and law of Nature the fire burneth the hungry Lions devour men God suspendeth both these Laws in the case of the three Children and of Daniel by an Ordinance of Nature the Sun keepeth its course and is in a continual progressive motion God suspendeth its motion in Joshuah's case altereth it and maketh it to come back in the case of Hezekiah 2 Kings 20.10 by the Ordinance of Nature the Earth brings forth her fruit so doth the womb ordinarily God suspends this Law in Judgment the Earth is made as Iron the Heaven as Brass men commit whoredom yet do not encrease they eat and have not enough Hos 4.10 This both demonstrates the governance of Divine Providence and also sheweth how God exerciseth it This is a third Particular 4. A fourth Particular wherein God sheweth his Dominion over all and exerciseth his Government over the whole Creation is his influencing all creatures to their natural actions either in a more ordinary or extraordinary manner Every living creature hath its natural motions and actions and powers and faculties in order to them which are the principles of those operations and in the upholding of those powers to those natural motions and actions God exerteth and putteth forth his preserving power of Providence but his extraordinary influencing of them to some motions and actions which are not in a natural course and order doth more eminently shew the Governing power of Divine Providence That Locusts and Caterpillers should feed upon grass and green herbs this is but their natural motion and action according to their nature and the kind of their being but that they should come in troops and rather feed upon one place than upon another till they had devoured all the grass and green herbs in Egypt this was extraordinary Psalm 105.24 He spake and the Caterpillers came and did eat up all the herbs in their land and devoured all the fruit of their ground And again Psalm 74.46 He gave their increase to the Caterpiller The same may be said for the Flies Lice Frogs and other creatures used as a plague upon Pharaoh but indeed this is rather a specialty of Providence than belonging to the ordinary Government of it though very demonstrative of the governing power of Providence 5. A fifth act by which the Providence of God exerciseth its governing power and influence is His daily raising up and influencing Governours for the Housholds and Societies of men and giving checks to them upon their miscarriages and mal-administrations The governing Providence of God exerteth it self either more immediately or mediately Other creatures God ordinarily governeth by men many of them I mean influencing man with Reason and Discretion by which he ruleth ordereth and governeth them though many of them be much more mighty and powerful than he the mouth of the horse and mule which have no understanding by the Providence of God so influencing man are held with the bit and bridle lest they come near unto us Psalm 32.9 The Whale is smitten with a spear wild bulls and boars are hunted down c. The Ox is tamed and brought to serve our uses who are much less in strength than he is Men also are governed by men the weaker by those that are more wise and powerful but whence have the Governours their wit and power their wisdom and understanding prompting them to make Laws acceptable to the greater part of Subjects so as conspiracies are of the lesser number and subdueâ—â—o the greater and keeps them in order Is it not from the Lord great in wisdom and wonderful in counsel Psalm 75.7 God is the Judg he pulleth down one and setteth up another and by him Kings reign God ruleth the World by Magistrates which if well considered would aw men to that duty of honour and obedience which they owe to those that are their Superiours and may make us to understand how we ought to be subject for conscience-sake and for Gods sake in things commanded which we cannot say are contrary to the Divine Law nor so appear to us and have any manifest appearance of good for the government and peace of the whole As on the other side it calls to Kings to be wise and the Judges of the Earth to be instructed to serve the Lord with fear and to rejoyce before him in their great capacities with trembling Psal 2.10 11 they are but the Lords Vice-Roys and as Jehosaphat told his Judges they judg not for themselves but for the Lord for him whose Throne is prepared in the Heavens and whose Kingdom is over all They ought therefore according to the command to the Kings of Israel to have the book of the law before them and to be reading therein all the days of their life and where that doth not give them particular direction to have the honour and glory of God yet in their Eye to measure all their laws and actions according to that Rule to remember God is the Judg and hath only exalted and dignified them to rule the World or this or that part of the World by them still the Government is the Lords 6. A sixth particular act by which God providentially governeth the World is By influencing the souls of some in it to such actions as more immediately tend to his honour and glory God hath an honour and glory from the natural complexion and constitution and motions of inanimate Beings Psal 148.6 8. Thus the Heavens and in them the Sun Moon Stars from them the snow rain hail meteors the lightning and thunder the cold and heat the vapours and stormy winds bring glory to God stormy winds fulfilling his word saith the Psalmist The heavens declare the glory of God the Earth sheweth his handy-work Psalm 19.1 God hath made in the Heavens a tabernacle for the Sun a course for the Moon and Stars the very complexions of them their natural and necessary motions bring God abundance of glory Now this ariseth from a necessary causation they cannot but do it The same may be said of brute creatures though animate not acting upon Election The Whale in the Sea the Lion and Tiger amongst the beasts the Eagle and others amongst the birds the Bee the Silk-worm and others amongst Insects several sorts of creeping things glorify God but it is necessarily Man only amongst earthly creatures glorifieth God voluntarily from a principle within himself and upon choice Take mankind in the general it is a noble piece of Gods Creation and necessarily glorifieth God Man is fearfully and wonderfully made his body is an admirable structure but the great glory which God hath is from his spiritual actions Man is not a mute Preacher of Gods glory as the Heavens and the Earth the Sun Moon and Stars are or brute creatures are He hath a Soul and understanding will affections from these God expects a great homage and glory But now take man in his depraved estate and he doth nothing less No creatures but the evil Angels so much
done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet c. Dan. 2.12 He hath confirmed his word which he hath spoken against our Judges c. which way soever Providence worketh whether in a way of sensible good or sensible evil against any persons people or places it is pursuant to and in fulfilling of some word of God But secondly I say it moveth not always yea it moveth seldom in a direct line in order to the fulfilling of that word to which it is a Servant and here I shall take notice of three things observable 1. Ordinarily at first it seemeth to move directly towards the end which we have in our eye this you will better understand by and by when I come to give you instances in the proof of it 2. Sometimes it moveth obliquely seeming to be driving another design 3. Sometimes to our appearance directly contrary But thirdly I say at last it comes home to the Promise and so lets us see that all the while it hath been but a faithful servant to the Counsel of God But I shall make you understand this better by the instances by which I shall in the next place endeavour to justify and establish the Observation to which I now come and shall particularize in four or five instances The first instance I shall give of it shall be that great work of Divine Providence in bringing the posterity of Abraham into a quiet possession of the Land of Canaan The Promise went out from God Gen. 12.2 I will make of thee a great Nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and unto thy seed will I give this Land This Promise was given out to Abraham when the World was little more than two thousand years old It was above two hundred years after this that Jacob with his Family not exceeding seventy persons went down into Egypt How slowly did the Providence of God move as to that part of the promise which concerned the multiplication of Abrahams seed After the giving out of the Promise Abraham first fleeth into Egypt for the Famine Gen. 13.12 You have him again returned into Canaan Gen. 13.18 He is told that notwithstanding this Promise his seed should be servants in a Land that was not theirs Ver. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again Abraham dieth seized of this good Land Isaac succeeds him and dies there too Jacob first is forced to flee to Padan-aram returning from thence he is compel'd by the Famine to go down into Egypt where after his and Josephs death the posterity of Abraham for the multiplication of which the promise was out so many years before was attempted to be diminished and destroyed by all acts imaginable The Midwives are practised with to stifle their Infants in the birth when that will not do others must be employed to throw the Males into the River the Parents are afflicted with the highest degree of oppression At length the Providence of God begins to turn toward the Promise The Israelites are allowed to come away but they had gone but a little way but they see the Red-sea before them the Philistines behind them one would have thought that now they had been far enough from any prospect of Canaan Providence by a miraculous operation brings them over this Mountain of difficulty but whither do they come into a long and howling Wilderness one while they are assaulted with Famine vvant of Bread then of Meat another time with drought then again assaulted with Enemies set upon with fiery flying Serpents at last they come within prospect of the desired Land But on the sudden for their murmuring are turned back to forty years wandering When they get over Jordan they meet with seven Nations more strong and mighty than they who must all be subdued before they could have possession of Canaan at last the Providence of God comes home to the Promise Joshuah their Captain having first conquered the Land divides it amongst them yet after this they were far from a quiet possession of it all the time of the Judges or indeed till Saul or Davids time What staange circulations and windings of Divine Providence were here in the accomplishment of the Promises how little to an humane Eye the Providence of God seem'd to mind the promise of multiplying Abrahams seed for above two hundred years Abraham had but one Son of the promise and that when he was very old and past hopes of children Isaac had but one neither that was an heir of the Promise that was Jacob Jacob had indeed twelve and these in the remaining space of that time were multiplied but to seventy besides Joseph in Egypt how quite contrary to the Promise did Providence seem to move all the while that the Israelites were in Egypt yea and after too how often would one have judged that the people guessed right when in their impatience they complained that God had brought them out of Egypt to destroy them in the Wilderness yet at last Gods work was done Providence faithfully served the Promise and gave a Being to the Word of the Lord given out Gen. 12. 2. Let the second instance be that of Joseph Joseph had a promise Gen. 37 I know it was a dream but it was the revelation of Gods will to him in that dream That there should come a time when all his Fathers house should bow to him all their sheaves should bow down to his Now observe how Providence moveth in bringing this Word of the Lord to pass Joseph is hated of his brethren hardly escapeth with his life at length is sold into Egypt and into Potiphars house here now he was brought to Court but no sooner doth he grow into Reputation that there was any appearance of his rising to any degree of Dignity that might look towards a fulfilling of the promise but he is accused by his Mistris thrown into prison like enough to lose his life but after this Providence turneth again raiseth him to a great degree of Dignity makes him the second man in Egypt and what God had told him in his dream was all fulfilled his Father and his Brethren all come and bow down to him 3. A third instance shall be that of David the promise of the Kingdom was given out to David in the day when Samuel by order from God anointed him 1 Sam. 16. In the 17th Chap. The Providence of God so ordereth it that Saul having made a Proclamation That if any man would encounter Goliah the Champion of the Philistines who defied the Armies of Israel he should have his Daughter to Wife David coming to the Army accepts his Challenge fighteth and slayeth him and obtaineth Sauls daughter Jonathan Sauls Son taketh a great kindness to him the people admire him Here now the Providence of God at first setting out moves as if David should presently have come to the Kingdom but after this Saul falls out with David useth all arts to
delighteth to shew it self in the day of mans smallest things This Observation hath some cognation with the former but there is more in it as you will see by the Sequel of my Discourse Mans smallest things may be understood to signifie 1. Smallest means 2. Smallest hopes 3. Smallest works or actions 1. Smallest means Though God be not tied to humane means but sometimes he worketh without them Though they have no efficacy but what they derive from him and he commandeth them to exert and put forth yet he often maketh use of means But this you shall observe and it shall be justified to you by and by that God seldom doth great things by great means but when God doth great work though he make use of means yet it is but little small means and the day of smallest means is usually the day of Gods work 2. In the day of smallest hopes and indeed this almost naturally followeth upon the other for humane hopes do usually ebb or flow according to the proportion of humane means that are in our Eye so that if God doth his greatest works in the day of smallest means he doth them likewise in the day of our smallest hopes which rise higher or fall lower usually according to the prospect which we have of probable means 3. Lastly In the day of smallest works or actions when man is most busie God seems to be most idle most asleep when we seem to be most awake When God turns again the captivity of Sion they are as those that dream they never see so much the Salvation of God as when they stand still I do not say when men will do least but when they do when they can do least then usually God doth his greatest works of Providence I shall justifie this Observation by a great variety of instances Let the first be that great work of Providence in bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt It is true they were no inconsiderable body or number of people they were at their coming out six hundred thousand souls but scattered over all the Land of Egypt a small number in comparison of the Egyptians diminished by all arts by many years hard labour in no Military order nothing of the power of the Lord was in their hand they were so very slaves that they murmured against Moses and Aaron for but going in to Pharaoh to ask for a deliverance for them means of deliverance for them there appeared none to an humane Eye Indeed being so great a body of people God might have made use of their Swords to have fought their way out of Egypt he could easily have commanded them into a Military rank and file but he useth none of them only sendeth Moses and Aaron upon his Errand to command Pharaoh to let his people go that they might serve him The same might be said of their deliverance out of the captivity of Babylon there was no means they had no hopes from any appearance of humane probabilities those that believed amongst them doubtless had an hope from the Promise there was none of them stirred that we read of Cyrus proclaims their liberty The walls of the strong City of Jericho fall down before the Israelites upon the blowing of Rams-horns and the peoples compassing it at a distance about seven days Josh 6. Canaan is given into the hands of the Israelites they were indeed a considerable Army but the seven Nations through which they made their way into that possession were more strong and mighty than they as Moses tells them Deut. 7. Gideon delivereth them oppressed by the Midianites with a party rather than an Army of three hundred men Sampson with the jaw-bone of an ass stayeth a thousand Philistines David with a sling and a stone shall kill Goliah when none durst encounter him and the hearts of the people were killed with his daily defiance of them Indeed God hath seldom done any great things in the World by great means when the Philistines came out in an Army of thirty thousand of which we read in 1 Sam. 13 and but of three thousand Israelites that could be got together and they also frighted so as ver 6 They hid themselves in caves thickets rocks and in high-places and in pits those that kept together except Saul and Jonathan had neither sword nor spear amongst them ver 19 20. Jonathan and his Armour-bearer go up alone and smite them set all the Host on trembling and the multitude melteth away chap. 14. v. 16. The colour of the Water deceives the Moabites to their ruin when Jehoram Jehosaphat and the King of Edom were almost all famined for want of water 2 Kings 3.20 21. When Jehosaphat knows not what to do 2 Chron. 26.22 God tells them ver 17 They need not fight only stand still and see the salvation of God they did but stand still and sing and praise their Enemies destroy one another Look upon Gods great work of Providence in the conversion of the World to the obedience of the Gospel How doth God do this Not by might nor by power but by his Spirit Christ sends out a few poor Fishermen these shall go and perswade the world to throw out their Idols and to receive the new Doctrine of the Gospel which to their wisdom appeared foolishness The World was full of very learned Philosophers God could have converted instructed and sent out them but he chuseth to do this great work by small things Chusing as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 1.27 28. the foolish things of the world to confound the wise the weak things of the world to confound those that were mighty the base things of the world and things which are despised to bring to nought the things that are Next to this was the great Work of God in the Reformation begun in Germany by Luther it was a day of very small things the whole world was Popish and had given their power to the Roman beast the remainders of the Church were in the valleys of Piedmont and Lucerne and in Bohemia a small despised remnant Now God begins to work and by what means Luther a poor despised Fryer he begins and preacheth against indulgences the whole world almost were against him he hath to do with the Emperour the Pope all the Popish Doctors yet by these small things the Providence of God brings to pass this his great work It was a day of small things with us when we were delivered from the Spanish-Armado in the year 1588 from the intended Powder-Treason In short I say we shall find that the Providence of God hath done the greatest works that it hath brought to pass in the world in the day of mans smallest things when there have been the smallest appearances of humane means when the People of God have had the smallest hopes and when they have been least in action God hath in his Providence seldom done any great things by great humane means Now the reason of this is the
up the Church are more peculiar and special objects of Providence than all others in the World 3. Amongst them such as fear and love God in sincerity are yet the more peculiar objects of Divine Providence and which God hath a most peculiar regard unto which maketh a cogent argument to prove That supposing the glory of God to be the great end of all his providential Dispensations that the Providence of God must most eminently work for the good of these as being such who most eminently serve the great end of his Glory So as he who observeth the motions of it must needs by them understand the loving-kindness of the Lord towards them Secondly The mercy and truth of Gods ways towards them that fear him are not to be read in the surface of present Providences The dark side of the cloud is sometimes towards the Israel of God and at such a time it must be by Faith that we understand that the ways all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth toward his own people Who could read the loving-kindness of the Lord towards Israel while they were in Egypt serving at the Brick-kilns and under their great oppression there but he who observed the Providence of God thus working to make them willing to go out and take possession of the promised Land he might understand this It is not every motion of Providence but the issues of it that demonstrate all the ways of the Lord to be mercy and truth and this evinceth to us that an observation of the motions of Divine Providence yea and a wist and diligent and continuing observation of them also is necessary to make us understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I come now to the Application of what you have heard upon this Argument This in the first place sheweth us one great reason of that ignorance which is in men both concerning God and concernng their own duty Men know little of God and little how to govern their actions according to any degree of Christian prudence As ignorance of and unbelief in the Word of God is one great cause so their not observing the motions of Divine Providence which have been in the World is another no small cause of it Men are much ignorant of God indeed there is but little of the knowledg of God in the World especially that knowledg which floateth not only in the brain but influenceth the heart and affections and men know little how to govern their actions by any spiritual wisdom but live directly contrary to what they own and pretend to as their highest end And we understand as little of the loving-kindness of the Lord I say one great cause of this is mens not observing the workings and motions of Providence They pass before their eyes every day but they observe them not Non tantum oculis intueri sed animum ad hanc considerationem ita exuscitare ut meliores inde evadamus To observe signifieth not only with our eyes to behold it but so to stir up our minds to the consideration of a thing that we may grow the better by it saith a grave Author Now in this Notion of it how few are they that observe these things they see stupendious Providences sometimes in the destruction of the Churches Enemies for the salvation of his people it may be at first they as all new things do affect men with a little passion according to the nature of them but they are like a flash of lightning which though at present it startles us yet the impression is presently off our spirits and I say this is one great reason why we are so ignorant of God so unskilful in the government of our lives to his ends and that we understand so little of his loving-kindness Hence it is that we cannot understand how much good God doth his Church and people by afflictions and trials They are the sensible frowns of Providence which blind our eyes that we cannot see the loving-kindness of God in all his ways We think sometimes we see God driving his Chariot in a direct road to his great ends the glory of his holy Name and the good and protection of such as fear him here we think we can easily discern Gods Wisdom and as easily understand his loving-kindness But now when the Lord drives his Chariot out of our sight and exerciseth his Church or the particular souls of his people with long and tedious Afflictions here we are at a loss and can neither read the wisdom nor loving-kindness of God But what is the reason of this but only our superficial view of Gods Providences without a wist and diligent observation of them If we would but bend our minds to observe what a wholsom influence Afflictions and adverse Providences have ordinarily both upon vvhole Churches and upon particular Christians we should even in them easily understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. The Husbandman can easily understand that he could as ill want the frosts and snows of Winter as the warmth heat and sun-shine of the Summer Gideon taught the men of Succoth with briars and thorns and God ordinarily doth so teach his people Blessed is he saith the Psalmist whom thou chastenest and teachest out of thy Law David tells us Psalm 119.61 that before he was afflicted he went astray but since that he had learned to keep the statutes of the Lord. It was an old saying The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church The Church is bettered and the Soul is bettered by adverse Providences That Text Isa 27.9 is very remarkable By this that is by this severe affliction by this captivity shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and all the fruit shall be to take away sin when the Lord shall make the stones of the altar as chalk stones that crumble in pieces the groves and the images shall not stand up As an hard Winter keepeth under and killeth the weeds so the winter of Affliction much helps to the purging out of corruptions both out of the Church and also out of the particular Soul Augustine as I remember somewhere lamenteth That a Fever had done more with him to subdue and mortifie a lust than before the love of God could do with him Now I say our not observing this which is matter of no difficult observation to him that wistly eyeth Divine Providence is one great reason that men do not understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Another reason of mens not understanding it is their making of a judgment of Gods works before they are perfect If any of us should go into a Limners shop and see his first draught of a lovely picture we should discern little loveliness in it which yet we should easily discern if we would but stay until he had finished his work and laid on his life-colours It is the same case with us as to works of Divine Providence we look on them while the Lords work is yet upon the
wheel we see nothing in it that resembleth God the great workman we see in it nothing of the Divine Wisdom possibly nothing of the divine goodness and loving-kindness but could we have patience till the Lords work came off the wheel we should easily see it in quite another representation we often see in Gods works of Providence nothing but confusion and blood and trouble and multiplied troubles and disturbances to those who most fear him and desire to walk most closely with him But in the evening of that day saith the Prophet Zech. 14.6 it shall be light The day neither light nor dark but in the Evening it shall be light Gods peoples days sometimes are plainly darkness thick darkness but would we have patience to the evening of them we should see light The Evening is the close and making up of the day When God cometh to close up his days work did we but observe Divine Providence we should easily understand that it would be light Sorrow may be for a night but joy shall be in the morning So as I say again This is one great reason why at all times we cannot understand the loving-kindness of the Lord to his Church and his people because we do not observe the motions of Divine Providence but take only a slight and superficial view of them I shall conclude this Discourse with an Exhortation to the duty of the Text The observation of the motions of Divine Providence Vse 2 In my last discourse I discovered to you some unsearchable things in Divine Providence and cautioned you against too curious an Enquiry into them My business now is to call upon you non caecutire in revelatis not to be blind as to those things which God hath revealed This also is your duty as well as the other by the former you acquit your selves from an unwarrantable curiosity by this from a wretched unthankfulness The Providence of God is daily working in order to the fulfilling of Gods great end the glorifying of his great and holy Name the establishing of his people c. 1. Do not rest in a meer view of what is done in the World but fix your eyes upon it Lay up the things in your heart let your thoughts dwell upon them the remarkable passages of them especially You see and hear of Wars and rumours of Wars inundations fires changes and over-turning in Nations of powers and Dominions you at present understand not the tendencies and indications of them you cannot make up a judgment of them and prophecy what will and shall be from them but yet observe them lay up these things in your minds yea and let them not pass out of your minds as we are to hear for the time to come so we are to behold and observe the motions of Providence with a respect unto a time to come too Do not think you can expound every Providence presently the vision oft-times is for an appointed time and is to be expounded by time in the mean time only to be diligently marked and observed taken notice of as a great work of God the meaning of which we shall understand hereafter Divines say That the meaning of many Providences and our clear understanding of them is one of those things wherein our knowledg shall be bettered and perfected in the day of Judgment and till that time when the hidden things of God as well as of men shall be made manifest we must be content to know but in part 2. Do not secondly observe meer single acts of Divine Providence but let your Eye follow it in its motions God sometimes hath his works a long time upon the wheel especially those relating to his Church I will give you two famous instances 1. The establishing of his ancient Church of the Jews in Canaan The promise was out for it Gen. 12 to Abraham it was more than five hundred years before this work was off the wheel of Providence four hundred years before they went out of Egypt where they were in bondage forty years they travelled in the wilderness then during all the time of the Judges yea and in Sauls time too they were but in a very unquiet condition In David and Solomon's time they came to a setled estate in the promised Land There was a Promise given out unto Christ for having the ends of the earth for his possession David mentioneth it Isaiah prophesieth much of it After this Christ comes was crucified c. And it was three hundred years after this before these Promises had any considerable accomplishment Indeed as to particular persons their beings are of shorter duration and the Providence of God brings about the promises to them in much shorter periods or they could see nothing of Gods loving-kindnesses in the issues or contextures of them but take heed there of resting your Eye upon the observations of some single acts of providence relating to them those who should thus have observed the motions of Providence with reference to Abraham Jacob Joseph David Daniel Job would have seen little of that loving-kindness of the Lord to them which yet is evident enough to all that keep their Eye upon their story to the winding up of their bottoms Now to this observation of Providence you have two great Arguments in the Text 1. It is an Indication of spiritual Wisdom A wise man looketh not only at present things but at things past and yet to come Now Wisdom is a lovely thing It is justified of her children saith our Saviour Every man desireth the reputation of a wise man and studiously avoideth the reproach of a fool Two things speak a fool 1. To observe and mind nothing Or 2dly Meerly to take notice of things present and gather conclusions from them 2. Thus you shall understand the loving-kindness of God Then you will see that all the paths of God towards his Church are mercy and truth Truth not a word failing of the promise and mercy working for the good of them that love God yea thus you that fear the Lord shall understand the loving-kindness and truth of God to your particular souls A thing the evidence of which is and ought to be of more value to you than the whole World I will conclude my Discourse by giving you three Cautions to direct your observation 1. Observe the Providence of God when it seemeth to move contrary to his Word but never determine the Indication of it without the Word Indeed the Providence of God never moveth contrary to the Word it is always a servant to some Declaration of the will of God in some promise or threatning but it often seemeth to us to move contrary which made the Psalmist cry out Doth the promise fail for evermore The reason of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that deceiveth us is our imperfect knowledg or understanding of the Word of God and non-acquaintance with the Counsels of God and contrivances of his Wisdom and the variety of those
pieces upon Rocks to avoid the temptation caused himself to be tied to the Mast of his Ship I would have every Christians heart tied to the Promise as to his Mast that he might be out of the danger of all temptations from Providence Thirdly which indeed is a consequent of this Resolve to wait upon God under all the hidings of his face I call'd this a consequent of the other for he that believeth maketh not haste saith the Prophet This was the Churches resolution Isa 8.17 I will wait upon him that hideth his face from the house of Jacob. Temptations in an evil day can have no advantage but upon our Souls precipitancy The Soul that is resolved to wait upon God hath much defeated all Tempters and is out of all their Gunshot I remember the speech of the three Children to the King of Babylon We are not say they careful to answer thee in this matter The God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand however we will not fall down before the image which thou hast set up If he will not presently deliver us we are resolved to wait on him Fourthly To waiting must be added Prayer I will look unto him for he will hear me Prayer is the Catholick remedy both for the aversion of any Judgments and for the obtaining of any mercy Fifthly To all this add but that of the Psalmist Psalm 37.34 Wait upon the Lord and keep his way and thou shalt inherit the promise made to it He shall exalt thee to inherit the land and when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it But I shall proceed no further in this Discourse SERMON XVI Psal CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. HAVING shewed you it to be the duty of Gods people to observe the motions of Divine Providence which are the things spoken of in this Text and shewed you what a great indication of spiritual Wisdom such an observation is and how great a mean to make us to understand the loving-kindness of the Lord I came in my last Exercise to commend unto you some remarkable Observations concerning them I finished my Discourse at that time upon my first Observation without any further preface I shall now proceed to a second which you may take thus Observ 2. The Providence of God in the fulfilling of the words both of promise and of threatning doth ordinarily fulfil the first when the people of God are at the lowest and the latter when his Enemies are at the highest I shall handle this in the same method as I did the other speaking to it shortly 1. By way of Explication 2. Confirming the Observation and giving you the reasons of it and lastly making some Application of it For Explication 1. I must desire you still to observe what I before told you and now repeat That the Providence of God in all its motions is but a Servant of the Word it fulfilleth the will of God That it is the spring from which all its motions do proceed both the secret and revealed will The will of God is but one but part of it is revealed part concealed So much of it as is necessary in order to our Salvation is revealed whether respecting our rule of life or respecting what shall happen to us or others to Nations and Kingdoms and Churches in this life or to particular Souls in or after this life Now what God hath thus revealed Providence brings to issue and here is the ground both of our prayers and praises 2. For the Promises I say you shall observe It is the ordinary method of Divine Providence to bring them to an accomplishment upon the Church and people of God when they are at the lowest in all humane appearance in the lowest state of dejection in the lowest degree of affliction when they are lowest as to their outward state lowest as to their hopes 3. I added thirdly That it ordinarily gives a being and fulfilling to the threatning when Gods Enemies are at the highest The people of God are those to whom the promises are made they are the heirs of them they are those to whom are given the great and precious promises wicked men are they to whom the threatnings belong they are the children of wrath the heirs of the Curses the work of Providence in reference to them those of them that will not be reformed is to bring all the Curses that are written in the book of God upon them But I say you shall observe That the time in which the Providence of God fulfilleth these words of Threatning upon them is when they are at the highest in the highest hopes of the contrary on the highest mountains of prosperity Let me endeavour to justifie this Observation by some instances and those concerning bodies of people or individuals You know the people of the Jews were the only people under Heaven until Christs ascension that God owned as his people Individuals there were that were not Jews as Job and others but I say for a body of people there were no other Gal. 3.16 To Abraham and his seed were the Promises made Rom. 9.4 Who are Israelites to whom appertained the adoption and the glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the Promises The Promises made to Abraham Isaac Jacob. David c. The Promises of inheriting Canaan coming out of Babylon destroying their Enemies c. Now these promises being given out it was the work of Divine Providence to give them a verification and to fulfil them Observe what times the Providence of God doth it in It bringeth the children of Israel out of Egypt and into Canaan not while Jacob or Joseph were alive Joseph was a great man and could have given a probable conduct to that great work The Israelites while he lived were in a very flourishing condition multiplying exceedingly and being in a very prosperous state every way But this is not a time when the Providence of God will accomplish the Promise Joseph must die and another King rise up that knew not Joseph The children of Israel are diminished their little ones slain their whole body oppressed with hard labour and brought to as low a pass as you can well imagine a people to be not wholly blotted out This is the time that Providence will accomplish the promise for their coming out of Egypt They pass the Red-sea in a very formidable body like enough to make their way through the Wilderness and a variety of Enemies into the promised Land But before the Providence of God brings them in they must be broken in a great measure destroyed all dead unless Caleb and Joshuah who came out of Egypt and their body wholly a new generation then they shall pass over Jordan Read over all the story of Judges and observe God seldom delivered them from their oppressors until they were brought
abideth for ever If two be walking together they had never more need to take heed that they lose not one anothers company than in a dark and blustring night when the darkness keeps them that they cannot see one another and the wind hindereth that they cannot hear the sound each of others feet The Believer and the Promise are Relates companions each to other there is never more danger of their being parted each from other than in a night of dark and blustring Providence Now a Christian stands concerned to be often applying his Soul to the Promise often calling upon his Soul as David in Psalm 42 Trust thou in God for I shall yet praise him Nor is there any thing more conducive to make a Christian at such a time hang upon the Promise than to hear that it is the usual method of Divine Providence then to remember Gods people when they are in the lowest condition Fourthly As this calleth to the people of God for faith in the Promise so it calls to them for hope Faith and Hope are so near of kin that they are oft put one for another Indeed Hope is nothing else but Faith looking out at the windows of the soul in expectation of the coming of the thing believed There is an hope that worketh upon the encouragements of sense when the mercy hoped for is seen coming in a way of probable means but there is an Hope that proceedeth meerly upon the Evidence of Faith when the Soul hopeth for some good thing but seeth no encouragement from any sensible thing the former is but a natural affection working upon an absent probable good This latter is a supernatural habit and an exercise of grace The Apostle calls it an hoping against hope or a believing in hope against hope This is that which I am calling to you for This is that which keepeth the heart alive in the deadest time We use to say If it were not for hope under evils the heart would break Faith is the acquiescence of the Soul in the World Hope is the motion of the Soul consequent to this acquiescence Faith saith the thing is sure Hope seeth it coming and relieveth the Soul with that Hope is the Souls watchman The Soul cryes out Watchman what of the night Watchman what of the night Hope saith The morning is coming Now this Observation advantageth Hope It assures you that God is coming at Midnight When you see these things come to pass saith our Saviour Luke 21.28 lift up your heads for the day of your redemption draweth nigh It hath reference to all that went before where our Saviour had been telling them of the great Evils that were to precede his coming Now saith our Saviour when you see things at this miserable despicable pass then lift up your heads Fifthly This Notion calleth to the people of God for fervent and constant prayer for the Church and people of God when they are at the lowest ebb Never give over the case of the Church and people of God for desperate it is never less so than when it most appeareth to you to be so I remember it is particularly remarked concerning Daniel in the 9th Chapter of his Prophesie That when he understood by books that the time was come for the fulfilling of the Jewish captivity then he made that excellent Prayer which you have upon record in that Chapter with a great deal of fervor and zeal for the people of which you will find it full Daniels certain knowledg that that was the time for their deliverance did not supersede his duty of Prayer but more abundantly quicken him to it In such a state of the Church and people of God as I have been describing to you a Christian hath two great arguments to perswade him to a more constant diligent and fervent application of himself to the throne of Grace 1. The Churches misery and low condition calling to him for pity and what help he can give it 2. The knowledg he hath or may have that it is now about the time when God useth to arise and help Lastly This Observation calleth upon all that fear the Lord especially at such a time when they or the Church of God is lowest to watch unto holiness to wait upon the Lord and keep his way and to be wary of sin To deter all that fear God from sinning especially at such a time I might mind you of that precept of God to the Jews When the Host goeth forth to battel then take heed of every wicked thing But I shall conclude with that known story of the Israelites You know they had an old Promise made four hundred years before that they should inherit the land of Canaan they had served in Egypt many years they were now come over the Red-sea and had encountred and overcome the long and many difficulties of the Wilderness they were brought within a prospect of the promised Land nothing wanted but a taking possession they murmur against God retard their entrance forty years until all that generation was destroyed except Caleb and Joshuah I shall conclude Hath the Church been a long time under great pressures things still as to its interest growing worse and worse that they seem to be brought to as low a pass as they can be Now begins her hope to dawn according to that Method of Providence which I have observed to you Only now let the people of God look to themselves that by some defection they do not set back their own mercies You may take the Exhortation in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.6 Now these things happened unto them for our ensamples to the end that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted neither be ye Idolaters as were some of them c. But I shall add no more to this Second Observation SERMON XVII Psal CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Have both shewed you the duty of the people of God to make Observations upon the motions of Divine Providence and the advantage accrewing to them that perform it 1. It is an indication of spiritual Wisdom 2. Those that do it shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. My work at present is to give you some observations upon the motions of Actual Providence which is the work of God in the World fulfilling his purpose and fulfilling his Word both of Promise and of Threatning Two of those Observations I have given you discoursed upon them and made some futable Applications I proceed to a third 3d Observ Providence ordinarily doth its greatest works in the day of mans smallest things It is truly observed that the greatness of Divine Power and Wisdom is most seen in the Creation and Preservation of the least creatures As a Workman is most magnified that can bring most art into the least room and it is as true that the greatness of Divine Providence
not with Observation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's the Original phrase we translate with Observation There are divers interpretations given of that Text Not with a superstitious observation of days months and years so some make the sense according to that of the Apostle to the Galatians You observe days and months and years I am afraid of you c. And Rom. 14 17 The kingdom of God is not in meat and drink but righteousness and peace Some understand it of external Observations of meat and drink such as God had commanded to the Jews but the most and most valuable Interpreters agree in one of these two senses which indeed well considered both make but one 1. So as it may or can be observed Thus Brugensis Piscator and Beza who indeed translates it Ita ut observari possit so as it can be observed Theophylact understands it of the time so as the time cannot be fixed nor the place neither It followeth Neither shall they say Lo here is Christ or lo there 2. Not with a worldly Pomp Splendor or Ceremony Thus Stella Chemnitius Erasmus Piscator c. This is the same indeed with the other and therefore they generally add ut observari possit we do not use to observe the coming of a Kingdom but by observing some Pomp Splendor c. preliminary to it Now saith Christ the Kingdom of God cometh not so as it can be observed it stealeth upon men and surprizeth them it cometh not by observation Christ indeed hath given us general signs of his second coming and of the end of the World c. But he hath also added Of that day and hour knoweth no man I suppose the same thing is to be said as to the Promises for calling the Jews for the expected peace and tranquillity of the Church of God when the usual years shall begin c. Believe the thing pray wait that is all which we have to do in the case SERMON XIX Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am yet proceeding in recommending to you some further Observations I have made upon the motions of Actual Providence in the execution of the eternal Counsels and Purposes of God and fulfilling his Word whether of Promise or Threatning Four I have done with A Fifth I shall now offer and discourse a little upon it 5th Observ The Actual Providence of God in the production of its great works relating to his Church or the particular members of it doth ordinarily suit or fit the circumstances of the world or the circumstrances of particular persons to the work he intendeth to produce I say Ordinarily Every Rule must have some Exception especially such Rules as upon observation we fix concerning the methods of Divine Providence The infinitely wise God treadeth not always in the same steps I say in his great works relating either to the Church or to such particular persons as are members of it These two I before told you were the great Objects of Special Providence As Canaan of old was the Land which God cared for upon which his Eye was from the beginning of the year to the end of it so his Church still is and to the end of the World will be the object of his more special care and with reference to which Providence produceth its most remarkable works Hence you shall observe throughout all the Scripture though mention be made of such other Sons as the Patriarchs had and other Nations and Princes contemporary with those of the Jews are named yet very little of their story is recorded and that only subservient to the story that was to keep a Record of Gods dealings with his own people This makes me restrain the Observation to the Church and Members of it and that which I recommend to your remark is Gods ordinary fitting the circumstances of the adjacent world which lyes round about the Church as the mountains about Hierusalem or the Nations of old about Canaan to what he is producing in his Church and the particular circumstances of persons to the work God hath to produce more eminent with relation unto them 1. I will shew you this with reference to the productions of Providence relating to the collective body of his people which we call the Church 2. With reference to particular persons that have relation to this body in matters of an outward concern 3. With reference unto the souls of his people in matters of a more inward and spiritual concern 1. With reference to the great products of Providence relating to the body of his people called the Church 1. The Jews you know under the Old Testament were the only people that could lay claim to this great Name To whom God was nigh in the midst of whom he dwelt whom he so often delivered and for whom he so signally engaged Great works of Providence we read of relating to them their deliverance out of Egypt and conduct through the wilderness their bringing out of Babylon after their seventy years Captivity and re-building their Temple and City The sending of the Messiah When the Providence of God sets about these works let us observe how God fitted circumstances to these great products making every thing beautiful in his time as Solomon saith in Eccles 3.11 In the bringing of the Children of Israel out of Egypt God did two things 1. He brought out the Jews out of a Nation where they had been bred and lived some hundreds of years His Providence now fitteth circumstances to this it suffereth the King of Egypt most miserably to oppress them so as they were weary of their lives It is hardly else conceivable that they would willingly have quitted their possessions and their Native-Countrey to obtain a land promised 400 years before and that not without overcoming the difficulties of an houling wilderness and many years fighting The Providence of God also destroyeth Egypt by Ten successive plagues else the King and his Servants would never have let so many 100000 persons go out of their Dominions Circumstances were fitted by God to the design of his Providence they must be grievously oppressed that they may be made willing to go and Pharaohs People and Nation must be destroyed that he may suffer them to get into a body for a march and furnish them with a viaticum for their journey Pharaoh and his Army must be destroyed alas the Israelites are in no circumstances fit to fight them the Sea shall divide it self they shall see the Israelites go through safely as on dry ground this shall allure them to follow them then the waters shall return and swallow them up 2. God brings this people out of Babylon he had promised that after 70 years they should come out Cyrus he conquers Babylon just at that time and it was his interest to let them go as much as it was the interest of the Kings of Babylon
then they shall find favour in the eyes of the great men of the Earth and of their lesser neighbours another time he designeth to scourge and chasten his people then every ones spirit shall be up and their tongues let loose against them Thus it was with the Israelites Gods ancient people Exod. 11.7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue The Psalmist telleth us Psal 105.23 24. That Israel came into Egypt and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham and he increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies Vers 25. He turned their hearts to hate his people to deal subtilly with his servants 2. The great variety of actions in the world doth also demonstrate this In the 12th of the Revelations you have as Divines think shewed unto John the state of the Gospel-Church there represented under the notion of a woman cloathed with the Sun having the Moon under her feet travelling and in pain The Devil and his instruments the Enemies of the Church set out under the notion of a great Red Dragon Vers 3. Having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns This Dragon was cast unto the earth and there ver 13. He persecuted the woman who had the wings of an Eagle given her by which she fled into the wilderness where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent vers 15. The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away off the flood Now vers 16. it is said That the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth Very good Interpreters by the Earth there understand V. Paraeum ad loc Homines terrenos per quos saepe aliud agentes Deus Ecclesiam suam mirabiliter protexit The men of the Earth by whom though they intend no such thing God often wonderfully protecteth his Church God sometimes designeth to scourge and chasten his people for their sins then all the world is in arms against them sometimes again he designeth to increase his Church and give them further ground to enlarge their Territories and increase their borders he then accordingly disposeth the spirits of the men of the world and the truth is the various complexion of those Nations in the world that are Enemies to the Gospel of Christ and of those persons that are certain Enemies to the power and practice of Godliness is a thing of which an account can hardly be given by him that doth not consider this That God hath a people in the world that are dear unto him and with whom in the wisdom of his Providence he dealeth diversly sometimes exalting and lifting them up another time humbling them and keeping them low and with relation to these he governs the hearts and actions of Princes and great men and of the lower sort of men also subordinating the affairs of the world to his designs with reference to these people God hath a design to multiply the seed of Jacob according to his promise though there be a famine in Canaan it shall not destroy them his Providence directeth one of that family to be sold into Egypt to become a great man there to save much people alive to give them rest and a time to multiply there peaceably Exod. 1.7 And the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied and increased abundantly and waxed exceeding mighty and the land was filled with them Exod. 1.7 But there was another part of the promise to be fulfilled they were to come out of Egypt and to inherit the promised land of Canaan God accordingly ordereth the actions of the Kings of Egypt they shall grow jealous of them and set themselves to destroy them He turned their hearts to hate his people saith the Psalmist and to deal subtilly with his servants David is anointed to be King over Israel and Judah and to the Kingdom he must come the Philistines shall protect him he shall flee to them for sanctuary against Saul and they shall afford it him On the contrary God hath a design to chasten the Israelites and David their King the Philistines shall be their constant Enemies seeking all advantages against them There is nothing more remarkable in Divine Providence than this is Who seeth and is not astonished sometimes to observe the strange difference in the complexion and inclinations of the wicked world to Gods little remnant in it The ebbing and flowing of the Tide of which none that I know hath as yet given the world a satisfactory account is not so unaccountable a thing as this is If we do not admit of the hypothesis of this Observation Will not any one be amazed to consider how the Gospel should at first have gotten any footing in the world but for this What a strange thing it was that John the Baptist the harbinger of our blessed Lord should be suffered to come preaching in the wilderness and so plainly to point out the coming of the Messias that Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan should go out to him confess their sins and be baptized of him that immediately upon this Christ should come and meet with that acceptance he did though indeed it was true that the generality of his own received him not That first the seventy and then the twelve should go out to Preach the Gospel and Paul alone should carry it from Hierusalem to Illyricum and the great persecutions should not arise till the Gospel had got such a footing that it was not to be rooted out but they rather tended to the furtherance than to the hinderance of it I say these were all strange things to him that considereth not how God to this great end subordinated the affairs of the world The Jews were then tributary to the Romans and so in no capacity to shew themselves such hinderers of this as probably they otherwise would have been The Romans were a great while more careless in the matters of Religion while the Gospel continued in Judea it made little noise in the world and was looked upon but as a division amongst the Jews in matters of Religion in which the great masters of the world concerned not themselves so much and when the Apostles first carried the Gospel amongst the Heathens it was at first little taken notice of while the Christians grew very numerous so as ten persecutions succeeding one another could not root them out and the same thing you shall constantly observe in any great works of Providence relating to the Church It could not have been thought that Germany and France should have so easily fallen in with the carrying on of the Reformation if the Providence of God had not first fitted the world for it by the complexion of Princes the diversity of their interests by suffering
the ignorance and sottishness of the Popish-Clergy together with their covetousness ambition and debauchery to grow to that heighth that they grew an abomination to all men And as it is in the Political and Ecclesiastical body so it is as to the particular persons of Christians the Providence of God ordinarily disposeth the body according to the work which he hath to do upon the soul But that is more forreign to my observation therefore I shall not inlarge upon it Besides that I spake something to it under the former observation which hath some cognation with this this only differing from it in this shewing you that the Providence of God doth not make the Church lacquey to the world but he makes the world lacquey to the Church and subordinateth the business of the world to his own great designs relating to the Church Now if you ask me the reason of this it doubtless lyeth Reas In the peculiar favour of God to that people in the world which bear the name of his Church You have an expression Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Sion was the place at the foot of which the Temple was built where all the worship which God had in the world performed according to his will was performed The tabernacle in Shiloh was forsaken Psal 78.60 God hath a particular kindness for any place for any persons amongst whom his true worship is and where he hath placed to himself a Tabernacle though God had a kindness for the whole seed of Jacob yet he loved the gates of Sion above all the dwellings of Jacob because that was the place where his worship was regularly performed It holds still under the New Testament and will hold to the end of the world wheresoever God hath a Church or people he hath a particular kindness for that people they are in Scripture called the house of God God is said to dwell and walk amongst them and God hath yet a more particular favour to those that are the invisible part of the visible Church I mean such as truly belong unto God that worship him in spirit and in truth that fear the Lord and hope in his mercies as the Psalmist expresseth it Psal 33.18 All the world is nothing to God in comparison of this little flock to whom it is his will to give a Kingdom He hath given them his Christ and shall he not with him give them all things This were easily to be proved to you from a variety of Scripture and arguments drawn from thence Now supposing this it is no wonder if he subordinateth his works in the world to his designs here This is that Canaan which the Lord careth for and upon which his eyes are from one end of the year to another Deut. 11. His heritage the dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12.7 His peculiar treasure his sister his spouse the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord his portion in short there is a multitude of expressions by which God hath shewen that his Church the whole body of people owning and professing him and especially those of them that worship him in spirit and truth and walk up to the rule of his word are dearer to him than all the world besides He calls them his bride Rev. 21.9 His beloved Psal 108.6 His building 1 Cor. 3.9 His City Heb. 12.22 His chosen generation 1 Pet. 2.9 His family Eph. 3.15 His husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 His Kingdom the lot of his inheritance Now considering this it is no wonder at all that the Providence of God should manage all the affairs of the world in subordination to his designs for the good of this body All the relation of God to others is but that of a Creator and they are no better than the synagogues of Satan as to the Divine Worship that is in them and the throne of Satan with respect to the homage of their Conversation They are called children of wrath of disobedience of the curse strangers and forreiners If God sometimes gives up his people into the hands of wicked men it is either 1. For his peoples good to purge away their dross and take away their tinn as the Prophet expresseth it or for to ripen sinners for their destruction that they may by it fill up the measure of their iniquities Methinks you have a full proof of this Observation in the 105 Psalm the Psalmist in that Psalm is calling the Church of the Jews to give thanks unto the Lord to sing unto him to talk of all his wondrous works Then followeth a recapitulation of those great things which God had done for them amongst which this is reckoned that he subordinated his motions of Providence amongst the men and the nations of the world to his gracious designs for them Vers 14. He suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm and so he goes on almost quite through that Psalm Now I say the reason of all this was his love set upon this people As most of us have some particular persons that our heart is most set upon some particular interest and design that we drive on now whoever those persons be or whatever that design be we make all the rest of our actions to be subordinate to that So the great God having set up his glory as his great interest and design and set apart him and them that are godly for himself it is no wonder at all if he ruleth all the world and governeth all the affairs of it in subordination to this great interest and the good of this people I now come to the Application of this Observation Vse 1. In the first place as I said before upon the other Observation so I say here From hence a wise and observing Christian may in a great measure know what weather it is like to be in the Climate of the Church How it is like to fare with them that are the People of God They are and always were the far lesser part of the world and their quiet and tranquillity to look with a rational eye doth much depend upon the complexion of the men of the world and their inclinations if God intends a calm and tranquillity to the Church he usually so ordereth the world that the earth helps the woman the men of the world either out of good nature or which indeed mostly is the business out of interest shew them kindness Hence you shall observe that when God intendeth the tranquillity and prosperity of the Church his Providence ordinarily bringeth one of these things to pass 1. He sometimes raiseth up some eminent servant of his to do great services for the men of the world this you see in the case of Joseph God had designed the Jews a prospering multiplying time in the land of Egypt he raiseth up Joseph makes him a Privy-Counsellor to Pharaoh yea the second man
mens sins That the Providence of God in bringing about the eternal purposes and counsels of God doth very ordinarily make use of peoples sins I have in a great measure already proved to you under my seventh Observation where I shewed you how God accomplished his purposes upon Mount Zion by persons that meant not so and over-ruled the several lusts of sinners hearts to his own praise making the wrath of men to praise him But yet I shall take it again in my way and the rather because I will shew you more especially what use God makes of the sins of his own people Then I shall give you a reasonable account of this great work of God And thirdly I shall endeavour to shew you that it is a spotless use which God maketh and open it to you how it may be so and our reason may conceive of it well enough And lastly I shall make some Application That it is so is so obvious to those that are meanliest exercised in the Scriptures that it can hardly be overlooked by any considerate person One of the most glorious products of Actual Providence was the Revelation of the Covenant of Grace and Redemption I say the Revelation of it for the paction or making of that Covenant I take that to be eternal and antecedent to the Creation but as I take it those who would distinctly understand the Covenant of Grace must distinguish betwixt the Paction the Exhibition and the Revelation of it and the Application of it to individual souls The Paction was an act of Counsel an eternal act a transaction between the Father and the Son the Son as the head of the elect standing as a surety for believers and undertaking something for himself on their behalf that in the fulness of time he would come into the world assume our natures and in that nature dye and give satisfaction to Divine Justice for the sins of the elect which some call the Covenant of Redemption also undertaking for them that they in his strength and through the assistance of his spirit should do whatsoever his Father should require personally of them in order to their obtaining salvation through him But now the Exhibition and Revelation of this eternal contrivement to the world that was the work of Actual Providence done in time subsequent to the Creation and done gradually as to the more full and perfect Revelation of it according to the good pleasure and infinite wisdom of God The first Revelation of it was to Adam after he had fallen Gen. 3.15 And I will put enmity betwixt thee that is the serpent and the woman and betwixt thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thine head and thou shalt bruise its heel Now for this God made use of the first sin that was committed in the world the fall of Adam had not Adam fallen there had been no need of the Revelation of a Covenant of Grace he and his posterity had been saved upon the Covenant of Works he had perfectly done the Will of God and lived Rom. 9.11 12. The Apostle tells us that before Esau or Jacob were born before they had done good or evil God loved Jacob and hated Esau and it was foretold That the elder should serve the younger Gen. 25.3 for the law of God and Nature had made the younger a servant to the elder First Esau sells his birthright for a mess of pottage then Jacob by the counsel of Rebeccah comes and tells his Father a lye and obtaineth the blessing of the first-born both sinful acts the first on Esau's part the second on Jacob's but Gods Providence makes use of both to bring about his counsels There was a promise made to Abraham that God would multiply his seed and that they should inherit the land of Canaan Pharaoh strongly sets himself against it useth all arts to destroy the seed of Jacob the King commandeth the midwives to kill all the male children Exod. 1. they save them alive the King questioneth them for it Exod. 1.17 19. they tell a lye to excuse themselves God makes use of their lye for the accomplishment of his counsels and the fulfilling of his promise unto Abraham Who can excuse Rahab in the lye she told to the Kings messengers sent to apprehend the spies It is true the Apostle saith she did it by faith and God rewarded her as he did the Egyptian midwives Rahab did it by faith believing what at that time she did not see that God would give that land to the Israelites and God rewarded her good intention in the general not her particular sinful act but yet the Providence of God made a great use of her lye for the design he had in hand Who can excuse David in many particular actions which he did Which yet God made use of in order to the bringing about his counsels and promise concerning David in settling him upon the Throne of Israel and Judah The setting up of Solomon upon the Throne of his Father David was an eminent product of Actual Providence but Bathsheba you know was his mother and David in order to the having her for his wife murthered Vriah her husband yet she was the mother of Solomon No man can excuse Jeroboam in his revolt from the house of David he did what he did from a very turbulent and ill spirit and in a very irregular and rebellious manner but God yet made use of what he had done to fulfil his own counsels and the threatning he had denounced against Solomon In short innumerable instances of this nature might be given and it is an easie thing to observe God doing the same thing every day I will instance but in three great products of Actual Providence more which the Scripture maketh mention of and three greater have not been nor can be 1. The incarnation of our blessed Lord. In the genealogy of Christ recorded by Matthew chap. 1. ver 3. you read Judas begat Pharez and Zarah of Thamar You have the story Gen. 38.29 Pharez was an incestuous child which Judah had by his own Daughter-in-law he was one of Christs Progenitors so was Bathsheba who came with much sin to be David's wife yet God made use you see both of the sin of Judas and the sin of David for the bringing forth his son into the world Next to his Incarnation let us consider the sacrifice of Christ for the expectation of our sins the noblest and greatest act of Providence which was ever brought forth in the world it was produced by wicked hands Judas Pilate Herod the Jews all have their hand in it The Devil put the malice into the heart of Judas but God had his end in the action and accomplished the great design of his glory The sending of the Gospel amongst the Gentiles was a great product of Providence in the fulfilling of the Lords counsels and many promises but it was the fall of the Jews that proved the riches of the world as the
nothing till he had advised with the Prophet Nathan Nathan bids him to go and to do all that was in his heart for saith he the Lord is with thee The good man was but a man and was mistaken God did not allow of the action 1. Because he had not directed as yet any such thing ver 7. In all the places wherein I have walked saith he with the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel or Judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people Israel saying Why build you not me an house of Cedar he repeateth the same reason again 1 Chron. 17.6 Indeed there is another reason given 1 Chron. 22.8 Thou hast shed blood abundantly and hast made great wars thou shalt not build an house to my name because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight So 1 Chron. 28.3 For those two reasons God disapproved the action and reserved it for Solomon his son then it became an institution Solomon might lawfully undertake it and did do it But yet you shall find that God eminently rewarded this good intention and purpose of Davids heart as you shall read at large 2 Sam. 7.10 11 12 13 14 15 16. and to that degree that David ver 18. thought himself obliged to offer up unto God a particular sacrifice of thanksgiving and to offer up those praises to God which you shall read at large in that Chapter from the 18th verse to the end of the Chapter It is plain that God only rewarded his general purpose and good intention for the act or issue of that intention and purpose the Lord accepted not but accepted his good will for the deed which he rejected For an instance on the other side take Jehu Jehu did a good act that is the thing which God commanded him he indeed did it possibly in an ill manner with ill circumstances which caused God to threaten that he would avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu 2 King 9.7 When the Prophet anointed him that was his Commission Thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master that I may avenge the blood of my servants the Prophets and the blood of all the righteous servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel when it was done God rewarded him for it 2 King 10.30 Because saith God thou hast done well in my eyes in executing that which is right in mine eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart thy children to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel But yet Jehu's design and intention in all this was naught he intended no more than to make himself King he pretended indeed a zeal for the Lord but intended nothing but the advancement of himself and his family for the Scripture saith ver 31. of that 10th Chapter That Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam which made Israel to sin God here rewarded the action done at his command and in the execution of his will but abhorred the intentions and designs that were in Jehu's heart upon the undertaking and performance of it Take another instance it is that which I have formerly insisted upon in the 10th of Isaiah v. 5 6 7 8 9. It is plain that God approved of the Assyrian's actions against Israel he calls them the rod of his anger ver 5. he saith ver 6. That he would send him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of his wrath he would give him a charge to take the spoil and take the prey and to tread them down like mire in the streets Howbeit saith God he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few The Assyrian had nothing but sinful intentions he aimed at nothing but spoil and plunder and accordingly executed Gods Will upon which ver 12. God threatneth That when he had performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Hierusalem he would punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of all his looks and ver 16. That he would send amongst his strong ones leanness and under his glory kindle a burning the burning of a fire More instances might be given of either sort but these are enough Let me proceed in shewing you the reasonableness of Divine Providence in these motions 1. On the part of wicked men it is but reasonable Because in such actions they do God service and it is not reasonable they should serve God for nothing You have a remarkable text for this Ezek. 29.18 19. Son of man saith God to Ezekiel Nebuchadnezzar King of Babilon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus every head was made bald and every shoulder was peeled yet had he no wages nor his army for Tyrus for the service that he served against it Therefore thus saith the Lord God behold I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar King of Babilon and he shall take her multitude and take her spoil and take her prey and it shall be the wages for his army I have given him the land of Egypt for the labour wherewith he served against it because they wrought for me saith the Lord. The King of Babilon never intentionally wrought for God undoubtedly what the Lord said of Assyria was applicable to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babilon spoil and plunder and dominion was all which he aimed at he never intended to work for God but yet the work was what was Gods Will should be done and what God had incited him to do he wrought for me saith God he did service and a great service he hath had no wages for it none shall work for me and be unpaid I will give him the land of Egypt for his pay So Jehu he wrought for God and did a great service against the house of Ahab I will pay him saith God Jehu shall never say he wrought for nothing his sons shall sit upon the Throne to the fourth generation Nay upon this account oft-times God rewardeth wicked men for some actions and afterwards punisheth them for the manner of their doing of those actions it is possible men may do what God commandeth them and yet not obey God God may reward men for their action as it is a service to him and yet punish them for their ill-doing of the action 2. On the part of good men where God rewardeth the good design intention and purpose whiles yet he disalloweth the action the motion of Providence seemeth yet more reasonable if we but consider that it is the heart which God principally requires looketh at and accepteth And where the heart is right the mistake in the action can be but a lapse of humane frailty and weakness Now where the sincere purpose and design