with the glory he had with the Father "before the world was," and in his kingdom for ever cry, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Amen.

THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

How often has the enquiry of the prophet Jeremiah perplexed the minds of those who have observed the varied conditions of the godly and the ungodly. "Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" Whilst, also, the suffering child of God has, like Moses, enquired, "Why hast thou afflicted me!" or, like Asaph, complained, "Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning." Under the influence of temptation many have been led to write bitter things against the Divine Being, whose good providence extendeth over all. It is the influence of faith in the righteousness and goodness of God that will teach us acquiescence in his appointments, and persuade us that "all things will work together for good to them that love God." In the meantime, a little consideration may furnish us with a reasonable reply to the inquiries of our jaundiced and desponding minds. For this purpose, we present to our readers the views, on this subject, of the learned Rabbi, Joseph Abbo; presuming, that if they should not fully coincide with all his opinions, they may, nevertheless, find something to commend, and which may aid their reflections on a topic confessedly surrounded with difficulties. The learned writer observes

"It behoves every believer in the Divine laws to receive, as an article of his faith, that the Holy One (blessed be He!) does take cognizance of each individual composing the human race, and of every one of his actions, to reward or to punish each man individually, and according to his deserts. This is a fundamental principle of the Divine law, and an axiom which it is impossible to controvert without impugning the purpose of Divine revelation and legislation. The principal cause which has induced those who acknowledge the omniscience of the Deity to question the extension of the Divine Providence to individuals and to their actions, is the apparent injustice which, according to their opinions, prevails in the ordinary course of terrestrial affairs, and the fact, that we very often see the wicked prosper in all their undertakings, whilst the righteous are overwhelmed by adversity, and a prey to continued misfortunes; whence they argue, that if the Divine superintendence and providence were extended to individuals and their actions, it is impossible that such glaring injustice could prevail, as that vice should flourish in luxuriant prosperity, while the virtuous is trampled upon and borne down by the weight of his calamities. The fact that

the wicked prosper is most startling and difficult to explain; for all mankind behold his impiety, his arrogance, and his pride; his injustice, his violence, and oppressions; and his defiance of the laws and fear of God, are notorious to all. Nevertheless, his undertakings are all prosperous, and in whatever he does he succeeds. Therefore men are brought to question Providence. (Jer. xii. 1.) The fact, that the righteous should suffer adversity is not equally startling, and does not exercise the same influence on the minds of men, as the injustice of his sufferings is not equally apparent to the generality of mankind. For all know that there is no one so righteous on earth that he should always do good, and never sin, in a greater or less degree. If, therefore, misfortunes befal the righteous, it does not surprise mankind in the same degree as when the wicked prosper; as, in the former case, the inference generally drawn is, he must have committed some secret transgression, where no eye, save that of the Omniscient, saw him; and he who profanes the name of God in secret is punished in public; or, perhaps, he has harboured sinful thoughts, for which he is punished. And, therefore, men are not able to decide who really is righteous, as they who only see the outward acts and appearances may deem a man righteous, whilst God seeth the heart, and its inmost workings and desires, knows that he is wicked."

Whilst the learned Rabbi here shows that there may, in some instances, exist a just occasion for the correction of the apparently righteous, he elsewhere teaches us, that the innocent are involved in the calamities which come upon the ungodly; so also affliction may be permitted to try and prove the graces of the righteous. He then afterwards adds

"In reply to the objection against the Divine government, derived from the prosperity enjoyed by the wicked, we say, that this prosperity may be deduced from four causes, even if we are correct in our estimate, so that he whom we condemn as wicked, be really wicked, whilst he whom we consider as righteous, be truly so..

1. The wicked may prosper in consequence of the general design of Providence. That is to say, by that general design which dispenses prosperity and welfare to any particular country, secures its peace and tranquillity, and bestows on its inhabitants a flourishing and happy condition. This species of superintendence is general in its operations, resembling, in this respect, the cognizance which the Deity takes of the different kinds of animals, with regard to their preservation; and if, as a consequence of its general operation, the wicked prosper, no imputation can thence fairly be cast on the Divine government, any more than it can be reproached because it gave unto him hands, or brains, with which to carry his evil designs into execution; or sound limbs, robust health, and a perfect bodily conformation, which assist him in his nefarious practices. And as we cannot, in justice or equity, tax the Divine government with wrong, because it did not exclude the wicked from that general formation of limbs and features, which have been bestowed on all mankind, we, likewise, cannot cast any imputation on Divine Pro

vidence for not excluding the wicked from the benefits of that general decree of prosperity which has been pronounced in favour of that body politic of which he is a member. But except his sins have reached that last degree of enormity, when the justice of the Deity no longer permits the offender to be screened or protected under the general dispensations of the Divine bounty, the wicked pursues his career of prosperity; not because the cognizance which Providence takes of his actions rewards his wickedness, or grants encouragement to crime, but because he merely shares in that welfare and success, which the Deity has deemed should be the portion of those who are born in a similar situation of life; so that the superintendence of Providence is not extended to the individual, but to the class or divisions of which he is a member.

2. The second source of the prosperity which the wicked enjoys, is derived from the superintendence of Providence, taking cognizance of him as an individual, and of his actions; rewarding him here for what little virtue he may have practised, or good he may have done, and punishing him hereafter for the manifold crimes he has committed. For the Lord is righteous and just, and withholds from none of his creatures that reward to which, by their good deeds, they are entitled. And as no man is so thoroughly evil as not to have performed some one good deed, the Lord leaves not the wicked without that reward which his meritorious actions may claim; but as his good deeds are few, and his crimes many, the Divine justice grants the recompense in his transitory state; while his punishment is reserved for a more lasting existence. This is expressly declared by the sacred singer, when he exclaims, "The vain man knoweth not, and the fool understandeth not this; that the wicked should bloom like grass, and all evil doers should flourish." Ps. xcii. 7, 8. He first states the objection which is urged with great clamour against the Divine government, by those who are not capable of appreciating the justice of the Deity, and who, therefore, give vent to their surprise when they behold the prosperity of the wicked. Having first stated the objection, he instructs us as to the purpose why this is so, and tells us "it is to destroy them everlastingly." They meet with the reward to which their few good deeds entitle them in this world; while in that to come, the punishment due to their crimes awaits them. And in order to teach us the cause wherefore this share of temporal prosperity is bestowed on the wicked, the sacred singer, after mentioning the eternal rewards of the righteous, concludes by saying, "to proclaim that the Lord is just, my Rock, in whom there is no wrong." The Lord, who is just, and in whom there is no wrong, deprives none of his creatures of the reward due to their good actions; and, therefore, he grants temporal happiness to those who, while they have performed some meritorious actions, are by their numerous crimes and transgressions, rendered unworthy of eternal felicity. And that the reward due to a solitary good action, or even to penitence, is not lost, Holy Writ proves to us, in the instance of Ahab, who was so pre-eminently wicked, that the sacred Scriptures characterize his

conduct by saying, "There was no one like unto Ahab, who was só perverse to do evil in the sight of the Lord." Nevertheless, when he became truly penitent, clothed himself in sackcloth, and humbled himself before the Lord, the reward of his penitence was not withheld from him, but the doom which had been pronounced against his dynasty was deferred, and not executed until the days of his son. See 1 Kings xxi. 28, 29.

3. The third cause of the prosperity enjoyed by the wicked may be traced to the superintendence of Providence extended to others, be they pious or ungodly. Thus we find that Laban prospered on account of Jacob; that Potiphar, the Egyptian, saw his house blessed because of Joseph; that Lot was saved through the merits of Abraham; and not only was Lot so preserved, but the inhabitants of the city of Zoar, where he took refuge, escaped destruction, on account of him who was saved through the merits of Abraham. The merits of ancestors likewise avail their descendants, and cause these to prosper, or avert the Divine wrath from them if they are wicked, as we read when Moses interceded for sinful Israel "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thy servants." Sometimes, again, a wicked man gathers great wealth in order that he may leave it to a pious son; or, his years are prolonged, in order that he may give birth to a pious son, as our Rabbies say, "The wicked king Ahaz was permitted to live, in order that Hezekiah, his son, should come to the world." In all these instances which we have enumerated, the wicked have enjoyed the advantages derived from their affinity or connection with the pious. But Holy Writ likewise offers us the example of the ungodly who prospers and succeeds in his enterprises, because he has been appointed by the Deity to be an instrument of the Divine wrath to inflict punishment on other sinners. Thus we find the Lord permitted Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, and Titus, to be victorious, in order that through their instrumentality the sinful Israelites and other impious nations might be punished. Thus the prophet, in the name of the Lord, declares to Sennacherib, "Woe, Assur, staff of my wrath in their hands my anger is a truncheon. I will send them against a nation of hypocrites, and I will command them against the people of my wrath; to make booty and to gain plunder, and to trample on them like the sand of the street." Isa. x. 5, 6. In like manner, the prophet declares to Nebuchadnezzar, "Thou art my hammer, my instrument of war; through thee have I crushed nations, and through thee have I destroyed kingdoms." Jer. li. 20.

4. The fourth cause which we assign to the prosperity of the wicked is, that by their means the virtue of the truly pious may not only be brought to the test, but also be confirmed, approved, and made known to the world. For when the pious man perceives the constant and continued success which crowns the undertakings of the evildoer, and the temporal felicity in which his days glide away; while but too often, distress, oppression, and contumely, attend the virtuous. -When the pious man sees this, and still perseveres in his righteousness, his conduct affords the strongest possible proof of the purity of his motives, and the brightest example for the imitation of others.

Whereas, if instant punishment were to overtake the wicked, and his sins were followed by the immediate cessation of his previous prosperity, scoffers might have an opportunity of calling into question the purity of motive which dictates the conduct of the virtuous man; and, while he is in reality a worshipper from love, they might attribute his piety to the base and selfish motives of fear, and loss of temporal welfare. But when men see the tempting example of the wicked who meets with no punishment, and whose prosperity is increased by his continued success, they must conclude, that he who resists the influence of this temptation, and still perseveres in piety, must be a worshipper from love, and, as such, worthy of being held up as a pattern for the imitation of others.

These four causes explain the prosperity which the wicked enjoy. in this world, and which in every instance may be traced to one or other of them; that is to say, provided our estimate of a man's character be correct, and what we suppose to be happiness be really deserving of that name. But it is possible that we may be mistaken in our estimate; and that while we consider a man to be wicked, the Searcher of all hearts knows that he is virtuous. And that we may likewise be mistaken in our ideas of the happiness which attend wealth and power, is proved by the sage monarch, when he says, 'There are riches which bring evil to their owners.' Eccl. v. 12. Our Rabbies also, and most justly, observe, 'He who multiplies riches increaseth care.' As David likewise says, 'Many are the pains of the wicked.' Ps. xxxii. 10. So that the experience of the most wise, most prosperous, and most successful, unite in assuring us, that neither riches nor honours invariably afford happiness in this world."

Thus far the learned Rabbi! We fully accord with him in the doctrine of a Superintending Providence extending to every individual of the race, both righteous and wicked. Nor can the prosperity of the wicked militate against the conviction that God governs the universe, and all intelligent creatures within its vast domains, by the principles of equity, goodness, and truth. We are, however, but partial judges of his ways. We only know in part; and our imperfection should not be made the standard to measure the perfection of Him whose understanding is infinite. One great error, we conceive, may arise from the definitions of prosperity, and from limiting our views by the present life. We have not sufficient patience to Iwait the conclusion. This was more excusable with those ancient philosophers, who, with all their researches, were unable to bring immortality to light, and, therefore, could not dogmatically affirm that God had appointed a day in which to judge the world. This doctrine tends to remove our difficulties by the prospect of a future reward of happiness to the truly righteous, and of punishment to the wicked.

But what is prosperity? Is it simply success in human undertakings, and the accumulation of property? This may be the product either of honest industry, or the result of nefarious artifice.