of God. As the unbeliever assails the authority of the Old Testament, because it represents the Almighty as driving out guilty men through the agency of men who were themselves guilty; so the Romanist assails the authority of Protestantism, because it drove out what we believe to be the evil doctrines of Romanism by evil instruments. And here I shall cite the remarks of a contemporary writer, who has observed the same analogy of Nature with Revelation, which is here insisted on, in speaking of the Reformation. "Into the motives of Henry VIII, I am not called upon to inquire; nor has the character of the king anything to do with the Reformation itself. It is sufficient for us to know that Jehovah selects His own instruments; that He is not tied to the use of any particular means; that oftentimes He employs such as, according to human calculation, are most unsuited to the ends to be accomplished, and that good frequently results from evil, and place and order spring from war and confusion. If, therefore, the passions of Henry were instrumental in effectuating a separation of this country from Rome, no one can in consequence plead that the cause of the Reformation was an unrighteous one; since, on the same ground,

we should be constrained to reject as curses many blessings which are showered on the sons of men. We ought rather to be struck with admiration at the providence of God, who can cause even the unruly wills and affections of sinful men to promote His own glory, as well as the wrath of the wicked to praise Him. Who can doubt that the late ruler of France, Napoleon, was an instrument, though an unconscious one, in the hand of God, for scourging the guilty nations of Europe?—yet, like the Assyrian of old, the rod of God's anger,' he was laid aside when his work was finished."*

6

I cannot but indulge the hope that the arguments in this section are a just answer to the objections of two very different species of rea

soners.

But, by way of corollary, let me observe that the case of Jacob and Esau (Gen. ch. xxvii.,) may be resolved into the same class of objections as the preceding, for here also the Almighty displays His sovereign power in making even the bad passions of our nature subserve the purposes of His will. The mother and son enter into an unhallowed compact to deprive, by the grossest fraud, the elder son of

* Lathbury's State of Popery, &c., p. 5.

D

his father's blessing,-a blessing of no common character, but a "last, solemn, extraordinary, and prophetical benediction."* And this bad combination is favoured and promoted by the Almighty,† and brought by Him to a successful termination. This case, then, is analogous to those which we have considered before in this section. We must remark, however, that Esau had previously rendered himself obnoxious to punishment by his reckless sale of his birthright; and moreover, that it was promised him by authority from God, that although he should now serve his brother, yet the time would come when he "should break his yoke from off his neck."I

In the same manner we may dispose of the objection made to Gen. xlv. 5-8; for there also God employs the vices of men to effectuate His purposes.

* Poole on Gen. xxvii. 4. + Id. ib. 1. and 23. Gen. xxvii. 40.

SECTION XIV.

JOSH. xii. 7-24; x. 28—43.

THE destruction of the Canaanite nations and kings by Joshua, as recorded in these passages, has been made the subject of much attack.

But the misapprehension of these passages originates from our not seeing the hand of God in the common affairs of the world. We take as a matter of course the daily occurrences of life, terrible and shocking as many of them are, and we find no fault in them,-nor indeed, if we did, would all our censures in the least degree avail us;-but the moment we read that God has positively ordained any terrible calamities to be executed by man, then we become offended, and make complaints.

But this is a mistaken mode of thinking. We must bring the actual state of things to bear on this point. We must not lay out of our view the unhappy incidents we are in the habit of hearing of; the confiscations, imprisonments, banishments, and executions; the

accidents of various kinds; the diseases, fevers, plagues, and pestilences; the famines, wars, fires, shipwrecks, hurricanes, earthquakes and inundations, which are frequently taking place in the world, and cutting short life, or destroying property and happiness. We know that these things happen, and yet we dare not on their account impeach the sovereignty of God, or deny His right to use His creatures as He thinks proper.

Is there anything very uncommon for a general and his army to devastate and depopulate a country and for whole races to be extirpated? And yet nothing occurs without the knowledge of God. His alleged commission to Joshua was direct; but He indirectly gave a commission to Alaric and Napoleon. Indeed we must go further; for, as nothing can take place without the will of God, we may say that He appointed Alaric as much as He did Joshua; the only difference being, that in the case of the latter, He made a public declaration of His designs; in that of the former, He was contented with the tacit operation of nature. Indeed, men have put this very interpretation on the subject, for they have called Alaric THE SCOURGE OF GOD.