1. This is our duty, because God hath expressly commanded it, and called his people to make the most serious reflections, and animadversions upon his works, whether of mercy or judgment. So when that dread fullest of all judgments was executed upon his professing people for their apostasy from God, and God had re- moved the symbols of his presence from among them, the rest are " bid to go, (i. e.) by their meditations, (to send at least their thoughts) to Shiloh, and " see what God did to it," Jer. vii. 12. So for mercies, God calls us to consider and review them ; Mic. vi. 5. " Remember, O my people, from Shittim unto Giigal, " that ye may know the faithfulness of the Lord :" q. d. If you reflect not upon that signal providence, my faithfulness will be co-
* Preached November 5.
41^ DIVINE CONDUCT ; 01?,
vered, and 3^our unfaithfulness discovered. So for God's works of providence about the creatures, we are called to consider them, that we may prop up our faith by those considerations for our own supplies, Mat, vi. 28. consider the fowls and Hlies.
^. It is plain, that this is our duty, because the neglect of it is every- where in scripture condemned as a sin. To be of a heedless, unobservant temper is very displeasing to God ; and so much ap- pears by that scripture, Isa. xxvi. 11. " Lord, when thy hand is " lifted up, they will not see." Nay, it is a sin which God threa- tens and denounces woe against in his word, Psal. xxviii. 4, 5. and Isa. V. 12, 13. Yea, God not only threatens, but smites men with visible judgments for this sin, Job xxxiv. 26, 27.
And for this end and purpose it is, that the Holy Ghost hath affixed those notes of attention to the narratives of the works of providence in scripture, all which do invite and call men to a due and clear observation of them. So in that great and celebrated work of providence, in delivering Israel out of Egyptian bondage, you find a note of attention twice affixed to it, Exod. iii. 2, 9. So when that daring enemy Rabshakeh, (that put Hezekiah and all the people into such consternation) was defeated by providence, there is a note of attention prefixed to that providence ; 2 Kings xix. 7. " Behold, I will send a blast upon him," Sec. So when God glo- rifies his wisdom and power, in delivering his people from their enemies, and ensnaring them in the works of their own hands, a double note of attention is affixed to that double work of provi^ dence, Psal. ix. 16. Higgaion Selah. So at the opening of every seal which contains a remarkable series or branch of providence, liow particularly is attention commanded to every one of them ; ilev. vi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. " Come and see, come and see." All these are very useless and superfluous additions in scripture, if no such duty lies upon us. See Psal. Ixvi. 5.
4. AVithout due observation of the Avork of providence, no praise can be rendered to God for any of them ; praise and thanks- giving for mercies depend upon this act of observation of them, and cannot be performed without it. Psal. cvii. is spent in nar- ratives of God's providential care of men ; to his people in straits, ver. 4, 5, 6. to prisoners in their bonds, ver. 10, 11, 12. to men that lie languishing in beds of sickness, ver. 17, 18, 19. to seamen upon the stormy ocean, ver. 23, &c. to men in times of famine, ver. 33, to 40. yea, his providence is displayed in all those changes that fall out in the world, debasing the high, and exalt- ing the low, ver. 40, 41. and at every paragraph men are still called upon to praise God for each of these providences : But ver. 43. shews you what a necessary ingredient to that duty observation is : *' Whoso is wise, and will observe those things : even they shall
tlXE AtYSTEKY OF rROVlDEKCK. 415
«« understand the lovinrr kindness of tlie Lord/' So that of ne- cessity Crod must be defrauded of his praise if tliis duty be ne- glected.
5. Without this, wc lose the usefulness and benefit of all the works of God for us or others, which would be an unspeakable loss indeed to us. This is the food our faith lives upon in days of distress. Psal. Ixxiv. 14. " Thou brakest the heads of the Levi- " athan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inha- *' biting in the wilderness ;" i. e. food to their faith. From pro- vidences past, saints used to argue to fresh and new ones to come- So David, 1 Sam. xvii. 37. " The Lord that delivered me out of " the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will de- ** liver me out of the hand of this Philistine." So Paul, 2 Cor. i. 10. " Who hath delivered, and in whom also we trust, that he " will yet deliver."" If these be forgotten, or not considered, the hands of faith hang down. See Mat. xvi. 9. " How is it that ye ^' do not remember, neither consider ?"" This is a topic from which the saints have used to draw their arguments in prayer for new mercies. As Moses, Numb. xiv. 19. when he prays for con- tinued, or new pardons for the people, he argues from what was past ; " As thou hast forgiven them from Egypt until nov/." So the church, Isa. \i. 9, 10. argues for new providences, upon the same ground Moses pleaded for new pardon.
6. It is a vile slighting of God, not to observe what of himself he manifests in his providences. For in all providences, especially in some, he comes nigh to us. He doth so in his judgments, Mai. iii. 5. " I will come nigh to you in judgment." He comes nigh in mercies also, Psal. cxlv. 18. " The Lord is nigh unto all them " that call upon him," t^c. yea, he is said to visit us by his pro-^ vidence, when he corrects, Hos. ix. 7. and when he saves and delivers, Psal. cvi. 4. These visitations of God preserve our spi- rits. Job X. 12. and it is a wonderful condescension in the great God to visit us so often. Job vii. 18. " Every morning, and every *' moment" But not to take notice of it, is a vile and brutish contempt of God, Isa. i. 3. Zeph. iii, 2. You would not do so by a man for whom you have any respect. It is the character of tlie wicked not to regard God's favours, Isa. xxvi. 10. or frowns^ Jer. V. 3.
7. In a word, men can never order their addresses to God in prayer, suitable to their conditions, without due obsei-vation of his providences : your prayers are to be suitable to your conditions: sometimes we are called to praise, sometimes to humiliation. In the way of his judgments you are to wait for him, Isa. xxvi, 8. ta
Erepare to meet him, Zeph. ii. 1, % Amos iv. 12. Now your u^ness is to turn away his anger, which you see approaching;
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and sometimes you are called to praise him for mercies received, Isa. xii. Ij 2. but then you must first observe them.
Thus you find the matter of David's psalms still varied, accord- ing to the providences that befel him ; but an inobservant, heed- less spirit, can never do it. And thus you have the grounds of the duty briefly represented. We pass on to
The fourth general head.