Fri.-Sabbath, 9/21-23/12 Devotion

Sunday is almost here! Wahoo! We get to go to church, and worship as the covenant community of God. Here is Thomas Watson, from, "God's Anatomy upon Man's Heart." (With the real threat of the devil's politic-ians winning again in Nov., let Watson's quote encourage us.) . . .

"If things go badly in church or state, take heed of charging God with folly; do not censure but admire. All things are seen by God. There is not any thing that stirs in the world, but God has a design in it, for the good of His church. He carries on His designs by men's designs. All things are unveiled to the eye of providence. God is never at a stand: He knows when to deliver, and how to deliver. . . .

"God delivers sometimes in that way in which we think He will de-stroy. It might seem strange, when He would deliver Israel, He stirred up the hearts of the Egyptians to hate them. Could this be a likely way? Yet by this means was deliverance ushered in. So now the hearts of many are stirred up to hate the people of God, to hate the cove-nant; but God can make use of their power and rage, as once He did of the High Priest's malice, and Judas' treason, for our greater advant-age. There was no way for Jonah to be saved, but to be swallowed up; he sails safe to land in the whale's belly. God brings His people many times to shore upon the broken pieces of the ship. God can make the enemies do His work. He does sometimes play His own game by their hand. Well then may we cry out with the apostle; 'O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!' God will not make us privy of His counsel, His path is in the deep. If we cannot see a reason of His proceedings; let us censure our own shal-lowness, not His depth."