Page:Philochristus, Abbott, 1878.djvu/92

84 man's heart.' Doth not the sight of all this glory and beauty cause thee also to say with the Singer of Israel, 'O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all'?"

But I made answer, in the bitterness of my heart, according to the words of the same Psalm, saying, "Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust." Then Jonathan bowed his head and answered nothing, but I continued, "Did not the same hand which made the dove make also yonder eagle to destroy the dove? Did not the God which chose out Israel from among the Gentiles to serve Him, choose out Rome also to rend Israel in pieces? Thou speakest after the manner of Philo the Alexandrine, who saith that God revealeth Himself to us through His Word in the universe. But verily He revealeth Himself not so unto me. Nay rather, unsearchable are the paths of the Creator in the universe, and His ways in the world are past finding out."

Then the old man covered his face with his hands and wept; but soon raising his head he said, "Is it seemly that a son of Abraham should have so little trust in the Lord? Bethink thee of the times when the Holy Temple was burned with fire, and Judah led into captivity: did not all the Gentiles say in those days, 'God hath forsaken them'? Yet did the Lord save Israel out of the hand of the daughter of Babylon, and out of the hand of the Assyrian and the Philistine, as also out of the hand of the Egyptian, in the days of old. Commit thy way therefore unto the Lord, and trust in Him, and He shall bring the word of His prophets to pass.

"Is not the Lord our God perchance even now on the point to stop the mouths of them that complained? Is there not even now, after four hundred years, a prophet