SERMON I.

God's providential providential government of the world.

[From Dr. OUTRA M.]

PSALM XCVII. I.

The Lord is king, the earth may be glad

THE

thereof.

HE fuperintendency and providence of the great creator, over the works which he hath made, is a fubject of the greatest importance to be well confidered by us; as having an immediate influence upon our conduct, and being of excellent fervice to bear up our minds in all the accidents of life which may befal us.

This dominion and fovereignty of God, and his care and concern in governing the world, and all the works that are therein,

VOL. III.

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is implied in the former part of my textThe Lord is king: And the influence which the confideration thereof ought to have upon our minds, is implied in the latter part-The earth may be glad thereof.

And therefore the method hereby directed for our meditations, is, firft,

To

TO REFLECT a little upon this doctrine of providence. And then,

To SHEW, Unto what USES thefe confiderations tend.

Now the providence of God is either GENERAL or PARTICULAR. His GENE RAL providence is that by which he concerns himself in the government of the whole world: His PARTICULAR providence is that by which he orders the several affairs and actions of his creatures.

As to his GENERAL providence-It is. concerned in all things and perfons in the world. God is no where unengaged, no where uninterefted, or without business in the world. There is need of him in all places, and over all things.

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Hence

Hence God, by fome of the ancients, was called the mind of the universe; fuftaining and supporting all things that are, by his continual prefence and power. Hence St. Paul faith, He giveth unto all, life, and breath, and all things. And David breaks out into an astonishment upon this consideration ; Thy righteoufness is like the great mountains, thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preferveft man and beaft. Behold the young ravens cry unto him, and he hears their cry. The fowls of the air have no treasure, yet they are rich; they have no barns, and yet they have ftore; they neither fow nor reap, yet they eat and drink by the providence of God; in which providence, they have great treasures of riches, and plenty of food and nourishment laid up.

Confider (fays our Saviour) the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they fpin; and yet I fay unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of thefe. God doth not only feed the hungry, but he cloaths the naked alfo; yea, he decks the earth every year with a fresh vefture,

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vefture, and paints the lilies of the field beyond the glory of Solomon.

And thus God by his providence preferves things animate and inanimate: he preferves being and order in things devoid of life; he gives food and nourishment to that which sprouts and grows out of the earth; and life and breath to every thing that lives and breathes. Upon the confideration whereof holy David thus breaks forth; O fing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, fing praise upon the harp unto our God; who covereth the heavens with clouds; who prepareth rain for the earth; who maketh grafs to grow upon the mountains; he giveth to the beaft his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

And one reason, why we may conclude, that God concerns and engageth his providence in all these things, may be this: Because all things are his own. All things are God's. Every creature muft needs be