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him for his great Goodness, and to be defirous above all Things of his Favour. For how great must his Power be which conftantly upholdeth this vaft univerfal Frame, and all the numberlefs Orders of Beings in it! What Folly therefore would it be, for fuch Creatures as we are to dare to offend him, and provoke his just Displeafure! How easily could he deftroy us in a Moment, and put an utter End to our Existence! Or, if he doth not think fit to do fo, as not being confiftent with the Defigns of his moft wife and righteous Providence, he can continue and uphold us in Being under those Punishments and Miferies we had brought upon ourselves by our Difobedience.

The last Reflection I would make upon this Subject is this, That fince God continually preferveth us, he hath an undoubted Right to govern us. And this leadeth to the other main Work of Divine Providence, viz. The Government of the World, which is what I propofe next to confider.

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On God's Government of the World: And firft, of his Dominion over the inanimate Creation.

DISCOURSE III.

PSAL. CXXXv. 6.

Whatfoever the Lord pleafed, that did be in Heaven, and in Earth, in the Seas, and in all deep Places.

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AVING confidered the Providence of God as exercised in the Prefervation of the World, let us now proceed to that which deferveth to be confidered more at large, viz. His governing that World which he hath made, and which he continually upholdeth. And this providential Government of God may be regarded as D 3 extending

extending to every Part of this vaft Univerfe, and all the Orders of Beings in it. The feveral Kinds of Beings in the Creation, as far as they come under our Obfervation and Notice, may be diftributed into three great Ranks, the inanimate, the fenfitive, and the rational or moral. The Government of Providence, in the propereft Senfe, is to be understood of God's Adminiftrations towards reasonable Creatures, moral Agents. But it may be also applied to his Dominion over the merely fenfitive or Brute Animals; and in a still lefs proper Senfe to his Dominion over the inanimate Creation, which is always fubject to his Will, and ordered by him as feemeth most fit to his infinite Wisdom. All these must be joined if we would form a juft Notion of the Dominion and Sovereignty of the great Lord of the Uni

verfe.

First, I shall begin with confidering the Government of God as extending to the inanimate Creation. As by his fuftaining Influence he preferveth and maintaineth this vaft material Syftem in all its Parts, fo by his Government of it, I here understand his directing and regulating the natural Caufes and Effects of Things, fo as to apply them to the wife Purposes of his Providence. How a Spirit or immaterial Being

ing operateth upon Matter, we are not able diftinctly to conceive or explain. But the Thing itself is paft all Doubt. An Image of God's Government of the material World we have in our own Souls governing our Bodies, that little World, or material System, to which we are more immediately related. We only will, and it is done, an Arm, a Leg, the Tongue is moved in an Instant. We have alfo a Power over feveral Parts of the World about us, though not in fo immediate a Way; a Power of moving, combining, feparating the Parts of Matter, and applying them to various Ufes, for answering our Neceffity, Convenience, or Pleasure. Man can, in many Inftances, exert a wonderful Power in producing Effects in the material World. He can dig into the Bowels of the Earth, and extract Metals and Minerals; he can blow up Rocks, and turn afide the Channels of Rivers. And we may reasonably suppose that there are other created Beings fuperior to Man, that have a much greater and more extenfive Power over the material World than any Man, or all the Men upon Earth. So the Scriptures lead us to think concerning the Angels good or bad. And there is no Abfurdity in fuppofing that a created Spirit might be made fo powerful as to be

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able

able to wield this whole earthly Globe, or any Part of it, by only willing to do fo, with as much Eafe as we move our Bodies, or any Limb of them. But still there must be an infinite Difference between the Power of any created, derivative, dependent Being, in ordering and governing the material World, and that of the fupreme, felf-existent, independent Jehovah, who is infinite, original, effential Life, Activity, and Intelligence. We find, in fact, with regard to the inanimate World about us, that it is fubject to our Direction and Management only in a certain Proportion, and within a limited Sphere; and that even our own Bodies, which are more immediately under our Power, are fubject to us no farther than according to the Laws which the Creator hath appointed. And as our Power, fo that of every Creature, with respect to the material World, is limited; but the Power of God hath no Bounds or Limits. Matter hath fome Influence upon us, and we are fubject to Impreffions from it, pleafant or painful; but the infinite Mind moveth, actuateth, and governeth the whole Mafs of Matter, without being himself impreffed and affected by it; he governeth it, not as a Soul the Body to which it is vitally united, but as the abfolute Lord of his own Work, which he at first created, and which continually de

pendeth

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