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SERMON VIII.

THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD OVERRULING THE

SOCIAL STATE OF MAN.

JOB, Xii. 23.

He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.

THE providence of God extends to all events which are brought to pass by what are called the laws of nature, which are in fact no other than his appointment and energy. He formeth light, and createth darkness; he maketh peace, and createth evil."

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It is no less true, though the truth be neither so immediately apparent, nor so universally acknowledged, that events which are accomplished by the intervention of intelligent and voluntary agents, also originate with God, and are justly traced up to him, as their proper and primary cause.

All his creatures are instruments in his

hands to perform his pleasure, and to fulfil, in their respective spheres, the purposes of

his wisdom and his benevolence.

Hence follows the obvious and important consequence, to which I desire at this time more particularly to direct your attention, namely, that the divine providence extends to men, considered in a social state, and that God is, in a true and proper sense, the primary Author of the good and evil which happens to individuals in their social relations, and to communities in their public capacity. The proof of this is so evident that it requires but little enlargement.

The voluntary actions of individuals are under the cognizance and control of Divine Providence. Not a thought rises in the breast which escapes the notice of Omniscience. Not a purpose is formed in the mind which had not previously found its place in the immutable councils of Heaven. Not an action is performed which doth not in its place, and in all its complex connexions and remote consequences, ulti

mately subserve the plan of Infinite Benevolence. But the wills, the tempers, and the actions of societies, are the wills, the tempers, and the actions of the individuals who compose them; and, consequently, communities of every description, whether small or great, with whatsoever views they may be formed, whatever powers they may possess, by whatever ties they may be connected, through whatever period they may continue, and whatever influence they may have upon the happiness or misery of the rest of mankind, are all the creatures of God, and in their respective spheres and various operations they are subservient to his will, nor can they, upon any occasion, or in any degree, exceed the limits which his wisdom hath prescribed.

The social connexions, which are of the greatest importance in human life, are domestic, political, and religious; and it may be of use briefly to trace the governing providence of God in each of these interesting relations.

I. It is God that "setteth the solitary in

families:" he places his human offspring in those circumstances, and implants in their breasts those affections, by which they are prompted to unite in the powerful and endearing bands of domestic society.

By the order of Providence the number of which each of these lesser communities is composed is determined and limited. And while some families are destitute of heirs to rescue their names from oblivion, others are blest with a numerous, a vigorous, and a virtuous progeny, to inherit their fortune and their fame, the pride of their delighted. parents, and the consolation of their advancing years.

The habits, the actions, and the characters of individuals, originating in the circumstances in which they are placed, and the impressions to which they are exposed, the will of a governing providence is to be acknowledged, whether, on the one hand, in consequence of the infirmities, the vices, or the extravagant passions of its members, the household be a scene of discord, confusion, and wretchedness; or whether, on the

other, it be an abode of harmony, order, and felicity, as the fruit of prudence, of good temper, of mutual forbearance, and kind affection.

It is the will of Providence that some families should be elevated to notice and distinction, while others pass into obscurity He maketh poor, and he

and disgrace. maketh rich.

To some are granted the

means of opulence, and those habits of sagacity, industry, and economy, which enable them to improve to the best advantage every favourable opportunity, and raise them to the envied summit of wealth and splendour. Others are doomed to poverty and misery, being destitute either of the means of bettering their condition, or of those qualities of mind without which the most splendid external advantages are of no use. Life and death are in the hands of God-health and sickness are at his disposal

all the elements are under his control, and the powers of nature are his varied energy. If numerous families, in their widely extended ramifications, enjoy through a long

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