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THE DOCTRINE OF A PARTICULAR PROVIDENCE
NONE are so ignorant amongst us as not to acknowledge 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 appreciated — — — 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 particular 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 be 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 thing;, 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 be fit to govern the world. He cannot be omniscient; because he will gather 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 tilings 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 inhabitants of the earth.” All creatures are alike subject to his control, rational and irrational, animate and inanimate. The angels in heaven, and men on earth, and devils in hell, all do his will [Note: Psa_103:20. Pro_21:1. Job_1:12; Job_2:6. Luk_8:32.] — — — The sun, moon, and stars move or stand at his command [Note: Jos_10:12.] — — — The elements exert or suspend their accustomed operations [Note: Exo_14:22; Exo_14:27. Dan_3:27.] — — — The brute creation, beasts, birds, fishes, all move and act agreeably to his will [Note: Dan_6:22; Dan_6:24. 1Ki_17:6. Jon_1:17.] — — — There is neither good nor evil, which is not done by him [Note: Amo_3:6.]. Even moral evil is so far under his control, that, though he is not properly the author of it, it infallibly accomplishes his secret counsel, and his determined purpose [Note: Gen_45:8. Act_2:23; Act_4:28.] — — — It is clear, then, to the full extent of the assertion in my text, that “not a sparrow falls to the ground without him; and that the very hairs of our head are all numbered.”]
Let us next view the text,
II. As a consolatory declaration—
It speaks the richest encouragement,
1. To ministers—
[Their trials and difficulties are great; as our Lord in the context has forewarned us. But, how great or numerous soever they may be, there is not one that can come upon us but by His appointment, or press more heavily than He sees fit to permit, nor operate but for the advancement of His glory and our greatest good [Note: Rom_8:28.]. We have only to look to Him, and depend on Him; and he will give us all the protection, support, and consolation, that we can possibly stand in need of. If the very hairs of our head are numbered, what shall we not be ready to encounter for Him, or to sustain in the execution of our high office? — — —]
2. To the Church at large—
[Every one has his own peculiar trials: but the declaration in our text is equally applicable to them all: and that, realized in the mind, is abundantly sufficient to carry us through all and make us triumphant over all. Let every one call to mind his own peculiar temptations — — — and apply to himself the text, as if he were the only individual to whom it was addressed: and then let him go on his way, saying, “If God be for me, who can be against me?”]
With such a word for our support,
1. Let us give ourselves up unfeignedly to God—
[It is only when we belong to Christ, that we can derive full comfort from the declaration before us. We must be God’s people, if we would have him for our God. The duty and the privilege must go hand in hand — — —]
2. Let us serve our God cheerfully, and with our whole hearts—
[Let no call of duty be thought too hard, no service too difficult, no danger too great. Only let us realize in our minds the passage before us, and rest assured, that “our strength shall be according to our day,” and “our reward according to our labour [Note: 1Co_3:8.].”]