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own happiness. They suppose that God takes no care of men as individuals, but only as a species, or as large bodies and communities; that he takes no care of animals as individuals, but only as a species; and in a word, that he takes no other care of his creatures than to continue their species according to the first law of their creation. Indeed, they consider this world like a great machine, which God at first created and set in motion, and left to run on according to the general laws given it, without the continued agency and direction of the great Creator. This is what some call a general providence, and suppose to be the only one that God exercises over the world. But christians in general maintain the doctrine of a particular providence, by which they mean that God not only gives general laws for the government of the world, but that he gives energy to such laws and applies them to every individual creature, object, and event in the world; or that he takes care of every individual person among mankind, as well as of the whole human race collectively; that he takes care of every particular animal, as well as of every species of animals collectively; that he directs and controls the smallest, as well as the most important events that take place in the world; that he does not merely see all things as an unconcerned spectator, but by his invisible and almighty hand, guides and governs all his creatures and all their actions; and in a word, that he is the first and supreme Cause of all that lives, and moves, and exists, in this and every other world. I now proceed,

II. To offer some considerations in favor of such a particular providence as I have just described. Here it may be observed,

1. That it appears from the nature of providence that it must be particular. We cannot conceive of a general, without a particular providence. The very idea of providence supposes the preservation and government of the world. If God exercises any kind of care or concern over it, it must be in upholding all things in existence, and in directing the conduct of creatures and the events which respect their happiness or misery. And if this be the nature of providence, it must be particular, and extend to every individual creature, and every individual event. For we can no more conceive that one creature can uphold itself in existence than another. If one creature needs the divine support, then all creatures need it. And if all creatures need the divine support at one time, then they need it at all times. It involves an evident absurdity to suppose that any created object or created agent should be one moment independent of its creator for support and preservation; because independence is an incommunicable attribute of

the Deity, which he can no more give to any of his creatures, or to any of his works, than he can give them eternal and uncaused existence. Since then all created things are necessarily dependent, God's preserving providence must respect and support them all individually. The small dust of the balance as much needs the constant agency of divine providence to support its existence, as the whole material system. The drop of the bucket as constantly needs the supporting hand of God, as the whole collection of waters in the deep and mighty ocean. The smallest animal or insect as constantly needs the preserving power and agency of God, as all the species collectively. And every man in particular, must depend upon a divine and almighty influence to continue his existence, as much as the whole human race. The preserving providence of God, therefore, must of necessity be particular, and extend to every created being and object, without a single exception. And so must the governing providence of God. For if one creature needs to be under a divine direction, so does another. If one event needs to be under a divine direction, so does another. And if one secondary cause needs a divine influence to give it energy to produce its effects, so does another. In short, if there be any need of a divine providence to uphold this world, there is the same need of a divine providence to govern it. And if there be any need of a divine providence to uphold and govern it in general, there is the same need of a divine providence to govern every thing in it, in particular. Every argument in favor of a general providence, is equally pertinent and forcible to prove a particular providence.

2. The supreme and ultimate end of divine providence proves it to be particular. If God exercises any providence or government over the world, it is to answer some particular end, and the same no doubt for which he created it. This is the dictate of reason as well as scripture. Hence that ascription of praise to the Creator in the fourth chapter of Revelation: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created." And the apostle says, that "of him, and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever." To this may be added the declaration of Solomon, that "The Lord hath made all things for himself." Now if God's last end in the creation of the world be his own glory, and if he aims at the same end in the exercise of providence, then his providence must be particular as well as universal, and be concerned in all created objects and events. If he means that the whole creation shall promote his glory, then he must exercise not only a universal, but a particular providence over the whole.

The whole is always made up of all its parts; and therefore, in order that the whole creation may promote his glory, he must govern and direct all the parts of it to his supreme and ultimate end. Accordingly we find that some great and important events have been connected with, and dependent on, those that appear without such a connection very small and trifling. What important events depended on Joseph's dreams! They finally proved the means of preserving the whole church of God. The dreams of Ahasuerus proved the occasion of searching the records, which occasioned Mordecai's advancement, Haman's overthrow, and the Jews' deliverance from a general massacre. The gaggling of geese once saved the city of Rome from destruction by the Gauls, Fabius, the Roman general, who by his wisdom and valor drove Hannibal, the greatest warrior then in the world, from the Roman empire, was suffocated by a single hair in a draught of milk. These facts show how necessary it is that God should exercise a particular as well as a universal providence over every creature, object and event in this world, in order to make all things promote his own glory, which was his supreme and ultimate end in the creation of all things.

3. The goodness of God requires him to exercise a particular providence over all his creatures. Every creature susceptible of pleasure or pain is a proper object of the divine benevolence. And as all the creatures of God are always open to his all comprehensive view, so he regards them all with equal attention and impartial affection. God is love; and he is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. His goodness disposes him to pay attention to his whole great family, and take particular care of every individual. He stands in the same relation of Creator to all his rational and irrational, all his holy and unholy creatures. And though he does not feel the love of complacency towards them all, yet he feels the love of benevolence towards every individual, and desires to promote its happiness so far as the good of all permits. His perfect, impartial benevolence, therefore, requires him to exercise not only a general, but particular providence over the smallest, meanest and vilest creature and object in both the natural and moral world.

4. The scripture represents God as exercising a particular providence over every material and immaterial, rational and irrational creature and object that he has brought into being. It represents God as governing and controlling every part of the material creation. It says, he causeth the day-spring to know his place, and maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good. He telleth the number of the stars, and calleth them by their proper names. He hath his way in the winds and in

the storms, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He causes the thunders to lift up their voice, the lightnings to flash and strike, when and where and whom he pleases. He has the balancing of the clouds, and causes it to rain on one city and not on another. He giveth the snow like wool. He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels. Who can stand before his cold? He rules the raging of the sea, and sets bounds to the mighty ocean, saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed. He watereth the earth, and causes it to yield its increase. He covers the valleys with corn, and the fields with grass. He gives beauty to the lily, and fragrance to the rose. His providence governs all the inanimate and vegetable world. Nor does he exercise a less particular and influential providence over the animal creation. He gives courage to the horse, strength to the lion, wisdom to the hawk, and prudence to the

He openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. But he takes a more tender and affectionate care of all mankind, each of whom he values more than the whole animal creation. He fixes the bounds of their habitation, and determines the number of their months. He keeps their eyes from tears, their feet from falling, and their souls from death. He governs all their thoughts, intentions, and actions. He gives them all things richly to enjoy. He takes as constant and particular care of every individual of the human race, as if he had but one person in the world to take care of. Such a wise, and powerful, and benevolent, and particular providence, does God exercise over all his creatures and all his works.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If God exercises a particular providence over the world and all that is in it, then there can be no such thing as chance, or fate. The old heathen philosophers held the doctrine of fate, though they differed in their opinions of it. Some maintained that matter had a necessary and eternal existence, and never was created; and consequently they supposed that it was not in the power of any intelligent being to govern it so as to prevent either natural or moral evil. Of course they supposed that natural and moral evils were to be ascribed to chance or accident, independently of any supreme governor of the world. Another sect of philosophers supposed that Jupiter, the supreme deity, governed all things according to his own fixed and immutable decrees, which they called fixed fate, agreeably to the etymology of the word fate, which is derived from the obsolete Latin verb for, through its participle fatus, which means spoken.

They supposed that all things happened just as the supreme deity had determined and said that they should happen, notwithstanding the desires, the exertions, the hopes and fears, of all inferior and dependent creatures. Hence they supposed that all things happened by fatality, and that no event could be brought about or prevented by any human means. But if God, who made the world, governs it generally by the instrumentality of men and other subordinate agents, then there is no room for fate, or chance, or any contingent events. Though no denomination of christians profess to hold the doctrine of fate, or chance, yet they do profess to believe that ten thousand events are contingent, and come to pass independently of any divine decree, or divine agency. This opinion is totally inconsistent with the rational and scriptural doctrine of a universal and particular providence. God determined from eternity to make just such a world as this, and to govern it just as he does govern it, by a particular providence. He determined to leave no creature, no person, no object, and no event, to mere casualty or chance. As the world and all there is in it is always under his eye and in his hand, so he treats all creatures and all persons just as he originally intended, and brings about just such events, at just such times, and by just such means, as he originally intended. No contingent event ever takes place. Not a hair falls from the head, nor a sparrow falls to the ground, contrary to his design, or without his agency. It is owing to his particular providence that mankind enjoy so many, and no more favors; and it is owing to his particular providence that they suffer so many, and no more evils. No good can come to them, and no evil fall upon them, but only under the direction and influence of his holy, wise, powerful, and particular providence.

2. If God exercises a particular providence over the world and all that is in it, then he will certainly accomplish his supreme and ultimate end in all the works of creation. As he made all things for his own glory, so he will make all things in the universe promote his infinitely wise and eternal purpose. As he exercises a particular providence over all the material, animal and moral world, every object, every creature and every event, which he has brought and will bring into existence, will be, some way or other, instrumental of accomplishing his great and good designs; because there is nothing in the universe that can either designedly or undesignedly oppose, counteract or frustrate the operations of his providence. As he has made nothing in vain, so he governs nothing in vain. There is not one worthless or useless creature or object in the whole circle of creation. Though there are ten thousand creatures and

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