yond it cannot, go. Rev. ii. 10. " Fear none of these things that " ye shall suffer ; behold, the devil shall cast some of you into " prison, and ye shall have tribulation ten days." They would have cast them into their graves, but it shall only be into prisons: They would have stretched out their hands, upon them all ; no, but only some of them shall be exposed : They would have kept them there perpetually ; no, it must be but for ten days, Ezek. xxii. 6. " Behold, the princes of Israel were in thee, every one " to their power to shed blood."" They went as far as they had power to go, not as far as they had will to go. Four hundred and thirty years were determined upon the people of God in Egypt ; and then, even in that very night, God brought them forth ; for then " the time of the promise was come," Acts vii. 17.
5. The Lord Jesus providentially protects his people amidst a world of enemies and dangers. It was Christ that appeared unto Moses in the flaming bush, and preserved it from being consumed. The bush signified the people of God in Egypt ; the fire flaming on it, the exquisite sufferings they there endured : the safety of the bush, amidst the flames, the Lord's admirable care and protection of his poor suffering ones. None so tenderly careful as Christ " as birds flying, so he defends Jerusalem," Isa. xxxi. 5. i. e. as they fly swiftly towards their nests, crying when their young are in danger, so will the Lord preserve his. They are " preserved in " Christ Jesus, Jude 1. as Noah and his family were in the ark. Hear how a Worthy of our own expresses himself on this point %
" That we are at peace in our houses, at rest in our beds ; that " we have any quiet in our enjoyments, is from hence alone. ;< Whose person would not be defiled, or destroyed ? whose ha- " bitation would not be ruined ? whose blood almost would not " be shed, if wicked men had power to perpetrate all their con- " ceived sin ? It may be, the ruin of some of us hath been con- " ceived a thousand times. We are beholden to this Providence, " of obstructing sin, for our lives, our families, our estates, our " liberties, and whatsoever is or may be dear to us. For may we " not say sometimes with the Psalmist, Psal. lvii. 4, My soul is " among lions, and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even " the sons of men, whose teeth are spears, and their tongue a sharp " sword ? And how is the deliverance of men contrived from such " persons ? Psal. viii. 6. God breaks their teeth in ilieir moutlts, even " the great teeth of the young lions. He keeps this fire from burn- " ing, — some he cuts off and destroys : some he cuts short in their " power : some he deprives of the instruments whereby alone they " can work : some he prevents in their desired opportunities, or
* Dr. Owen on Indwelling Sin.
THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XVII.
" diverts by other objects for their lust ; and oftentimes causeth " them to spend them among themselves, one upon another. We " may say, therefore, with the Psalmist, Psal. civ. 24. O Lord, " how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom hast thou made them all ; f* the earth is full of thy riches?
6. He punishes the evil doers, and repays, by providence into their own lap, the mischiefs they do, or but intend to do, unto them that fear him. Pharaoh, Sennacherib, both the Julians, and innumerable more, are the lasting monuments of his righteous re- tribution. It is true, a sinner may do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged ; but oft-times God hangs up some eminent sinners in chains, as spectacles and warnings to others. Many a hea- vy blow hath Providence given to the enemies of God, which they were never able to recover. Christ rules, and that with a rod of iron, in the midst of his enemies, Psal. ex. 2.
7. And lastly, He rewards by Providence the services done to him and his people. Out of this treasure of Providence God re- pays oftentimes those that serve him, and that with a hundred-fold reward now in this life, Matth. xix. 29- This active, vigilant Pro- vidence hath its eye upon all the wants, straits, and troubles of the creatures : but especially upon such as religion brings us unto. What huge volumes of experiences might the people of God write upon this subject ? and what a pleasant history would it be, to read the strange, constant, wonderful, and unexpected actings of Pro- vidence, for them that have left themselves to its care ?
Secondly, We shall next enquire how Jesus Christ administers this providential kingdom.
And here I must take notice of the means by which, and the manner in which he doth it. The means, or instruments, he uses in the governing the providential .kingdom, (for he is not person- all present with us himself), are either angels or men ; " the an- f( gels are ministering creatures, sent forth by him for the good of " them that shall be heirs of salvation,'" Heb. i. 14. Luther tells us, they have two offices, superius carter e, t inferius vigilare, " to sing above and watch beneath." These do us many invi- sible offices of love. They have dear and tender respects and love for the saints. To them, God, as it were, puts forth his chil- dren to nurse, and they are tenderly careful of them whilst they live, and bring them home in their arms to their Father when they die. And as angels, so men are the servants of Providence ; yea, bad men as well as good. Cyrus, on that account, is called God's servant: they fulfil his will, whilst they are prosecuting their own lusts. " The earth shall help the woman," Rev. xii. 16". But good men delight to serve Providence ; they and the angels are fellow-servants in one house, and to one master, Rev. xix. 10,
SEItM. XVII. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 217
Yea, there is not a creature in heaven, earth, or hell, but Jesus Christ can providentially use it and serve his ends, and promote his designs by. it. But whatever the instrument be Christ uses, of this we may be certain, that his providential working is holy, judi- cious, sovereign, profound, irresistible, harmonious, and to the saints peculiar.
1. It is holy. Though he permits, limits, orders and over- rules many unholy persons and actions, yet he still works like him- self, most holily and purely throughout. " The Lord is righte- " ous in all his ways, and holy in all his works, Psal. cxlv. 17. it is easier to separate light from a sun-beam, than holiness from the works of God. The best of men cannot escape sin in their most holy actions; they cannot touch, but are defiled. But no sin cleaves to God, whatever he hath to do about it.