Sermon VIII.
What it is to humble ourselves to the law of God’s grace, you have heard.
(2.) I come now to show what it is to humble ourselves to the law of his providence.
By the law of providence, I intend, God’s sovereign disposal of all the concernments of men in this world, in the variety, order, and manner which he pleaseth, according to the rule and infinite reason of his own goodness, wisdom, righteousness, and truth.
[1.] To evince what it is to humble ourselves to this law, some general observations must be given. And, —
1st. There is, and ever was, somewhat, very much, in God’s providential administration of the things of this world, and the concernments of the sons of men therein, which the most improved reason of men cannot reach unto, and which is contrary to all that is in us, as merely men; — of judgment, affections, or what else soever we are acted by.
“Thy judgments,” saith David unto God, “are far above out of his sight,” Ps. x. 5; that is, of the man he is speaking of: he is not able to see the ground and reason, the order and beauty of them. And Ps. xxxvi. 6, “Thy righteousness is like a great mountain, and thy judgments are a great deep;” that is, as the sea, which none can look into the bottom of, nor know what is done in the caverns thereof. So that there is a height in the judgments of God not to be measured, and a depth not to be fathomed. Men cannot look into his ways. So also Ps. lxxvii. 19, “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.” Men must be content to stand at the shore, and admire at the works of God; but as to the beauty and excellency of them, they cannot search them out. To this purpose discourseth Zophar, in Job xi. 7–12. It is of the excellency and perfection of God in his works of providence that he is speaking; in the consideration of whose unsearchableness, he closes with that of verse 12, “Vain man would know the secrets of the counsels of God, the reason of his ways; but, in his attempts after it, he is as an ass, as a wild ass, as the colt of a wild ass;” — than which nothing could be spoken with more contempt, to abase the pride of a poor creature.
The ways of God are, we know, all perfect. He is our rock; and his work is perfect: nothing can be added to them, nor taken from them; yea, they are all comely and beautiful in their season. There is not any thing comes out from him, but it is from wonderful counsel; and all his ways will at length be found to praise him. But, as Job speaks, chap. ix. 11, we perceive it not, — we take no notice of it; for who hath known his mind, or been his counsellor? Rom. xi. 33, 34.
Hence, not only the heathen were entangled in the consideration of the works of providence, — some, upon it, turning Atheists; most, ascribing all things to blind, uncertain chance and contingency; and others (very few) labouring to set a lustre upon what they could not understand, — but we have the people of God themselves disputing with him about the equality of his ways; bringing arguments against it, and contending against his wisdom in them: “Ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal,” Ezek. xviii. 25. And again are they at it, chap. xxxiii. 20, “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal.” Yea, not only the common people, but the choicest of God’s servants, under the Old Testament, were exceedingly exercised with this, that they could not oftentimes see the beauty and excellency, nor understand the reason or order, of God’s dispensations; which I might prove at large, in the instances of Job, David, Heman, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and others. Yea, there was nothing that God was more put to, in dealing with his people of old, than to justify the righteousness and perfections of his providential dispensations against their unjust, unbelieving complaints and manners.
This, then, being the condition of God’s providential dispensations in general, — that there is much in them, not only above us, and unsearchable to us, as to the reason and beauty of his ways, but also contrary to all that is in us of reason, judgment, or affections; there is surely need of humbling our souls to the law of this providence, if we intend to walk with him. Neither is there any other way to come to an agreement with him, or to quiet our hearts from repining.
2dly. There are four things in God’s providential disposing of the things and concernments of men in the world that require this humbling of ourselves to him, as being no way able to grapple with him:— (1st.) Visible confusion; (2dly.) Unspeakable variety; (3dly.) Sudden alterations; (4thly.) Deep distresses.
(1st.) Visible confusion, — like that mentioned, Isa. viii. 22. He that takes a view of the general state of things in the world, will see nothing but trouble, darkness, and anguish; “yea, darkness cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” The oppression of tyrants, wasting of nations, destruction of men and beasts, fury and desolations, make up the things of the past and present ages; — the greatest and choicest parts of the earth, in the meantime, inhabited by them that know not God, — that hate him, that fill and replenish the world with habitations of cruelty, sporting themselves in mischief, like the leviathan in the sea. In respect hereof, God is said to make “darkness his secret place” and his pavilion, Ps. xviii. 11; and to “dwell in the thick darkness,” 2 Chron. vi. 1; — and to wait for the issue of this dispensation, to humble themselves to the law of it, is the patience and wisdom of the saints. See Hab. ii. 1.