on that account, is called God's fervant: they fulfil his will, whilft they are profecuting their own lufts. "The earth fhall

help the woman," Rev. xii. 16. But good men delight, to ferve Providence: they and the angels are fellow-fervants in one house, and to one mafter, Rev. xix. 10, Yea, there is not a creature in heaven, earth, or hell, but Jefus Christ can providentially use it and ferve his ends, and promote his defigns by it. But whatever the inftrument be, Chrift uses, of this we may be certain, that his providential working is holy, judicious, fovereign, profound, irrefiftible, harmonious, and to the faints peculiar.

1. It is holy. Though he permits, limits, orders and overrules many unholy perfons and actions, yet he still works like himself, most holily and purely throughout. "The Lord is

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righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works," Pfal. cxlv. 17.; it is eafier to feparate light from a fun-beam, than holinefs from the works of God. The best of men cannot escape fin in their most holy actions; they cannot touch, but are defiled. But no fin cleaves to God, whatever he hath to do about it.

2. Christ's providential working is not only moft pure and holy, but also most wife and judicious. Ezek. i. 20. "The "wheels are full of eyes:" They are not moved by a blind impetus, but in deep counfel and wifdom. And, indeed, the wisdom of Providence manifefts itself principally in the choice of fuch states for the people of God, as fhall most effectually promote their eternal happiness. And herein it goes quite beyond our understandings and comprehenfions. It makes that medicinal and falutiferous, which we judge as destructive to our comfort and good, as poifon. I remember, it is a note of Suarez †, fpeaking of the felicity of the other world; "Then

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(faith he) the bleffed fhall fee in God all things and circum"ftances pertaining to them, excellently accomodated and

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attempered;" then fhall they fee that the croffing of their defires was the faving of their fouls; and that otherwile they had perished. The most wife Providence looks beyond us. It eyes the end, and fuits all things thereto, and not to our found defires.

3. The Providence of Chrift is moft fupreme and fovereign.

*Non caeco impetu volvuntur rotae.

Beatus in Deo videt res omnes accommodatas ad fe pertinentes, et omnes circumftantias accommodatas. Suarez.

VOL. I.

Gg

Whatfoever he pleafeth, that he doth in heaven and in earth, "and in all places," Pfal. cxxxv. 6. "He is Lord of lords, and "King of kings," Rev. xix. 16. The greatest monarchs on earth are but as little bits of clay ‡, as the worms of the earth to him they all depend on him, Prov. viii. 15, 16. "By me kings reign, and princes decree juftice: by me princes rule, "nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

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4. Providence is profound and infcrutable. The judgments of Chrift are a great deep, and his footsteps are not known," Pfal. xxxvi. 6. There are hard texts in the works as well as in the words of Chrift. The wileft heads have been at a loss interpreting fome Providences, Jer. xii. 1, 2. Job xxi. 7. The angels had the hands of a man under their wings, Ezek. i. 8. i. e. they wrought fecretly and myfteriously.

5. Providence is irresistible in its defign and motions; for all providences are but fulfillings and accomplishments of God's immutable decrees. Eph. i. 11. " He works all things accord

ing to the counsel of his own will." || Hence Zech. vi. 1. the inftruments by which God executed his wrath, are called "cha-: "riots coming from betwixt two mountains of brafs," i. e. §" the "firm and immutable decrees of God. When the Jews put Chrift to death, they did but do what" the hand and counfel of "God had before determined to be done," Acts iv. 28. fo that none can oppofe or refift providence." I will work, and who "fhall let it?" Ifa. xliii. 13.

There are

6. The providences of Chrift are harmonious. fecret chains, and invifible connections betwixt the works of Chrift. We know not how to reconcile promifes and providences together, nor yet providences one with another: but certainly they all work together, Rom viii. 28. as adjuvant causes, or con caufes ftanding under, and working by the influence of the firft caufe. He doth not do, and undo; destroy by one providence, what he built by another. But, look, as all feafons of the year, the nipping frofts, as well as halcyon days of fummer, do all confpire and conduce to the harveft; fo it is in providence.

His head, (Cant. v. 11.), gold of gold; which intimates the incomparable excellency of Chrift's kingdom; gold on his head, is an enfign of royalty, of which crowns were made; therefore the expreffion, Gold of gold, feems to be of the fame import with King of kings. Brightman in Cant.

vin.

By mountains he understands the hidden counfels of God. Cal

§ Firmiffima et infcrutabilia Dei confilia. Drufius.

7. And lastly, The providences of Chrift work in a Special and peculiar way, for the good of the faints. His providential, is fubordinated to his fpiritual kingdom. "He is the Saviour of all

men, especially of them that believe," 1 Tim. iv. 1. These only have the bleffings of providence. Things are so laid and ordered, as that their eternal good shall be promoted and secured by all that Chrift doth.

Inference 1. If fo, See then, in the first place, to whom you are beholden for your lives, liberties, comforts, and all that you enjoy in this world. Is it not Chrift that orders all for you? He is, indeed, in heaven, out of your fight; but though you fee him not, he fees you, and takes care of all your concerns. When one told Silentiarius of a plot laid to take away his life, he anfwered, Si Deus mei curam non habet, quid vivo? "If God take no care of me, how do I live?" how have I efcaped hitherto ? "In all thy ways acknowledge him," Prov. iii. 6. It is he that hath espied out that state thou art in, as most proper for thee. It is Christ that doth all for you that is done. He looks down from heaven upon all that fear him; he fees when you are in danger by temptation, and cafts in a providence, you know not how, to hinder it. He fees when you are fad, and orders reviving providences, to refresh you. He fees when corruptions prevail, and orders humbling providences to purge them. Whatever mercies you have received, all along the way you have gone hitherto, are the orderings of Chrift for you. And you should carefully obferve how the promifes and providences have kept equal pace, with one another, and both gone step by step with you, until now.

Inference 2. Hath God left the government of the whole world in the hands of Christ, and trusted him over all? Then do you also leave all your particular concerns in the hands of Chrift too, and know that the infinite wisdom and love, which rules the world, manages every thing that relates to you. It is in a good hand, and infinitely better than if it were in your own. I remember when Melanchton was under fome defpondencies of fpirit about the eftate of God's people in Germany, Luther chides him thus for, it, "Let Philip ceafe to rule the world." It is none of our work to steer the course of providence, or direct its motions, but to fubmit quietly to him that doth. There is an itch in men, yea, in the beft of men, to be difputing with Gg 2

*Monendus eft Philippus ut definat effe rector mundi. Melch.

Adam.

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Our

SERM. XVII. God: "Let me talk with thee of thy judgment," faith Jeremy, chap. xii. 1, 2. Yea, how apt are we to regret at providences, as if they had no conducency at all to the glory of God, or to our good, Exod. v. 22. yea, to limit providence to our way and time? Thus, the "Ifraelites tempted God, and limited the holy "One," Pial. lxxviii. 18, 41. How often alfo do we, unbeliev ingly, diftruft providence as though it could never accomplish what we profefs to expect and believe? Ezek. xxxvii. 11. "bones are dry, our hope is loft; we are cut off for our part." So Gen. xviii. 13, 14. Ifa. xl. 17. There are but few Abrahams among believers, who againft hope, believed in hope, "giving glory to God," Rom. iv. 20. And it is but too com. mon for good men to repine and fret at providence, when their wills, lufts, or humours are croffed by it: this was the great fin of Jonah, Brethren, these things ought not to be fo; did you but seriously confider, either the defign of providence, which is to bring about the gracious defigns and purpofes of God upon you, which were laid before this world was, Eph. i. 11. or that it is a lifting up of thy wisdom against his, as if thou couldft better order thine affairs, if thou hadft but the conduct and ma. nagement of them; or that you have to do herein with a great and dreadful God, in whofe hands you are as the clay in the potter's hands, that hemay do what he will with you, and all that is yours, without giving you an account of any of his matters, Job xxxiii. 13. or whither providence hath caft others, as good, by nature, as yourselves, tumbled them down from the top health, wealth, honours and pleasures, to the bottom of hell: Or, laftly, Did you but confider how often it hath formerly baffled and befooled yourselves; made you retract, with shame, your rafh, headlong cenfures of it; and enforced you, by the fight of its births and iffues, to confefs your folly and ignorance, as Afaph did, Pfal. lxxiii. 22. I fay, if fuch confiderations as thefe could but have place with you in your troubles and temptations, they would quickly mould your hearts into a better and more quiet frame.

of

O that I could but persuade you to resign all to Christ. He is a cunning workman *, as he is called, Prov. viii. 30. and can effect what he pleaseth. It is a good rule, De operibus Dei non eft judicandum, ante quintum actum. "Let God work out all that he "intends, have but patience till he hath put the laft hand to "his work, and then find fault with it, if you can." You have

*It has two fignifications: An experienced artificer or workman, and a workman excelling in his ait, Glaff

heard of the patience of Job, "and have seen the end of the "Lord," James v. II.

Inference 3. If Chrift be Lord and king over the providen tial kingdom, and that, for the good of his people, let none that are Chrift's, henceforth, ftand in a flavish fear of creatures. It is a good note that * Grotius hath upon my text; "It is a "marvellous confolation (faith he) that Chrift hath so great an "empire, and that he governs it for the good of his people, 166 as a head confulting the good of the body." Our head and husband, is Lord-general of all the hofts of heaven and earth; no creature can move hand or tongue without his leave or or der the power they have is given them from above, John xix. 11, 12. The serious confideration of this truth will make the feeblest spirit ceafe trembling, and fet it a finging; Plal, xlvii. 7. "The Lord is king of all the earth, fing ye praifes with un

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derftanding:" that is, (as fome well paraphrase it) every one that hath understanding of this comfortable truth. Hath he not given you abundant fecurity in many exprefs promises, that all fhall iffue well for you that fear him? Rom. viii. 28. "All things "shall work together for good, to them that love God." And Eccl. viii. 12. verily "it fhall be well with them that fear God," even with them that fear before him. And, fuppofe he had not, yet the very understanding of our relation to fuch a king, thould, in itself, be fufficient fecurity: for, he is the + univerfal ‡ fupreme, abfolute, § meek, merciful, ** victorious, and * immortal king.

He fits in glory, at the Father's right hand; and, to make his feat the eafier, his enemies are a footstool for him tt. His love to his people is unfpeakably tender and fervent, he that touches them, "touches the apple of his eye," Zech. ii. And, it is hardly imaginable, that Jefus Chrift will fit ftill, and fuffer his his enemies to thrust out his eyes. Till this be forgotten, the wrath of man is not feared; Ifa. li. 12, 13. "He that fears a man that shall die, forgets the Lord his Maker." He loves you too well to fign any order to your prejudice, and without his order, none can touch you.

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Inference 4. If the government of the world be in the hands of Chrift, then our engaging and entitling of Chrift to all our

+ Pfal. ii. 8.

|| Matth

Magna confolatio, quod tantum imperium habet is, qui id exercet ecclefiæ bono, ficut caput confulit corpori. Grotius. Prov. viii. 15. § Rev. i. 18. xxi. 5. ** Pfal. xlv. 4. * 1 Tim. i. 17. + See my Saint indeed.