The Goodness of God

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 21, 1858

The Goodness of God.

It is a delightful thought, that although the person of the Deity is forever concealed from the gaze of mortal eyes, yet some of his most glorious attributes are so manifested or embodied in his visible works, that whoever studiously directs his attention to them, may, from the contemplation, derive such conceptions of the character of the invisible Creator, as shall fill the mind with inexpressible delight; and provided the heart be right, excite towards him profound feelings of love, gratitude and adoration. When we gaze upon some choice work of art, we see embodied in that production the skill of the artist; and according to the beauty or ingenuity displayed in the workmanship, will be our conception of that skill. In like manner, we see embodied in the Almighty's works his power, wisdom and goodness, and the mind cannot fail of being impressed, if impressed at all, with the infinite superiority of the Creator's power and wisdom, over all the power and skill of man. But whilst the great and beautiful of the works of man are sought after with intense eagerness, and viewed with the most profound admiration, no praise or honors being considered too great to be lavished upon the gifted authors, how common is it for the works of Him, the creature of whose hands man is, to be passed by, or trodden under foot with the utmost indifference! and yet "the poor beetle that we tread upon," or the humblest flower that decks earth's surface, and which we so thoughtlessly crush beneath our feet, is a manifestation of greater power and wisdom, than can be furnished by all the works of man combined.

How many, may we reasonably suppose, of the vast multitudes who visited the late Crystal Palace, and there gazed with wonder and admiration upon productions the most exquisite that the fertile genius of man ever conceived, or his dextrous hands ever wrought, permitted, even for one moment, their thoughts to ascend to him who giveth to man wisdom, and knowledge, and to whom the highest praise ought ever to be rendered! Is there not too much reason to fear that the vast edifice, the wonder of the age, containing specimens of the useful, ornamental, beautiful and gorgeous of human production out of every nation, and from every clime, was but a magnificent idol temple to which rushed daily crowds of devotees, and there, in heart, prostrated themselves in adoration to the creature man. Whilst we would deem it right to admire the great and beautiful of all that man has accomplished, and render the praise justly due to him, we ought not to stop here, but elevate our thoughts to that Being who endowed man with these powers, and that with a view to his own glory, of which we cannot but rob him, when we lavish all of our admiration and praise upon the creature, to the total disregard of the Creator. I am wandering, however, from the design of the present communication, which was to impart a few thoughts in relation to the goodness of God, as manifested in the care which he has exercised to clothe with beauty the terrestrial abode of man, and endowing him with faculties capable of appreciating, and deriving pleasure from the contemplation of the same.

We should naturally suppose that the first inquiry of every reflecting individual would be, when during his rambles through the pleasant fields and shady groves, his attention is directed to the many beautiful flowers that are scattered along his path, of colors so varied and brilliant, and possessing such a variety of elegant and pleasing forms, of what utility are all these—what purpose do they serve in the vast system of creation? And whilst in relation to some, the answer may be, that they are possessed of medicinal properties, and thus prove greatly useful to man and beast; in respect to the great mass of them, no such answer can be given.

It is true, that we cannot positively affirm that they subserve no useful purpose, but so far as our knowledge extends, none has as yet been assigned to them. As we are assured, however, that God has created nothing in vain, or without a reference to some end, the mind is disposed to seek for some explanation of the profuse expenditure of creative power and wisdom by which it is surrounded; and in the instance under consideration, what other appears so natural, or so pleasing, as that our heavenly Father, in thus clothing with beauty the dwelling-place of man, and endowing him with faculties capable of appreciating this beauty, had in view the promotion of his happiness and enjoyment. It is admitted, however, that the final end of all creation is the glory of God; and if the hearts of the children of men were impressed, as they should be, with the goodness of the Creator, in not only making ample provision for the supply of necessary wants, but in providing for all who will avail themselves of it, an inexhaustible fund of innocent delight and enjoyment, love, gratitude and adoration would fill the soul, and ascend as sweet incense to the throne of the Eternal, who would thus receive the glory so justly his due. But supposing these flowers to serve some useful purpose, or extending our observation to those which we positively know to be possessed of useful properties, how lavishly do we find the beautiful to be combined with the useful, and thus see manifested the superabounding goodness of God.

If utility simply had been the paramount object with the Creator, we can easily perceive that this end might have been attained, in the absence of much of that beauty which now meets our gaze, and draws forth our admiration, and which led the Saviour when upon earth, in directing the attention of his hearers to the beautiful lily with which their eyes were so familiar, to exclaim, that "Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Thus in relation to color, instead of the beautifully variegated hues presented by many flowers, and so pleasing to the eye, each flower might have possessed but one uniform color, and yet so far as we are capable of perceiving, might equally well have fulfilled the end of its creation, so far as relates to usefulness. In place of the admirably scalloped edge presented by a large proportion of flowers, and which certainly imparts pleasure to the beholder, they might without interfering with their utility, so far as we can perceive, have been formed with their edges perfectly straight. In the class of birds, what an amount of beauty is displayed! what a variety of brilliant hues the plumage of many birds presents! Among the insects, too, from the gaudy butterfly that spreads his beauteous wings to the summer sun, to the more humble, yet dazzling diamond beetle, how delicate the tinges, how bright the colors, and how exquisitely adapted their arrangement to produce the most pleasing effect to the eye of the beholder! and wherefore all this! We can scarcely suppose that the happiness of the creatures themselves is increased by their splendid array, even if they are capable of appreciating it at all. What other reason then appears so natural, as that the Creator, in thus mingling the beautiful with the useful throughout his works, had especial reference to his last and noblest production, man, who alone, of all the creatures, appears endowed with the faculty of understanding, and deriving pleasure from the beautiful in nature. The contemplation of the beautiful works of God, is evidently a great source of pleasure and happiness to man; and the more pure his heart and heavenly his spirit, the more exalted will be his enjoyment.

Whilst, then, we suppose that this may legitimately be considered as the primary or apparent end designed, we should deem the grand and ultimate purpose to be, that a deep sense of the goodness of the Creator, in thus strewing man's pathway, sinful and fallen though he be, with so much that is pleasing and attractive, might not only rest upon his mind, but affect his heart, that from thence, as the fountain of all acceptable offering, might ascend the continual incense of praise to him, who has declared that for his glory he hath created all things.

And, although it is undoubtedly true, that we shall never be prepared, duly to appreciate the goodness of God, until we have become experimentally acquainted with the love of God in Christ, and experienced that change without which no man can enter into the kingdom of heaven; yet we should suppose, that a contemplation of his goodness, so clearly manifested, as we deem it to be, in that particular part of his works to which our attention has been directed, could not fail to impart conviction, temporarily at least, to the mind of the most thoughtless, that the Creator was not the cruel, tyrannical Being whom the wicked, in their hearts, generally deem him to be, having no paternal regard for the creatures that he hath formed, and making no provision for their happiness and enjoyment. Far be such a thought from our minds. The Lord is good; his goodness is in all his works, and blessed be his great and holy name forever and ever. Another thought, and I will close.

If the Creator has so lavishly adorned man's abode, cursed though it be for his sake, what may we suppose it to have been, when his hand was fresh upon it, and "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," when man walked the earth in innocence; in Paradise was blessed with the presence of his Maker—angels winged their ethereal way from the Paradise above to walk amid the beauties of the Paradise below, and be the guest of man.

"O God! O good beyond compare! If thus thy meaner works are fair, If thus thy beauties gild the span Of ruined earth, and sinful man; How glorious must the mansion be Where thy redeemed shall dwell with Thee!"

[Baptist Register.