God Manifest/Part 1/Chapter 3

by Oliver Prescott Hiller

CHAPTER III.

GOD SPEAKING.

The evidenoes presented, thus far, of the being of God, and of His goodness, wisdom, and power, have been derived, for the most part, from considerations independent of written Revelation. They have been drawn, in the first place, from the contemplation of the material universe, and the order, excellence, and magnificence of the innumerable things that constitute it,—all which proclaim a God: and they have been derived, in the second place, from the survey of the still nobler spiritual universe, or world of mind, as seen by the eye of enlightened reason,—whether as existing in man here upon earth and beheld in his life and works, or in man as a spirit, after he has dropped his garment of clay and entered on the grander life of eternity. In both these universes, the natural and the spiritual, the admirable and wonderful character of the works declares everywhere the Divinity, of the Workman, His infinite goodness, wisdom, and might.

Yet this evidence, though so plain, is still only inference: these, though lucid, are yet but silent, witnesses. "In reason's ear," as the poet affirms, God's works do, indeed, "utter forth a glorious voice:" but man's mind seems to wish for something still more distinct and palpable than this: he longs to hear a voice, such as is addressed not only to the ear of reason, but to the ear of sense. "This awful silence," he exclaims, "terrifies and oppresses me. These outspread works of nature,—this solemn sun, rising with such unchanging regularity to his daily task, and these perpetual twinkling stars that shine on from age to age, glittering in the still depths of heaven,—Oh! these awe me by their very majesty: they are too grave and silent. Why will they not speak out, and tell whence they came and what they are doing, and who made them, and put them in their places? If there be a God, a great Creator, an intelligent and sentient Being,—why will He not speak, and let me hear His voice—tell me in a kind, familiar way, that He does indeed exist, and where He is, and what He is? Or, if that be impossible,—if He be too great to be thus approached by a weak mortal,—if His voice would burst my ear, or the sight of Him would dazzle and blind my eyes, and His presence consume and dissipate me, like the burning Sun approaching the earth—O, then, let Him but write—let him inscribe it on rock, or bark, or book, or where He pleases, (so that it be in legible characters which I may read and understand),—that He does exist, that He is good and wise, that He made all these things, and moreover that He still watches over and takes care of them,—and of me, too,—and that He will make and keep me happy if I will look to Him and do His commands."

This wish, so natural to man's heart, has been complied with,—this longing has been gratified,—this prayer has been answered. Such a writing does exist in the world. It was given to man many ages ago, and the manner in which it was given, and the persons to whom, is related with great exactness in the writing itself. And that we might have double testimony to its authenticity, we have the direct descendants of the very persons to whom it was communicated, still living among us; and, though scattered through the world, and found in all nations, yet, by a wonderful providence, they have been kept a distinct and isolated race,—as if to the end that they may continue to stand before the eyes of men, personal, living witnesses, or the direct representatives of those who were living witnesses, to the great fact. This people,—as declared by their family traditions, handed down from father to son, in uninterrupted succession, and as strikingly confirmed furthermore by the customs, rites, and ceremonies still actually in use among them,—were selected by the Divine being, to be the depositaries of that Sacred Writing. Descended originally from a single individual,—in order, as it would seem, that they might ever feel themselves bound together as one family,—they grew in the course of time into a numerous people. Separating themselves, at length, by Divine command, from a nation with whom they had long sojourned but had never united, and who had for many years oppressed them,—they were led, by a series of the most striking and miraculous interpositions, out of that land, through a sea and a wilderness, to the foot of a lofty mountain. And here, amid the solemn solitudes of the desert, the very voice of the Divine Himself was heard, in awful tones that went to their hearts,—addressing them, and giving them His commands,—intended not only for them, but through them for all mankind,—prescribing what they were to do, in order that they might live and be happy for ever. How sublimely is this great event related in the Writing itself! "And it came to pass, on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God: and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake and God answered him by a voice."^[1]

Can any thing be grander than this description? what a sublime pröem! Then followed the utterance of those Ten great Rules of life, which contain the substance of all rules,—the essence and pith of all the laws which man is required to obey. These the people listened to, but they could bear no more. "And all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven."^[2]

Is not this God Speaking? Is not this the great Creator directly addressing men. His creatures, and giving them laws for their guidance,—thus showing His interest in and regard for them, and His continued care of the beings He had made? And not only did He speak those words, but He also wrote them down; in order that they might remain and be remembered. He wrote them, it is declared, on tables of stone, which tables Moses brought down with him from the mount, and deposited in the sacred Ark, where they were kept and carefully preserved for several hundred years. Thus, the Ten Commandments, the beginning and basis of the Holy Scriptures, were not only of God's teaching, but of God's own hand-writing. In addition to this, Moses himself, by Divine command, wrote or copied in a book these ten great laws, together with many other more particular ones, declared to him by Jehovah in the mount; and this book, termed "the book of the covenant," he read in the hearing of the people; and they answered, "All that the Lord hath said we will do, and be obedient."^[3] This book was also carefully laid up, being committed to a special body of persons, the Levites, for preservation.^[4] And this book still exists—not indeed the identical manuscript—for it is impossible that a manuscript written on perishable materials should remain for such a length of time—but we have most exact and perfect copies of it. And this is by far the most ancient writing in existence. God was the first of authors, as He is infinitely the greatest,—as He is, indeed, the very Author of all authors themselves. Homer did not live till five hundred years after Moses. And compare Homer's Jupiter shaking Olympus with his nod, to the descriptions of the thunders and lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet, and the quaking of Sinai before the God of Israel. But we ought not to compare, for the one work is human, the other Divine. Homer himself, indeed,—as shown in a previous chapter—derived all his great thoughts from the same God,—yet indirectly and through his own human faculties. But the other was the direct dictation of God—Moses was but the penman. Hence that Writing is called the "Word of God." Had it passed through the mind of Moses, as well as through his hand, it would not have been the Word of God, but the word of man. For, indeed, all ideas, that are in any degree good or true, flow in the first place from God; but being modified and limited or finited, by passing through man's finite faculties,—therefore, when spoken or written, having lost their infinite, perfect, and Divine character, they are no longer God's words but man's: they are human writing, not Divine. This constitutes the distinction between Plenary Inspiration or Inspiration proper, on the one hand,—and, on the other, what may be termed semi-inspiration, which is a special enlightenment of man's own faculties,—and, again, non-inspiration or common writing. Inspiration proper is, in fact, simple dictation; as declared in the words of "the sweet Psalmist of Israel,"—"The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue:"^[5]—not in his mind, but in his tongue. Thence the very words are Divine, and it is truly the Word of God. In such case, it is not the man—properly speaking—that is inspired, but the Writing. Such was the character of what Moses wrote; for we find it declared that "Moses wrote all the Words of the Lord."^[6] Thus, then, this writing is truly the Word of the Lord, or God Speaking. The Sacred Word is as truly God speaking to us, as if we had heard Him with our own ears under the shadow of Mount Sinai.

Such was the beginning of that aeries of Divine Writings or dictations, which collectively are called the "Word of God." Those Divine communications were made at different times, through a period of more than a thousand years; the first at Sinai, through Moses,—according to the common chronology about B.C. 1491, and the last through the prophet Malachi, about B.C. 420. That God truly spake or dictated those Writings, and that the prophets, whose names they bear, were merely the instruments or penmen through whom they were written, is evidenced by the continual declarations of the writers themselves. Observe, for instance, the prophecy of Jeremiah. Almost every chapter opens with the words, "The Word of the Lord came unto me, saying," or, "Thus saith the Lord," or, "The Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,"—thus continually conveying the idea that he spoke by the direct Divine dictation,—that he uttered the very words of Jehovah Himself. And at length we find this declaration, showing that he wrote also by express Divine command: "This word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee, &c."^[7] So, in the prophecy of Ezekiel, we find similar language perpetually used. For instance, after stating the circumstances of time and place, the Book opens with the words, "The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest,—and the hand of the Lord was there upon him." Then, the second chapter commences with the words, "8on of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee." The third chapter begins, "Moreover, he said unto me, son of man," &c. The fourth chapter, "Thou, also, son of man, take thee a tile," &c. The fifth chapter, "And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife," &c. The sixth chapter begins, "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying." The seventh chapter, "Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying." And so on. And that the Divine Being addressed him, not mentaliy, but by an actual voice, (as He did to Moses at Sinai) is plain, also, from the opening words of the ninth chapter: "He cried, also, in mine ears, with a loud voice, saying," &c.—Is not this veritably God Speaking? Does not this show, that the same God, Jehovah,—who spoke to the people amidst thunders and lightnings at Sinai, and afterwards to Moses alone, on the mount,—continued from time to time to address men his creatures with a living voice, when they needed reproof, correction, or instruction—thus showing His continued and constant observation of, and interest in, all their doings?

But turn, now, to the last of these Divine Writings,—the last of what is termed the "Old Testament," namely, the Prophecy of Malachi. Throughout nearly the whole of this Book, we find God speaking directly, in the first person. It is not said, as in Ezekiel, "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying," but the writer does not at all speak of or from himself,—he is merely the mouth-piece of Jehovah. Thus, the Book opens, "The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi" (or, as more correctly translated, '"by the hand of Malachi—showing that the latter was the mere scribe). "I have loved you, saith the Lord," &c.—"A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if I then be a Father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts unto you, priests, that despise my name." And towards the conclusion: "But unto you that fear my name, shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings."—"Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb." Is not this God Speaking, directly, and without any intervention? Is this Malachi's word, or any man's word? Is it not the very "Word of the Lord" Himself? We see Him here, too, joining the end to the beginning, and showing that it was the same God who spoke the first, that now spoke the last, words,—the same who spoke at Horeb, now spoke at Jerusalem: the same Jehovah spoke all, whether by Moses or by Malachi, or by the many that came between them.

Observe, now, in the next place, the very remarkable means provided for the perfect preservation of those Divine Writings. In the first place, the Law, when fully written out, was committed by Moses, to the care of a special body of persons, the Levites, by whom it was laid up in the ark, by the side of the sacred tables. This appears from the following passage: "When Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites who bore the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, saying. Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God."^[8] He commanded, also, that when the Jews should set up a king over themselves—as he foresaw they would—the new ruler should make a copy of this law for his own guidance: "When he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests, the Levites."^[9] In after time, when the Jewish nation fell into a state of misrule and disorder, the original manuscript of the law was for a long time neglected and forgotten―which very circumstance, however, contributed perhaps to its preservation. In the reign of Josiah, it was brought to light, and again read by the command of that good king to the people. Says a writer on this subject, "The temple copy of the Pentateuch was discovered by Hilkiah in the reign of Josiah (B.C. 623,) and brought to light from the obscurity in which it had long been buried (2 Kings, xxii. 8,)—a fact which must have contributed greatly to restore the uniformity of the manuscripts that were in common use, and to preserve from corruption future transcripts. The writings of the Prophets, and some of the Historical Books, not being regarded by the Jews as of equal importance as the Law, were probably but seldom transcribed: their text would thus be preserved, in some degree, safe from corruption; while some of the sacred Books were not composed till after the return from the Captivity, about which time the Jews began to be exceedingly scrupulous respecting the preservation of the text of their Scriptures."^[10]

In the time of our Saviour, we find in existence a class of persons, the Scribes, whose special business it seems to have been to transcribe the Sacred Writings. And with what exceeding care transcripts were made, especially for public use in the Synagogues, may be seen from the following rules laid down by the Rabbis to be observed on such occasions: "A Sepher Torah (Synagogue Copy) must be transcribed from an ancient and approved manuscript, only with pure black ink (the manner of preparing the ink is described), upon the skin of a clean animal, prepared expressly for the purpose by a Jew; and the sheets or skins are to be fastened together with strings made of the sinews of a clean animal. Each skin must contain a prescribed number of columns, of a limited length and breadth: each column must contain a regulated number of lines and words; and all except five must begin with the letter ו. The scribe must not write a single word from memory. He must attentively look on each individual word in his exemplar, and orally pronounce it before writing it down. In writing any of the Sacred Names of God, he is required to solemnize his mind by devotion and reverence: and previously to writing any of them, he must wash his pen: before writing the ineffable name JEHOVAH, he is to bathe his whole person! The copy must be examined within thirty days after its completion. Some authors assert that the mistake of a single letter vitiates the whole manuscript: others assert that it is permitted to correct three such errors in any one sheet; if more are found, the copy is condemned as profane or unfit for religious purposes."^[11] So extreme was the care taken,—as ordained, doubtless, by Divine Providence for the preservation of that Sacred Word, of which, as declared by the Saviour's mouth, not "one jot or tittle" was to perish!

In a later age, arose a body or, rather, a succession of learned Jews, called Masorites, who composed a critical work, the Masora, the object of which was to guard the sacred text from violation or corruption. Incredibly minute and accurate were the labors of the Masorites. "They collated copies, and corrected the text where it appeared to be faulty; they divided the books into verses; they invented, (or, at least, increased the number of) the vowel-points, to mark the accurate pronunciation, by which the sense is in many cases determined; they invented the system of accentuation, and affixed to each word its accent, to mark what they considered the proper modulation of the voice; and they accurately enumerated the verses, words, and letters, as well as the sections of the different Books, noting the middle verse of each, and in some cases, the middle word.—The Masora points out the places in which anything was supposed to have been omitted, added, or altered; the words which were written full, that is with the quiescent letters inserted, and those which were written defectively, that is with the same letters omitted; and also, those words, in which any anomaly occurred in the use either of the vowel-points or accents. It indicates the number of times the same word is found in the beginning, middle, or end of a verse; what letters are to be pronounced, what are silent, what are inverted, suspended, diminished, or enlarged. The Masora to the Pentateuch informs us which is the middle letter of the Law; and the Masora, at the end of the Bible, is said to give the number of times that each letter of the alphabet occurs, from the beginning to the end of the Old Testament. It also shows the sum total to be 815,280 letters."^[12] What an astonishing labor is this! Where is there anything like it to be found in the whole history of criticism or comment? There is, indeed, nothing like it to be found, because there is no other book in the world worthy of such care,—no other that is Divine.

And why, in the Divine Providence, has such care been taken of it? Because it is God's own Word—it is God speaking to man. And what he speaks. He addresses to all His creatures—to all mankind in all places and ages; and therefore, His Word was to be preserved in its integrity for all coming time. For when He speaks. He cannot speak otherwise than Divinely, that is, universally and infinitely. There are infinite depths of meaning in all His words—to be opened more and more fully, and perceived more and more clearly, as man rises to higher and higher states of purity and wisdom. Hence it is, that the Word of God is capable of being viewed in so many different lights, and is applicable in so many different ways. Where, for instance, in perusing the Sacred Volume, the Jew reads only the literal history of his fathers' deliverance from Egypt, and, after long wanderings and many trials in the wilderness, their final and happy entrance into the land of Canaan,—the Christian sees, in that interesting narrative, a type, also, of his own spiritual progress, his deliverance from the bondage of sin, the long course of trial and temptation necessary to his purification, and at length his joyful entrance into the Heavenly Canaan,—salvation and life eternal. So, again, while the Jew, in the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law, the washings and other observances, sees only the ceremony itself, the form, the outward act,—the Christian perceives that which is the soul and life of the act,—the washings of baptism, and the cleansing of the heart by regeneration. And, again, while the Jew observes with faithfulness the ordinance of the passover, and eats the paschal lamb "in haste, with his loins girded and his staff in hand,"—the Christian, instead, looks up in humble gratitude to his blessed Redeemer above,—"the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world."

Such is the nature of the Divine Word, It has a meaning for all minds, instruction and consolation for all hearts and all states. The influence of these Sacred Writings on the world, has been thus eloquently described: "With every drawback in origin, structure, and language, they have won their way to unparalleled aseendancy. No volume ever commanded such a profusion of readers, or has been translated into so many languages. Such is the universality of its spirit, that no book loses less by translation;—none has been so frequently copied in manuscript, and none so often printed. King and noble, peasant and pauper, are delighted students of its pages. Philosophers have humbly gleaned from it, and legislation has been thankfully indebted to it. Its stories charm the child, its hopes inspirit the aged, and its promises soothe the bed of death. The maiden is wedded under its sanction, and the grave is closed under its comforting assurances. Its lessons are the essence of religion, the seminal truths of theology, the first principles of morals, and the guiding axioms of political economy. Martyrs have often bled and been burned for attachment to it. It is the theme of universal appeal. In the entire range of literature, no book is so often quoted or referred to. The majority of all the books ever published have been in connection with it. The Fathers commented upon it, and the sUbtle divines of the middle ages refined upon its doctrines. It sustained Origen's scholarship and Chrysostom's rhetoric; it whetted the penetration of Abelard, and exercised the keen ingenuity of Aquinas. It gave life to the revival of letters, and Dante and Petrarch reveled in its imagery. It augmented the erudition of Erasmus, and roused and blessed the intrepidity of Luther. Its temples are the finest specimens of architecture; and the brightest triumphs of music are associated with its poetry. The text of no ancient author has summoned into operation such an amount of labor and learning, and it has furnished occasion for the most masterly examples of criticism and comment, grammatical investigation, and logical analysis. It has inspired the English muse with her loftiest strains. Its beams gladdened Milton in his darkness, and cheered the song of Cowper in his sadness. It was the star which guided Columbus in the discovery of the New World. It furnished the panoply of that Puritan valor, which shivered tyranny in days gone by. It is the Magna Charta of the world's regeneration and liberties. Such benefactors as Francke, Neff, Schwartz, and Howard, were cast in the mould of the Bible.—Among the Christian classics, it loaded the treasures of Owen, charged the fulness of Hooker, barbed the point of Baxter, gave colors to the palette and sweep to the pencil of Bunyan, enriched the fragrant fancy of Taylor, sustained the loftiness of Howe, and strung the plummet of Edwards. In short, this collection of artless lives and letters has ennobled myriads of minds, and changed the face of the world."^[13]

Can a Book, which has had so vast an influence over mankind, have had any other than a Divine origin? But it may be added, that the influence of this Divine Word is as yet but beginning to be felt. Its true meaning has been so long perverted or misunderstood, nay, in so many countries the book itself has been so kept out of the hands of the people, that it has had comparatively little opportunity to produce its legitimate effects. But as the holy Volume becomes more and more widely diffused, and its true sense more generally understood, its power will be more deeply and universally felt, and the effects of its silent but deep workings will at length be seen—like the vivifying presence of waters in a thirsty soil—covering the globe with spiritual viridity and life.

Having thus sought to show, by a brief history of these Sacred Writings, their origin, general character, and manner of preservation,—that they are truly what they purport to be, the Word of God, God speaking to men, His creatures,—the next interesting point of inquiry is, What do these Writings say? what testimony do they bear to the Divine character. His goodness, wisdom, and power? God, certainly, must know Himself infinitely better than any others can know Him. If therefore, these are indeed God's own words, and if in them He speaks of Himself, what He declares must be far more satisfactory testimony than any other; His words will speak to us even more clearly and satisfactorily than His works.

Let us listen, then, to what He says concerning Himself:—we shall find Him speaking, as might be presumed, in sublime tones. And, first, of His Being. He calls Himself the I AM, that is, Being Itself, and the Fountain of all other being. He said to Moses, when he inquired who, he should tell the Israelites, had sent him to them, "Say to them, I AM hath sent me to you." And how simple yet sublime is that account of His discovery of Himself to Moses: "Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law.—And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold the bush burned with fire, and was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burnt. And God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses! Moses! and he said, Here am I. And He said. Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was affraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey."^[14]

This manifestation of Himself to Moses, was the beginning of a long series of splendid exertions of Divine power, by which was accomplished the deliverance of a whole people from bondage, and their introduction into a new country. And this was done, not from any partial preference of one nation over another (for God is "no respecter of persons,") but to the end that, among the people thus selected, there might be established a new and purer Church or Dispensation, and especially that they might become the depositaries of the Sacred Word, which was about to be revealed for the instruction of all mankind.

Thus much, then, in regard to the Being of God: in the passage just quoted it is declared not only that God exists, but that He is Being Itself, and that His very name is I AM. The same is signified by the name JEHOVAH, which is derived in Hebrew from the word To Be.

Next, in regard to His Power. Is not the whole historical portion of the Sacred Volume a continued description of the displays of God's Almighty power? The very opening of the Book presents Him as the great Creator of all things. How simple yet all-comprehensive is the language: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." If a monarch be called powerful, who merely governs the inhabitants of a small portion of the earth's surface,—then is not He, who not only governs, but created and made those people, and the monarch himself, and the land on which they live, and the whole earth, and all the other worlds in the universe—is not such a One to be called All-Powerful? Moreover, that God not only created, but rules and directs, the world and the affairs of men, (and not, according to the notion of some of the ancient philosophers, merely created the universe, and then retired into a corner of it, and left it to take care of itself) is evident from the whole tenor of the Sacred Scriptures, from the opening passage onwards. He is constantly described as an active and most active Being, taking an interest in all men's doings, leading the good, checking the bad, punishing the refractory, removing from the world those who would injure and destroy their fellow-men,—and, on the other hand, blessing, and promising still more highly to bless, those who obey His Word, and who love and serve and do good to each other. And what grand exhibitions of His Power are presented, in the course of His accomplishing all these purposes! See the great acts performed by the instrumentality of Moses, as the means of compelling the stubborn king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go. Behold Him, next, leading them on through the wilderness in a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night; opening a path for them through the Red Sea, and overwhelming their pursuing enemies in the same waters, by a look and a word. How sublime is the language of that narration! "And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked at the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians; and took off their chariot-wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared. And the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.—Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians.^[15]

Go forward, now, to an after age, and behold the same Almighty Hand delivering the city Jerusalem from a great army which was marching against it. Byron has taken the incident for the subject of one of his loftiest poems, "The Destruction of Sennacherib." The same narrative shows, moreover, in a striking manner, the power of prayer, and pictures God as a listener to earnest prayer,—thus showing His interest in human affairs, and His omnipresence as well as His omnipotence. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had sent a message to Hezekiah the king of Judah, that he was on his way with an army to take Jerusalem, and calling upon him to yield at once. The narrative thus proceeds: "And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear: open thine eyes, Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to reproach the living God.—Now, therefore, Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only." Observe, now, the prompt answer to this prayer. "Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria;—therefore, thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria,—he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred and eighty and five thousand. And when they arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went and returned."^[16] Is there not here a striking exhibition of the Divine Power, in protecting the innocent against their destroyers?

It is in incidents, like these, of apparent violence, though real mercy, that power is most strikingly manifested; for that exhibition of power most forcibly affects the mind, which appears in some violent outward act, by which great and immediate effect is visibly produced. It is for this reason that we have adduced the above instances. Yet, in reality, there is no greater exercise of Divine power here, than in making the sun daily to shine, and in causing the fruits to grow annually out of the earth, and in breathing into man's nostrils the breath of life, and each moment sustaining the life so given. And it is in such exercises of Divine power,—acts of perfect love and blessing, without even the appearance of violence or harshness—that the Divine Goodness truly delights. As He Himself says, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways and live?"^[17] It is only because the Divine Being had to deal with such corrupt and wicked nations—stiff-necked and rebellious, as the Jews themselves were, and depraved and idolatrous as were the nations around them,—and because the Sacred History necessarily relates those dealings,—that in that Volume there are found so many accounts of seeming severity. It is not that the Lord would have it so, for He is goodness and mercy itself. But the wicked must be restrained, as much for their own good, as for the protection of the innocent whom they would destroy. Real mercy in a king or governor is shown as much in punishing the thief or murderer, as in direct acts of blessing to the good citizen: for the end is protection and peace. Now, the Sacred Volume is written and given to men, both as a support and encouragement to the good, and as a check and warning to the bad; and it is because the Divine Being has to deal with both kinds and all classes of men, and reveals His will in regard to all—that the Writing containing such revelation necessarily contains words of warning and threatening as well as of promise, and relates instances of punishment inflicted on the evil, as well as of blessings bestowed on the good. This view, when carried fully out, will be found a key to all such passages of Scripture as appear to represent the Divine Being as angry and wrathful, or as exercising His Almighty power in any other than direct acts of blessing.

But there are innumerable instances, in the Sacred Volume, of the exertion of wondrous power in the direct conferring of benefits, as in healing disease, raising the dead to life, providing food for the hungry. The striking narrative of the cure of Naaman's leprosy is one of these.^[18] Restoring to life the Shunamite's son, is an example of the second.^[19] The immediate creation of food for the starving widow woman, is an instance of the third.^[20] The last mentioned story is touchingly told. It was in a time of famine: the poor widow was out at the gate of the city, gathering sticks, to dress her last handful of meal for herself and her son, that they might eat it and die. But the prophet, by the Divine command, told her not to fear; that her "barrel of meal should not waste, nor the cruse of oii fail." And the promise was fulfilled. And so would it be now, and always, were there but faith in the heart of man. None need starve, who will but look up in trust to their God and Saviour, and implore His support, and at the same time strive to do His will. His hand is ever open, and His power is infinite; He not only was the Creator, but is the perpetual Creator of all things; and he will not suffer any to perish who look to Him. It is because men will depend on themselves, instead of on Him,—^it is because they will not believe in the continual presence and perfect power of the Lord,—it is because they prefer to follow their own ways, and pursue their own phantasies, instead of walking in the path which He points out, and which would bring them to happiness and heaven:—these are the causes of the misery, anxiety, want, and wretchedness, that we see all around us in the world. Would men but look up, and trust in their Heavenly Father's perfect power, and believe in His providential interest and care, and then seek to do His Holy will by a faithful performance of the duties set before them,— O how would the face of the world become changed! instead of poverty and misery, there would arise comfort and content; instead of sin and suffering, there would be love, health, and happiness: earth would again become an Eden, and the angelic heaven above would be reflected in the human heaven below.

And now we come, in the next place, to consider some of the proofs of the Divine Wisdom, as exhibited in the volume of Holy Writ. And in the first place, what is the direct testimony which, in this His Word, God bears to Himself, on this point? For we are to keep in mind, that this is God Speaking: and whether He speak concerning Himself, or concerning men His creatures, or of the heaven and earth which He has made,—and whether He speak directly in the first person, "I," or whether He speak through the mouth of the Psalmist or others, it is still God speaking. Now what does this Word declare, in relation to the Divine Wisdom? "His understanding is infinite," says the Psalmist^[21]; or, as the passage might be more exactly rendered, "there is no numbering (or measuring) His understanding." Again: "He knoweth the secrets of the heart."^[22] "He knoweth our frame: He remembereth that we are dust."^[23] "Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people, and ye foolish, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that chastiseth the nations, shall not He correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not He know?"^[24] But in the following magnificent passage of Isaiah, the Divine wisdom and power together are described in a style of loftiness which no human poet has at all approached: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance. Who directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being His counselor, hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and shewed to Him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing: all nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him? It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to nothing: He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted: yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and He shall also blow upon them and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. To whom, then, will ye liken Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,—that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names, by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power: not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speaketh, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding."^[25]

Is not this sublime language? Is not this Divine language? Is not this God Speaking, and bearing witness of Himself in a style worthy of Himself? And He must bear witness of Himself, because there is no one else able to bear fit witness of Him. He alone knows Himself. And hence we may perceive the importance, the absolute necessity of Revelation—of a direct Revelation from God. Without such a Revelation, we could know little or nothing—nothing with certainty—concerning subjects of the first interest and importance to man: subjects, such as these: Who made man, and what is his destination? Whence did he come, and whither is he going, and what is the purpose of his being? Without direct Revelation, we could know nothing with certainty concerning God, concerning heaven, or the blissful unseen world for which that God has created us, or concerning the way thither and the means to reach that happy end. In a word, we should be completely in the dark on all those subjects which are in the highest rank of thought, and yet of the most immediate and practical interest to every man that lives. We speak of the "light of nature;" but what is the light of nature in reference to these spiritual and Divine topics? Nothing. What we term the "light of nature" is, as has been justly said, "only the reflected light of Revelation." The proper light of nature, or, as it should be termed, illumination from God, merely gives the power of confirming, by reflection and observation, the truths which we have already learned by instruction from Divine Revelation, in the days of our infancy and childhood. Warburton has admirably said, "Had not Revelation discovered the true principles of religion, they would, without doubt, have remained altogether unknown: yet, on their discovery, they appeared so consonant to human reason, that men were apt to mistake them for the production of it."^[26] This is precisely the truth. As a proof of it, on the records of criminal courts are to be found frequent cases of persons endowed with good natural intelligence, who yet, from want of instruction in childhood, were found utterly ignorant of the being of a God, of the existence of a life after death—nay, of the fact that they themselves possessed an immortal soul at all. These great truths they were able to comprehend gradually when instructed, yet of themselves they had no knowledge of them. The same has been found to be true of those born deaf and dumb;—thus showing plainly that it is not, as some have imagined, by an inner light or light of nature that we know these Divine and spiritual things, but by instruction in the first place, from without,—from parents and teachers, who have themselves been instructed from written Revelation. Nay, is it not still stronger proof that there is not such an inner light, giving a knowledge of and belief in Divine things,—that we find in the world, nay, in the very midst of a Christian population, some, who, in the Cimmerian darkness of their minds, not only have no self-derived perception of spiritual truths, but are even able to stifle or absorb the rays of revealed light flowing in from without, and persist in denying or doubting the existence of a God and of a life after death, and even of their own rational souls, declaring themselves to be no better than the beasts that perish? How can there be, as is imagined, a "light of nature," a universal revelation, flowing into all men's minds, when we find instances like these?^[27]

No! but for the merciful Revelation that we have from God Himaself, His written Word, we should be in darkness concerning all spiritual things. We could neither find the way to heaven, nor indeed should we know of any heaven to be sought. We should neither address a prayer to the God above, nor should we, in fact, know of the existence of any God to be addressed. Without Revelation, we should neither know the way to save our souls, nor indeed that we had immortal souls to be saved. Let those, therefore,—in this reasoning age, so inclined as it is to be faithless and self-dependent—who, though professing a belief in religious things, in God and heaven, are yet beginning to think slightingly of written Revelation, and are disposed to reject or overlook that express Word, and trust to an inner light, which they fancy and call a "direct revelation" from God bestowed upon all men—let such beware: they are treading on dangerous ground: they are leaving the bright fixed light, which, let down by God Himself, shines full and clear on the pathway of life, and are following an ignis fatuus which will assuredly lead them astray.

And now we are brought to our third and last point, the consideration of the Goodness of God, as affirmed in the pages of Divine Revelation. And is it in the power of language, to speak with more directness and positiveness, or in terms stronger, or with illustrations more apposite and touching, than are presented in the Holy Scriptures, in reference to the goodness and love of our Heavenly Father? Hear this! listen to God Himself describing His own love and tenderness toward men His creatures! "But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee."^[28] What a charming illustration is that here selected! It is not a father's affection, with which the Lord compares His love; one would have thought such a declaration sufficiently earnest. No! it is a mother's love, that is taken for the illustration,—a mother's love, in its fullness of tenderness—her love for her helpless newborn babe. Such, and no less, is the tender affection of our Lord toward us His creatures. Nay, He is not content with even this illustration: He affirms that His love goes beyond this. For it might be a possible thing, it is said, even for a mother's love to fail,—for everything human is weak and changeful, though, least of all affections, the love of a mother. But God is absolutely unchangeable, and His love is infinite. Greater than a mother's love? yes, infinitely! For it is to be remembered, that a mother's love itself, and a father's, too, and all the parental affection of all beings in the universe, are but streams out of the exhaustless fountain of the Divine love.

Again: "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might, nor the rich glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me,—that I am the Lord, who exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."^[29] What an earnest and straightforward declaration is this! Note, then, the following: "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and shall gently lead those that are with young."^[30] Here is another tender simile,—that of a shepherd, leading and feeding his flock, and carrying the little lambs on his arm and in his bosom. Can anything be conceived more tender than this? Can any language be used, more strongly expressive of the affectionate loving character and nature of our Heavenly Parent—who made us, who redeemed us, who watches over us night and day, to keep us and to bless us, and to lead us as His flock to the pastures of everlasting green in the realms above? Read, too, that charming twenty third Psalm (which every child should learn by heart), where the same idea of the Lord as the good Shepherd is continued: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." How sweet are the pictures here presented to the mind, of the Lord's tender care and keeping and guidance of us, through life, and through death, and for ever!

And shall we give all this up? Will any one, who has once read these passages and numberless similar ones scattered throughout the precious Volume, be willing to resign the comfort afforded by these delightful assurances, coming, as they do, directly from God Himself,—and fall back upon the cold and uncertain speculations of human reasoning, unsustained by Divine Beyelation? What would the great ancients, Cicero, or Socrates, or Plato, have given for the treasures of such a Revelation as that we now possess! Behold them—the best and wisest of those ancient philosophers—painfully groping their way to a belief in God and the immortality of the soul. In that twilight of the intellectual day, what mists and gloom hung everywhere over the mental landscape, and not only bounded and narrowed the view of earthly things, but quite covered over the heavens above as with a thick cloud. Hear Cato,—as Addison has represented him to us,—when about to put an end to himself, with a Roman's barbarous idea of courage, and in ignorance of that sentiment of true bravery,

The coward sneaks to death: the brave lives on"—

soliloquizing, with his sword lying before him, on the possibility of there being another state of existence, after the close of this:—

"It must be so: Plato, then reaaonest well!
Else whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,
This longing after immortality?
Or whence this secret dread and inward horror
Of falling into nought? Why shrinks the soul
Back on herself and startles at destruction?
'Tis the Divinity that stirs within us;
'Tis Heaven itself that points out a hereafter,
And intimates eternity to man.
Eternity, thou pleasing, dreadful thought!
Through what variety of untried being,
Through what new scenes and changes must we pass?
The wide, th' unbounded prospect lies before me,

But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it.
Here will I hold. If there's a Power above us,
(And that there is, all nature cries aloud
Through all her works) He must delight in virtue;
And that which He delights in must be happy.
But when? or where?—This world was made for Caesar!
I'm weary of conjectures:—this^[31] must end them."

Here we behold depicted the state of mind of even the purest and loftiest spirits of the ancient world. From the want of Revelation, the future was all doubt and uncertainty; and for want of the light of a glorious future shining on the path of life, the present also was wrapped in clouds and gloom; and all the ways and courses of things seemed to them to be "out of joint," and without any guiding, principle, and rushing on hap-hazard to confusion and destruction. Though all the works of nature seemed plainly to proclaim to the reason the existence of a great Creator and "Power above," still there was not that satisfying certainty, that delightful and peaceful assurance of the fact, which a direct and speaking Revelation from that Being Himself alone can give. The light which the men of that day had concerning spiritual things, in comparison with that which we have, was as the evening twilight to the effulgence of noon. Truths, which are as familiar as household words to every child in the land, were the subjects of earnest and anxious inquiry and of doubtful reality, to the first philosophers of Grecian and Roman times. Not more advanced in natural science, is this age of printed books, of steam, of the railway, and of the electric telegraph, beyond the rudimental knowledge of the ancients—than is this age of religious light in advance of the gross ignorance and darkness of those former days concerning all spiritual things. And to what is the great change to be ascribed? It is because the "Sun of Righteousness has risen upon us with healing in his wings." It is because the great light of Revelation, and especially of Christian Revelation, has burst through the "o'er-hanging clouds" upon the human mind. "The people that sat in darkness saw great light, and to those that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up." God has spoken to man, and given him direct assurance, not only of His real existence, but of His infinite power and wisdom, and, above all, of His love and goodness, and His Fatherly and tender regard for men. His creatures. That which was, before, a matter only of speculation, is now a truth of certain information; that which, before, seemed only a possibility, or at best a probability, has now become a delightful certainty: to the twinkling starlight of human reason, has succeeded the broad sunshine of Divine Revelation.

1. Exodus xix. 16, 19.
2. Exodus xx. 18—22.
3. Exodus xxiv. 4, 7.
4. Deut. xxxi. 25, 26.
5. 2 Samuel xxiii. 2.
6. Exodus xxiv. 4.
7. Jeremiah xxxvi. 1, 2.
8. Deuteronomy xxxi. 24—26.
9. Deut. xvii. 18, 19.
10. J. Scott Porter's Principles of Textual Criticism, Book II., Chap. I.
11. Porter's Principles of Textual Criticism, Book II, Chap. II.
12. Porter's Principles of Textual Criticism, Book II., Chap. I.
13. North British Review.
14. Exodus iii. 1—8
15. Exodus xiv. 24—30.
16. Issiah xxxvii.
17. Ezekiel xviii. 23.
18. 2 Kings v.
19. 2 Kings iv.
20. 1 Kings xvii.
21. Psalm cxlvii. 5.
22. Psalm xliv. 21.
23. Psalm ciii. 14.
24. Psalm xciv. 7—10.
25. Isaiah xl. 12—28.
26. Divine Legation, Book III., Sec. V.}}
27. There may appear, perhaps, at first view, to be some inconsistency between the truths here presented, and the remarks made in a previous chapter (Chap. I.) concerning the ready belief of children, and even of savages, in the existence of a God. But the inconsisteney is only an apparent one. Infants and young children, not having their minds inwardly closed by a life of evil or indulgence in vice, have their perceptions still open to the influence of that power, communicated by God to every human mind,—not of discovering Divine truth, but of perceiving and acknowledging such truth when taught. Just so is it with the savage. He does not receive his knowledge of the existence of a God or Great Spirit, from an inner teaching; but he, also, has that knowledge by instruction from parents; which is proved from the fact, that in the various heathen nations, ideas of God differ, according to the different kinds of instruction they receive. That knowledge, such as it is, has been handed down by tradition from age to age and from generation to generation,—even from that most ancient time, when man, in a state of integrity, was in direct communication with God. And this is of Divine Providence, who mercifully takes care that with every people there shall be some knowledge of Himself, which may be man's guiding star to heaven; for "in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness, is accepted of Him." (Acts x. 35.)
28. Isaiah xlix. 14, 15
29. Jeremiah ix. 23, 24.
30. Isaiah xl. 10, 11.
31. His sword.