Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 3114
“Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. Where they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went As for their rims, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rims were full of eyes round about them four And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.” Ezekiel 1:15-19.
IN my preaching, I am constantly talking about Providence, so I thought it would be well to devote a whole sermon to explaining what I believe are God’s great wonder-working processes which we call, “Providence.” In looking for a suitable text, I found this one. These “wheels” signify Divine Providence and I trust, while explaining them, I may be so assisted by God’s Spirit that I may say many things to you concerning God’s Government which may lift up any who are despondent and lift up the souls of many who are distressed.
I. Going at once to my divisions, my first remark will be that PROVIDENCE IS HERE COMPARED TO A “WHEEL.”
When the Prophet had “beheld the living creatures,” which I take it were angels, he opened his eyes again and he saw a wonderful illustration of Divine Providence—and this exhibition was in the figure of a wheel. You must know that this is not the only place where this comparison is to be found, for the Romans and Greeks were accustomed to compare the wondrous working of God in Providence to the revolutions of a wheel. The story goes that a certain king, being taken prisoner, was bound in chains and dragged along at the chariot wheels of his conqueror. As he went along, he kept looking at the wheel and shedding tears, and then looking at the wheel, again, and lifting up his eyes and smiling. The conqueror turned and said, “Why are you looking at that wheel?” He said, “I was thinking, such is the lot of man—just now I was here, now I am there—but soon I may be here again at the top of the wheel, and you may be grinding the dust.” This was well for a heathen. The Prophet had the very same idea—he was permitted by God to see that the wheel is a very beautiful figure of Divine Providence. Let me show you that it is so.
I have just hinted at one reason why Providence is like a wheel—because sometimes one part of the wheel is at the top and then it is at the bottom. Sometimes this part is exalted and soon it sinks down to the dust. Then it is lifted into the air and then again, by a single revolution, it is brought down again to the earth. So is it with our life. Sometimes we are in humble poverty and hardly know what we shall do for bread. Soon the wheel revolves and we are brought into the comfort of wealth—our feet stand in a spacious room, we are fed with corn and wine—we drink of a cup overflowing its brim. Again we are brought low through affliction and famine. A little while and another page is turned—and we are exalted to the heavens and can sing and rejoice in the Lord our God! I have no doubt many of you here have experienced a far more checkered life than I have and, therefore, you can feel that your life has been as a “wheel.” Ah, Man! You are strong, great and rich! You may now stand at the uppermost part of it, but it is a wheel and you may yet be brought low. And you poor who are depressed and downcast—who are weeping because you know not where you shall lay your heads—that wheel may revolve and you may be lifted up! Our own experience is never a stale thing. It is always changing, always turning round. The fly that sits now on the edge of the wheel may be crushed by its next revolution. The world may cry, “Hosanna,” to its minister, today, and the next day may say, “Crucify him, crucify him.” Such is the state of man. Providence is like a wheel!
You know that in a wheel there is one portion that never turns round and that is the axle. So, in God’s Providence, there is an axle which never moves. Christian, here is a sweet thought for you! Your state is always changing—sometimes you are exalted and sometimes depressed—yet there is an unmoving point in your state. What is this axle? What is the pivot upon which all the machinery revolves? It is the axle of God’s everlasting love towards His covenant people. The exterior of the wheel is changing, but the center stands forever fixed. Other things may move, but God’s love never moves—it is the axle of the wheel! This is another reason why Providence should be compared to a wheel.
Yet more. You observe when the wheel moves very rapidly, you can discern nothing but the exterior circle. So, if you look back to history and read the story of a thousand years, you set the wheel of Providence revolving rapidly and you lose sight of all the little things that are within the circle. You see only one great thing and that is that God is working out in the world His everlasting purposes. You sit down and take a book of history—say the History of England—and you will say of one event, “Now that seems to be out of place.” You say of another, “That seems to be out of time.” Another, “That seems to be adverse to the cause of liberty.” But look through a thousand years and those things which seemed as if they would crush liberty in her germ—those things which seemed as if they would destroy this, our commonwealth, in our very rising, have been those which have caused the sturdy oak of liberty to take deeper root! Take the whole together, instead of taking the events one by one—look at a thousand years and you will see nothing but one round ring of symmetry teaching you that God is wise and God is just. So let it be with you in your lives. Here you are fretting about troubles today. Think also of the past—put all your troubles together and they are not troubles at all! You will see that one counteracts the other. If you take your life—not today, alone, but look back on 40 years of it— you will be obliged, instead of lamenting and mourning, to bless God for His mercies towards you. Let the wheel go round and you will see nothing but a ring of everlasting wisdom revolving!
I trust I have made the first part of my subject intelligible—that the Providence of God is here compared to a wheel.
II. My second thought is that THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS, IN SOME MYSTERIOUS WAY, CONNECTED