The Providence of God
God's works of Providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.
The work of God's Providence (John 5:17): My Father works until now, and I work. The great God has rested from the works of creation, he does not create any new species of things (Genesis 2:7). He rested from all his works, and therefore the Scripture must needs be meant of God's works of Providence: My Father works and I work. Psalm 103:19: His kingdom rules over all — that is, his Providential kingdom. Now for the clearing of this point, I shall: 1. Show you that there is a Providence. 2. What that Providence is. 3. Lay down some maxims or propositions concerning the Providence of God.
1. That there is a Providence: There is no such thing as blind fate, but there is a Providence that guides and governs in the world (Proverbs 16:33): The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposal of it is of the Lord.
2. What this Providence is? I answer, Providence is God's ordering all issues and events of things after the counsel of his will to his own glory. 1. I call Providence God's ordering of things, to distinguish it from his decrees — God's decree ordains things that shall fall out, God's Providence orders them.
2. I call Providence the ordering of things after the counsel of God's will, that I may free it from all rashness and precipitancy, and to show you that it is a high act of prudence done after the counsel of his own will.
3. God orders all events of things after the counsel of his will to his own glory, the glory of God being the ultimate end of all God's actings, and the centre where all the lines of Providence do meet. The Providence of God is Regina Mundi, the queen and governess of the world; it is the eye that sees, and the hand that turns all the wheels in the universe. God is not like a craftsman that builds a house and then leaves it and is gone, but like a pilot that does with a great deal of care steer on the ship of the whole creation.
3. I shall lay down some positions about the Providence of God.
1. God's Providence reaches to all places, persons, and occurrences. 1. To all places (Jeremiah 23): Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off? The diocese where Providence visits is very large, it reaches to heaven, to earth and sea (Psalm 107:23-24): They that go down to sea see the wonders of God in the deep. Now that the sea, which is higher than the earth, should not drown the earth, is a wonder of Providence; and the prophet Jonah saw the wonders of God in the deep, when the very fish which did devour him and swallow him, did bring him safe to shore. 2. God's Providence reaches to all persons, especially the persons of the godly — they are in a special manner taken notice of; God takes care of every saint in particular, as if he had none else to take care for (1 Peter 5:7): He cares for you — that is, the elect in a special manner. Psalm 33:18-19: The eye of the Lord is over them that fear him; to preserve them from death, and to keep them alive in famine. God by his providential care shields off dangers from his people, he sets a lifeguard of angels about them (Psalm 19:11). God's Providence keeps the very bones of the saints (Psalm 34:10). It bottles their tears (Psalm 56:8). It strengthens the saints in their weaknesses (Hebrews 11:34). It supplies all their wants out of its alms-basket (Psalm 23:5). Thus Providence does wonderfully supply the wants of the elect. When the Protestants in Rochelle were besieged by the French King, God by his Providence sent in a great number of small fish that fed them, such as were never seen before in that haven. So the raven, that unnatural creature — that will hardly feed its own young, yet — providentially brought sustenance to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:6). The Virgin Mary, though by bearing and bringing forth the Messiah she helped to make the world rich, yet she herself was very poor; and now being warned of the angel to go into Egypt (Matthew 2:13), the Virgin had scarce enough to bear her expenses there. See now how God provides for her beforehand: he by his Providence sends the wise men from the East, and they bring costly gifts, gold, myrrh, and frankincense and present them to Christ; and now the Virgin had enough to defray her expenses to Egypt. God's children sometimes scarce know how they are fed, and yet Providence feeds them (Psalm 37:3): Verily you shall be fed. If God will give his people a kingdom when they die, he will not deny them daily bread while they live. 3. God's Providence reaches to all affairs and occurrences in the world — there is nothing that stirs in the world but God has by his Providence the overruling of it. The raising of a man to honor — from where is this? — but through divine Providence (Psalm 75:7): He puts down one, and sets up another. Success and victory in battle is the result of Providence; Saul had the victory, but God worked the salvation (1 Samuel 11:13). That among all virgins that were brought before the king, that Esther should find favor in the eyes of the king, was not without God's special Providence; for by this means the Lord saved the Jews alive that were destined to destruction. Providence reaches to the least of things, to the birds and the ant; Providence feeds the young raven when the mother forsakes it and will give it no food (Psalm 147:9). Providence reaches to the very hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30): The hairs of your head are numbered; and surely if Providence reaches to our hairs, then much more to our souls. And thus you have seen that the Providence of God reaches to all places, to all persons, to all occurrences and affairs. Now there are two objections against this doctrine.
Objection 1. But may some say, There are many things done in the world which are [reconstructed: eccentric] — they are very disorderly and irregular, and surely the Providence of God does not reach to these things?
Answer: Yes, these things that seem to us irregular, God makes use of to his own glory. For instance: Suppose you were in a smith's shop, and there should see several sorts of tools, some crooked, some bowed, others hooked — would you condemn all these things for nothing because they do not look handsome? The smith makes use of them all for the doing of his work. Thus it is with the Providence of God — they seem to us to be very crooked and strange, yet they all carry on God's work. I shall clear this to you in two particular cases.
First, God's people are low; why this seems to be very much out of order, that these that are best should be in the lowest condition: but there is much wisdom to be seen in this providence, as appears thus: 1. Perhaps the hearts of the godly were lifted up with riches, or with success, now God comes with a humbling providence to afflict them and fleece them; better is the loss that makes them humble, than the success that makes them proud. Again, 2. if the godly were not sometimes afflicted, and suffered an eclipse in their outward comforts, how could their graces be seen, their faith and patience. If it were always sunshine, we should see no stars; if we should have always prosperity, it would be hard to see the actings of men's faith. Thus you see God's providences are wise and regular, though to us they seem very strange and crooked.
Second, here's another case, the wicked flourish; this seems to be very much out of order: yes, but God in his providence sees good sometimes that the worst of men should be exalted, they may do some work to God, though against their will (Isaiah 10:7). God will be in no man's debt. God makes use of the wicked sometimes to protect and shield his Church: he makes use of them to refine and purify his people (Habakkuk 1:12). "You have ordained them for correction." As if the prophet had said, "You have ordained the wicked to correct your children." (And indeed as Augustine says well, We are beholden to wicked men, who against their wills do us good.) As the corn is beholden to the flail to thresh off its husks, or as the iron is beholden to the file to brighten it; so the godly are beholden to the wicked, though it be against their will, to brighten and refine their graces. Now then if the wicked do God's own work, though against their will, God will not let them be losers by it, he will raise them in the world, exalt them and wring out the waters of a full cup to them. Thus you see these providences are wise and regular, which to us seem strange and crooked.
Objection 2. But may some say, if God has a hand in ordering all things that fall out, why then he has a hand in the sins of men?
I answer, No, by no means, he has no hand in any man's sin. God cannot go contrary to his own nature, he cannot do any unholy action, no more than the sun can be said to be darkened. Here you must take heed of two things, as you must take heed of making God ignorant of men's sins, so you must take heed of making God to have a hand in men's sins: Is it a thing likely that God is the author of sin, that is an avenger of it? Is it a likely thing that God should make a law against sin, and then have a hand in breaking his own law, is that likely? And therefore to answer the objection, God in his providence does permit men's sins (Acts 14:16). He suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. God permitted their sin, and he would never permit their sin, if he could not bring good out of it; as the apothecary can make a treacle of poison. Had not sin been at all permitted, God's justice in punishing sin, and his mercy in pardoning sin had never been so well known. The Lord is pleased to permit it, but he had no hand in it.
Objection. But is it not said, that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, here's more than God's bare permitting of sin?
Answer. God does not infuse evil into men, only he withdraws the influence of his graces, and then the heart hardens of itself, even as light being withdrawn, darkness presently follows in the air; but it were absurd to say, that therefore the light darkens the air: and therefore you shall observe that Pharaoh is said to harden his own heart (Exodus 8:15). God is the cause of no man's sin; it is true God has a hand in the action where sin is, but no hand in the sin of the action: He that plays upon a jarring instrument, he is the cause of the sounding of the instrument, but the jarring is from itself: so it is here, the actions of men so far as they are natural are from God, but so far as they are sinful, they are from men themselves, and God has no hand at all in them. And so much for the first position, that God's providence reaches to all places, to all persons, and to all occurrences.
2. A second position is this: There are providences that are casual and accidental to us, are predetermined by the Lord: the falling of a tile upon one's head, the breaking out of a fire to us, is casual, but it is ordered by a providence of God. You have a clear instance of this (1 Kings 22:34). A certain man drew a bow at a venture, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the harness. This accident was casual as to the man who drew the bow, but it was divinely ordered by the providence of God; God's providence directed the arrow to hit the mark. Things that seem to fall out casual and by chance, they are the issues of God's decrees, and the interpretation of his will.
3. God's providence is greatly to be observed, but we are not to make it the rule of our actions (Psalm 107:43). Whoever is wise, will observe these things. It is good to observe providence, but we must not make it our rule to walk by; providence is a Christian's diurnal but not his Bible. Sometimes a bad cause prevails and gets ground, it is not to be liked because it does prevail; we must not think the better of what is sinful because it is successful, here is no rule of our actions to be directed by.
4. Divine providence is irresistible, there is no standing in the way of God's providence to hinder it: When God's time was come for Joseph's release, the prison could hold him no longer, The king sent and loosed him (Psalm 105:20). When God would indulge the Jews with liberty in their religion, Cyrus, by a providence, puts forth a proclamation to encourage the Jews to go and build their temple at Jerusalem, and worship God (Ezra 1:2-3). If God will shield and protect Jeremiah's person in captivity: the very king of Babylon shall nurse up the prophet, and give charge concerning him that he want nothing (Jeremiah 39:11-12).
5. God is to be trusted when his providences seem to run contrary to his promises. God promised David to give him the crown, to make him king, but providence runs contrary to his promise: David was pursued by Saul, was in danger of his life, but all this while it was David's duty to trust God. Pray observe, the Lord does oftentimes by cross providences bring to pass his promises. God promised Paul the lives of all that were with him in the ship; but now the providence of God seems to run quite contrary to his promise, the winds blew, the ship splits and breaks in pieces, and thus God fulfilled his promise upon the broken pieces of the ship, they all come safe to shore. Trust God when providences seem to run quite contrary to promises.
6. The providences of God are checker-work, they are intermingled: In the life to come there shall be no more mixture; in hell there is nothing but bitter, in heaven there is nothing but sweet: but in this life the providences of God are mixed, there is something of the sweet in them, and something of the bitter. Providences are just like Israel's pillar or cloud that conducted them in their march, it was dark on one side and light on the other, so the providences of God are a dark part and a light part. In the ark there was laid up the rod and manna, so are God's providences to his children, there is something of the rod and something of the manna: so that we may say with David, I will sing of mercy and judgment. Joseph was in prison, there was the dark side of the cloud, but God was with Joseph, there was the light side of the cloud. Asher's shoes were of brass, but his feet were dipped in oil (Deuteronomy 33:24). So affliction is the shoe of brass that pinches; ay, but there is mercy mingled with the affliction, there's the foot dipped in oil.
7. The very same action as it comes from God's providence may be good, which as it comes from men may be evil. For instance: Joseph being sold into Egypt, as he was sold by his brothers it was evil, very wicked, for it was the fruit of their envy; but as it was an act of God's providence, so it was good, for by this means Jacob and all his family were preserved alive in Egypt. Another instance is in Shimei's cursing David, now as Shimei cursed David, it was wicked and sinful, for it was the fruit of his malice; but as his cursing was ordered by God's providence, so it was an act of God's justice to punish David, and to humble him for his adultery and murder. The crucifying of Christ as it came from the Jews is an act of hatred and malice to Christ: So Judas betraying him was an act of covetousness; but as it was an act of God's providence, so there was good in it; for, see, it was an act of God's love in giving Christ to die for the world. Thus I have cleared to you the doctrine of God's providence, in these several positions: let me now speak something by way of application.
Use 1. By way of exhortation, in these particulars, first, admire God's providence: The providence of God keeps the whole creation upon the wheels, or else it would soon be dissolved, and the very axle would break in pieces: If God's providence should be withdrawn but for a while, creatures would be dissolved, and run into their first nothing. Without this wise providence of God there would be an anxiety and confusion in the whole world; just like an army when it is routed and scattered. The providence of God infuses comfort and virtue into every thing we enjoy; our clothes would not warm us, our food would not nourish us without the special providence of God. And does not all this deserve your admiration of providence?
2. Learn quietly to submit to divine providence; do not murmur at things that are ordered by divine wisdom. We may no more find fault with the works of providence, than we may with the works of creation: It is a sin as well to quarrel with God's providence, as to deny God's providence. If men do not act as we would have them, they shall act as God would have them. His providence it is his master-wheel that turns these lesser wheels, and God will bring his glory out of all at last: (Psalm 39:9) I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because you, Lord, did it. It may be we think sometimes we could order things better if we had the government of the world in our hands; but, alas! should we be left to our own choice, we should choose those things that are hurtful for us. David did earnestly desire the life of his child which was the fruit of his sin; now had the child lived it had been a perpetual monument of his shame. Let us be content God should rule the world; learn to acquiesce in his will, and submit to his providence: Does any affliction befall you, remember God sees it is that which is fit for you, or it should not come; your clothes cannot be so fit for you as your crosses. God's providence may sometimes be secret, but it is always wise: Though we may not be silent under God's dishonor, yet we should learn to be silent under his displeasure.
3. You that are Christians, believe that all God's providences shall conspire for the good of his people, and shall promote their salvation at last. The providences of God are sometimes dark, and our eyes dim, and we can hardly tell what to make of them: but when we cannot unriddle providence, believe it shall work together for the good of the elect (Romans 8:28). The wheels in a watch seem to move cross one to another, but they help forward the motion of the watch, and make the alarm strike; so the providences of God seem to be cross wheels, but for all that they shall carry on the good of the elect. The pricking of a vein is in itself evil and hurtful, but as it prevents a fever, and tends to the health of the patient, so it is good: So affliction in itself is not glorious but grievous, but the Lord turns this to the good of his saints. Poverty shall starve their sins, affliction shall prepare them for a kingdom. Therefore, Christians, believe that God loves us, that he will make the most cross providences to promote his glory, and our good.
4. Let this be an antidote against immoderate fear; for nothing comes to pass but what is ordained by God's decree, and ordered by his providence. We sometimes fear what the issue of things will be; men grow high in their actings; let us not make things worse by our fear. Men are limited in their power, and shall not go one hair's breadth further than God's providence will permit: He might let Sennacherib's army march towards Jerusalem, but he shall not shoot one arrow against it (Isaiah 38:36). Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred and fourscore and five thousand. When Israel was compassed in between Pharaoh and the Red Sea, no question some of their hearts did begin to tremble, and they looked upon themselves as dead men, but providence so ordered it, that the Sea was a safe passage to Israel, and a sepulcher to Pharaoh and all his host.
Use 2. Comfort in respect of the Church of God: God's providence reaches in a more special manner to his Church (Isaiah 27:2). Sing you to her, A vineyard of red wine. God waters this vineyard with his blessings, and watches over it by his providence, I the Lord keep it night and day. Such as think totally to ruin the Church, must do it in a time when it is neither day nor night, for the Lord keeps it by his providence night and day. What a miraculous conduct of providence had Israel, God led them by a pillar of fire, gave them manna from heaven, set the rock abroach. God by his providence preserves his Church in the midst of enemies; which is as to see a spark kept alive in the ocean, or a flock of sheep among wolves. God saves his Church strangely, 1. By giving unexpected mercies to his Church, when she looked for nothing but ruin (Psalm 126:1). When the Lord turned the captivity of Sion, we were like them that dream. How strangely did God raise up Queen Esther to preserve alive the Jews, when Haman had got a bloody warrant signed for their execution? 2. Strangely by saving in that very way in which we think he will destroy: God works sometimes by contraries. He raises his Church by bringing it low. The blood of the martyrs has watered the Church, and made it more fruitful (Exodus 1:12). The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied: The Church is like that plant Gregory Nazianzen speaks of, [illegible], it lives by dying, and grows by cutting. 3. Strangely in that he makes the enemy do his work: When the people of Amon, and Moab, and Mount Seir came against Judah, God set the enemy one against another (2 Chronicles 20:23). The children of Amon and Moab, stood up against them of Mount Seir, to slay them; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. In the Powder-Treason he made the traitors to be their own betrayers: God can do his work by the enemy's hand. God made the Egyptians send away the people of Israel laden with jewels (Exodus 12:36). The Church is the apple of God's eye, and the eyelid of his providence does daily cover and defend it.
5. Let the merciful providences of God cause thankfulness: We are kept alive by a wonder-working providence. Providence makes our clothes warm us, our meat nourish us. We are fed every day out of the alms-basket of God's providence. That in health, that we have an estate, it is not our diligence but God's providence (Deuteronomy 8:18). You shalt remember the Lord your God, for he it is that gives you power to get wealth. Especially if we go a step higher, we may see cause of thankfulness: That we should be born and bred in a gospel climate; that we should live in such a place where the Sun of Righteousness shines; this is a signal providence: Why might not we have been born in such places where paganism prevails? That Christ should make himself known to us, and touch our hearts with his Spirit, when he passes by others: From where is this but from the miraculous providence of God, which is the effect of his free grace?
Use 3. See here that which may make us long for that time when the great mystery of God's providence shall be fully unfolded to us. Now we scarce know what to make of God's providences; therefore are ready to censure what we do not understand, but in Heaven we shall see how all God's providences (sickness, losses, sufferings,) carried on our salvation. Here we see but some dark pieces of God's providence, and it is impossible to judge of God's works by pieces, but when we come to Heaven, and see the full body and portraiture of God's providence drawn out in its lively colors, it will be a glorious sight to behold: Then we shall see how all God's providences helped to fulfill his promises. Never a providence but we shall see had either a wonder or a mercy in it.
