Of the providence of god
John Gill
The next external work of God
is "Providence"; by which all the creatures God has made are
preserved, governed, guided, and directed. The word itself is never used of the
divine Being syllabically, or in so many syllables in scripture; yet the thing
itself, or what is meant by it, is fully declared and
clearly expressed; as, that God upholds all things by his power; governs the
world by his wisdom; looks down upon the earth, takes notice and care of all
his creatures in it, and makes provision for them, and guides and directs them
to answer the ends for which they were made; which is the sum and substance of
Providence: nor need we abstain from the use of the word on
that account, since there are many other words used to express Christian
doctrines, not to be found in the Bible, though the things expressed by them
are, as trinity, satisfaction, &c. nor because it is taken from the school
of Plato, who is said {1} to be the first that made mention of the providence
of God in so many words, as he often {2} does: nor because used by the Stoic
philosophers, and other heathens, who have wrote and spoken
well of divine providence. It is once used in scripture, of the civil
administration of a Roman governor, Felix, by Tertullus the orator, when he
pleaded before him against the apostle Paul, whom he compliments on the
"great quietness" the Jews enjoyed under his government, and
"the very worthy deeds done unto their nation by his providence", #Ac
24:3 that is, by his wise and prudent administration of
government, and the provident care he took of the peace and welfare of the
Jewish nation; as he would be understood. And if the word may be used of such
an administration of government; or of that of a civil magistrate; then much
more of the great Governor of the world, whose is the kingdom of the whole
world, and he is the Governor among the nations; whose kingdom rules over all, and who does according to his will and pleasure in heaven and
in earth; and does all things, well and wisely.
Providence, of which we are
now about to treat, must be considered as distinct from praevidence,
praevision, prescience, foresight, foreknowledge, and predestination; which all respect some act in the divine mind in eternity; and
are no other than the eternal purposes and decrees of God, who foresaw and
foreknew all persons and things that would be; he determining within himself
that they should be; for "known unto him were all his works from the
beginning", or from eternity; even all that would be done in time, from
the beginning to the end of the world; he knew they would
be, because he decreed they should be; this may be called eternal providence,
virtual providence, providence in purpose; but providence in time, which is
what is now under consideration and may be called actual providence, is the
execution of whatsoever God has foreknown and determined; "Who worketh all
things after the counsel of his will", #Eph 1:11 the eternal will of God
is the rule of his conduct in providence, according to which
he proceeds in it; and his wisdom, which fixed his will, and therefore said to
be the counsel of his will, presides, guides, and directs in the execution of
it; which execution of it is called his working; wherefore providence is to be
reckoned as his work. The wise man says, "There is a time to every purpose
under the heaven"; whatever is done under the heavens in time,
there was a purpose for it in eternity; and for the execution of that purpose a
time was fixed; and at that time it is brought about by the providence of God;
who "makes everything beautiful in his time"; in the time and season
in which he appointed it to be done, #Ec 3:1,11. Purpose and providence exactly
tally and answer to each other; the one is the fulfilment of the other;
"Surely, as I have thought", saith the Lord,
"so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it
stand", #Isa 14:24.
The providence of God is not
only expressed in scripture, by his sustaining, upholding, and preserving all
things; and by his government of the world, and the execution
of his purposes; but by his looking down upon the earth, and the inhabitants of
it; taking a prospect of them, and notice of their ways, and works, and
actions, and dealing with them according to them; "The Lord looked down
from heaven upon the children of men", &c. #Ps 14:2 33:13,14. The
providence of God may be argued from, and illustrated by the senses which he
imparts to men, for their good, preservation, and safety;
particularly those of hearing and seeing. He has placed the eyes and the ears
in the head of the human body, to look out after and listen to what may turn to
the advantage or disadvantage of the members of the body; hence the Psalmist
reasons, "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the
eye, shall he not see?" He must needs hear all that is said, and see all that is done in the world, and must know and take notice of
all persons in it, their works, their words, and even their very thoughts; as
it follows; "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are
vanity", #Ps 94:9-11. All which is observed, to convince such brutish and
ignorant people, who act as if they disbelieved the providence of God, #Ps
94:3-8.
The words "provide"
and "providing", are sometimes used of men in general, and of masters
of families in particular, who are to "provide things honest in the sight
of all men", both for themselves and for all under their care; and, "If
any provide not for his own, he is worse than an infidel", #Ro 12:17 1Ti
5:8 and which provision, incumbent on such persons, may give
us an idea of the providence of God; in that branch of it particularly, which
concerns the provision which he, as the great Master of his family, throughout
the whole universe, makes for it, even from the greatest to the least;
"The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due
season; thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing", #Ps 145:15,16 Ps 104:27,28 even the very ravens
and their young, such mean and worthless creatures, are provided for by him;
"Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto
God?" #Job 38:41 Lu 12:24 and how much more does he not, and will he not
provide for rational creatures? It was an instance of great ingratitude and
unbelief in the Israelites, that after many tokens of divine goodness
to them, they questioned the power of God to take care of them; saying,
"Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? -----Can he give bread
also?------Can he provide flesh for his people?" Yes, he could and did for six hundred thousand besides women and
children; and he can and does provide food for all creatures, rational and
irrational; and he can and does provide for men, what is necessary for them, when in the greatest extremity. From God's providing a
sacrifice in the room of Isaac, when just going to be slain on mount Moriah, it
became a proverbial expression in after times, "In the mount of the Lord
it shall be seen"; or, "the Lord will appear"; or, "will
provide", and grant supplies, and deliver out of difficulties, #Ge 22:8,14
and from the provision which God makes for all his creatures, as the great Master of the family, Providence, which with the
heathens was reckoned as a deity, is represented like a good housewife, or
mistress of a family, administering to the whole universe, and was pictured
like a grave elderly matron {3}, and this is one of the titles of the goddess
Minerva {4}.
Once more:
the providence of God is expressed by his "care" of his creatures;
"Doth God take care of oxen?" #1Co 9:9. He does, and even of
creatures inferior to them; and much more then of those who are superior to
them; even of all rational creatures; and especially of them that believe; who
therefore are encouraged to be "casting all [their] care upon him, for he
careth for them", #1Pe 5:7. It is particularly said of
the land of Canaan, that it was "a land which the Lord careth for";
from one end of the year to the other, #De 11:12 and it is true of the whole
world in general, that God cares for it, and all creatures in it; not only from
year to year, and from age to age, but from the beginning of the world to the
end of it. Now God's sustentation of the world, his government of it, the view
and notice he takes of it, the provision he makes for all
creatures in it, and his care of and concern for them; this is providence. And
having considered the name and thing, and what is meant by it, I shall proceed,
1. To prove a divine
providence, by which all things are upheld, governed, guided, and
directed. And,
1a. This appears from the
light of nature; for as by that it may be known that there is a God who has
created all things; so by the same that there is a providence that
superintends, orders, and disposes all things. Hence the heathens held a
providence; all nations, even the most barbarous {5}; all
the sects of the philosophers owned it, but one, the Epicureans, and that from
a foolish notion that it was unworthy of God, affected his happiness, and
interrupted his peace and quiet. Pythagoras {6} asserted, there is a kindred
between God and men; and that God exercises a providence over us. Plato {7}
gives this reason for his being the soul of the universe, or why he thought that was a living creature, because it was under the
providence of God; and it is affirmed by the Stoics {8}, that the world is
inhabited by the mind and providence of God; the mind dispensing and
administering through every part of it, as the soul in us; and that God governs
the world by his providence, and all things in it. Seneca wrote a book on
providence, in which he says {9}, providence presides over
all, and God is in the midst of us. Menedemus, the philosopher, was an advocate
for the doctrine of providence {10}. Chrysippus wrote on the same subject also
{11}. They are the words of Cicero {12}, that by the providence of God, the
world, and all the parts of it, were both constituted at the beginning, and
administered by it at all times: and the apostle Paul, in a discourse of his
before the philosophers at Athens, concerning God and his
providence, produces a passage from Aratus, one of their own poets, in proof of
the same; "We are also his offspring", #Ac 17:28 his creatures, his
children, and his care; in whom we live, move, and have our being. Even God's
sustentation of irrational creatures, his preservation of them, and the
provision he makes for them, prove a providence; wherefore
Job, #Job 12:7-10 sends his friends to them to learn this; "Ask now the
beasts, and they shall teach thee", &c.
1b. Divine providence may be
concluded from the Being of God; the same arguments that prove the one prove
the other; if there is a God, there is a providence; and if
there is a providence, there is a God; these mutually prove each other; as he
is a fool that says there is no God, he is equally a fool that says there is no
providence: these are closely connected together, and cannot be the one without
the other; wherefore, when the Psalmist had observed, that "the fool said
in his heart, there is no God", he immediately observes the providence of
God; "The Lord looked down from the heaven upon the
children of men", #Ps 14:1,2. And such in all ages who have denied a
providence, have been looked upon as atheists. Hence Cicero {13} observes of
Epicurus, that though he made use of the word God in his philosophy, that he
might not offend the Athenians; yet in reality removed him from it. And the
same writer {14} thus reasons, If it is granted there is a God, it must be owned, that the administration of the world is by his counsel;
and again, those who allow there is a God, must confess that he does something,
and something famous and excellent; and nothing is more excellent than the
administration of the world; and therefore it must be by his counsel. And to
me, says Lucilius {15}, he that does nothing, (as such Epicurus makes God to
do) seems entirely not to be, to have no being; so closely
connected are God and his providence, according to the reasoning of this wise
heathen: the oracle of Apollo, at Miletus, calls providence the firstborn of
God {16}: and it is easy to observe, that the Lord puts the idolatrous heathens
upon proving the truth of the deities they worshipped, by acts of providence;
by declaring things past; foretelling things to come; and by doing good or
evil; bestowing good things on their votaries, and avenging
their enemies; all which he claims to himself and which could not be proved to
belong to them; and therefore no deities; for a deity without foresight, and
without forecast, inactive and impotent to do good or evil, to reward or
chastise men, could be no deity; see #Isa 41:22,23 42:8,9 43:9 46:9,10.
1c. The providence of God may
be argued from the creation of the world; as the Being of God may be proved
from thence, so the providence of God; for if the world was created by him, it
must be upheld by him; for as it could not make itself, so neither could it
sustain itself; the same power that was requisite to create it, is necessary to uphold it; and therefore it may be observed, that
creation and conservation, which is one branch of providence, are closely
joined together, #Col 1:16,17 Ne 9:6 #Heb 1:2,3. God, the great builder of all
things, does not act by them as an architect, that builds an house and has no
further concern with it, but leaves it to stand or fall of itself; or that
builds a ship, and has nothing more to do with it; he takes
the government of it, and steers and directs it; he that is the Creator of the
world, is the Governor of it; the Creator is not one, and the governor another,
but the same; and is as equal to the government of it, as to the creation of
it; and creation gives him a right to govern; and without his support and
government of it, it could not long subsist: besides, there must be some ends
for which it is Created; which ends it cannot attain and
answer of itself; but must be directed and influenced by the Creator of it.
Wherefore,
1d. The perfections of God,
and the display of them, make a providence necessary, particularly his power,
wisdom, and goodness: since God has created the world, had he
not supported it, but left it to chance and fortune, it would have seemed as if
he could not have supported it; then where had been the greatness of his power,
and the glory of it, who is said to be the Almighty? and since he made it with
some views, and to answer some ends, had it not been influenced, guided, and
directed by him, to answer these ends; where had been the wisdom of him, who is
called the all wise and the only wise God? and to make a
world of creatures, and then neglect them, and take no care of them, where
would have been his goodness? Whereas, the whole earth is full of it; and he is
good to all his creatures; and his tender mercies are over all his works; so
that from these perfections of God, we may be assured of his providence.
1e. It may be concluded from
the worship of God; which this is a powerful inducement to, and the ground of.
The Being of God is the object of worship; and his providence is the basis of
it; without this there would be no fear of God, no reverence for him, no
adoration of him: the two main branches of worship are prayer
and praise; but if God has no regard to his creatures, and they receive nothing
from him, nor have an expectation of any from him, what have they to pray to
him for? or what to praise him for? Nor what have they to fear from him, if
they have no connection with him, and are not accountable to him? Hence Cicero
{17}, an heathen, could say,
*``There are some
philosophers, (meaning the Epicureans) who suppose that God takes no care at
all of human affairs; but,
says he, if this is true, what
piety can there be? what sanctity? what religion?''
Therefore
they are the libertines of the age, who in any period, as the followers of
Epicurus, deny the providence of God; and this they do, that they may have the
reins loose on their own necks, and be under no restraint, but at liberty to
indulge to the gratification of every sensual lust; such were those of that cast
among the Jews, who said, "The Lord hath forsaken the earth; and the Lord
seeth not"; and therefore we may do as we please;
there is none to observe what we do, nor to call us to an account for it;
"The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil"; neither bestow
favours on good men, nor correct and punish evil men, #Eze 9:9 Zep 1:12. And
hence, because it has been observed, that good men are afflicted, and wicked
men prosper, which some have improved into an argument against divine
providence, which will be considered hereafter; this has
been inferred from it, that it is in vain to serve God, and no profit to keep
his ordinances, #Mal 3:14,15.
1f. The settled and constant
order of things, from the beginning of the world to this time, clearly evince a
divine Providence; the ordinances of the heavens, of the sun, moon,
and stars {18}, have never departed from their stated and fixed order and
appointment; nor the covenant of the day and of the night ever been broken,
#Jer 31:35 33:20 the sun goes forth every morning, like a giant to run his
race; takes his circuit from one end of the heavens to the other, and with
great exactness observes his rising and setting, and makes every day in the
year; and who also performs his annual course with great
precision, and who also finishes every returning year; and this course he has
constantly ran almost six thousand years: can this be thought to be the effect
of chance, and not of an all wise, all powerful, and all disposing Providence,
which has so long supported it in its being, supplied it with light and heat,
given and continued its motion unto this day? the constant revolution of night and day; and of the seasons of the year; of seedtime and
harvest; of cold and heat; and of summer and winter, are standing and perpetual
proofs of a divine providence; since these take place every year in their
order, throughout the whole world, according to the different climates of it.
Were there only now and then an instance of such an order of things, it might
not deserve so much notice; but that it should be constant
and continued, can never surely be thought to be the sports of chance and
fortune; and especially when it is observed, that so much, and things of the
greatest importance, depend upon such a constant revolution of them, with
respect to the welfare of mankind. Every year, in the winter season, grass,
herbs, and plants, wither and seem to die; trees are stripped of all their
fruit and verdure, and look as if they were dead; when, in
the returning spring, which never fails to come, there is a reproduction of all
these, a sort of a new creation of them; "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit;
they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth", #Ps 104:30.
Can this be observed, as it may with amazement, and a Providence denied! To all
which may be added, the constant succession of men in all ages; "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh",
#Ec 1:4 so that the earth is continually replenished with inhabitants,
notwithstanding so many are daily taken off by death, in various shapes. All
which can never be without an all wise disposing Providence.
1g. Were
there not a supporting and superintending providence concerned in the world,
and the things of it, all would soon fall into confusion and destruction. If God,
that has hung the earth upon nothing, without any support than his own power,
was to withdraw his hand and let go his hold, it would drop into its original
chaos, into Tohu and Bohu {19}; the earth, and the inhabitants of it, would
soon and easily be dissolved, did not the Lord bear up the
pillars of it, #Ps 75:3 and where anarchy takes place, and no government is,
there is confusion and every evil work. In families, in bodies of men gathered
tumultuously together, and in towns, cities, kingdoms, and states, where is no
head, no governor, none to preside, guide, and direct, dissipation and ruin
quickly ensue; and so it would be with the world in general,
if not governed and superintended by a divine providence. The founding of
kingdoms and states, and the setting up of political government in the world,
are a proof of divine providence; and one way and means by which it is
exercised, as will be seen hereafter; and even the erection of the great
monarchies of the earth, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, and the
dissolution of them, show a divine providence: those
monarchies could never have risen to the height they did, nor come to the
destruction they have, but by that providence "that removeth kings and
setteth up kings" at pleasure, #Da 2:21.
1h. The many blessings of
goodness, the daily benefits and favours, which are continually
bestowed by God on his creatures, manifestly declare his providence; all
creatures partake of his goodness, he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil
he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust; he has not left himself without a witness of his
providential goodness in any age to any people, Jews or Gentiles, in that he
has done good unto them, given them rain and fruitful
seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness, #Lu 6:35 Mt 5:45 Ac
14:17.
1i. The judgments of God in
the earth, at different periods of time, are a demonstration of the providence
of God. Who can believe that the universal deluge, the sweeping
away of a world of ungodly men by a flood, and saving eight persons only in an
ark, were the effects of chance, and not of providence? and that the burning of
Sodom and Gomorrah, with the cities of the plain, by fire and brimstone from
heaven, was by accident, as a common fire is sometimes said to be? the same may
be observed of the plagues of Egypt, the drowning of Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, the captivities of the Israelites, the
destruction of their neighbours, the Moabites, Edomites, &c. so that the
name of one of them is not to be found in the world, as was foretold; when
they, though scattered up and down in it, are yet preserved. The earthquakes,
famine, pestilence, fire and sword, which are frequently in the world, show a
divine providence; for God is "known by the judgments
which he executeth", #Ps 9:16.
1j. The fears of punishment
and hopes of reward in men, show the consciousness they have of the notice God
takes of them and their actions, which is one branch of providence. Their
fears, either of judgments coming upon them now, or of a future judgment, at which Felix trembled when he heard of it, plainly
declare their sense of a divine Being, and of his knowledge of their conduct
and behaviour, and resentment of it; who they justly fear will punish them for
it, here or hereafter; why else were some of the Roman Caesars, as Augustus,
Tiberius, and Caligula, so terribly frighted at thunder and lightning; but
because they were convinced there was a God in the heavens,
from whence they came, who saw and knew all their wicked actions, and to whom
they were accountable? and this is to be observed, more or less, in all
mankind; whose consciences accuse or excuse, according to their actions; if
evil, their minds are filled with dread, and a fearful expectation of wrath and
vengeance: if good, they entertain hopes of receiving good things here, and better hereafter; which is a clear proof from men themselves,
and they are obliged to own it, and say, "Verily, there is a reward for
the righteous; verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth", #Ps 58:11.
I proceed,
2. To observe some
distinctions which have been used by some, and may be useful to explain and confirm the doctrine of providence.
2a. First, Providence may be
considered as "immediate" and "mediate".
2a1.
Immediate providence, is what is exercised by God of
himself,
without the use of any mean, instrument, or second
cause: thus
the world is upheld by himself, by his own
power,
without the intervention of any other; and every
creature, as
to its being and subsistence, is immediately
dependent
upon him; in whom all live, move, and have their
being,
#Heb 1:3 Ac 17:24. God sometimes works without means,
as when he
made the earth fruitful before any rain, or dew,
or mist, fell
upon it, or before there was any man to till
it, #Ge 2:5,6
and as he supported the body of Moses in the
mount, and of
Christ in the wilderness, without food, for
the
space of forty days and forty nights; and as he
sometimes has
wrought salvation in the midst of the earth;
which is one
branch of providence; and has given victory
over enemies
without fighting, as to the Israelites at the
Red Sea; to
the same, in the times of Joshua, before the
walls
of Jericho; and in the times of Gideon over the
Midianites;
and in the days of Jehosaphat over the
Ammonites,
and others. Sometimes he works over and above
means, and
what means cannot reach unto, which exceeds the
power of
nature; of this kind are all miraculous operations;
such
as those wrought in Egypt; and by Christ and his
apostles; as
turning water into wine; and multiplying a
little food
for the supply of multitudes. Yea, God works
sometimes
contrary to the nature of things, of means, and
second
causes; as when he caused waters, which naturally
flow
or stand, to rise up and become heaps, and divide, and
be as a wall,
to the right and left, as the waters of the
Red Sea and
Jordan were to the Israelites, and through which
they passed
as on dry land; and as when he caused the sun,
which
naturally goes forth and forward as a giant to run his
race,
to stand still, as in the days of Joshua; and to go
back ten
degrees on the dial of Ahaz, in the times of
Hezekiah; and
he suffered not fire to burn, which it
naturally
does, combustible things; even not so much as to
singe the
garments of Daniel's three companions, when cast
into
a furnace of fire; and to cause lions, naturally
voracious, to
shut their mouths and not touch Daniel, when
cast into
their den. All which God sometimes does; that is,
acts
immediately, and without the use of means, and even
above them,
and contrary to them; to show that he is not
tied
to means and second causes; and that his people, those
that trust in
him, may not despair when things are at the
worst, and
there appears no way of deliverance; but to
exercise
faith in the God of providence, who is all wise and
all powerful,
and can and will appear for them, and be seen
in
the mount of difficulties; see #Da 3:16,17.
2a2. Mediate
providence is what is exercised in the use of means,
or by them;
and which God does, not from any defect of power
in him; but,
as Dr. Ames {20} observes, because of the
abundance
of his goodness, that he might communicate, as it
were, some dignity
of efficiency to the creatures; and in
them make his
own efficiency the more discernible: hence it
may be
observed, that he sometimes makes use of means to
produce great
and noble effects, which are unlikely, and for
which
they do not seem to have any aptitude; as when with a
small army,
an handful of men, comparatively speaking, he
gives victory
over a large one; for there is no restraint or
hinderance to
him; and it is nothing with him to save by
many or by
few; and whether with many, or with them that
have
no power, #1Sa 14:6 2Ch 14:11 24:24 1Co 1:27,28. And
sometimes he
makes proper means ineffectual to answer the end
of them, and
for which they seem to be well adapted; for what
seems more
for the safety of a king and his country then a
well mounted
cavalry, and a well disciplined and numerous
army?
and yet these are sometimes of no service, and are vain
things for
safety, #Ps 33:16,17. And what more fit to support
the lives of
men, and to refresh and nourish when hungry,
than wholesome
food? yet men may eat, and not have enough, or
be nourished
by it, #Ho 4:10. Indeed, ordinarily God does
work
by means; he makes the earth fruitful by snow and rain
descending
upon it; whereby it gives seed to the sower, and
bread to the
eater; produces grass for cattle, and herb for
the service
of men; with other necessaries of life. There is
a chain of
second causes that depend upon the first, and are
influenced
by it, and act in subordination to one another;
the Lord hears
the heavens, and the heavens hear the earth,
and the earth
hears the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and
they hear
Jezreel, #Ho 2:21,22. And usually God supplies and
supports the
bodies of men by means of food, the whole stay
of
bread, and the whole stay of water, by giving a blessing
thereunto.
And he exercises his providence, commonly by the
use of means,
to show men that they are to make use of means,
and not
slight them; no, not even when events are certain to
them; as the
cases of Hezekiah and Paul's mariners show,
#Isa
38:21 Ac 27:31. Yet means, or second causes, are never
to be
depended on; but the first Cause is to be looked unto
for success,
and to him the glory is to be given,
#Ps 115:1-3
127:1,2.
2b.
Secondly, Providence may be considered both as ordinary and extraordinary.
2b1. Ordinary
providence is what is exercised in the common
course of
means, and by the chain of second causes; and
according to
the original law of nature impressed on beings
from
the beginning. From this law, the ordinances of heaven,
the sun,
moon, and stars, have not departed, except in
extraordinary
cases; and the revolutions of day and night,
and of the
seasons of the year, are constantly and regularly
observed; and
all things act and move by an inclination of
nature
settled in them; fire burns, and sparks fly upwards;
heavy bodies
descend, and light ones ascend; in animate and
irrational
creatures there is an instinct of nature suitable
to their
natures, by which they are guided and directed, and
do not
ordinarily swerve from it; and even in inanimate
creatures,
as the meteors of the air, snow, rain, hail, &c.
there is an
obediential power and influence, by which they
perform the
will of their Creator, and answer the ends for
which they
were made, #Ps 148:8.
2b2.
Extraordinary providence is that in which God goes out of
his common
way; and which consists of miraculous operations,
as before
observed, such as exceed the power of nature; as
when he
ordered rocks to be smitten, and waters gushed, out
to supply the
Israelites, their flocks and their herds; and
rained
manna about their tents every morning in the week,
excepting
one, by which he supported them near forty years
in a
wilderness; and so the prophet Elijah, though the food
he was fed
with was ordinary and common, yet it was in an
extraordinary
manner that he was furnished with it; ravens
brought
him bread and flesh morning and evening, while he
was by the
brook Cherith; and he was supplied with food at
Zarephath, in
a widow's house, through the very
extraordinary
multiplication of an handful of meal in a
barrel, and a
little oil in a cruse; and when in a
wilderness,
had a cake baked for him by an angel, and a
cruse of
water set at his head, of which he eat and drank;
and in the
strength of which he travelled forty days and
forty nights,
#1Ki 17:6,12-16 19:5-8.
2c.
Thirdly, Providence may be considered as universal and singular; or, as general
and particular.
2c1. Universal
or general providence, is what is concerned with
the whole
world, and all things in it; and is expressed by
upholding
and preserving all things that are created; it is
God's
sustentation, preservation, and continuance of
creatures in
their being; this is acknowledged by some, who
yet do not
agree to--
2c2.
A singular or particular providence, as concerned with every
individual,
and especially with rational creatures and their
actions. But
most certain it is, that God not only in his
providence is
concerned for the world in general, but for
all
individuals in it; every star in the heavens is known by
him,
taken notice of, and preserved; "He bringeth out their
host by
number; he calleth them all by names----for that he
is strong in
power; not one faileth", #Isa 40:26 the cattle
on a thousand
hills, and the thousands of cattle on those
hills, are
known and provided for by him; and so are all the
fowls
of the air, and of the mountains; and even a sparrow
does not fall
to the ground without his notice and will,
#Ps 50:10,11
Mt 10:29. And he looks down upon all the
inhabitants
of the earth, and considers their ways, and
works, and
actions, #Ps 33:13-15. The sentiments of the
Stoic
philosophers come the nearest to those of divine
revelation,
concerning this matter; which, according to
Cicero {21},
are, that not only mankind in general, but that
singulars, or
individuals, are cared and provided for by the
immortal
gods: and yet Seneca {22}, one of that sect, says,
that
the gods take a greater care of universals than of
singulars;
and elsewhere, that they take care of mankind in
general, and
sometimes are careful of singulars {23}, as if
they were not
always careful of them; and Cicero {24},
though he represents
Balbus the Stoic, as saying that the
gods
take care of singulars; yet with this exception, that
with respect
to some externals, they take care of great
things, but
neglect small ones. Sallustius {25}, the Cynic
philosopher,
is very expressive; he says, Providence and fate,
as they are
concerned about nations and cities, so about
every
man; and so Plato {26} strongly argues, that the
providence of
God is concerned about less as well as greater
matters; and
according to the Christian doctrine, as will be
seen
hereafter; not only men, but the most minute things,
are under the
notice of providence.
2d. Fourthly, Providence may
be considered as both common and special. Common providence is that which
belongs to the whole world, and all the creatures in it, and to all mankind,
and is exercised in the common and ordinary way; for God is "good to all,
and his tender mercies are over all his works", #Ps 145:9. Special
providence is what concerns the church of God in all ages.
The Jewish church, under the former dispensation, was distinguished from all
the people of the earth, and chosen to be a special and peculiar people, and
had special favours bestowed upon them; and the Christian church, under the
gospel dispensation, was particularly cared for at the beginning of it, and
remarkably increased and preserved under the persecution of the
heathen emperors; and which has been, and will be, nourished for a time, and
times, and half a time, in the wilderness, during the reign of antichrist, and
then will become great and glorious. Moreover God, as the God of providence, is
the Saviour and Preserver of all men; but especially of "them that
believe", #1Ti 4:10. And the providence respecting God's elect will be
particularly considered hereafter.
2e. Fifthly, Providence may be
considered as real and moral: real, is what concerns things, and the essence of
them, by which they are sustained and preserved. Moral providence, or what is
commonly called God's moral government of the world, respects rational creatures,
angels, and men, to whom God has given a law, as the rule
of their actions, which consists of precepts and prohibitions, the sanctions of
which are promises and threatenings; and it is explained and enforced by
instructions, persuasions, admonitions, &c. and according to which
reasonable law, a reasonable service is required of reasonable creatures. God
deals with them as their works and actions appear to be. Of this providence of
God, respecting angels and men, especially in their first
estates, and change of them, a particular notice will be taken of in some
following chapters. I shall next observe,
3. The Author of providence,
the efficient Cause of it, and the instruments made use of by him in the
administration of it. God, that is in the heavens, and looks down upon the earth, does in it whatever he pleases; he sitteth
King for ever, and his kingdom rules over all. Elihu puts such a question as
this, "Who hath disposed the whole world?" #Job 34:13 the answer to
it must be, He that made it has a right to dispose it, and of all things in it;
and he does dispose thereof according, to his pleasure; "All things are of
him", in creation; and all things are "through him", in providence; and all things are to him, directed and ordered to
his glory, #Ro 11:36 God, Father, Son, and Spirit, are the one efficient Cause
and Author of providence. God, the Father of Christ; "My Father worketh
hitherto", not in creation; for the works of creation were finished in six
days; and then God ceased from his work; but in providence, in which he worked
from the beginning of the world to the time of Christ on
earth; and continued to work; for he says not, my Father hath worked, but
worketh, continues to work in a providential way; for the work of providence is
his work; "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his will",
#Eph 1:11 which is said of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus; who has
blessed his people in Christ, chosen them in him, and predestinated them by him
to the adoption of children; and who is spoken of all along
in the context to the passage cited. Our Lord addresses his Father as "the
Lord of heaven and earth", the Maker and Possessor of both and Governor of
them, when he is speaking of a sovereign act of his in providence; hiding some
things from the wise and prudent, and revealing them to babes; and adds,
"All things are delivered unto me of my Father", to subserve the ends
of his mediatorial kingdom in a providential way, #Mt
11:25-27.
Christ, the Son of God, is
equally concerned with his divine Father in the work of providence; "My
Father worketh hitherto", as before observed; "and I work", the
same work jointly along with him; for "whatsoever things he" (the
Father) "doth, those also doth the Son likewise",
#Joh 5:17,19. "By him all things consist"; are sustained, upheld,
preserved, and supplied, and guided, to answer the ends for which they are
created by him, #Col 1: 16,17 #Heb 1:2,3.
Nor is the Holy Spirit to be excluded from the work of providence, who
had so great a concern in that of creation; the heavens were garnished by him;
yea, the host of them were made by him; he moved upon the
waters that covered the chaos, and brought it into a beautiful form and order;
and several of the works of providence are particularly ascribed to him; the renovation
and reproduction of things every returning spring are ascribed to him;
"Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, and they are created; thou renewest the
face of the earth", #Ps 104:30. The government of the world, and the ordering and disposing of all things in it, are attributed to
him, without the counsel and direction of others; "Who hath directed the
Spirit of the Lord, &c. or, being his counsellor, hath taught him?"
&c. #Isa 40:13,14. And he that is so much concerned in the regeneration,
conversion, and sanctification of men, and has been in all ages of the world,
with which the affairs of providence are so closely connected in numberless instances, can never be shut out of the
administration of them. Father, Son, and Spirit, are the efficient cause of providence;
and to whom, and not to fate, fortune, and chance, are all things in it to be
ascribed. The instruments God makes use of in the administration of providence
are many; some of the principal of which are as follow:
3a. Angels, good and bad. Good
angels are the ministers of God that do his pleasure; these stand continually
before him, wait his orders, hearken to the voice of his commandments, and are
ready to perform any service he shall enjoin them, or send them to do;
"These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth", into the several parts
of the world, when sent by him, to execute his will and pleasure; they are
"ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who are heirs of
salvation"; to guard and protect them, and do many good offices for them,
as has been observed in a preceding chapter; see #Ps 103:19,20 Zec 6:5 Heb
1:14. Evil angels are also sometimes employed in the affairs of
providence; either for the inflicting of punishment on wicked men, or for the
correction and chastisement of the people of God. They were made use of in the
plagues of Egypt; for the Psalmist says, God "cast" upon the
"Egyptians the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, by sending
evil angels among them", #Ps 78:49. In the execution of what particular
plagues they were concerned it is not easy to say; probably
they were sent at the time of the plague of darkness, to terrify and frighten,
and add to the horror of that dreadful scene. An evil spirit offered himself to
be a lying spirit, in the mouths of Ahab's prophets, which he had leave to be,
and thereby brought about, in providence, the death of that prince, in a battle
at Ramothgilead, as was foretold, #1Ki 22:21-34. Satan, the adversary of good
men, obtained leave from the Lord, to destroy the
substance, family, and health of Job; which was granted for the chastisement of
him, and for the trial of his faith and patience. The same malicious spirit put
it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray his Lord, as was foretold;
whereby the crucifixion of Christ, according to the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, was effected; and by that the redemption
and salvation of men. The coming of antichrist, was after the working, and
through the efficacy of Satan, by divine permission, with all power, and signs,
and lying wonders; with which so many things in providence have been so closely
connected for more than a thousand years past, and will be to the end of his
reign.
3b. Kings,
princes, and civil magistrates, good and bad, have been, and are, instruments
in the hands of God, for the executing of his providences in the world; the
powers that be, are ordained of God, and are ministers of his, to some for
good, who do good and behave well; to others for evil, for vengeance, to
execute wrath upon them, #Ro 13:1,4 and because they have their power and
authority, their commission and capacity from God, and are
his vicegerents, and act under him, and represent him, and are representatives
of him; hence they are called gods, #Ps 82:6. "By [him good] kings reign,
and princes decree justice"; from him they have wisdom and capacity to
make good laws, and power to put them in execution, for the good of men; such
an one was David, raised up by God to fulfil his will; there have
been few of this sort; but some there have been, and more there will be in the
latter day, when kings shall be nursing fathers to Zion, and queens nursing
mothers; the seven angels that shall have the vials of God's wrath to pour forth
on the antichristian states to their destruction, are seven Christian kings, or
protestant princes, who will have a commission from God to do that work. Evil
kings, however, such who have had no true knowledge of God,
have been raised up, and made use of in providence, to do great things in it;
either for the good of the church and people of God, as Cyrus king of Persia,
whom the Lord girded, though he knew him not, and held his right hand to subdue
nations, and particularly Babylon; that he might be in a capacity, and have an
opportunity of letting go the captive Jews in it, and of delivering
them from their bondage, and of giving them liberty to rebuild Jerusalem, and
the temple in it, as was foretold of him two hundred years before he was born,
#Isa 44:28 45:1-13. And sometimes wicked princes have been used as scourges of
God's people, and for the correction of them; as Sennacherib king of Assyria;
of whom it is said; "O Assyria, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in
their hand is mine indignation!" that is, the
indignation of God, the execution of it, was put into his hands, as a rod and
staff, to chastise the people of the Jews for their hypocrisy and other sins,
which were provoking to God; "Howbeit he", the Assyrian monarch,
"meaneth not so; neither doth his heart think so", that he is an
instrument, in the hand of God, to correct his people; "but it is in his
heart to destroy and cut off, nations not a few", to
gratify his ambition, pride, and cruelty, #Isa 10:5-7. So the ten kings, who
have given their kingdoms to the antichristian beast, and become vassals to
him, God put it into their hearts to do it, to fulfil his will in providence,
which they knew nothing of, #Re 17:17. And Psammon {27}, an Egyptian
philosopher, made use of this as an argument of divine providence, showing that all men were governed by God, since in everything
that ruled and governed, there was something divine.
3c. Ministers of the word, and
masters of families, are, in their respective stations, instruments in the
execution of the affairs of providence. The work of ministers lies much in convincing men of sin, and in turning them from it,
and directing them in the way of their duty, as well as in the way of
salvation; and it has a very close connection with the providence of God, which
is exercised therein and thereby. Masters of families, both by their
instructions and examples, are very serviceable in providence, to those that
are under them; and, indeed, every man, in whatsoever station
he is, has a work to do, which, in providence, is ordered and disposed to
answer some end or another.
3d. Even irrational creatures
are employed in providence to execute some parts of it; the beasts of the
field, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea, being at the beck and command of the great Creator of them. The noisome
beast is one of God's four judgments which God has sometimes inflicted on
wicked men; this he threatened the Jews with in case of disobedience to him,
#Eze 14:21 Le 26:22 two she bears, by divine direction, came out of a wood, and
tore in pieces two and forty children, for mocking a prophet of the Lord; and
lions were sent among the idolatrous Samaritans, to punish
them for their idolatry, #2Ki 2:24 17:25 nay, not only creatures of such bulk
and strength have been made use of in providence, but even the meanest and most
minute, as flies, frogs, lice, and locusts, which were four of the plagues of
Egypt; and the latter is called the Lord's army, and his great camp, which
sometimes have a commission to destroy a whole country, and strip it of herbs and plants, and every green thing, #Joe 2:11 the fowls
of the air, the ravens, those voracious creatures, were employed in providence,
to carry bread and flesh, morning and evening, to the prophet Elijah; and the
fishes of the sea also have been made use of; God prepared a fish to swallow up
Jonah when he was cast into the sea, and he spake unto it, commanded and gave
it orders to throw him upon the shore again; and a fish
furnished Peter with a piece of money to pay the tribute for himself and his
Master.
3e. Inanimate creatures, the
various meteors in the air, are under the direction of providence, and
subservient to it. God has his treasures of snow and hail, which he reserves against the day of trouble, against the day of battle
and war, #Job 38:22,23 and which artillery of heaven he sometimes plays upon
the inhabitants of the earth; hail was one of the plagues of Egypt by which,
not only grass, herbs, plants, and trees were battered down, but both cattle and
men destroyed; and in a battle with the Canaanites, in Joshua's time, more of
them were killed by hail stones from heaven, than by the
Israelites; and sometimes others of the meteors are made use of in a way of
mercy, as those mentioned in a way of judgment; so snow and rain, by
commission, descend on the earth to refresh it, and make it fruitful, whereby
it brings forth what is beneficial to man and beast: in short, every meteor in
the heavens is at the command of God, and does his will; "Fire and hail,
snow and vapour, stormy wind fulfilling his word", #Ps
148:8.
Now, whatever good or evil
come to the children of men, by any and all of these instruments, are not to be
attributed to them, but to the God of providence, who makes use of them to
bring about his designs. All the good
things of life, the wealth and riches men are possessed of,
let them come by them in what way they may, by inheritance, by bequest, or by
their own industry, yet all must be ascribed to God; "Riches and honour
come of thee", says David, #1Ch 29:12 he had amassed together a vast
quantity of riches, great part of which, at least, he got by his victories over
the Moabites, Syrians, &c. but who gave him the victory? God; and
therefore, as he ascribes his military honour and glory, so
his riches to him; in like manner as Job, through the providence of God, became
the greatest man in the East for worldly substance, as well as other things; so
by the same providence he lost all; and though the Sabeans and Chaldeans were
the instruments of it, he does not impute it to them, nor to Satan, who
instigated them to it; but to the Lord: saying, "The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" #Job 1:21.
4. The various parts and
branches, or acts of providence, of which it consists, are next to be
considered; and they are chiefly these two, conservation, or preservation of
all things created, and the government of them; or the wise and orderly
disposal of them, to answer the ends for which they are
made and preserved.
4a. First, Conservation, or
preservation of creatures, and the sustentation of them in their being; which
is expressed by these several phrases, "Thou preservest them all";
that is, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth
and seas, and all therein, #Ne 9:6. "Upholding all
things by the word of his power"; that is, the worlds made by him, #Heb
1:2,3. By him all things consist, even all things created by him in heaven and
in earth, visible and invisible, #Col 1:16,17. It may be proper to consider the
necessity of God's sustaining and preserving the creatures made by him; and
then show to what and to whom this preservation extends and reaches.
4a1. That the
sustentation and preservation of the creatures in
their being, is
of God, and must be so, and which may be
proved,
4a1a. From
the nature and perfections of God, particularly his
independence.
God is an independent Being; all creatures
depend on
him, but he on none; "Of him, through him, and to
him are all
things", #Ro 11:36.
If creatures
could or do support and preserve themselves
in their
being, they would be independent, and then there
would be more
independents than one, and so more gods than
one; which
cannot be admitted; there is but one potentate,
God
over all, on whom all depend.
4a1b. From
the nature of creatures, which is to be dependent on
the Creator;
he that gives them life and breath, gives them
all things
for the support and preservation thereof; yea, in
himself
they live and move and have their being; he not only
grants them
life and favour, but his visitation preserves
their
spirits; and this is true of all the creatures that
have life and
breath and motion; all depend upon God for the
continuance
of them; and even of rational creatures, "he
holdeth
our soul in life", in union with the body, in which
it lives, #Ac
17:25,28 Job 10:12 Ps 66:9.
4a1c. From
the weakness of creatures to support and preserve
themselves.
If any creature could preserve itself, it might
be
thought that man could; but he cannot; he cannot preserve
himself from
disorders and diseases of body; if he could, he
would not be
attended with them: he cannot preserve himself
from death;
could he, none would ever die; but there is no
man that hath
power over the spirit, to retain the spirit;
neither
hath he power in the day of death, to keep it off
from him;
there is no discharge in that war, #Ec 8:8 nor can
any man
preserve his brother, friend, or near relation, so
as that they
"should live for ever, and see no corruption";
for then
none, for whom an affectionate regard is had, would
ever
die; nay, men cannot preserve their cattle, in which
the chief
substance of some men lies; could they, these
would always
be in good plight and case, and stand, and
never fail;
their sheep would continue to bring forth
thousands,
and their oxen would be always strong to labour,
4a1d. The
same power that was put forth in creation, is required
and is necessary,
for the preservation of the creatures
made; eternal
power was exerted, and is to be seen in the
things
that are made, and by the same almighty power all
things are
upheld, #Ro 1:20 Heb 1:3 hence creation and
preservation
are so closely connected, #Ne 9:6 and, indeed,
preservation
is no other than a continued creation.
4a1e.
Was God to withdraw his supporting hand and preserving power
and
influence, creatures would soon come to destruction and
perish; the
whole fabric of the world would at once fall to
pieces;
"The earth, and all the inhabitants of it, are
dissolved",
that is, they would be, were it not for what
follows,
"I bear up the pillars of it", #Ps 75:3. Creatures,
while God
supports and supplies them with his hand of
providence,
they live; but when he hides his face, or
withdraws his
hand, they are troubled, die, and return to
their dust,
#Ps 104:27-29. Job was sensible of this, that he
was
held in life by the hand of God; he therefore desires he
would
"let loose his hand", let go his hold of him, and then
he knew he
should drop and die, for which he was solicitous,
#Job 6:9.
4a1f.
The whole world is a building, and God is the architect of
it; "He
that built all things is God"; but this building
differs from
any building of man. A man may erect an
edifice, and
when he has done, leave it to itself, to stand
or fall; and
it does stand without him, and oftentimes
subsists
many years after the architect is dead; the reason
of which is, that
such an edifice is only the effect of art;
the builder
does not make the materials of it, the stone and
the timber;
he finds them made to his hand; he only figures
them for his
purpose, and puts them together; and this is
all
that is necessary for him to do. But God, the great
architect,
has not only put together the world, and all
things in it,
in the beautiful order he has; but he has made
the very
matter of which it consists, and for the support of
that his
almighty power that created it, is requisite and
4a1g. Every
creature is made for some end, and therefore it is
necessary it
should be preserved and continued until that
end is
answered; "The Lord hath made all things for
himself";
for his own glory, #Pr 16:4 wherefore it may be
strongly
concluded, that as God has made all things to
answer some
subordinate ends to one another, and ultimately
for his own
glory; he will, as it is necessary he should,
preserve
them, that such an end may be answered, as it is,
in
fact; "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord!"
#Ps 145:10.
4a2. To what
and to whom this preservation extends and reaches.
It includes
all the creatures God has made; the phrases by
which
it is expressed, as before observed, show this; which
declare that
God preserves them "all"; that he upholds "all"
things, and
that by him "all" things consist; the world in
general, and
every individual in it; "0 Lord, thou
preservest
man and beast", #Ps 36:6 yea, every other
4a2a. Some of
the individuals of the creation are sustained and
preserved, as
they were from the beginning; the "prima
materia",
the first matter, of which all things were made,
still
continues; for matter is never annihilated, though it
passes into
different forms and figures. The whole world,
which was
made of it, is so established, as that it cannot
be moved, #Ps
93:1 96:10 the form, figure, and fashion of it
pass away,
but the matter and substance of it remain. The
ordinances
of the heavens, and the heavens themselves, are
as they were
when first created; the sun is supported in its
being,
continued in its motion, and constantly supplied with
light and
heat, which it continually emits; for nothing is
hid, as from
the light, so neither from the heat of it; the
stars,
everyone of them, keep their place, their station,
or course;
because that God is "strong in power", who
sustains and
preserves them, "not one faileth", #Isa 40:26
for what are
called falling stars, are not stars, but
meteors
kindled by the air, which burn and blaze awhile, and
then
run and fall. A new star, so called, because not seen
before,
sometimes appears, but no one is lost. The heavens
God has
established by his understanding and power, so that
they remain
as they were; and though it is said they "shall
perish, wax
old as a garment, and as a vesture be changed
and
folded", #Pr 3:19 Ps 102:25,26 Heb 1:11,12 yet as a
garment
folded up still remains, though in a different form;
so the heavens
will not perish, as to matter and substance,
but be
changed, as to form, quality, and use, in which
respect they
will be new and continue; and the same may be
said
of the earth; for God "has laid the foundations of it,
that it
should not be removed for ever", #Ps 104:5 and
though it
underwent some change at the universal deluge, so
that the
apostle distinguishes the earth that then was, from
that which
now is, yet as to substance it is the same; and
though
at the general conflagration, the earth, and the
works that
are therein, shall be burnt up, and a new earth
will rise up
out of it; yet the same as to matter and
substance,
only different as to form, an earth without a
sea; and as
to quality, being purified and refined; and as
to
use, only to be inhabited by righteous persons,
#2Pe
3:5-7,10-13 Re 21:1. Angels and the souls of men, are
preserved in
being, as they were first created; angels die
not, nor do
the souls of men, when their bodies do, but
survive them,
and live in a separate state till the
4a2b. Some of
the individuals of creatures, which are subject to
corruption
and death, are yet preserved, as long as it is
the pleasure
of God; as the beasts of the field and the
bodies
of men; for "he preserveth man and beast", #Ps 36:6
the brute
creatures wait upon him, and he gives them food
for their
sustenance, by which they are supported; and then
when he
pleases he takes away their breath and they perish.
Man springs up
like a flower, and flourishes for a while,
and
then is cut down; God sends him into the world to do his
will, or to
do some work by him, and when that is done, he
changes his
countenance, and sends him away, #Ps 104:28,29
#Job 14:20
but though the individuals of various sorts of
creatures
die, yet they are preserved and continued in their
species;
thus, though herbs, and plants, and trees, wither
and seem to
be dead, or are dead in the winter season; yet
in the spring
those that were withered revive; or, if dead,
others spring
up in their room, or are raised up by seed; so
that there is
a constant succession of vegetables. Cattle,
and
fowls, and fishes, though consumed in great numbers for
the use of
man, or on other accounts; yet their species is
propagated by
them, so that there is the same sort of
creatures of
all kinds, as were at the first creation; and
though
thousands of men die every day, in one place or
another,
all put together, yet still a race of men is
continued;
"One generation passeth away, and another
generation
cometh, but the earth abideth for ever", and is
full of
inhabitants, #Ec 1:4.
4b.
Secondly, The other branch of providence is government, or the wise and orderly
disposal of all creatures, to answer the ends for which they are made and
preserved. God is the Governor of the whole universe; and he has a right to
govern it, who is the Creator of it; the kingdom of nature is his, and so is
the kingdom of providence; and he is the Governor among the nations; his government
is very extensive, all creatures are subject to him; his
kingdom rules over all, and it is an everlasting one; and his dominion endures
throughout all generations, #Ps 22:28 #Ps 103:19 145:13. And as the government
of the world is a branch of providence; so from the wise and orderly
disposition of things in it, it may be strongly concluded there is a
Providence; or that there is a God, who by his providence governs, guides, orders, and directs all thing in the world. For, as Cicero
{28} observes, if a man comes into an house, or a school, or a court of
judicature, and takes notice of the order, manner, and discipline of things
observed therein, he must conclude within himself, there is some one who
presides there, and who is obeyed; and much more in such motions, in such
vicissitudes and orders, and of so many and such great things, in
which there is never any failure, one must needs conclude, that such motions of
nature are governed by an intelligent Being.
4b1. Inanimate creatures are governed, and
guided, and directed
by the
providence of God, to do those things for which they
were
created, and so answer the ends of their creation;
there is a
law of nature, as has been before observed,
impressed
upon such creatures, which they constantly obey;
there is an
inclination of nature in them to such and such
actions,
which they perpetually follow; so the sun naturally
pursues
his course, and takes both his daily and yearly
circuit from
one end of the heavens to the other, and
exactly knows
and observes his rising and setting; there is
an
obediential power and influence, by which creatures
without life
and sense are actuated, and to which they
attend
with as much precision, as if they heard the order,
and
understood the will of their Creator; thus the rain and
the snow come
down from heaven, and fall upon the earth, by
direction;
that drinks in the rain that comes upon it,
receives the
seed cast into it, cherishes and fructifies it,
and
throws it up again; whereby it brings forth seed to the
sower, and
bread to the eater; and so in numerous other
instances.
4b2. Animate
creatures, but irrational, are governed, guided, and
directed
in providence, by an instinct of nature, placed in
them by their
Creator, to such actions as are agreeable to
their nature,
and from which they scarce ever swerve; thus
with what art
and skill do birds build their nests? with what
tenderness do
they cherish and provide food for their young?
that
little creature the ant, though it has no "guide,
overseer, or
ruler", no visible and external one, yet
"provides
its meat in the summer, and gathers its food in
harvest";
an example this of industry and diligence, care and
foresight, to
human creatures; this is one of the "four
little
things" on earth Solomon speaks of, which, though
little, are
exceeding wise, through an instinct in nature,
put into them
by the God of nature and providence. The
"ants",
he says, "are a people not strong", far from it, very
weak,
"yet prepare their meat in the summer" against winter;
"the
conies are but a feeble folk", yet are so wise under the
direction of
providence, and by an instinct in nature, as to
"make
their houses in the rocks", to shelter them from danger
and hurt;
"the locusts have no king", to command and direct
them,
"yet they go forth all of them by bands", march in rank
and
order, like a well disciplined army; "the spider taketh
hold with her
hands", on the thread of her webs, she spins,
and is in
kings' "palaces", where, though her webs are often
destroyed,
she weaves them again, #Pr 6:7,8 30:25-27. Birds
of passage,
as the stork, the turtle, the crane, and the
swallow,
know the appointed times of their going and coming,
and exactly
observe them, #Jer 8:7. Multitudes of instances
of this kind might
be given.
4b3. Rational
creatures, as angels and men, are governed in a
moral
way, by a law, which for substance is the same to
both,
according to their different nature and circumstances;
particularly
men have either the law and light of nature to
guide them,
or a written law to direct them; and according
as they
behave towards it, they are dealt with; to those
that
are good, and do good, it is well with them, now and
hereafter;
and for the present, God makes all things work
together for
their good; to the evil, and them that do evil,
it goes ill
with them, and they shall eat the fruit of their
doings, now,
or in the world to come. And there is a
concourse
of providence which attends all men, all their
actions, yea,
even their words and thoughts, #Pr 16:1,9
#Pr 29:21 all
which are overruled by providence, to answer
some end or
another; yea, even evil actions themselves, as in
the case of
Joseph's brethren selling him into Egypt; they, in
so
doing, thought evil against him, and did evil in it; but
God meant it
for good, and overruled it for that purpose, to
save many
people alive, #Ge 50:20 but of this more hereafter.
Moreover, men
are governed as rational creatures, in a
political
way; kings and princes, as has been before
observed,
are instruments by whom God governs and
administers
this part of the affairs of providence; he sets
up kings and
judges at his pleasure, and enjoins men
obedience to
them; who are ministers of his, and through the
power and
authority they are entrusted with, are terrors to
evildoers,
and a praise to them that do well. I proceed to
consider,
5. The object of providence;
which is the whole universe, all the creatures of it, and whatever is done in
it.
5a. First, The whole inanimate
creation, or creatures without life, whether in the heavens or in the earth
{29}, are subject to divine providence, and under the direction of it, and act
according to ancient and original laws, which, the Author of them has imposed
upon them, and from, which they do not swerve.
5a1. The
luminaries of the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars,
these were
made at first for various uses, for signs and
seasons, and
for days and years, and to give light to the
earth by day
and by night; and they are continued and
employed by divine providence, for the said purposes and
uses for
which they were created. The sun is not only
supported in
its being, directed in its course, and
continued to
perform its office, as has been observed, but
it daily sheds
its benign influences upon the earth, to make
it fruitful; hence we read of "precious fruits
brought forth
by the
sun", #De 33:14 and by the order of God in
providence,
all men partake of the benefits of it; for "he
maketh his
sun to rise on the evil and on the good",
#Mt 5:45 it
is at his command and beck, he can stop it at
his pleasure, and hide it from men; "He commandeth
the sun, and
it riseth
not"; or, is not seen for days together; he causes
it to go down
at noon, as it seems to do in an eclipse, "and
darkens the
earth in a clear day", #Job 9:7 Am 8:9 the same
may be said
of the moon, that is supported, continued, and
directed in providence to answer the ends of its creation;
it was
"appointed for seasons", to distinguish times, as it
does; to give
light by night, of which use it is, and to
influence the
earth and seas; hence we read of precious
things
brought forth by the moon; and that it is at the
command of the God of providence, appears by its being
stopped and
stayed, when the sun was, in the days of Joshua;
the stars are
the hosts of heaven, God's militia, which he
sometimes
employs in providence, in favour of his people,
and against
their enemies; "The stars in their courses
fought against Sisera", #Jud 5:20 they are of use, in
providence,
to mariners on the mighty waters; the loss of
which was
sensibly felt by the apostle Paul, and those with
him, when for
many days neither sun nor stars appeared,
#Ac 27:20 and
when such is the case, then it is that God
"sealeth up the stars", #Job 9:7.
5a2. The
meteors in the heavens are under the direction of
providence;
the clouds and winds, hail, rain, snow, and dew,
thunder and
lightning: the providence of God is greatly
concerned in the ordering, directing, and managing of the
clouds;
"He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, and
the cloud is
not rent under them", #Job 26:8 amazing it is,
that such a
body of waters should be wrapped up in so thin a
garment as a
cloud is, which is only thickened air; and that
the cloud should not be rent and burst with the weight of
the waters in
it; and that these should not fall at once, in
the vast
quantity of which they are, which should they,
would wash
away the increase of the earth, and destroy men
and cattle on
it. But God, in his infinite wisdom and
providence, causes them to fall in gentle showers, and in
small drops,
as if they passed through a sieve or colander,
and so
refresh and make the earth fruitful, #Job 36:27-29.
Elihu asks,
"Can any understand the spreadings of the
clouds?"
how from a small appearance, like that of a man's
hand, on a sudden they spread themselves all over the
heavens; as
in the times of Ahab, #1Ki 18:44,45 and
elsewhere he
asks, "Dost thou know the balancings of the
clouds, the
wondrous works of him which is perfect in
knowledge?"
#Job 37:16 how such vast bodies, holding such
large quantities of water, are poised in the air, without
turning
aside, or falling at once; but move on evenly from
place to place,
and fall on those parts where in providence
they are
directed.
5a3. The winds are also at the dispose of providence: God
has his
treasures of
them, and he brings them out from thence when
he pleases,
and holds them in his fists, restrains them, or
lets them
loose at his pleasure; he commands and raises the
stormy wind,
and bids it blow, and it obeys his orders, and
fulfils his word; and he makes a weight for it, and causes
it to
subside, #Ps 135:7 107:25,29 148:8 Pr 30:4 Job 28:25.
And as all
this is the work of providence, and which God only
can do, so it
is a clear proof of the Deity of our Lord; who,
when he
rebuked the winds and sea, and there was a calm, when
before a violent tempest, the men in the ship with him
said,
"What
manner of man is this, that the winds and the sea obey
him?"
#Mt 8:26,27. Hail is at the command of God, and which
he sometimes
in providence makes use of to the hurt and
destruction
of wicked men, as the Egyptians and Canaanites,
as before observed, and will be one of the plagues on the
antichristian
states, #Re 16:21 and we frequently hear of
damages by
it. On the other hand, in a way of mercy, God
sends dew,
and rain, and snow upon the earth, to water it,
and make it
fruitful; and which are what none of the vanities
of the Gentiles can give; rain is a wonderful blessing of
providence,
and falls by divine direction, sometimes on one
part of the
earth, and sometimes on another, as God pleases
to dispose of
it to the benefit of it, #Am 4:7,8. Thunder and
lightning are
of God; lightning is directed by him, and it
runs from one end of the heavens to the other, and very
many
and wonderful
are the effects of it; thunder is the voice of
God;
"Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" #Job 40:9.
"The voice
of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory
thundereth";
and strange effects are produced by it,
#Ps 29:3-9. God sometimes causes this his voice to be
heard,
to awaken and
terrify secure sinners and atheistical persons,
and let them
know there is a God in the heavens that takes
notice of
them, and to whom they are accountable; and
sometimes God
in his providence does execution upon them this
way; thus with a great thunder the Lord discomfited the
army
of the
Philistines, in the days of Samuel, #1Sa 7:10.
5a4. The
providence of God is not only concerned with things
inanimate in
the heavens, but also in the earth, the various
metals and minerals there; such as gold, silver, brass,
iron, &c.
"There is a vein for silver, and a place for
gold-----iron
is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten
out of the
stones", #Job 28:1,2. God has made a provision
of these
metals for the use of men, and bestows them on them
in providence; "The silver is mine, and the gold is
mine,
saith the
Lord", #Hag 2:8 and he gives them to whom he
pleases, and
as much of them as seems meet to him; and
directs men
how to employ them and improve them in trade and
commerce, and
in several arts and manufactories.
5a5. The sea,
as well as all that are therein, is at his command;
this unruly
and unwieldy creature is managed by him at his
pleasure, as
easily as an infant by its nurse; he puts on
its garment,
wraps it in a swaddling band; he has broke up
its decreed place for it, and has set bars, and doors, and
bounds unto
it, to stop and stay its proud waves from
proceeding
any further; he has placed that small creature
the sand for
a boundary of it; and though the waves thereof
toss
themselves, as it were in scorn and contempt of this
their boundary; yet notwithstanding their haughty airs,
they
cannot
prevail and pass over, #Job 38:8-11 Jer 5:22 Ps 65:7.
5b. Secondly, Animate
creatures, or creatures with life; though they have only either a vegetative
life, or a sensitive animal life, are under the care of divine providence; vegetables, herbs, plants, and trees, grass for the cattle,
and herb for the service of man; and of great use, profit, and advantage, are
they to both; when they are withered, or they do not spring up, not only the
"beasts groan, the herds of cattle are perplexed, and the flocks of sheep
are made desolate, because they have no pasture", #Joe 1:18 but men
sensibly feel the loss of them; for God sometimes in providence
turns "a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that
dwell therein", #Ps 107:34. As every spire of grass proclaims a God, so it
also declares a providence, and instructs men to trust therein; "Consider
the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they
spin"; but being raised by providence, they thrive, and are clothed with a
beauty and glory, which Solomon, in all his glory, was not
arrayed with: "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field",
with such verdure and gaiety, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the
oven; shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" #Mt
6:28-30. Other creatures that live a
sensitive, animal life, yet irrational, are cared for in providence; "He
giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens that cry", #Ps
147:9. All the creatures look up unto him, wait upon him,
and he gives them their meat in due season; the beasts of the field, and the
fowls of the air, God knows them all, and provides for them, and takes care of
them, and preserves them; not a sparrow falls to the ground without him,
without his knowledge, will, and providence; and the doctrine of providence,
and trust in it, are to be learned from these creatures; "Behold
the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them; are ye not much better than
they?" #Mt 6:26. The heathens acknowledge the providence of God, as
regarding the most mean and minute. Plato says {30}, that things small and great
are not neglected by God, neither through ignorance nor sloth; and that such an
imagination is false and wicked; so Chrysippus {31}.
Indeed, some are for exempting creatures mean and small, as well as trivial
things, from the providence of God, being of the Stoic's mind, who said {32},
"Dii magna curant, parva negligunt"; the gods take care of great
things, but neglect small ones: but what is more mean and worthless than a
sparrow? and yet under the care of the
providence of God; and what smaller than some insects, as
flies, &c. and yet as the wisdom and power of God are seen in creating
them, they are no less displayed in the use he makes of them, in doing great
things by them; as in the plagues of Egypt; and if they are not unworthy of his
creation, they cannot be unworthy of his providence.
5c.
Thirdly, Rational creatures, angels and men, are more especially the objects of
divine providence. Angels good and bad. Good angels are not only upheld in
their beings by God, but are directed by his providence, and ordered by his
will, here and there; and he does according to his will among them, even in the
armies of the heavens, which they are, #Da 4:35. He orders them to do his
pleasure in the several parts of the world, gives them a
charge over his people, to keep and guard them in all their ways. Christ says,
he could have asked twelve legions of them from his Father, and have had them,
#Ps 91:11 Mt 26:53. But of the officers and employment of good angels we have
treated elsewhere. Evil angels are under the restraints and checks of
providence; they are held in the chains of it, nor can they go any where, nor any further, nor do anything but what they have leave
for; as the cases of Job, and of the man possessed of a legion, and of Peter,
show, #Job 1:11,12 2:5,6 Mr 5:10-13 #Lu 22:31 but of the providence of God,
respecting angels in their first estate, and at their fall, I shall treat more
particularly hereafter; and proceed to consider the providence of God
concerning men, men in general, and the people of God in
particular.
5c1. First,
Men in general. As all men have their life and
breath, and
all things, from God; they live, and move, and
have their
being in him; he looks down from heavens for
them, and preserves them; "Thou preservest man and
beast";
as all sorts
of beasts, so the whole of mankind, #Ac 17:25,28
#Ps 33:13,14
36:6 the providence of God is concerned in
production of
every man into being, and attends him in every
stage and
step of life, even unto death.
5c1a. It is
concerned in the production of them into being; it
was the will
of God, declared from the beginning, that there
should be a
propagation of the human species; God made man,
male and
female, for that purpose, joined them together in
marriage, and enjoined them the first law of nature;
"Increase
and multiply"; and blessed this ordinance and
institution
of his to the peopling of the old world; and
when that was
overrun with wickedness, and destroyed by him
for it with a
flood, he by his providence preserved eight
persons in an ark; and renewed the original law,
"increase
and
multiply"; and by them repeopled the whole earth; and
though ever
since one generation of men has been going off
by death, yet
another generation comes and succeeds by
birth; so it
has been, is, and will be to the end of the
world. To be a little more particular; the providence of
God
is concerned
in the birth of every man, with respect to time
when, place
where, and persons of whom he is born; for as
each of these
are fixed in the purposes of God, the
providence of
God exactly executes those purposes, #Ec 3:1,2
#Ac 17:26 Ge 33:5 48:9 the conception of man in the womb,
the formation
of every member of the body, in the curious
and wonderful
manner in which they are wrought, and the
whole
progress thereof, are under the direction of
providence,
and owing to it, #Job 10:8,9 Ps 94:9 139:14-16
the production of the soul in, and the union of it to the
embryo, when
in a fit and proper state to receive it,
whereby it is
quickened, are performed by the same hand,
#Ps 33:15 Zec
12:1 Ac 17:25 and when all things are ripe for
the birth,
God, by his power and providence, takes it out of the
womb, and brings it forth into the world; for to him is
this
act ascribed,
rather than to the midwife. Job, in his
distress,
complains of it, and wishes it had not been; but
the Psalmist
blesses and adores the providence of God for
it, #Job
10:18 Ps 22:8,9 71:6 and how wonderful does the
providence of God appear in the case of a newly born
infant,
that when it
cannot help itself, nor tell its wants, care is
taken that
such things should be done for it in that instant
which are
necessary, #Eze 16:4 and that as it has been
marvellously
fed and nourished, in the dark cell of nature,
as soon as it is brought to the light, the mother's
breasts
are filled
with milk, to which it has a natural desire; and
her heart is
filled with tenderness to it, to do all that is
in her power
for it, and rather suffer herself than that
should want;
this is all owing to divine providence,
5c1b. The
providence of God attends men in every stage of life
into which
they come, and in every step in it, as in the
first moment
of their birth, so throughout their infancy;
providing things necessary for them, and preserving them
from many
dangers the infant state is exposed unto: it
appears in
their education, the foundation of which is laid
in childhood;
some have a better education than others, by
which their
tender minds are opened and improved; and some
have greater capacities to receive and take in the
instructions
given them; but all have either more or less to
fit them for
the stations in life which are designed for
them; all
that come into the world are enlightened with the
light of nature
and reason; there is a rational spirit in
every man; and the inspiration of the Almighty gives him
understanding
in natural things, and teaches him, and makes
him wiser
than the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of the
heaven; whereby
he is qualified, in a course of time, for
such
employments in life he is designed unto, #Job 32:8
#Job 35:11 and when fit for business, the providence of
God
is greatly
seen in directing to such callings, occupations, and
stations in
life they are fittest for; and it is easily
discerned in
giving to each an inclination to such and such
services,
some to one, and some to another; some choose an
employment on the sea, others on land; some take to
agriculture
or husbandry, in one branch of it or another;
some to
mechanic trades and manufactories, of different
sorts: in all
which the providence of God greatly appears;
for as it is
in the natural body, "If the whole body were an
eye, where were the hearing? if the whole were hearing,
where
were the
smelling? So it is in the body politic, if all chose
and were
concerned in one sort of business and employment,
that would
soon be overdone, and the rest neglected; the
consequence
of which would be distress and confusion. But
God, in his providence, has ordered every man's calling
for
his own
particular good, and the good of the public;
therefore,
"let every man abide in the same calling wherein
he is
called", #1Co 7:20,24 12:17 the places of abode where
every man is
settled, to do the business of his calling, are
under the direction of the providence of God, who has
"determined
the times before appointed, and the bounds of
mens'
habitation". God not only at the first peopling of the
world,
divided to the nations their inheritance, and set the
bounds of the
people; particularly after the flood, disposed
of the sons of Noah, and their posterity, some in one part
of
the world,
and some in another; but he has appointed to every
man the place
of his settlement, and in his providence
directs unto
it, #De 32:8 Ac 17:26. The marriage state of
life, into
which most men enter, is too important an affair
to escape the providence of God; there is more truth in
that
common
saying, than many are aware of, that "marriages are
made in
heaven"; that is, they are appointed of God, and
brought about
in providence; and very often in a most
remarkable
manner; instances of this may be observed in the
direction of Abraham's servant, sent to take a wife for
Isaac; and in
the case of Boaz and Ruth, #Ge 24:14,15,21,27
#Ru 4:13,14.
When persons are born into the world, and set up
in business
in it, their success therein depends on the
providence of
God, which is different, to some greater, to
others less; some rise early, and sit up late, and it is
as
much as they
can do to live; others, through the blessing of
God on their
diligence and industry, become rich; which is
not to be
ascribed to chance and fortune, but to divine
providence,
#Ps 127:2 Pr 10:4,22 for poverty and riches are
both in the hand of God, and he disposes of them at his
pleasure;
"The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is
the maker of
them all", both rich and poor; not the maker of
them as men,
though he is, which is an observation anyone
could make,
as well as the wise man; but the maker of them
both as rich and poor; this is an observation worthy of
the
wisest of
men; for "the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich".
Agur was
sensible of this, and therefore desires that God
would give him
neither poverty nor riches, for reasons he
mentions; see
#Pr 22:2 30:8 1Sa 2:7. All afflictions, of
whatsoever sort, are under the direction of providence;
they
do not spring
out of the ground, or come by chance, but by
the
appointment of God; and are overruled, in providence, to
answer some
ends or other; be they personal or family, or
crosses,
losses, and disappointments in trade and business,
they are all sent, and set and bounded by the providence
of
God;
prosperity and adversity are set by him, the one against
the other; so
that men can find nothing after him, #Job 5:6
#Job 23:14 Ec
7:14. All diseases of bodies are the servants
of God, are
at his beck and command, and sent here and there
to do his pleasure; he says to one, go, and it goes, and
to
another,
come, and it comes; he sends them on, and calls them
off, as he
pleases; he chastens with sore pain, consumes
their flesh,
weakens their strength in the way, and brings
near to the
grave; "These things worketh God", in his
providence, "oftentimes with men", #Job 33:29.
And as the
providence of
God attends men in their infancy, childhood,
youth, and
manhood, and in all circumstances relative to
them, in the
course of these, so in old age; he that has been
the guide of
their youth, and conducted them in every part of
life, is the staff of old age, and will not then cast off,
leave, nor
forsake; he carries from the womb even to old age
and hoary
hairs, #Ps 71:9,18 Isa 46:3,4. The term of life, as
it is fixed
by God, it is finished by providence, exactly in
the manner,
and at the time appointed; some die a violent,
and others, for the most part, a natural death; some in
the
prime of
life, others in old age; some suddenly, and in their
full strength,
while others drag on a tedious life, and
consume and
pine away gradually; but all come by the
appointed
means, and in the appointed manner, and at the
appointed time, under the direction of providence, #1Sa
26:10
#Job 21:23-25
Ec 3:2. Nor can the term of life be protracted
beyond the
bounds of days, months, and years which God has
fixed {33};
nor be shortened, as not to be reached unto,
#Job 14:5.
Nor are the fifteen years added to Hezekiah's
days, an objection to this; since that addition was not to
the days
which God had appointed he should live, but to his
own, which he
thought were at an end; when he had the
sentence that
he should die, being stricken with a mortal
disease,
which none but God could cure him of: nor what is
said of some, that they die before their time, #Ec 7:17
since
that does not
respect God's time, but their own time; what,
according to
the course of nature, humanly speaking, they
might have
lived to; and which both they and their friends
might expect
they would; the passage respects such who by
capital crimes fall under the notice and vengeance of the
civil
magistrate, and so come to what is usually styled an
untimely end.
And when some are said not to live out half
their days;
these live out all the days they are designed in
providence to
live; and yet live but half of those which,
according to their own, and the expectation of their
friends,
and according
to the common term of life, threescore years
and ten, it
might be supposed they would have lived; so that
if a person
dies under five and thirty years of age, he may
be said to
live not half the days of man, though he has lived
all the days that were allotted to him in providence; see
#Ps 55:23
90:10.
5c2. Secondly,
There is a special providence, which is concerned
with the
people of God in particular; God is "the Saviour of
all men", in a providential way, but "especially
of those
that
believe", #1Ti 4:10 not only is the eye of love, grace,
and mercy, on
those that fear the Lord, but his eye of
providence.
The providence of God is signified by seven
eyes, that
run to and fro through the earth, to denote the
perfection and extensiveness of it; and it takes this
course,
particularly that God may "show himself strong on
the behalf of
them whose heart is perfect towards him",
#Ps 33:18 Zec
4:10 2Ch 16:9. Many are the instances on
divine
record, of the special providence of God respecting the
saints; as Abraham and Sarah, who being called from their
native
country to a strange land, through which they
travelled
with safety, though the Canaanite was in it; and
were
eminently preserved both in Egypt and Gerar; Abraham,
when his
life, as he supposed, was in danger, and Sarah,
when her chastity was ready to be violated, #Ge 12:1,6,10
#Ge
12:12,13,20 20:6,15,16. Isaac, in obedience to the
divine
command, Abraham took, and was about to sacrifice, all
things being
ready for that purpose, and his hand stretched
out to give
the fatal blow; when he was restrained from it
by a voice from heaven, and was directed to a ram caught
in
a thicket, to
offer in his room; and this providence being
at mount
Moriah, occasioned a proverb in future ages, for
the
encouragement of faith in times of distress; "In the
mount of the
Lord it shall be seen", #Ge 22:2,10,11,14.
Jacob is another instance of the special care of divine
providence,
in directing him to flee from the wrath of his
brother, who
intended to kill him; and in preserving him in
his journey,
and bringing him safe to Laban's family; in
prospering
him in it, and in securing him from his fury,
when he departed from him; in guarding him with an host of
angels when
his brother Esau came out to meet him; all
which, and
other providences, were remarked by him; which
occurred in
the way in which he was led by his God, who fed
him, and
protected him all his days, #Ge 27:42,43 29:1
#Ge 30:43 31:29,42 32:1,2 35:3 48:15. Joseph, whose
party-coloured
coat was an emblem of the various providences
of his life,
is a remarkable instance of this kind; in being
preserved
from the designs of his brethren upon his life; in
his being
sold and carried into Egypt; in the disposal of
him there, and the favour he had both in Potiphar's
family,
and in the
prison into which he was cast by him; in
interpreting
the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants, which
was the means
of his being brought from thence into
Pharaoh's
presence and court; where he was advanced to the
highest honour and office, next the king, and was of
eminent
use to the
whole nation, and to his father's family,
#Ge
37:3,18,21,26,27 39:4,21,23 41:14,41 50:20. To
observe no
more, David was also remarkably the care of
providence.
Samuel was directed by the providence of God to
anoint him king, when all his brethren, elder than he,
were
passed by;
and by the same providence he was brought to
Saul's court,
and more than once was he eminently preserved
from his
fury; as when he threw a javelin at him, and sent
messengers to
beset his house, and take him; and when he
pursued him in various places, and particularly when he
lay
with his army
on one side of the mountain where David and
his men were,
and was just about to surround him, but was
called off by
a messenger that acquainted him the
Philistines
had invaded the land: with many other signal
appearances of divine providence in his favour, both in
his
exile and in
his wars, #1Sa 16:13,18-23 19:10,12 23:26,27.
But besides
those instances, and many others, there is a
special
providence that attends all the people of God.
5c2a. Before conversion, even as soon as they are born;
this is
what the
apostle seems to intend in #Ga 1:15. With respect
to himself;
"When it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's
womb"; which cannot be understood of the separation
of him in
election, which was done earlier than this, even
in eternity; nor of his separation from others in the
effectual
calling, for
that was not done so early; but of his being
taken under
the care of divine providence in a distinguished
manner, as
soon as he was taken out of his mother's womb;
God's eye was
upon him all along, from thence to the time of
his conversion, waiting to be gracious to him; see #Ac
7:58
#Ac 8:1,3
9:1-5. Though it is not the only, nor the
principal
thing, that may be intended in #2Ti 1:9 yet it
seems to be
part of the sense of it, and not to be excluded from
it; "Who
hath saved us, and called us"; since the people of God
are often saved from many imminent dangers, to which their
lives are
exposed before conversion; and so are saved before
called, and
saved to be called. Many of them are greatly
preserved
from the grosser sins of life before conversion,
though this
is not the case of all; and many are blessed
with a religious education, which is a means of their
preservation
from scandalous sins; though this also every
one has not;
yet where it is, it is a providential favour.
5c2b. At
conversion; as effectual calling itself is according to
the purpose of God, as to time, place, and means; so the
providence of
God is concerned in the bringing of it about
agreeable
thereunto; there is a time fixed for it, called
the time of
life, and the time of love; because there is
then the
first appearance of both; this is sometimes in the
earlier, and sometimes in the latter part of life, and is
not
restrained to any, but is always at the time appointed
by God, and
then it is providentially brought about; the
time being come
for the conversion of the woman of Samaria,
and for the
call of Zaccheus, Christ must needs go through
Samaria and Jericho, when it does not appear that he had
any
reason to go
through either, but on those accounts. The
place where
conversion shall be made is also fixed,
#Ps 87:4-6 Ac
18:10 wherefore the providence of God is often
remarkably
concerned either in bringing the gospel to such
places, as it was brought to Philippi, for the sake of the
conversion of
Lydia and her household, and of the jailer and
his, #Ac
16:6-12,14,15,33,34 or in bringing persons to
the places
where the gospel is, and casting them under the
sound of
it. Very remarkable and uncommon was
the
conversion of Onesimus, a fugitive servant, who ran away
from his
master, was taken up and cast into the same prison
where the
apostle Paul was, by whom he was begotten in his
bonds,
through the ministry of the gospel to him,
#Phm 1:10.
And as the gospel is the ordinary means of
conversion, how providentially are some persons brought
under it, and
converted by it, led by curiosity to hear it,
or with a
malignant spirit to scoff at it, oppose and
persecute it;
and ministers, how providentially are they
directed to
insist on such a subject, to say such things,
and drop such expressions, and which, perhaps, they
thought
not of
before, which, accompanied with a divine power, issue
in
conversion. Thus Austin, losing his subject, and
digressing
from it, fell upon the error of the Manichees,
which proved
the conversion of a great man of that heresy;
and at most, ministers draw the bow at a venture; it is
divine
providence, in a gracious manner, directs the arrow
of the word
to the sinner's heart, where, through the power
of divine
grace, it does execution.
5c2c. After conversion the providence of God appears, as
well as
before, in
preserving his people from many evils and
dangers;
angels are ministering spirits to them, have the
charge of
them, encompass about them, and protect them,
#Ps 91:11
34:7 in providing for their temporal good, so
that they shall want no good thing fitting and convenient
for
them; rather
than they shall suffer want God will open
rivers in
high places, and fountains in the midst of the
valleys, #Ps 34:9,10
89:11 Isa 41:17,18. And in directing
them in all
their ways, to take such steps as will be most
for their good and the glory of God, #Ps 37:23 and in
delivering
them out of their afflictions, and causing all
things to
work together for their good; and in being their
God and guide
even unto death, #Ro 8:28 Ps 34:19 48:14.
5d.
Fourthly, The providence of God is concerned in all actions; in everything that
is done in the world, from the beginning to the end of it. God is a "God
of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed", #1Sa 2:3 not only are they
known, considered, and examined by him, but he has some way or other, or in
some sense or another, a concern in them; all action is from motion, and all
motion comes originally from the first Mover, who is God,
"in whom we live, and move, and have our being", #Ac 17:28.
5d1. First,
All natural actions, which are common or peculiar to
every
creature, as flying to the fowls of the air, swimming
to fishes, walking to men and beasts; all muscular motion
is
of God; and
is continued by his providence; by which we can
move from
place to place, rise, walk, run, &c. eat and
drink, and do
every action, and the several businesses of
life.
5d2.
Secondly, All necessary actions; such as either arise from
the necessity
of nature, or are so by the ordination and
appointment
of God. Some are so by the necessity of nature;
as waters
naturally and necessarily descend and flow; and
fire naturally and necessarily burns what is combustible,
when put to
it; and heavy things descend, and light things
ascend; they
necessarily move and act according to their
nature, which
is preserved in them by the providence of God;
and that they
are under the direction of providence is
clear, because they are sometimes controlled by it: so the
waters rose
up and stood on an heap in the Red Sea, and the
river of
Jordan, and made dry land for the Israelites to
pass through.
The nature of fire was so restrained in
Nebuchadnezzar's
furnace, that it did not so much as singe
nor scent the clothes of the three companions of Daniel,
cast into it.
There are other things that are necessary by
the
appointment of God, or must be, because he has appointed
them; and,
indeed, everything is necessary in this sense,
because he
has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass; so for
instance, the sufferings of Christ being by the
determinate
counsel of
God, were necessary; hence those phrases, ought
not Christ to
suffer; the Son of man "must" suffer many
things; so
likewise offences must come, and heresies must
be; they were
necessary, by a necessity of immutability;
that is, they must and do unchangeably come to pass in
providence;
but not by a necessity of coaction, or force, on
those that
are the authors of them, who do what they do most
freely: as
the crucifiers of Christ; men could not act more
freely than
they did; and as those by whom offences come,
they give them freely, and are pleased when they are
taken.
Heretics form
their corrupt schemes of doctrine with their
whole hearts
and will, and freely spread them; so that the
divine
determination, and providential bringing about of
necessary
actions, are consistent with the liberty of man's
5d3. Thirdly,
All free and voluntary actions, which depend upon
the free will
of man, are under the direction of the
providence of
God. The thoughts, purposes, schemes, and
determinations of the will of men, than which nothing is
more free;
yet these are under the influence of divine
providence;
"A man's heart deviseth his way"; forms schemes,
which he
purposes to execute; settles the method of the
execution of
them, according to his will; and chooses the
way he proposes to walk in; "But the Lord directeth
his
steps",
and guides him in providence to take a quite
different
course; "The preparations of the heart in man, and
the answer of
the tongue, are from the Lord"; the thoughts
of the heart,
by which a man is prepared to speak his mind,
are under a divine influence; as free as thought is, it is
not exempt
from the providence of God, which both directs
and overrules
it; and the answer the tongue is thereby
prepared to
give, is under the same influence and restraint;
Balaam would
willingly have given an answer to the wishes of
Balak, in order to have gotten his money, but could not:
when
he had
devised what to say, and was just ready to open his
mouth to
curse Israel, God put another word into his mouth;
and instead
of cursing, he blessed Israel. What more free
and arbitrary
than the heart, mind, and will of a sovereign
despotic prince? yet "the king's heart is in the hand
of the
Lord, as the
rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever
he
will"; as resolute and determined as it may be, it is in
the hand of
God; and it is in his power to turn it as easily
as canals of
water may be cut by a gardener to water his
garden; or as the river Euphrates was cut by Cyrus, and
its
course
diverted, and its waters drained; so that he could
march his army
into the midst of Babylon, through which it
ran. So the
cabinet councils of princes, in which they
consult,
debate, and speak their minds freely, are all
overruled by the providence of God, to answer his own
purposes; see
#Pr 16:1,9 21:1.
5d4. Fourthly,
All contingent actions, or such as are called
chance
matters, these fall under the divine providence. What
may seem more a contingency, or matter of chance, than the
shooting of a
bird flying, and its falling to the ground?
When the bow
is drawn, or the piece presented and levelled,
how uncertain
is it whether it hits the bird or not? And yet,
"One
sparrow shall not fall on the ground", that is, be shot
and drop on the ground, "without your Father";
without his
knowledge,
will, and providence, #Mt 10:29 and what is more
contingent
than the killing of a man unawares, as it is
described,
#De 19:4,5? and yet the providence of God is so
far concerned
in such an affair, that God is said to
"deliver" such a man "into the hand"
of his neighbour,
#Ex 21:13.
What we call accidental death is providential:
what can be
thought more a chance matter than the casting of a
lot, how it
will issue? and yet the issue, which is of God,
is certain;
"The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole
disposing thereof is of the Lord", #Pr 16:33. The
first lot
mentioned in
scripture is that which was cast on the account
of Achan, who
had stolen a Babylonish garment, and a wedge
of gold; to
find out which, Joshua had recourse to a lot;
this was cast
first for the tribe the guilty person belonged
to, and it fell on the tribe of Judah; then for the family
of it, and it
fell on the family of the Zarhites; and next
for the
household, and it fell upon the household of Zabdi;
and then for
the person, and it fell upon Achan: and in the
whole
process, how remarkable is the providence of God,
which directed to the tribe, to the family, to the
household,
and to the guilty person; for that he was so, is
certain from
his own confession, #Jos 7:16-20. The next lot
was that
which was cast for the division of the land of
Canaan to the
tribes of Israel; and which fell exactly
agreeable to the prophecies of Jacob and Moses: thus for
instance, it
is suggested in both of them, that the tribe of
Zebulun
should have its situation by the sea, #Ge 49:13
#De 33:19 and
by lot this situation was assigned unto it,
#Jos 19:11.
The third lot we read of was that cast by Saul,
to find out the person that had sinned, on whose account
no
answer was
returned by the Lord to an inquiry made; and Saul
desired a
perfect lot might be given between the people, and
him and
Jonathan; it was cast, and the people escaped; it
was cast
again, and it fell on Jonathan, who had tasted
honey that day, contrary to the charge and oath of Saul,
#1Sa
14:40-43. Once more, Jonah fleeing from
the presence
of the Lord,
took shipping at Joppa, for Tarshish, when a
tempest arose
and endangered the ship, and frighted the
mariners; who
supposed it was for some evil done by some
among them, and therefore cast lots to find out the
person,
and the lot
fell on Jonah. Now how careful and just was this
disposition
made in providence, that it might not fall upon
any of the
innocent mariners, but upon the guilty person;
and for whom God
in his providence had provided a fish to
swallow him, when cast into the sea! #Jon 1:7,17.
5d5. Fifthly,
All actions and things done in the world and among
men, whether
good or evil, are under the direction of
providence;
or that is some way or other concerned in them.
5d5a. First,
Good actions. Those are of God, the fountain of all
goodness;
there is no good thing in fallen man naturally,
and therefore
no good thing comes out of him, nor is any
good thing
done by him; and without the grace of God, he can
do nothing of that kind; neither think a good thought, nor
do a good
action, an action that is spiritually good; in
this God is
concerned; this is one branch of his gracious
dealings in
providence with men: and he does not only uphold
them in their
beings, while they are doing good; for this he
does to wicked men, while they are doing evil things; nor
does he only
give them a law, which shows them that which is
good, what is
to be done, and what to be avoided, and what
is the
perfect and acceptable will of God; to love God and
their
neighbour; to do nothing injurious to the glory of the
one, and the good of the other: nor does he barely make
use
of moral
persuasion by his ministers, to persuade with
arguments
taken from fear or love, from loss or profit, to
avoid evil
and do good, #De 30:19 2Co 5:11. But God works
efficaciously
in the hearts of his people, both to will and
to do, of his good pleasure; he opens their hearts to
attend
to the word spoken
to them; he bends their wills, and
inclines
their hearts to that which is good, and gives them
power and
grace to effect it; he circumcises their hearts to
love him, the
Lord their God; he creates them anew in
Christ, that they may be capable of performing good works;
for though
without him they can do nothing, yet through him
strengthening
them, they can do all things; he puts his
Spirit within
them, to enable them to walk in his statutes,
and to keep
his judgments and do them. But of this more,
when we come to treat of the doctrine of efficacious
Grace.
5d5b.
Secondly, There are many evil things done in the world, in
which the
providence of God is concerned; and these are of
two sorts,
the evil of calamities, distress, and afflictions,
5d5b1. The
evils of calamities, &c. and these are either more
public or
more private.
5d5b1a. More public; such are the calamities and
distresses on
nations and
kingdoms, and bodies of men, and which are never
without the
providence of God; "I make peace and create
evil; I the
Lord do all these things", in a providential
way, #Isa
45:7. When peace obtains and continues in states
and kingdoms, it is God that makes peace in their borders;
this is a blessing
of his providence; and the evil which is
set in
contrast with it, said to be of his creating, is war;
and this, and
all the calamities and distress that attend
and follow
it, are by the providence of God. In this sense
are we to understand the prophet when he says, "Shall
there
be evil in
the city, and the Lord hath not done it?" #Am 3:6
he means any
public calamity, affliction, and distress; even
cities
themselves come to destruction, and their memorial
perishes with
them: where is now Thebes with its hundred
gates, and Babylon, with its broad walls, and the famous
Persepolis,
and Jerusalem the joy of the whole earth? it
cannot be
thought that these cities came to destruction
without the
concern of providence therein: yea, where are
the famous
monarchies which made such a figure in the world,
the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, of which the
latter only
has a name, and that is all? the fall of these,
according to
divine prediction, has been accomplished by
divine
providence. Under this head may be observed the
judgments of
God in the world, as the sword, famine,
pestilence, earthquakes, &c. When the sword is drawn,
it is
God that
gives it a charge, and appoints it against such a
state and
kingdom; and it cannot be sheathed again, and be
at rest and
quiet, until he gives a counterorder in
providence,
#Jer 47:6,7. Famine is one of God's arrows
shot out of the bow of providence; wherever it is, it is
of
his calling
for and sending. #Am 4:6 Hag 1:11 and
pestilence is
another of his arrows, an arrow which flies by
day and walks
in darkness, and wastes at noonday by his
order;
concerning which he says, "I will send", or "I have
sent" the pestilence among them, #Jer 29:17 Am 4:10
and
who has foretold
there shall be earthquakes in divers
places, as
have been in our times as well as others, and
cannot be
thought to be without the providence of God,
#Mt 24:7.
5d5b1b. There
are other calamities and afflictions which are of a
more private
nature, and are either inflicted on wicked men
by way of
punishment for sin, nor can they justly complain
of the
providence of God as acting unrighteously by them,
"Wherefore should a living man complain, a man for
the
punishment of
his sins?" #La 3:39 or they are inflicted on
good men in
love, and as fatherly corrections and
chastisements;
"for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth
every son that he receiveth", #Heb 12:6 and this
now (the afflictions of good men) is made an objection,
though not
justly, against the providence of God: this was
the grand
objection of Epicurus {34} and his followers to
divine
providence, the only persons among the heathens that
objected to
it: because they observed that wicked men for
the most part prospered, and good men, or virtuous men, as
they called
them, were generally afflicted and distressed;
and therefore
they could not believe that God concerned
himself with
human affairs {35}; and this has been a
stumbling to
good men, which they know not how well to
reconcile to the justice of God, as it was to Asaph and
Jeremiah, #Ps
73:2,3,12-14 Jer 12:1,2. But it should be
observed,
5d5b1b1. That
wicked men, though they prosper and abound in
riches, and are not seemingly in trouble as other men, yet
they are not
so happy as they may be thought to be; for as
our Lord
says, "A man's life", that is, the happiness of it,
"consisteth
not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth",
#Lu 12:15. Some have much, and have not a power
to make use of it, either for their own comfort or the
good
of others;
and where is the difference then between having
and not
having it? Others, on the contrary, are profuse and
extravagant,
and live very luxurious and debauched lives,
and bring
upon themselves painful or nauseous diseases, and
distress of mind; so that they have neither ease of body
nor
peace of
conscience, but racking pain and dreadful remorses;
some, their
abundance will not suffer them to sleep, either
through fear
of losing what they have by thieves, &c. or
through care
contriving schemes to increase it; and some,
envy seizes them and gnaws upon them, and they cannot
enjoy
themselves
because a neighbour exceeds them in grandeur and
wealth.
5d5b1b2. It
should be also observed that a good man, though
afflicted, is not so unhappy as is imagined; he has more
peace,
satisfaction, and contentment in what he has, though
mean and
little, than the wicked rich man in all his
abundance;
see #Ps 37:16 Pr 15:16,17 besides, the good man,
though poor
in one sense, he is rich in a better; and is not
only heir of a kingdom, but is possessed of one which
cannot
be moved, the
kingdom of grace; he is possessed of the
riches of
grace, and is entitled to the riches of glory; and
in the meanwhile
has the love of God shed abroad in his
heart,
communion with God, and joy and peace unspeakable,
which none can take away; and even his very afflictions
work
together for
his good, temporal, spiritual, and eternal; and
he has the
presence of God, and a rich experience of his
grace in
them; so that he has reason to count it all joy
when he falls
into temptations, that is, into afflictions;
for though they are not in themselves joyous, but
grievous,
yet they
yield to them to whom they are sanctified the
peaceable
fruits of righteousness; so that the balance is
now on the
afflicted good man's side.
5d5b1b3. Hereafter, in a future state, this difficulty
will
be quite
removed, and entirely vanish, when the wicked rich
man, that was
clothed in purple, and fared sumptuously every
day, and had
his good things here, will have his evil
things; and
Lazarus, the afflicted man, that was clothed
with rags, and covered with ulcers, and had his evil
things,
will now have
his good things; the one will be tormented,
and the other
comforted; the wicked will go into everlasting
punishment,
and the righteous into life eternal; and then
justice will
shine in its true lustre and glory.
5d5b2. There
are the evils of fault, or sinful actions, from
which the
providence of God is not to be excluded. This is
the greatest
difficulty to be met with in the article of
providence,
how it should have a concern with sinful
actions, or with actions to which sin is annexed, as some
choose to express
themselves. There are two things to be set
down for
certain and eternal truths, whether we are capable
of
reconciling them to our own satisfaction and that of
others, or
not; the one is, that God is not and cannot be the
author of sin; the other is, that the providence of God
has
a concern
with and in all sinful actions in some sense or
another: that
God is not the author of sin is most certain,
there is
nothing sinful in his nature {36}; Plato {37} says
of good
things there is no other cause, but of evil things
we must seek for any other cause but God: he is without
iniquity, is
of unspotted purity and holiness; there is
nothing but
good in him, and therefore nothing sinful can
come from
him, nor be done by him; he takes no pleasure in
sin, nor in
those that do it, which the authors of sin do;
he cannot look upon it with approbation and delight, it is
abominable
and hateful to him; for he has not only forbidden
it by his
law, but is the avenger of it; indignation and
wrath,
tribulation and anguish, come from him on every soul
that does
evil; wherefore "let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God", #Jas 1:13 and on the
other hand,
to exclude the providence of God from all
concern in
the sinful actions of men, is contrary to the
independency
of God, in whom all live and move and have
their being,
and of whom, through whom, and to whom all
things are: creatures depend upon God, as in their being
so
in their
operation, or they would be in action independent
of him, and so
there would be other independents besides
him; moreover
to exempt the providence of God from all
concern in
sinful actions, or in actions to which sin is
annexed, would be to banish providence, in a good measure,
out of the
world; for, comparatively speaking, what is done
in the world
but what is sinful? for these are the
all, or
the chief
things in the world; "The lust of the flesh, the
lust of the
eye, and the pride of life", #1Jo 2:16.
Let
the following things be observed for the settling of this
point, and
the removing of the above difficulty,
5d5b2a. That
God supports men in their being, while they are
sinning. This
is certain; he upholds them in life, his
visitation preserves their spirits; was he to withdraw his
power and
providence from them, they would cease to be, and
become
incapable of action; but this he does not; he could
have struck
Ananias and Sapphira dead, before they committed
the sin they
did, and so have prevented it; but he did not;
but when they had committed it, then he did it.
5d5b2b. God,
in innumerable instances, does not hinder the
commission of
sin, when he could do it, if he would: that he
can do it is
certain, because he has done it; he withheld
Abimelech from sinning against him, as he told him, #Ge 20:6
and he that
withheld Abimelech, could have withheld Adam,
and any of
his sons, from sinning, whom he has not. He
restrained
Laban from hurting Jacob, as Laban himself owned;
and hindered
Balsam from cursing Israel, which he would
gladly have done. And so God could prevent the innumerable
sins of men,
which yet he does not. We, as creatures, are
bound to
hinder all the evil we can; but God is under no
such
obligation.
5d5b2c. God permits sin to be done, or suffers it to be,
in his
providence.
This is the language of scripture; "Who in time
past suffered
all nations to walk in their own ways"; and
these ways
were sinful ones, #Ac 14:16. And this permission
is not a
connivance at sin; nor a concession or grant of it;
much less does it express any approbation of it; nor is it
barely a
leaving of men to the liberty of their wills, to do as
they please;
as Moses suffered the Jews to put away their
wives when
they pleased; as though he was careless and
indifferent
about it: nor is it a mere naked permission, but
a voluntary one, yea, an efficacious one; God's will is in
it, and
efficacy attends it. Hence,
5d5b2d. God
is represented as active in things relative to it; he
not only
suffers men to walk in their sinful ways, but "he
gives them up to their own hearts lusts; he gives them
over
to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
he sends them strong delusion, that they may
believe a
lie", #Ps 81:12 Ro 1:28 2Th 2:11. Joseph's
brethren sold
him into Egypt, but God sent him thither; he
bid Shimei curse David; he gave the evil spirit a
commission
to go forth
and do what he proposed, to be a lying spirit in
the mouths of
Ahab's prophets, #Ge 45:5 2Sa 16:10
#1Ki
22:21,22.
5d5b2e. It will be proper to distinguish between an act,
and the
obliquity of
it; every action, as an action, a natural one,
is of God,
the first Mover, in whom all move; the creature
is dependent
on God, as the Creator, in every action, as
well as in his
being; but the obliquity and irregularity of
the action, as it swerves from the rule of God's law, is
from man this
is sometimes illustrated by divines, in such
an instance
as this; a man that rides on a lame horse, he by
whipping and
spurring is the cause and occasion of his
motion of
going forward; but he is not the cause of his
going lamely; that arises from a disorder in the creature
itself: also
the sun in the firmament, when it exhales a
nauseous
scent from a dunghill, it is the cause of the
exhalation;
but it is not the cause of the ill scent of it,
that arises
from the dunghill; the heat and force of the sun
may be the occasion of the ill scent being drawn forth,
but
not of that
itself. So,
5d5b2f. God
in his providence may put in the way of persons
things that
are good in themselves; which may give an
opportunity, and be the occasion of drawing out the
corruptions
of mens' hearts; thus God in his providence
directed
Joseph to dream, and to tell his dreams; which drew
upon him the
envy of his brethren; and God put it into the
heart of
Jacob to send him to visit them in the fields,
where they were feeding their flocks, which gave them an
opportunity
to form and execute evil against him. David was
brought by providence
into afflicted circumstances, which
obliged him
to flee, and pass by the way where Shimei lived;
and which
gave him an opportunity of doing that with his
mouth, which very probably he had done in his heart
before;
and now it
was, as it were, saying, Go curse David; the
object was
presented, and a fit opportunity in providence
offered.
There is sometimes a concurrence of things in
providence,
which in themselves are not sinful, yet are the
occasion of sin; as in the affair of David and Bathsheba.
Various
things met together, which gave an opportunity, and
were the
occasion of committing sin, which David fell into,
not being
restrained by the grace of God; and to be
preserved
from opportunities, the occasion of sinning, is
owing to the kind providence of God. Of this an heathen
{38}
was sensible,
and therefore gave thanks to God, that when he
had a
disposition to sin, and should have committed it, had
an occasion
offered; yet yewn eupoiia, by the good
providence of
God, no such occasion, from the concourse of
things, did offer for his commission of it. God gives to
some men
wealth and riches, and these are the occasions of
much sin to
them. He gives a law, which forbids men to sin;
but as the
poet says, "Nitimur in vetitum"; or rather as the
apostle says,
"Sin taking occasion by the commandment,
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence", #Ro 7:8
the
gospel also
sent to men, is the occasion of stirring up the
corruption of
their nature, their pride, and passion, to an
opposition to
it, and it becomes the saviour of death unto
death unto
them, #2Co 2:16.
5d5b2g. The
concern of providence about sinful actions, further
appears in
limiting and setting bounds; as to the waves of
the sea,
saying, "hitherto shalt thou come, and no further",
#Job 38:11.
Thus Joseph's brethren would have run
greater lengths in sin, had they not been restrained by
the
overruling
providence of God; their first scheme was to put
him to death;
this was disconcerted by Reuben, who proposed
putting him
into a pit, and let him starve there; from this
also they
were diverted by a motion of Judah's to take him
from thence, and sell him to the Ishmaelites, who were
coming that
way. And though it is amazing to observe how
much sin is
committed in the world; yet considering the
wretched
depravity of human nature, the temptations of
Satan, and
the snares of the world, it is most amazing that
no more is committed; which can only be ascribed to the
restraining
providence of God.
5d5b2h. God
in the affairs of providence, is to be considered as
the Rector
and Governor of the world, and the Judge of the
whole earth; and in this branch of it, respecting sin,
which
he overrules
either for the punishment of those who commit
it, or of
others, or else for good; he sometimes punishes
one sin with
another. Plato {39} says, a licence to sin, is
the greatest
punishment of sin. So disobedient Israel,
because they would not hearken to the voice of God, and
would have nothing
to do with him, therefore he gave them up
to their own
hearts lust: and the heathens, because they
liked not to
retain God in their knowledge, therefore he
gave them up
to a reprobate mind, to commit things sinful;
and because the followers of antichrist believed not the
truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness; therefore he
sent them
strong delusions to believe a lie; and when he is
said to
harden the hearts, and blind the minds of men, it is
done in a
judicial way, by giving them up to greater
hardness and blindness, for their wilful obstinacy, and
affected
ignorance, #Ps 81:11 Ro 1:28 2Th 2:11,12 Ro 9:18
#Ro 11:8,10.
Thus God corrected David's sin with Bathsheba,
by the incest
of his son with his wives and concubines; and
punished the
hypocrisy and idolatry of Israel, through the
pride, ambition, and cruelty of the Assyrian monarch, who
was in his
hand the rod of his anger, and the staff of his
indignation,
#2Sa 12:11 Isa 10:6,7. Sometimes God overrules
the sins of
men for good {40}; as the sin of Adam, for the
glorifying of
his perfections; the crucifixion of Christ for
the salvation of men, and Joseph's being sold into Egypt,
for the
saving many persons alive, #Ge 50:20 {41}.
To conclude
this article of providence; let it be observed,
1. That
all the providences of God are executed in the wisest manner; though they may
not sometimes appear clear to us, and are inscrutable by us, and the causes and
reasons of them not to be accounted for; yet even in such a view of them it should
be said with the apostle, "O the depth of the riches", &c. #Ro
11:33.
2. They
are all done in the most holy and righteous manner; even such as are concerned
about sin, are clear from any imputation of it; "The Lord is righteous in
all his ways, and holy in all his works", #Ps 145:17.
3. They are executed with
power irresistible; they are immutably performed, according
to the unchangeable will of God, who works all things in providence after the counsel
of his will; he does what he pleases; his counsel always stands; and he does
all his pleasure. Wherefore,
4. We should give to him the
glory of all; observe with wonder and gratitude, the various
steps of it respecting ourselves and others; and put our trust in him for
things temporal and spiritual; and at all times cast our care upon him, who
cares for us; seeing it is, and always will be, well with the righteous, in
time and to all eternity.
{1} Vid. Laert. l. 3. in Vita Platonis.
{2} In Timaeo et Phaedro, et alibi.
{3} Vid. Chartarium de Imag. Deorum, p. 8, 9.
{4} Pausan. Phocica. sive l. 10. p. 623.
{5} Aellan. Var. Hist. l. 2. c. 31.
{6} Laert. in Vita Pythagor.
{8} Laert. l. 7. in Vita Zenonis. Arrian. Epictet. l. 2. c. 14.
{9} De Providentia, c. l.
{10} Tertullian. Apolog. c.
18.
{11} A. Gell. Noct. Attic. l.
6. c. l. Laert. l. 7. in Vita Zeno.
{13} "Epicurus re tollit,
oratione relinquit Deos", ibid. l. 1. in fine.
{14} De Natura Deorum, l. 2.
{15} In Cicero. ibid.
{16} Apud Lactant. l. 7. c.
13.
{18} "Supervacuum est in
praesentia ostendere, non sine aliquo custode tantum opus stare, nec nunc
fiderum certum discursum fortuiti impetus esse." Seneca de Providentia, c.
1.
{19} "Vis illum (custodem
rectoremque universi) providentiam dicere? recte dices; est
enim cujus consilio huic mundo providetur ut inconcussus eat, et actus suos
explicet." Seneca, Nat. Quaest. l. 2. c. 45.
{20} Medulla Theolog. l. 1. c.
9. s. 6.
{21} De Natura Deorum, l. 2.
prope finem.
{22} De Providentia, c. 3.
{24} Ut supra.
{25} De Diis, c. 9.
{26} De Legibus, l. 10. p, 95,
&c. in Epinomide, p. 1008.
{27} Plutarch. Alexander, p.
680.
{29} Aristotle owned, that the
providence of God reached to heavenly things, and to earthly ones according to
their sympathy or congruence with the heavenly. Diog. Laert. l. 5. in Vita
ejus.
{30} De Legibus, l. 10. p.
956.
{31} Apud
Plutarch. de Stoic. repugn. p. 1056.
{32} Balbus apud Ciceron. de
Natura Deorum, l. 2. in fine.
{33} "Fixus est cuique
terminus; manebit semper ubi positus est; nec illum ulterius diligentia aut
gratia promovebit, "Senecae Consolatio ad Marc. c. 20.
{34} Vid. Lactant. Institut.
l. 5. c. 10.
{35}
"----Hominum nimium securns ades, non solicitus prodesse bonis, nocuisse
malis?" Senecae Hippol. v. 971.
{36} en men yeoiv (kakon) ouk
estin, epeide pav yeov agayov, Sallust. de Diis, c. 12.
{37} De Republica, l. 2. p.
605.
{38} Antoninus de Seipso, l.
1. s. 17.
{40} di agayothta ginetai ta
caca, Sallust, ut supra.
{41} Clemens of Alexandria
says, Stromat. l. 1. p. 312. "it is the greatest argument of divine
providence that he does not suffer evil, which arises from a voluntary
defection, to remain useless and unprofitable, nor to be altogether hurtful;
but, as he after expresses it, that which is devised by
evil persons, God brings on to a good and useful end."