fences and delivering them from their evils. Hence the Apostle tells us: "All things work together unto good to them that love God."[1]
And this protection God extends to the children of the just and to all their posterity, as He Himself assures us, saying: "I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto thousands to them that love Me and keep My commandments."[2] His words are verified in His treatment of the house of David, for whose sake He would not destroy his posterity, though they several times merited it by their crimes. No less striking was His mercy to the children of Abraham, for whose sake He repeatedly pardoned them. He even promised that Ismael, "Abraham's son, though born of a bondwoman, should "increase and multiply exceedingly, and grow into a great nation."[3] He protected even the holy Patriarch's servant, whom He guided in his journey and instructed in the means he should adopt to procure a wife for Isaac. He is not only merciful to servants for the sake of a good master, but He even blesses wicked masters because of just servants, as we see in the history of Joseph, whose master God visited with prosperity because of the virtuous youth who abode in his house. Who, then, would not be devoted to so generous, so grateful a Master, Who watches so carefully over the interest of His servants?
Numerous are the titles which the Holy
