Nor can we here forget that miraculous work of providence in a time of great extremity, which was wrought for that good gentle- woman Mrs. Honeywood (and is somewhere mentioned by the same author) ; who under a deep and sad desertion, refufed and put off all comfort, seeming to despair utterly of the grace and mercy of God. A worthy minister being one day with her, and reason- ing^ against her desperate conclusions, she took a Venice-glass from the table and said, " Sir, 1 am as sure to be damned as this glass ** is to be broken ;"" and therewith threw it forcibly to the ground : but, to the astonishment of both, the glass remained whole and sound; which the minister taking up with admiration, rebuked her presumption, and shewed her what a wonder providence had wrought for her satisfaction ; and it greatly altered the temper of her mind. O how unsearchable are his ways ! and his paths past finding out ! Lo, these are part of his ways ; but how small a por- tion do we know of him ?
And now suffer me to expostulate a little with thy soul. Reader, hast thou been duly ssnsible of thy obhgation to providence for this inestimable favour .? O what hath he done for thee ! There are divers kinds of mercies conveyed to men by the hand of provi- dence ; but none like this : in all the treasury of its benefits none is found like this. Did it cast thee into the way of conversion, and order the means and occasions of it for thee when thou little thoughest of any such thing ? How dear and sweet should the re- membrance of it be to thy soul ! Methinks it should astonish and melt you every time you reflect upon it. Such mercies should never grow stale, or look like common things to you : for do but seriously consider the following particulars :
(1.) iio-w surprising the mercy was which it performed for you in that day. Providence had a design upon you for your eternal
SS6 DIVIN-E COXIfUCT; 0^4
good, wliich 3'OLi understood not : the time of mercy was now fully come ; the decree was now ready to bring forth that mercv with which it had gone big from eternity, and its gracious design must be executed by the hand of providenccj so far as concerned the external means and instruments : and how aptly did it cause all things to fall in with that design, though you knew not the mean- ing of it : look over all the before-mentioned examples, and you shall see the blessed work of conversion begun upon those souls, •when they minded it no more than Saul did a kingdom that morn- ing he went out to seek \n^ father s asses ^ 1 Sam. ix, S, 20. Pro- vidence might truly have said to you in that day, as Christ said to Peter, John xiii. 7. " What I do thou knowest not now, but here- " after thou shalt know it. God's thoughts are not as our *' thoughts ; but as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are *' his thoughts higher than ours, and his ways than our ways." Little did Zaccheus think when he climbed up into the sycamore free to see Christ as he passed that way, what a design of mercy Christ had upon him, who took thence the occasion of becoming both his guest and Saviour, Luke xix. 5, 6, 7, 8. And as little did some of you think what the aim of providence was when yon went (some out of custom, others out of curiosity, if not worse ends) to hear such a sermon. O how stupendous are the ways, of God.
2. What a distinfjuishincr and seasonable mercv was ushered in by providence in that day f It brought you to the means of salva- tion in a good hour. At that very point of time when the angel troubled the waters you were brought to the pool^ to allude to that, John v. 4. Now the accepted day was come, the Spirit was in the ordinance or providence that converted you, and you were set in the way of it. It may be you had heard many hundred sermons before, but nothing would stick till now, because the hour was not come. The Lord did, as it were, call in the word for such a man^ such a woman ; and providence said. Lord, here he is, I have brought him before thee. There were many others under that ser- mon that received no such mercy. You yourselves have heard many before, but not to advantage ; as it is said, Luke iv. 27. " There '* were many lepers in Israel in the days of Eliseus ; but to none *' of them was the prophet sent, save unto Naaman the Syrian." So there were many poor unconverted souls besides you under the word that day, and it may be to none of them was salvation sent that day but to you. O blessed providence ! that set you in the way of mercy at that time !
What a weighty and important mercy was providentially directed to your souls that day. There are mercies of all sizes and kinds in the hands of providence to dispense to the sons of men : its left
THE MYSTERY OP PROVIDE^fCE. 387
hand is full of blessing as well as its right : it hath health and' riches, honours and pleasures, as well as Christ and salvation to dispense. The world is full of its left hand favours ; but the bles- sings of its right hand are invaluably precious, and few there be that receive them ; it doth thousands of kind offices for men ; but among them all, this is the chiefestj to lead and direct them to Christ. For consider,
(1.) Of all mercies, this comes through most and greatest difficul- ties, Eph. i. 19, 20.
(2.) This is a spiritual mercy, excelling in dignity of nature all others more than gold excels the dirt under your feet, Rev. iii. 18. One such gift is worth thousands of other mercies.
(3.) This mercy immediately flowing out of the fountain of God's electing love^ a mercy never dropt into any but an elect vessel^ 1 Thess. i. 4, 5.
(4.) This is a mercy that infallibly secures salvation : for as we may ai'gue from conversion to election, looking back ; so from con- vei'sion to salvation, looking forward, Heb. vi. 9.
(5.) Lastly^ This is an eternal mercy, that which will stick by you when father, mother, wife, children, estate, honour, health, and life shall fail thee, John iv. 14.
O therefore, set a special mark upon that providence that set you in the way of this mercy.? it hath performed that for thee which all the ministers on earth, and angels in heaven could never have performed. This is a mercy that puts weight and value into the smallest circumstance that relates to it.
The fifth performance of Providence.
V. Thus you hear how instrumental providence hath been in or- dering the means and occasions of the greatest mercies for your souls. Let us now take into consideration another excellent per- formance of providence respecting the good of your bodies and souls too, in respect of that employment and calling it ordered for you in this world ; for it hath not only an eye upon your well-being in the world to come, but upon your well-being in this world also ; and that very much depends upon the station and vocation to which it calls you.
Now the providence of God with respect to our civil callings may be displayed very takingly in the following particulars.