4. Wait in the use of lawful means for preservation. Not to use
afflicted in mercy, but the enemies of it are pulled up by the roots:
Jer. 30:11, 'I am with thee to save thee; though I make a full end of the nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure.' God deals with his people as a father, who corrects to reform, not to destroy; but with his enemies he deals as a judge. God's providence, like Moses his rod, may seem sometimes a devouring serpent, but it is to convince the Egyptians, and deliver the Israelites.
4. Wait in the use of lawful means for preservation. Not to use means, is to slight his providence, not to trust it. It seems not to consist with the wisdom of God to order things always so, as to be necessitated to put forth an extraordinary power in things which his creatures, by a common providence, can naturally accomplish. God saves by natural means; when they will not serve the turn, he will save by supernatural. God chose an ark to preserve Noah in. He did not want supernatural means for his preservation. He might have catched him up in a cloud, and continued him there till the drying of the waters. Noah doth not dispute the business with God, but prepares an ark according to his order; and he was righteous in his obedience, as well as in his trust. God would not preserve our
Saviour by a miracle, when ordinary means would serve the turn. He commands Joseph, by his angel, to flee into Egypt with the child,
Mat. 2:13. Joseph desires not God to preserve him by an extraordinary power, to save his pains of travelling; he submits to God's order, and God quickly clears the way for his return. Indeed, sometimes the wheels of providence are lifted up from the earth, and do not go in the ordinary tracts, Ezek. 1:19; but miracles must be left to God's pleasure. For us to desire them, is to tempt our great governor.
The seventh duty. Pray for the church.
It is an encouragement that our suit in this case will not be denied.
The desire of welfare is conformable to his counsel, which shall stand, Prov. 19:21, notwithstanding the devices of men. His counsel
in particular concerns of men shall stand; much more is the stability of his counsel for the church. He is a God hearing prayer in a way of common providence, and a God hearing prayer in a way of special attention: Ps. 61:1, 'Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer.'
David desires that God would hear him, as more particularly concerned in his case. He is so in the concerns of his church. Will he hear an Ishmael crying for himself, and young lions roaring for their prey, and stop his ears to the voice of his own Spirit in his people, pleading for the church, dearer to him than the whole mass of nature? We have greater arguments to use than in any other case.
The relation the church hath to God; the affection God hath to the church. 'Lazarus whom thou lovest is sick,' was Martha's argument to Christ. What greater encouragement to our petitions than God's affection, than God's relation? God loves to have our affection comply with his; God loves others the better for soliciting its welfare.
Moses had the greatest manifestation of God's love after he had prayed for the Israelites, Exod. 32:32, though in a case of sin; and presently after, in Exod. 33:11, God 'speaks with him face to face, as a man speaks to his friend;' and in the same chapter, and the beginning of Exod. 34, God shews him his glory as much as he was capable to bear. Daniel was a great petitioner for the church, Dan.
9:3, 21. He was God's great favourite upon that account, 10:2, 5, and had the clearest and highest revelations made to him of the course of providence in the world.
The eighth duty. When you receive any mercy for the church in answer of prayer, give God the glory of it.
The variety of his providences gives us matter for new songs and compositions, Ps. 149:1. What volleys of joyful shouts, what hallelujahs to God do we find upon the ruin of antichrist; Rev. 19:1–
3, God calls for praise out of the throne, ver. 5, and the church returns it, ver. 6, 7. It is God rides upon the cherub, it is God that sits upon the wings of the wind, it is God who is in all instruments to quicken their motions and direct them to their scope, Ps. 18:10.
The ninth duty. Imitate God in his affection to the church.
Christ did what he did for the good of his church, God doth what he doth for the advantage of the church. Let the same mind be in us that was in Christ, let the same end be ours which is the end of God. Thus we shall be like our Creator, thus we shall be like our Governor, thus we shall be like our Redeemer. Men take it kindly from others that love those they have a respect for. God loves all that love his people, and blesses them that bless them: Gen. 12:3, 'I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee.'
The tenth duty. Look after sincerity before God.
It is for the security of such that God shews himself strong. No man that fully believes and understands this doctrine but should be glad to be of that happy society, that assembly of the first-born, who are under the care of a watchful eye, and the mighty power of the God of the whole earth. When God chose Israel, the very strangers should for their own interest join with them, Isa. 14:1. And to such as 'take hold of his covenant' he promises to 'give a name in his house that shall not be cut off,' Isa. 56:4, 5; yea, even 'to the sons of the strangers that shall join themselves to the Lord,' ver. 6. Let this encourage us to Christianity. God never encouraged men to be
Christians by promises of worldly greatness, but by promises of a constant care of them for their happiness, by promises of making all things work together for their good. If God will shew himself strong for those that are perfect in heart towards him, then he hath no strength for those that are unsound and false in heart towards him.
No man hath an interest in his special providence without faith. The power, knowledge, wisdom of God, are all set against him. Though the whole world be in commotions, the earth be removed, and the mountains cast into the depths of the sea, there is no ground of fear to faith; but what buckler against them hath unbelief and hypocrisy?
What security against wrath can riches give you? What defence against his power can your potsherd strength afford you? It was not for Job s wealth that God made his boasts of him, but for his
sincerity: Job 1:8, 'Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man?' And for the want of this he loathes a world. Labour therefore for sincerity towards God, beg it of God; get the evidence of it and preserve it.
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A Treatise on Divine Providence, by Stephen Charnock, D. D., Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
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