| 313 earth, so are God's thoughts above our thoughts, and his ways above our ways." Under those circumstances, we seek in vain to know God, unless we seek in his appointed way, and obtain the intelligence that he himself, imparts.
There has been something mysterious in all the dealings of God with the human family, if in the pages of the sacred oracles of truth we trace the finger of Jehovah, we shall find that there are many things that to us are inexplicable, and which to the persons concerned in the age in which they transpired, would be dark and mysterious. If we notice the situation of Noah, called to build an ark upon the dry land, it certainly was a curious project, and calculated at least to bring upon him the witticism and raillery of the generation in which he lived; our wise men could not have accounted for it upon any philosophical principles, and of course would have pronounced it folly: and the generation in which he lived were, we presume, equally wise, if we may judge from their conduct; for none of them made preparations for themselves, nor did they avail themselves of the ark that was built by Noah.
Abraham was placed in a peculiar situation when the Lord called him to offer up his son Isaac. How the promise of God was to be fulfilled to him, was indeed mysterious. He had stated that in "Isaac his seed should be called" and yet he tells him, peremptorily to offer up his son, the only possible channel through which he could fulfil [fulfill] the promise of God made to him. His removal from the land in which he lived, to the land of Canaan, was equally as mysterious, and would appear as singular and visionary to the people with which he was surrounded. The Lord said to Abraham, "get thee out of thy country, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew [show] thee; and I will make of thee a great nation," &c. Genesis, xii: 1, 2. And Paul, in speaking on the subject, says, "he went up, not knowing whither he went." Now suppose we imagine to ourselves that we see the venerable Patriarch, starting off, with his household, on this expedition, agreeable to the word of the Lord, in company with his nephew Lot, and we see some of their neighbors, relations and friends, surrounding them. We might imagine that something like the following conversation would take place:
Abraham, what are you packing up your goods, gathering your flocks and herds, and saddling your asses for? You look as though you were going on a journey. I am going on a journey, answers the Patriarch, at the command of the Lord. Whither goest thou, they again ask. I do not know, is his unsatisfactory reply. What? with astonishment they ask, the Lord has told you to go somewhere, and you do not know where? you must be under some fatal delusion! Are you going to leave a certainty, for an uncertainty? Are you going to leave your friends, your kindred, and your fathers house, to wander into a strange land that you do not know of, nor the people, nor even where you are going: strange infatuation. I go, says Abraham, at the bidding of the Almighty. Ah! we do not believe the Almighty would tell you to do such a thing. No matter, says, he, whether you believe it or not, I go.-Then, for God's sake, leave your wife, your family, your cattle, and Lot's family-do not bring destruction upon them. If you must go, first ascertain where you are going-find out the location, and then return. But the "father of the faithful" is unwavering, and he went up, "not knowing whither he went." No doubt but that his neighbors and friends would consider him a fool, not understanding the principles by which he was actuated. The history of Moses furnishes us with many mysterious movements that to many would be altogether inexplicable. The circumstances connected with his departure from Egypt; the forty years travel in the wilderness, when forty days would have taken them to the land; their passage through the Red Sea, when they could have easily avoided it, and have gone a much nearer way without passing it; the earth opening and swallowing Koran and his company; the falling of Manna, of Quails, and many other circumstances, are indeed to us peculiar. The history of Joshua, the Judges, and of the Prophets, abound with circumstances of the most peculiar kind, and which can only be accounted for upon the principles of faith. The Sun and the Moon standing still; the walls of Jerico [Jericho] falling, with the sound of ram's horns; Sampson killing so many with the jaw bone of an ass; lifting up the pillars of the Temple, and causing the building to fall.
The case of Gideon's going forth with his little company, and discomfiting the enemy; Elijah's raising the dead and being translated, and ten thousand other things that might be mentioned are to the world a paradox, and would be the same to many of us, if we had to experience them. Add to this the many peculiarities, some of which would naturally be revolting to us, the many wives of Solomon, David, and other great men. The case of Hoseas' being told to take unto him a wife of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms; that
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