A Goodly Heritage

Powers. They are princes, with mighty power: we cannot tell how great the power of Satan is. When God permits him, he makes a wonderful display of his power in all creation, over all the elements. He has power over fire. He can cause thunders and lightnings in the firmament, and can set the heavens on fire. He has power over the air. “He is the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). It was he that caused the mighty wind from the wilderness to fall upon Job’s house, and kill his children. Without God’s permission, he cannot make a breath of air to blow, but with permission he can at any time raise wind enough to remove mountains. Satan has power over water. He can hurl the sea into such commotion that the depth shall boil like a pot. Satan has power over the earth, and can cause earthquakes to swallow up towns and cities, rocks and rivers. Satan can enter into the bodies of beasts. A legion of devils entered into a herd of two thousand swine, and hurried them violently over a...

Silence should not remain unbroken, nor should it arise from idleness. How heart and mouth must be guarded against inordinate affections. .   What   then? Ought we to be dumb? Certainly not. For: “there is a time to keep silence and a time to speak.”   If, then, we are to give account for an idle word, let us take care that we do not have to give it also for an idle silence. For there is also an active silence, such as Susanna’s was, who did more by keeping silence than if she had spoken. For in keeping silence before men she spoke to God, and found no greater proof of her chastity than silence. Her conscience spoke where no word was heard, and she sought no judgement for herself at the hands of men, for she had the witness of the Lord. She therefore desired to be acquitted by Him, Who she knew could not be deceived in any way   Yea, the Lord Himself in the Gospel worked out in silence the salvation of men.   David rightly therefore enjoined on himself not ...