hundred fourscore and five thousand, Heb. i. 14. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?' God sends them to take care of his children, who no doubt receive many benefits off their hands, which they are not sensible off. Understand the loving-kindness of the Lord in sending them, and their love to God and man in taking such employment. The living creatures have the wheels going by them.

Concerning the souls of the blessed, observe how blessed and happy they are in the enjoyment of God, where no clouds interpose betwixt them and the light of his counte nance, Heb. xii. 23. Luke xvi. 22. And learn here what a vain thing this world is, and how we may be happy without it, yea cannot be completely happy till we be beyond it. What a rich harvest the seed of grace in the soul brings in, and how holiness leads the way to complete happiness. Wonderful is the loving-kindness of the Lord, that takes those who serve him here, to be his attendants in his palace and brings them to the full enjoyment of himself in glory. Let this suffice for a sample of providence in the invisible world,

SECONDLY, Look to the visible world, and trace providence there. See how the hand of the Lord is constantly at work about these his creatures which he has made, John v. 17. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.'

1. Consider the inanimate or lifeless creatures, which are the objects of providence as well as other things. They are not capable of self-governing, but he that made them guides them to their ends.

The heavenly bodies, sun, moon and stars, are under the government of wise providence. They got their orders at first, Gen. i. 16. God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.' And they have still observed these orders since. Psal. civ. 19. He appointeth the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. Sometimes indeed by a particular commission, they have altered their ordinary course as in Joshua's time, chap. x. 12, 13, when the sun stood still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, for a whole day; but they returned to their course again, The sun keeps his course allotted him by the divine decree; for should he go at random, our earth would either be burnt

or quite frozen up, that we could not live on it. O the loving-kindness of the Lord, that makes the very heavenly bodies punctually to keep pace with our necessities, and has not avenged himself on men's disorders, by suffering these to go into disorder and confusion!

The raging sea is under the management of providence God manages it as easily as the nurse does the infant, whom she swaddles and lays in its cradle, from whence it cannot get out, while she will have it to stay there; Job xxxviii. 11. Hitherto shalt thou come (says Providence to this unruly element), but no farther; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed,' O look to his work, and learn his lovingkindness, Psal civ. 24, 25, 26. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts, There go the ships; there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.' Behold his greatness, and adore him, Matth. viii. 27. What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?' Fear before such a mighty One, Isa. xxviii. 2. And let it quiet your hearts under all the tossings ye meet with in the world; for it will cost him but to say, 'Peace and be still;' Psal, xciii. 4. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.'

The air and wind, which no man can lay hold of, are entirely under the conduct of Providence, John iii. 8.' The wind bloweth where it listeth,' in respect of man; but in respect of God, where he listeth, Matth, viii. 27. forecited. What a wonder is it, (not to speak of tempests, hail, rain, snow, &c. Psal. cxlvii. 15.-18.), that such a thin invisible body should bear up all the fowls of the air, the heavy clouds also, and carry them from place to place, so that we may say, as Psal. xviii. 10. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind! How then can our God be at a loss for means to support us? He has filled the world with it; it is about us, in us, in our nostrils, in our bowels, nay, in every pore of our bodies; yea, without it we could not breathe, yet we see it not. Shall we then think it strange, that the God who made it is every where present? Nay, he is without and within us, though we see him not. If he mix pestilential vapours with it, we

are dead men, as if poison were mixed with our drink: for at every breathing we draw it in; so entirely do we depend on the Lord. O then understand the loving-kindness of the Lord in this respect.

The earth is under the care and government of the same wise Providence. He made it, and that was a great work; he preserves it and governs it, and that is another. He supports it, Heb. i. 3. The earth bears us, but what bears the earth? You cannot think it is infinite or boundless, and therefore that it must have another side opposite to that we are on. Yes, and by the powerful providence of God it hangs like a ball in the air, Job xxvi. 7. He hangeth the earth upon nothing.' O then, is there any thing too hard for our God to do? He fills it with his riches, the surface of it, and the bowels of it, Psal. civ. 24. But what is most ne cessary for mens use is on the surface of it, easiest to be come at, Job xxviii. He feeds it, that it may feed us, Deut. xi. 11. Hos. ii. 21, 22. When the strength thereof is weakened with new influences from the heavens, he renews it, Psal. civ. 30. And since the flood, the promise then given, Gen. viii. 22. that while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,' has been punctually performed. O understand the loving-kindness of the Lord in these things, what a gracious and bountiful God he is! And learn how surely all his promises to his people shall be accomplished.

2. Consider the vegetative part of the world, things that have life, but not sense, such as trees, plants, &c. how Providence cares for and manages them. Our Lord calls us to observe these things, and thereby understand the loving kindness of the Lord, Matth. vi. 28. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin.' Lilies of the field have not the care of man about them, as those of the garden, but Providence cares for them. This teaches us to lay by anxiety, and trust God, ver. 30. See how the earth is kindly furnished with vegetables by providence, not only for mens necessity, but their conveniency and delight, Psal. civ. 14,-17. And shall not this good God be loved and cheerfully served by us? Every pile of grass is a preacher of the loving-kindness of the Lord.

3. Consider the sensitive part of the world, such as have

life and sense, but not reason; as birds, beasts, and fishes. And observe what a vast family are maintained on the Crea tor's cost. And though we cannot trust providence, yet what an innumerable company there is of dependents on mere providence! Psal. civ. 27. These all wait upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.' Ob. serve this provision, and thence learn to believe even where ye cannot see, Matth. vi. 26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? For Providence does for them that have none to do for them; Psal. cxlvii. 9. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens that cry.' Ob serve how providence has subjected them to man as servants that could easily be his masters in respect of strength, as the horse, ox, &c. yet the face of man strikes a damp upon them, which is the more remarkable, that man by sin did forfeit his dominion over the creatures. But this must be resolved into the virtue of that word, executed daily by pro vidence, Gen. ix. 2. The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea.' O what O what a power is in a word of divine appointment?

4. Consider the rational part of the world, men having life, sense, and reason. In these providence shews itself most brightly. Man is the compend of the creation, having a spirit as angels are spirits, and a body with the rest. And he is the peculiar care of Heaven. This is the main object of our observation.

1st, We should observe the dispensations of providence towards societies; and the nearer our relation to them be, we should observe them the more narrowly.

(1.) Towards societies of men in the world, kingdoms, churches, congregations, families, &c.

[1.] Much of the power, wisdom, goodness, justice, &c. of God, might be learned from the revolutions and changes in states and kingdoms, which should make us inquisitive for the knowledge of public affairs. And O what a glorious scene of providence has been opened of late in Britain, shining with illustrious mercy to the church and nation, in delivering us when at the brink of ruin; depth of wisdom,

in baffling in a moment the cunning projects of enemies; allmighty power, in so easily crushing their towering hopes; radiant justice, in making the stone tumble down on the heads of those that rolled it, and making enquiry for the blood of the saints shed many years ago *.

[2.] Providences toward the church of God are mainly to be observed, 1 Sam. iv. 13. The angels themselves notice these, to learn something from them, Eph. iii. 10. What concerns the church is the greatest work on the wheel of providence; and in most, if not all the great works of God through the world, he has in them an eye to his church. As she is for God, so other things are for her.

Particularly we should observe the way of providence towards the church of Scotland, whereof we are members; which has been as admirable a mixture of mercy and judg ment, as perhaps any church since the apostles days has met with. How high has she been raised in peace and purity, and how low laid at other times! How often has she been at the brink of ruin, and wonderfully preserved? How have her faithful friends been signally owned of God, and her enemies often borne the evident marks of God's displeasure! &c. And yet, more particularly,

We should observe the way and aspect of providence towards the congregation, how the Lord has been and is dealing with us, that we inay accommodate ourselves to his dispensations, and answer the call of them.

[3.] Towards families. Sometimes the Lord causes a warm sunshine of prosperity on families, and sometimes the heavens are louring above them; they have their risings and fallings, as all other societies in this changeable world, as is beautifully described by the Psalmist, Psal: cvii. 38, 39, 41. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.' How does Job mournfully observe the way of providence with his family, chap. xxix. 2.-5. and David on his death-bed the humbling circumstances of his! 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.

There are few of our families but God has of late one way

This refers to the suppression of the rebellion in 1715. This part of the subject was preached in December 1716.

VOL. I.

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