Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

if he should tell me that Henry the VII.'s chapel in Westminster was not built by any mortal man, but the ftones did grow in those forms into which they seem to us to be cut and graven; that the ftones, and timber, and iron, and brass, and all the other materials came thither by chance, and upon a day met all happily together, and put themselves into that delicate order, in which we fee them fo clofe compacted, that it must be a great chance that parts them again. Now, is it not much easier to imagine how a skilful workman fhould raife a building, than how timber, and tones, and how that variety of materials which is required to a great and ftately building, fhould meet together all of a juft bignefs, and exactly fitted, and by chance take their places, and range themselves into that order? I infift the longer upon this, because I am fenfible how, much atheism hath gained in this age.

[ocr errors]

2. Let us admire, and adore, and praise the wifdom of GOD, "who hath established the world by "his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his understanding; who hath made all things in num"ber, weight, and measure ;" that is, by exact wifdom. The wife works of GoD are the proper object of our praise; and this is a day proper for the work of praise and thanksgiving. Now under the gospel, fince CHRIST was clearly revealed, we have new matter of praise and thanksgiving; but as God has given us CHRIST, fo he hath given us our beings. We are not fo to remember our Redeemer, as to forget our Creator. The goodness, and power, and wisdom of Gon, which appears in the creation of the world, ought ftill to be matter of admiration and praise to Chriftians. It is a great fault and neglect among chriftians, that they are not

more

ER M.

CXXXVII..

1

SERM. more taken up with the works of GoD, and the CXXXVII. contemplation of the wifdom which fhines forth in

them. We are apt enough to admire other things, little toys; but we overlook this vaft curious engine of the world, and the great artificer of all things. It was truly faid by one, that moft men are fo ftupid and inconfiderate, as to admire the works of a painter or a carver, more than the works of GOD. There are many that have beftowed more eloquence in the praise of a curious picture, or an exact building, than ever they did upon this noble and exquifite frame of the world, or any of the other works of GOD. We can admire the wifdom, and design, and skill of petty artists, and little engineers; but here is wisdom in the beauty and order of the creation. Did we love God, and take pleafure in the effects of his wifdom and power, we fhould be more in the contemplation of them. Pfal. cxi. 2. "The "works of the LORD are great, fought out of all "them that have pleasure therein." Let us then fay with the pfalmift; "O LORD, how manifold "are thy works! in wifdom haft thou made them "all; the earth is full of thy riches," &c.

c

More particularly let us, with an humble thankfulness, admire the wifdom which hath made and difpofed all things fo fitly for our ufe and service, and with fo merciful a refpect to us: the light and influence of heaven; the beafts and the fruits of the earth. We find the Pfalmift often praifing GOD upon this account, Pfal. cxxxvi. 4, 5, &c. The wisdom which hath framed these bodies of ours. Pfal. cxxxix. 14, 15, 16. which hath endowed us with knowledge and understanding. Elihu complains, that men were apt to overlook thefe great bleffings of God; Job xxxv. 10, 11, 12. "But none faith, where is God

[ocr errors]

my maker, who giveth fongs in the night? who SERM. "teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, CXXXVII.

" and maketh us wifer than the fowls of heaven?

"There they cry, but none giveth answer, because "of the pride of evil men."

3. Ufe. Truft the wifdom of GOD, which made the world, to govern it, and the affairs of it; and the wisdom which hath framed thy body in fo curious and exquifite a manner, and formed thy fpirit within thee, and hath made fo many creatures, with reference to thy neceffity and comfort, trust him for thy future provifion. Mat. vi. 25. "I fay unto you, take no thought for your lives, what ye "fhall eat, &c. Is not the life more than meat? "and the body than rayment ?" He hath given us our fouls, he hath breathed into us the breath of life, and made thefe bodies without our care and thought; he hath done the greater, will he not do the lefs? When thou art ready anxiously and folicitoufly to fay, what fhall I do for the neceffaries of life? Confider whence thou didst receive thy life, who made this body of thine; thou mayest be affured, that the wisdom which hath created these, confidered how to fupply them; the wisdom of GOD knew that you would want all these, and hath accordingly provided for them, therefore fear not.

SER

SERM. cxxxviii.

The wisdom of GOD in his providence.

1 PETER v. 7.

Cafting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

A

MONGST the feveral duties which, towards the conclufion of this epiftle, the apoPreached ftle exhorts chriftians to, this is one, not to be overat Ken- much folicitous and concerned about what may befington. fall us, but to refer ourselves to the providence of

GOD, which takes care of us. In fpeaking to this argument, I fhall

1

I. Confider the nature of the duty here required, which is "to caft our care upon God."

II. The argument used to perfuade us to it: because he careth for us."

[ocr errors]

I. For the nature of the duty here required. The word μéguva fignifies an anxious care about events, a care that is accompanied with trouble and difquiet of mind about what may befal us; about the good that we hope for and defire, or about the evil which we fear may come upon us. This the apostle exhorts us to throw off; and to leave to the providence of God, and his care, all thofe events which we are apt to be fo folicitous and difquieted about. The expreffion feems to be taken out of Pfal. lv. 22. " caft "thy burthen upon the LORD, and he shall fuf"tain thee."

Now that we may not miftake our duty in this matter, I shall shew what is not here meant by "cast❝ing all our care upon GOD;" and then, what is meant by it.

cxxxviii.

The apoftle doth not here intend to take men off > ERM.. from a provident care and diligence about the concernments of this life; this is not only contrary to reafon, but to many exprefs precepts and paffages of scripture, wherein diligence is recommended to us and the bleffing of God, and the good fuccefs of our affairs promised thereto; wherein we are commanded to provide for those of our family, which cannot be done without fome fort of care; and wherein flothfulness and negligence are condemned, and threatened with poverty; fo that this is not " to caft "our care upon GoD," to take no care of ourselves,' to use no diligence and endeavour for the obtaining of the good which we defire, and the prevention of the evil we fear; this is to tempt the providence of GOD, and to caft that burthen upon him, which he expects we should bear ourselves.

But by "cafting our care upon GoD," the apo-ftle intends these two things.

1. That after all prudent care and diligence have been used by us, we fhould not be farther folicitous, nor trouble ourselves about the event of things, which, when we have done all we can, will be out of our power. And this certainly is our SAVIOUR'S meaning, when he bids us "take no care for the "morrow." When we have done what is fit for us for the prefent to do, we should not difquiet and torment ourselves about the iffue and event of things.

2. "Cafting our care upon Gop," implies, that we fhould refer the iffue of things to his providence, which is continually vigilant over us, and knows how to difpofe of all things to the beft; entirely confiding in his wifdom and goodness, that he will order all things for our good,and in that confidence refolving to reft fatisfied and contented with the disposals of his providence, whatever they be.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »