WE are to consider the facts and circumstances which confirm thedoctrine that the Lord's providence is at once universal andparticular; and indeed that he leads us by a way unknown toourselves.
And who that has reflected upon his own life, or upon the life ofothers, or upon the current events of the day, will not bear witnessto the universal application of this principle?
Look to the affairs of the world, to the nations and governments ofall the earth, and tell me, where is anything turning out accordingto the forethought and prudence of man?
Look to the movements of our own country, and say whether humanprudence ever devised what we behold? What party or what individualshave ever, in the long run, brought things about as they expected?And how is it in our own city, and under our own eyes?
In the societies of the church, and in organizations for churchextension, the same rule applies. And I might ask, where does it notapply? I might give examples. But this is unnecessary, when they areso numerous, and so fresh in the memory of every one.
But when we turn to the experience of individuals, we meet with themost unlimited application of our subject. The life of every one isa standing memento of its truth. For who is there, that has come tohis present stand-point in life, by the route that he had marked outfor himself? I will imagine that ten, fifteen, or twenty years agoeach one of you fixed on your plan of life, for a longer or shorterperiod. It matters not what the original plan was. It matters notwhat prudence, sagacity, and forethought were employed in making it.It matters not how much money and power have come to the support ofit. Still its parts have never been filled up as you originallysketched them.
Many particulars were altered and amended, from day to day, as youwent along. Some things were abandoned as useless; some as hopeless;some as impossible; some as injurious; some things were neglected,and others forgotten. An unknown hand now and then interposed,turning the tables entirely. An unaccountable influence was foundoperating on certain individuals, changing their tone, and modifyingtheir conduct. An unknown individual has come alongside of you, andhas become your friend. He has mingled his emotions and his planswith yours. You have modified your plans. He has changed his.Business and commerce have taken an unexpected turn. You are thegainer or the loser, it matters not; your plans are changed by theevent. An intimate friend has left you and become your open enemy;an open enemy has been reconciled and has returned to the affectionand confidence of your heart. Your plans in life have to be changedto suit such events as these. Several friends and relatives, thatwere near to you, have been removed into the spiritual world. It maybe that by such providences, your feelings, thoughts, and actionshave been changed--changed utterly and for ever. Darkness of mind,gloominess of life, and anguish of spirit may have come upon you, bysome such unexpected providence, and thus your plans may have beenchanged, or even utterly abandoned.
But beyond matters of this description, which are somewhat external,and as we say accidental, and certainly incidental, to a life inthis world, and in all of which we are led in a way that we knownot; there are unexpected changes of another kind, that we all haveexperienced. I now refer to changes in the inner man, and in theinner life.
For there is a Divinity within us that shapes our ends, and whilethe things of the outward life remain much the same, we experiencechanges of the inner life, that are at times amazing and terrible.They come like the swelling of the tide, and like the beating of thewaves rolling on from a distant ocean; the deep emotions of the soularise and swell and sweep away; the fire of thought is kindled; theimagination paints the canvas; the tongue stands ready to utter theinflux of love and wisdom; and the hand to illustrate it.
As these internal states of the soul change, by conjunction with theLord and communion with Heaven, on the one hand; or by opposition toGod and alliance with Hell, on the other, we see all things of theoutward world in a different light.
The changes of our internal man are, to appearance, much moredirectly of the Lord's Divine Providence, than the events of theoutward life. Nevertheless, the two are so related by theconstitution of the mind, that each individual determines, inrationality and freedom, which of the emotions and thoughts of theinner life, he will bring forth into ultimate acts; and it ishere that the man may ally himself with the good and the true on onehand, or with the evil and the false on the other; and in thismanner determine his destiny for heaven or hell.
The practical bearings of our subjects hinge chiefly on this; we areto confide in the Lord; lean upon his great arm; and look to Him,with the assurance that although He leads us by a way that we knownot, nevertheless He is leading us aright; and if we trust to Him,and do His will, He will finally bring us to heaven.
Casting our eyes from one extreme of the Lord's vast dominions tothe other, we find the same Divine Providence everywhere operatingand operative. The angels of heaven, from the highest to the lowest,are continually led by the Lord in paths that they have not known;darkness is made light before them, and crooked things straight.Nevertheless they are not led into infinite good nor infinitedelight. For this would be impossible. But constantly they are ledinto a higher degree of good than they would naturally choose; andthey are defended from evil into which they would naturally subside.So also it is with us.
Hence we may rest assured, that however meagre may be the good weexperience, it is vaster by far than we should inherit, if we hadbeen permitted to carry out our own plans and to have our own way inthose numerous particulars in which we have been frustrated in ourplans and disappointed in our hopes.
THE END.
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