Matt. X. 30. The very hairs of your head are all numbered,
NONE are so ignorant amongst us as not to ac- knowledge the existence of a Supreme Being ; but the extent of his agency, and the interest which he takes in the affairs of men, are by no means duly appre- ciated We may judge however of this from
the words before us ; which we shall consider,
I. As a speculative truth —
To imagine a general Providence, and to deny or question his imrtimdar agency in every thing that occurs, is absurd in the extreme. The doctrine of a particular Providence is fully confirmed,
1. By reason —
[If there be any thing in the universe which God does not inspect and control, there can he no dependence on prophecy ; for untoward and unlooked-for circumstances may occur to thwart the purposes of God. Suppose, for instance, that God had intended the murderous designs of Haman to take effect : the little accidental circumstance of Ahasuerus not being able to sleep one night, and of his calling for the records of his kingdom to amuse him, and of their being opened at one particular part, gave an unexpected turn to events, and disappointed the purposes of Heaven. But, if all these things were ordered of the Lord, then were the most minute things, that can be imagined, under his control, and subservient to
the accomplishment of his will
Again : if there be any thing really fortuitous and unforeseen by God, He cannot he Jit to govern the world. He cannot be omniscient ; because he will gatlier information from accidental circumstances that were independent of him. He cannot be omnipotent ; because there will be some things over which he has no control. In a word, He cannot be God ; because he will want all those attributes which are essential to a perfect Being. He will be weak and mutable ; and will change with events, as we do. But, if all things be " ordered according to the counsel of his will," then is He every way fit both to govern and to judge the world ]
2. By Scripture —
[The Scriptures uniformly represent Jehovah as " doing according to his will, in the armies of heaven, and amongst the