II. That there is such a thing as providence. Heathens granted it,^ though they had but a dim sight of it ; and therefore Tully saith, Dii magna curant, parva negligunt — The gods take care of great things, but neglect little things. We count them atheists that deny a provi- dence, as well as they that denied a God.
That there is a providence may be proved from the being of God : there is a God, therefore there is a providence. His wisdom and his goodness enforceth it ; he is so wisely good : Ps. cxix. 68, ' Thou art good, and thou doest good.' The divine wisdom ordereth all things for an end, and the divine power governs all things in order to that end. "VVe read it in the order of the world and the sense of our own conscience; if there were no providence, the devils would soon overturn all things, honesty would be folly, a title without substance, labour without reward : 1 Cor. xv. 19, ' If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.' The godly would have no relief ; they would not call God to witness, nor acquaint him with their sorrows, which is their great solace : Job xvi. 20, ' My friends scorn me, but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.' God's works discover it. Who feedeth the beasts ? Job xii. 7-9, ' But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee : or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee ; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this ? ' His judgments show it : Ps. Iviii. 10, 11, ' The righteous shall rejoice when he .seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked : so that a man shall say. Verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth,' Some men's sins are open beforehand, and God keeps a petty sessions before the general assize cometh.
SERMONS UPON GENESIS XXIV. 63. 345
The sreat objection that is against providence is because all things come alike to all ; but that which seemeth the blemish of providence is the beauty of it. The prosperity of wicked men complieth with God"s ends; that there is such a checker- work of providence is for the exercise of the godly, as the stones that are for a temple are hewed and squared ; and hereby wicked men are left without excuse ; they have prudence, but not grace ; and they cannot complain, having common mercies.
III. I will give you some observations.
1. Providence reacheth to the least and most inconsiderable things, as the flight of a sparrow, the falling of a hair : Mat. x. 29, 30, ' Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father ; but the very hairs of your head are all numbered,' God takes particular accotmt of every concernment and circumstance of your lives : Ps. cxlvii. 4, ' He telleth the number of the stars.' It is much that God should be at leisure to tell the stars ; much more that he should take particular notice of the hairs of your head.
2. Though providence extends to all things, yet it is chiefly exercised about the most noble creatures, men and angels. The psalmist saith, Ps. xxxvi. 6, ' Lord, thou preservest man and beast ; ' but chiefly man. For mark it, these are not only governed by God, but by themselves. Other things, that are void of understanding, are only guided by an external principle without the knowledge of an end, as arrows shot out of a bow ; but rational creatures have a principle of their own, viz., prudence, which is a shadow of divine providence. In these providence is most discovered. Man's will is rebellious ; it is harder to rule a skittish horse than it is to roll a stone. God challengeth this as his own prerogative : Jer. x. 23, ' 0 Lord, I know that the w^ay of man is not in himself ; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.' He can bridle, rule and restrain the hearts of men, and turn them as he pleaseth : Prov. xxi. 1, ' The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord ; as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will.' The hearts of kings, those that seem to be most led by will and passion, God can turn them, and rule them at his pleasure.
3. Though the providence of God chiefly concerns man, yet the chiefest care of providence is about the good of the elect : Mat. vi. 26, ' Behold tlie fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them : are ye not much better than they? ' 1 Tim. iv. 10, 'We trust in the living God, who is the saviour of all men, especially of those that believe.' He is a saviour in this sense in regard of providential administration, but all dispensations towards his people are more exact, and have more of care ; God particularly looks after them : Amos ix. 9, ' For lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.' Mark, above all nations God would have a care of Israel ; whatever becomes of the cbaff", God watcheth over the corn. The elect are the darlings of providence ; the world is continued for their sakes, that all the elect may be gathered in : Isa. xliii. 3, 4, * I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. . Since thou