"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
- Isaiah 55:9
God's thoughts and ways are not as ours respecting the best methods of dealing with his people, and carrying on the work of grace in their souls after it is begun. When God delivered his people from Egyptian bondage, if he had led them by the nearest and most direct way to Canaan, they might have reached it in a very few days. And had they been consulted, they would probably have thought the nearest way the best. But God thought otherwise. So when God converts his people from sin to holiness, he could, if he pleased, render them perfectly holy at once, and they are often ready to imagine that this would be much the better way both for his glory and their own good. But instead of adopting this method, he grants them at first but small degrees of grace, and increases it in a very slow and gradual manner. He leads them round for many years through a wilderness beset with temptations, trials, and sufferings, with a view to humble them, prove them, and show them all that is in their hearts. By the discoveries which they make of their own weakness, ignorance, and propensity to sin, their pride is humbled, their self-confidence destroyed, and their patience, meekness, and candor are increased. The Savior and his method of salvation is rendered more precious, and all ground for boasting forever excluded.
If God's thoughts and ways are thus high above ours, it must be abominable pride, impiety, folly, and presumption in us to censure them even in thought. Yet how often men do this! How often do they, at least in their hearts, find fault with God's word, murmur at his dispensations, repine under afflictions, feel dissatisfied with his manner of governing the world, quarrel with his sovereignty in the bestowing of favors, and thus in effect say that God is either unwise, unkind, or unjust, and that they could conduct things in a better manner! My friends, if this is not horridly impious and presumptuous, if it does not reveal the most abominable pride, what does? For an illiterate peasant to censure the conduct of his prince, with the reasons of which he is utterly unacquainted; for a child of a week old to condemn the proceedings of his parent would be nothing to this. We are told that if any man judges a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. What folly and shame is it then for us to attempt to judge of God's conduct when we know only so small a part of his ways, and even this part imperfectly.
An ancient writer tell us of a man who, having a house for sale, carried a brick to market to exhibit as a specimen. You may perhaps smile at his folly in supposing that any purchaser would or could judge of a whole house, which he never saw, by so small a part of it. But are not we guilty of much greater folly in attempting to form an opinion of God's conduct from that little part of it which we are able to discover?
Hence, whenever we attempt to judge of it, we do in effect set ourselves up as God, knowing good and evil. Well therefore may God reply to our vain, proud, and impious objections: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding....Would you indeed annul my judgment? Would you condemn me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God?"
And while God may thus with propriety address each of us, it becomes us to reply with Job, "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice, but I will proceed no farther. I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know."
