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is by no means an impartial statement of the case, for though God overrules all things in the course of his providence, he appoints human means for their accomplishment, and it is a great piece of impiety, and shows great self-ignorance of the whole subject, to separate the providence of God from the endeavour of men.

Rebecca knew well how the special providence of God depended upon, and would work with human agency, for though she had it from the mouth of God, that Jacob should be the father of many nations, and consequently that he would not fall by the hands of Esau, still did she tempt God? did she presume on providence? did she sit still, fold her arms and do nothing? did she not act as if all depended on her exertions? did she not employ every means for his safety, and use every persuasion and entreaty to save his life?

On the whole then, you perceive, that the objections made to a special providence, are only worthy of those who make them; the doctrine is very comforting in itself, and most true; and though a question may arise as to its extent, and comprehensiveness (viz. what things are included, and what excluded,) still I am inclined to think, that this doctrine reaches farther than we are apt to believe. I will not go so far as to say with Augustine, that the sins of men are among the all things to work together for good; that assertion, however true in itself, might prove a dangerous proposition to some, it might appear like putting a premium on vice to others, and it might seem like an undervaluing of moral virtue to all;

neither would I agree with the Antinomian, that the permission of sin will be overruled for a greater good, than sin itself is an evil; still I believe, that many of the sins, and slips, and falls of the godly, have been so overruled, that God has received more glory; the riches of grace have been more magnified, and they themselves, by humiliation and self-abasement, have become better men, and better christians, than if they had been holden up, and had never been permitted to fall into any gross sin whatever.

It ought to be sufficient for my purpose that the Bible declares this, and, "thus saith the Lord," ought to be all authority with every one of his creatures; but instances of the affairs of man being so overruled are in great abundance, and they confirm and establish a doctrine which the Scriptures plainly reveal. I might refer you to many of the old patriarchs for illustration of this remark, but we have two well-known instances of meditated evil overruled for good in the cases of Job and Onesimus; was there ever more evil concentred against any one than against Job? were there ever more engines, or wheels at work to run over him, and crush him? were there ever more workers of mischief to lay waste his comforts? to destroy his children? to kill his servants? to consume his substance? to wound his body? and to pain his soul? yet, what was the result? God blessed Job in his latter end, more than in the beginning. (Job xlii. 12.)

And in the case of Onesimus, who was a villain and a robber of no common character; yet see the special providence of God respecting him;

by running away from his master, he came to Rome, by coming to Rome, he falls in with St. Paul, and by falling in with St. Paul, he falls in with the gospel, and the gospel becomes to him, the power of God unto salvation.

Afflictions, you know, are said to be God's strange work, but effects such as these are strangest of all, where by his unseen hand, he thus, in rich mercy, brings good out of evil, holiness out of sin, and life out of death!

I do not assert, for the assertion could not be borne out, that evil things in themselves have a good tendency, or can even work together, independently, for good-this would be giving to vice, what does not belong even to virtue, and to dead matter, what is not properly in living men; but where the believer's falls and sins are so made to work together for his good, it arises from another process, widely different from the working and tendency of the things themselves, the allusion is to chemistry, where opposite things meet, and where bitter and sweet, wholesome and deleterious, work together for the good of the whole system, the constitution is thus improved, and the patient is restored to health.

It is, therefore, only when the grace of God is in the heart of the believer, that we may venture to hope for such a result; the grace of God working in and through our corruptions, may bring out a good result; the backslider is put in possession of himself, and the knowledge of self is second only to the knowledge of God, the crest of pride falls, the unrighteousness of all his past righteousnesses is clearly seen, sin is now loathed, and vanity and all boasting for ever excluded, the

body of sin is crucified, the soul is quickened and saved.

Having thus discussed the subject of God's special providence, as it bears in the case of our friend; I would now urge his own individual consideration of it more in detail, and meanwhile, let him take the comfort of that passage in Romans to which I have alluded, and rest assured, there is a special providence still watching over him; the Lord's eye is upon him for good, and whether he can believe it or not at present, still let him know that the whole universe, from the highest heaven down to the centre of the lowest earth, is the subject of the great doctrine of which I speak; God is working in and by, and through, and below, and above all things; he is disposing of them all, by wisdom that is unerring, by mercy that is fathomless, and by power that is infinite, and, whether they be things with or without life, endowed with reason or bereft of reason, animate or inanimate, general or particular-beings good or evil, angels or devils-properties good or bad-all, all are ruled and directed as the wisest means to the best end!

The words "chance, accident," &c. are only to be found on the lips and in the phraseology of Gentile nations, who know not God, or are used by nominal christians, who only abuse the name they use- but the Bible christian believes that the providence of God is not only universal, but so minute and particular, that not the least good or evil can occur without the divine will and permission, without the overruling hand which is omnipotent, and omniscient eye which can guide all things to his own glory!

SECTION XXXI.

ITS NATURE, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM APOSTACY.

The difference between a partial decay in religion and a final apostacy is immeasurably great, the result, at the very outset, is known only to God; all things are always in the present tense to him, they are only future to our imperfections; we are near-sighted beings, we have no notion how things may turn out at last, we see at best as through a glass darkly; God sees clearly the ending, from the beginning, and he knows full well whether the just step in religious declension, shall end in utter destruction, or in a merciful recovery.

There are, however, some features in both these cases, whereby we may be led to form a tolerable judgment; and as our friend is most anxious for information, I shall do my best in relation to both of these, to throw out a few hints, which under divine teaching, I trust may serve to guide him in his enquiries, and may enable him to follow them out more in detail, to apply them to. his own conscience before God, and to test his present principles and state of feeling by them, to which exercise he is quite equal, as he is an enlightened Christian, for the power of discrimination is a gift of the spirit, and this spirit of discrimination often remains a long time, even when

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