Soe: ture, and let every heart be filled in its contemplation with such joyful gratula- tions. And in view of all God’s wonder- ful works to the children of men, and to ourselves in particular, let the goodness of God lead us to repentance,—to faith, and toa humble, hearty, and heartfelt consecration to His service. Let us sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. Let us exalt him in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders. And let our lives and our efforts, our charity, liber- ality, and zeal, bear witness to the depth and sincerity of our faith. We are surrounded by dangers, and in the midst of the most quiet and re- tired life we are in death. On my out- ward voyage we were a day and a night in the midst of several hundred icebergs, and at the same time envel- oped in adense fog. In my subsequent journeying, I was thrown with violence CO] from an open carriage when in full mo- tion. And now, on my return, I have just escaped with my life. But, after all, such events only bring to notice, and make manifest, that danger to which we are all constantly exposed ; and that providential care to which we are as constantly indebted; and while they claim at our hands special remembrance and enlarged thankfulness, they ought only the more sensibly to impress upon our minds the truth that it is in God ‘‘we live, and move, and have our being ;” that we are only safe in His arms, and under His guidance—and that it is our happiness as much as our duty to live in His sight, and to “cast all our cares on Him who careth for us.” But while God has showered upon us his temporal mercies, He has “ com- MENDED His love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” This is God’s greatest — ( et’) mercy—His stupendous gift—that ten- der mercy that is over all his other works. The truth, the sincerity, the depth of our thankfulness, and grati- tude, are demonstrated, therefore, by our treatment of the Gospel, and our conduct towards the Saviour. “For we thus judge, that if Christ died for all then were all dead, and that He died for all, that they who live should live not unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and rose again.” If, therefore, you “neglect this great salvation,” and refuse to hear the voice of this Redeemer, to submit yourselves to His service, and to follow His re- quirements, then assuredly you will be found among His enemies when “ He comes to judge the world in righteous- ness,” and the awful curse will be exe- cuted upon you—“ If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be ana- thema maranatha.” Whether you shall die on land or on i ee ( 38 ) sea,—whether you shall live longer or shorter,—and whether your condition shall be prosperous or adverse,—the last day and the last hour will come ; death will come; “that judgment which is after death,” will comé, and you will find yourself amid all the solemn and eventful realities of eternity. This leads me to remark, in conclu- sion, that there is one aspect of this event which is more truly fearful than any yet described. It is true, as I have stated, that during the continuance of the hurricane every heart was melted and every conscience busy, and that then none were willing to assume the character or the bold front of hardened infidelity. The voice of blasphemy was hushed,—the words of ribaldry si- lenced,—the instruments of gambling unopened,—and the bowl of intoxication unquaffed. All were then willing to avow their fears, and open up their hearts, and seek counsel and advice. ( 39 ) But when the storm had ceased, how different was the scene! Some, it is to be feared, may have repented of their re- pentance, and have grieved for their grief, and have become ashamed at the remembrance of their fears. Some, alas ! may thus harden their hearts and stiffen their necks, laugh at their fears, and make a jest of death. Ministers and prayers, and sermons, and devotion, may become their scorn, and their blas- phemy, till, like the steel which has been tempered in the fire, their hearts may become harder than ever, and they themselves live only to fill up the mea- sure of their iniquity, and become pre- pared as vessels fitted for destruction, and as victims salted with fire for ever- lasting burning. But even while we thus express our fears, far different are our hopes and our prayers, for God is-witness that “ our heart’s desire and prayer” for all who have been partakers alike of our danger ee ( 40 ) and our deliverance is, “‘ that they may be saved.” | Brethren, let the very b stibiai of ; such a dreadful consequence duly im- press your minds. Many have been the mercies you have received, and the de- liverances you have experienced. And above all other mercies,—to you has the word of God’s salvation been sent, and to you has the glorious Gospel of the blessed God been preached. Many are the convictions which, under the striv- ing of the Spirit, you have felt, and the purposes of devotion you have formed. But you may have grown careless with returning ease, and lost those purposes amid the distractions of business and pleasure. And to this hour you may have continued to turn a deaf ear to the warnings of Providence and the invita- tions of the Gospel, and may therefore be still ‘without. God, and without hope in the world.” But if this is the case, is dealane (i 5 ground to fear that this Gospel is hid to you because you are lost; that, having hardened your neck against reproof, you will suddenly be destroyed, and that . without remedy; that in due time your feet will slide; and that in such a mo- ment as you think not, the storm of death will arise, the winds of God’s vengeance begin to blow, and the waves of perdition to roll, when you will be swept as by the besom of destruction, and swallowed up in the bottomless depths of the ocean of eternity. “Be ye therefore ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.” Wait not for God to come to you, but wait wpon God. Wait not till God call you to repentance, but cry unto Him that he may at once hear, and answer, and bless and save. God in the kingdom of grace, as well as in the kingdom of nature, has established a connection of probability and subordination between ( 48) the regular use of means and the de- sired end. He has appointed means not only for Himself to work by, but for us to work with. And even as in provi- dence, though God knows and has de- termined who shall be rich and prosper- ous, and who not, yet we find the means and end generally connected together, so is it in the business of salvation. « Work out, then, your own salvatiun with fear and trembling, since it is God who worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. “Ask, and you shall receive ; seek, and you shall find ; ii and it shall be opened unto you.” And may God grant it to His glory and your salvation, and His shall be all the praise. 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