Divine Conduct, Head 5 · Motive 2
Second Motive.
A Great part of the pleasure and delight of the ChristJan life is made out of the observatJons of Providence. It is said, Psal. 111. 2. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein: (i. e.) the study of Providence is so sweet and pleasant, that it invites and allures the soul to search and dive into it. How pleasant is it to a well tempered soul to behold and observe,
(1.) The sweet harmony and consent of divine Attributes in the issues of Providence! They may seem sometimes to jarr and clash, to part with each other, and go contrary wayes: but they only seem so to do; for in the winding up, they alwayes meet and embrace each other, Psal. 85. 10. Mercy and Truth have met together: Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other. It is spoken with an immediate reference to that signal Providence of Israels deliverance out of the Babylonish captivity, and the sweet effect thereof: wherein the truth and righteousness of God in the promises, did as it were kiss and embrace the mercy and peace that was contained in the performance of them, after they had seemed for seventy years to be at a great distance from each other. For it is an allusion to the usual demonstrations of joy and gladness, that two dear friends are wont to give and receive, after a long absence and separation from each other: they no sooner meet, but they smile, embrace and kiss each other. Even thus it is here. The word foreign may be,Occurrunt nobis, Syriac. (and by some is) rendered, have met us, and that also is true; for when ever these blessed Promises and Performances meet and kiss each other, they are also joyfully embraced and killed by believing souls. There is, I doubt not, a mediate reference of this Scripture to the MessJah also, and our redemption by him: In him it is that these divine Attributes which before seemed to clash and contradict one another in the business of our salvation, have a sweet agreement and accomplishment. Truth and Righteousness do in him meet with Mercy and Peace in a blessed agreement. What a lovely sight is this! and how pleasant to behold! O if with Habbakuk, chap. 2. v. 3. we would but stand upon our Watch-Tower to take due observations of Providence; what rare prospects might we have! I…uther understands it of the Word of God, q. d. I will look into the Word, and observe there how God accomplisheth all things, and brings them to pass, and how his works are the fulfilling of his Word. Others (as Calvin) understand it of a mans own retiring thoughts and meditations, wherein a man carefully observes what purposes and designs God hath upon the World in general, or upon himself in particular, and how the Truth and Righteousness of God in the Word work themselves through all difficulties and impediments, and meet in the mercy, peace and happiness of the Saints at last. Every Believer (take it in which sense you will,) hath his Watch-Tower as well as H…bb…kuk: and give me leave to say, it's an Angelical employment to stand upon it, and behold the consent of Gods Attributes, the accomplishment of his Ends, and our own happiness in the works of Providence. For this is the very joy of the Angels and Saints in Heaven, to see Gods Ends wrought out, and his Attributes glorified in the mercy and peace of the Church, Rev. 14. 1, 2, 3. & 8.
(2.) And as it's a pleasant sight to see the harmony of Gods Attributes, so it is exceeding pleasant to behold the resurrection of our own prayers and hopes as from the dead. Why, this you may often see, if you will duly observe the works of Providence towards you. We hope and pray for such and such mercies to the Church, or to our selves; but God delayes the accomplishment of our hopes, suspends the answer of our prayers, and seems to speak to us, as Hab. 2. 3. For the visJon is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lye: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry: but we have no patience to wait the time of the Promise, our hopes languish and dye in the interim; and we say with the despondent Church, Lam. 3. 18. Our hope is perished from the Lord; but Oh, how sweet and comfortable is it, to see these prayers fulfilled, after we have given up all expectation of them! May we not say of them, as the Scripture speaks of the restoration of the Jews, it is even life from the dead. This was David's case, Psal. 31. 22. he gave up his hopes and prayers for lost, yet lived to see the comfortable and unexpected returns of them. And this was the case of Job, chap. 6. 11. he had given up all expectation of better dayes, and yet this man lived to see a resurrection of all his lost comforts with an advantage. Think how that change and unexpected turn of Providence affected his soul: it is with our hopes and prayers as with our Alms, Cast thy bread on the waters, for thou shalt find it after many dayes, Eccles. 11. 1. or as it was with Jacob, who had given ov…r all hopes of ever seeing his beloved Joseph again, but when a strange and unexpected Providence had restored that hopeless mercy to him again, Oh how ravishing and transporting was it? Gen. 46. 29, 30.
(3.) What a transporting pleasure is it, to behold great blessings and advantages to us wrought by Providence, out of those very things that seemed to threaten our ruine or misery? and yet by due observing the wayes of Providence, you may to your singular comfort find it so. Little did Joseph think his transportation into Egypt, had been in order to his advancement there; yet he lived with joy to see it, and with a thankful heart to acknowledge it, Gen. 45. 5. Wait and observe, and you shall assuredly find that Promise, Rom. 8. 28. working out its way through all Providences. How many times have you been made to say as David, Psal. 119. 71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted. O what a difference have we seen betwixt our afflictions at our first meeting with them, and our parting from them! We have entertained them with sighs and tears, but parted from them with joy, blessing God for them, as the happy Instruments of our good. Thus our fears and sorrows are turned into praises and songs of thanksgiving.
(4.) What unspeakable comfort is it for a poor soul, that sees nothing but sin and vileness in it self, at the same time to see what an high esteem and value the great God hath for him! This may be discerned by a due attendance to Providence, for there a man sees goodness and mercy following him through all his dayes, as it is Psal. 23. 6. Other men prosecute good, and it flyes from them, they can never overtake it; but goodness and mercy follow the people of God, and they cannot avoid or escape it: it gives them chase day by day, and finds them out; even when they sometimes put themselves by sin out of the way of it. In all the Providences that befall them, goodness and mercy pursues them. O with what a mel…ing heart do they sometimes reflect upon these things! and will not the goodness of God be discouraged from following me, notwithstanding all my vile a…ronts and abuses of it in former mercJes? Lord, what am I, that mercy should thus pursue me, when vengeance and wrath pursue others as good by nature as I am? It certainly argues the great esteem God hath of a man, when he thus follows him with sanctified Providences (whether they be comforts or crosses) for his good. And so much is plain, from Job 7. 18. Lord what is man, that thou shouldst visit him every morning, and try him every moment? Certainly, Gods people are his treasure, and by this it appears that they are so, that he withdraws not his eye from them, Job 36. 7. I say not, that Gods favour and respect to a man, may be concluded singly from his Providences; but sanctified Providences may very much clear it to us: and when it doth so, it cannot but be matter of exceeding great joy.
(5.) To conclude, what is there in all this world, that can give a soul such joy and comfort, as to find himself by every thing set on and farthered in his way to Heaven! And yet this may be discerned, by an heedful attendance to the effects and issues of Providences.
How cross soever the Winds and Tides of Providence at any time seem to us, yet nothing is more certain, than that they all conspire to hasten sanctified souls to God, and sit them for glory.
St. Paul knew, that both his bonds and the afflictions added to them should turn to, or (as the word foreign imports) finally issue in his salvation, Phil. 1. 19. Not that in themselves they serve to any such purpose; but as they are over-ruled and determined to such an end, through Prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. When Prayer the external, and the Spirit the internal means are joyned with them; then Afflictions themselves become excellent means to promote salvation. And have we not with joy observed, how those very things, that sense and reason tell us are opposite to our happiness, have been the most blessed Instruments to promote it? How hath God blessed Crosses to mortifie corruptJon, wants to kill our wantonness, disappointments to wean us from the world! O we little think, how comfortable those things will be in the review, which are so burdensome to present sense▪