trial, allotted us in order to fix hereafter our eternal destiny in another. Is it surprizing that God hides himself? He leads us forward to the light by an obscure way; in which the promises of the Scripture serve for "a light unto our feet, and a lamp unto "our path."* The promises of religion draw back part of the veil which hides from us God the Saviour. We hail him from afar: we wait for his manifestation: we are assured that he will come; that he will judge the world in righteousness, and will save his people. Have we not sufficient cause to exclaim: "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour."

Must we follow all that has been said with some practical instructions?-God that hideth himself, requires of us humility and patience. God the Saviour inspires confidence and fills us with consolation. Yes, Christians, let us adore with humility, that " "only wise God," before whom angels cover their faces; that God, whose thoughts are so far exalted above ours; that God, who has chosen to mortify our understandings by the difficulties of his ways, the depth of his mysteries, and the obscurity of his judgments. Let us remember, it is not for us, to scrutinize his conduct, and demand the motive of every action it is temerity and folly, to pretend to apply our reason as a proper rule for measuring all the divine procedures. God "layeth judgment "to the line, and righteousness to the plummet."† He has unerring rules for himself; but we have none for his actions: we have rules for our own; that is

enough. The Scripture contains infallible laws: it is for us to obey them. But "canst thou by 66 'searching find out God? Canst thou find out "the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven, "what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst "thou know?"* Perhaps we should feel no admiration for the Deity, if there were not something. incomprehensible in his conduct, as well as in his

nature.

If our understanding penetrated all his purposes, we should either imagine ourselves gods, or suppose the Deity to be limited like us. Let us remember that it is necessary for God to hide himself from our view in a thousand things; and let us respect him, behind the veils with which he covers himself, without attempting to draw them aside. Let us leave it to unbelieving and presumptuous minds, to wish for a premature disclosure of the divine secrets: and let our faith adore in humility, and wait with patience for "the God of "Israel that hideth himself."

Wait for him with patience. This is a lesson often repeated, especially to us, who have shared in - the calamities of the Church; a lesson never unnecessary in our present state. If God be accus, tomed to hide himself before he delivers, shall we be surprized that we are still in a season of obscurity; and cannot we suppress our impatience, and silence our murmurs? You are scandalized at seeing the Church afflicted, and her enemies triumphant: this is God hiding himself, for reasons of justice and wisdom. Some of them we understand; and there are doubtless many, of which we are igno

'Job xi. 7, 8.

D

rant.

Consider the long continuance of our past sins, our present obstinacy, and the nations who share in our chastisement. Is not the prolongation of our calamities just? Is it not necessary, to complete the purification of the Church? What folly, to criticise the ways of God, which are regulated by infinite wisdom, wisdom of which we have none but the most inadequate conceptions! What presumption, to censure the conduct of him, who, we have the strongest assurances, is always full of love to his Church, and makes every thing conduce to her ultimate happiness!

The appearance of God as a Saviour, after having hidden himself, evidently enhances his glory. Never does the sun appear more beautiful, than when emerging from a dark cloud, or displaying his radiance after an eclipse. The face of the Lord never appears more glorious, or delightful to his children, than after a long season of seeking and waiting for him. The Church suffers; it is the bush on fire. But do you not percieve that God is concealed in it? If he were not there, that combustible bush were already consumed. The bark is driven about, and seems on the point of being wrecked; the Lord is asleep, God hideth himself. Patiently wait; he will soon awake and shew himself; he will rebuke the tempestuous ocean, and then his glory will be seen; every one will exclaim, Verily, this is the God of Israel, the Saviour! But does he advance towards his object in silence? So much the better; his enemies will be more confounded, less prepared for the stroke, and more completely overwhelmed. His vengeance often resembles a hidden mine; it is

unseen, unsuspected: but in a moment the fire catching the powder, cleaves the earth, lifts, breaks in pieces, scatters about, or buries in yawning gulphs every thing within its reach. How incompetent are we, to judge of the ways of God! Oftentimes he hides himself like a general who stations his troops. in ambuscade; he seeks covert and quiet places only to lay for his enemies a more, inevitable snare. We often see the enemies of the Church fall into the ambush which awaits them; and when they think themselves at the consummation of their projects, and others esteem them invincible, they suddenly perish, and become victims of inexorable justice. Yes, Providence has, if I may venture to use such an expression, its artifices and stratagems: it conceals its operations, to render them more completely successful. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently

"for him."*

It remains for us, to remove the obstacles which we oppose to the divine favours by our sins, our cruel and scandalous divisions, and our impenitence. If, to induce God to come forth from the cloud in which he hides himself, we were required to sacrifice one passion, should we do it? Would you indeed sacrifice one enmity or desire of revenge? I believe not. Some persons pray to God for the re-establishment of the Church, who would not be willing, on that account, to concede a single right. We complain that he restrains his compassions towards us. How would you expect them to come forth, if we close the passage through which they must come? if, when God intends to reveal himself, we oppose

• Psalm xxxvii. 7.

obstacles to his favours, and shut the door against him? Let us not oblige him to keep himself any longer hidden; let us forsake our sins which delay his manifestation; and returning to our duty, let us hope that God who hideth himself, will at length be our Saviour.

Let us equally shun distrust, and carnal confidence. These two extremes, opposite as they are, generally follow each other in quick succession. When we have placed an undue dependence on human means, and too readily formed extravagant hopes, founded more on man than on God, we are in great danger of disappointment from the ruin of those vain phantoms of our imagination. Then our condition resembles a continued fever, aggravated by frequent paroxysms, and by incessant transitions from cold to heat, and from burning heat again to shiverings. So our agitated minds perpetually pass from the precipitate fervours of hope to the trepidations of distrust, and again from despondency to presumptuous confidence.

Let us believe that God will always be "the God "of Israel, the Saviour." But let us not prescribe to him the time or the means. Let us humbly and ardently supplicate his blessing upon those which we think conducive to our good; but let us place no dependence upon them, inconsistent with an entire submission to the divine will. Let us not indulge a confidence brittle as glass, always liable to be broken in pieces; a confidence uncertain as time, affected by the smallest change of circumstances; a confidence which, like old Eli, is ready to fall and expire on the arrival of any evil tidings. No,