Difference between revisions of "Providence"

<p> <b> PROVIDENCE. </b> —The word ‘providence’ (Gr. πρόνοια) is found only once in Authorized and Revised [[Versions]] of the NT, viz. in Acts 24:2, where it is applied to [[Felix]] by Tertullus. ‘Providence’ (Lat. <i> providentia </i> , fr. <i> pro </i> and <i> videre </i> ) literally means ‘foresight,’ but in its recognized use a much nearer equivalent is ‘forethought’ (πρόνοια). But providence is more even than forethought. It implies not only thought about the future, but practical arrangements for the purpose of securing premeditated ends (cf. Romans 13:14 ‘Make not provision [πρόνοιαν—the only other occasion of the use of the word in the Gr. NT] for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof’). And in the specific and most familiar sense of the word, as applied to the providence of God, it carries with it, as follows of necessity in the case of the [[Divine]] Being, the actual realization of the ends which God has determined. Though the word nowhere occurs in the Gospels, the subject is one that meets us constantly. And while it is the providence of God that is especially brought before us, there are not wanting suggestive references to providence on the part of man. </p> <p> <b> 1. The Divine providence </b> . (1) In the <i> OT </i> the fact of God’s providence—in nature, in history, and in the individual life—is everywhere prominent; and the problems presented by the doctrine of providence appear and reappear in the Prophets, and receive a special treatment in the book of Job and in certain of the Psalms ( <i> e.g. </i> 37, 73). In the <i> Book of Wisdom </i> the very word ‘providence’ (πρόνοια) twice occurs. In Wisdom of [[Solomon]] 14:3 it is applied to God as governing the waves of the sea; and in Wisdom of Solomon 17:2 the heathen oppressors of [[Israel]] are described as ‘fugitives from the eternal providence.’ From [[Josephus]] we learn that <i> Rabbinical [[Judaism]] </i> was much occupied with the mysteries of Divine providence in its relation to human freedom; and that, as against the [[Sadducees]] who held an exaggerated view of liberty, and the [[Essenes]] who maintained a doctrine of absolute fate, the [[Pharisees]] kept to the middle path represented by the OT teaching, affirming the freedom and responsibility of man on the one hand, and the Divine providence and omnipotence on the other ( <i> Ant. </i> xiii. v. 9, xviii. i. 3, <i> BJ </i> ii. viii. 14). </p> <p> (2) In the <i> [[Gospels]] </i> , as in the NT generally, there is everywhere assumed the faith in the Divine providence which characterizes the OT writings, and is continued in orthodox post-canonical Judaism. The confidence of the [[Evangelists]] in the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy in the Person of Jesus is a testimony to their belief in the far-sighted operation of the Divine counsels (Matthew 1:22; Matthew 2:5; Matthew 2:15; Matthew 2:23; Matthew 3:3, and <i> passim </i> ). Their statements as to the incarnation of the Son of God furnish a supreme proof of a [[Providence]] that overrules the laws of nature by an indwelling governance, and moves down the long paths of history to the accomplishment of its own ends (Matthew 1:18 ff., Luke 1:34 ff., John 1:1-14; cf. Galatians 4:4). </p> <p> (3) A doctrine of providence underlies <i> the whole life and teaching of Jesus Christ </i> . As against a Deistic view which makes God sit aloof from the world He has created, and a Pantheistic view which identifies Him with Nature and its laws, Jesus always takes for granted the fact of God’s free and personal providence. It is in this confidence that He turns to His Father for power to work His miracles—miracles which in turn become signs that His trust in God’s providence was not misplaced. It is in the same confidence that He goes to God in prayer (Matthew 11:25; Matthew 26:39 ff., Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46, Luke 3:21; Luke 11:1; Luke 22:32, John 11:41 f., John 14:16-17), and teaches His disciples to do likewise (Matthew 6:6; Matthew 6:9 ff., Matthew 7:7 ff., Matthew 9:38 etc.). Such petitions as ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ (Matthew 6:11), and ‘Lead us not into temptation’ (Matthew 6:13), would be mere hypocrisies apart from an assured trust in the loving providence of our Father in heaven. </p> <p> (4) Not only is a doctrine of providence a constant implication of our Lord’s life and ministry, it forms <i> an express part of His teaching </i> . Jesus told His disciples that God rules in nature, making the sun to shine and the rain to fall (Matthew 5:45), feeding the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26), and clothing the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28 ff.). He taught them that God also rules in human lives, bestowing His blessings on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45), supplying the bodily wants of those upon whom He has conferred the gift of rational life (Matthew 6:25), devoting a peculiar care to such as seek His [[Kingdom]] and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). As against the pagan notion of chance (wh. see), and the analogous idea that at most the [[Almighty]] cares only for great things and does not concern Himself with the small (cf. ‘Magna dii curant; parva negligunt,’ Cic. <i> de Nat. Deor </i> . ii. 66), He affirmed that there is ‘a special providence in the fall of a sparrow’ (Matthew 10:29, cf. <i> Hamlet </i> , Ac. v. Sc. ii.), and that even the very hairs of our head are all numbered (Matthew 10:30). As against a doctrine of providence which would turn it into a blind fate, and make the strivings of the human will as meaningless as the motions of a puppet, we have to set His constant emphasis on the momentousness of choice and effort and decision (Matthew 7:13; Matthew 7:21, Matthew 13:45 f., Matthew 16:24 ff., Matthew 18:3, etc.). As against a narrow philosophy of providence, according to which good men are openly rewarded in this life and wicked men openly punished, He taught that God governs the world by general laws (Matthew 5:45), that persecution is often the earthly portion of the righteous (Matthew 5:10 ff.), that disasters falling on the individual are not to be taken as Divine retributions upon special guiltiness (Luke 13:1-5), and that our views of Divine providence must be extended so as to include a coming day of judgment for nations as well as individuals (Matthew 25:31 ff.). Thus in His teaching He anticipated most of those questions which have been so much discussed by theologians in connexion with this whole subject—questions as to the relation of God’s government to secondary causes, of providence to free will, and as to distinctions between a providence that is special and one that is merely general. </p> <p> (5) But besides the underlying implications of His teaching and its broad lines of treatment, our Lord brings forward in one well-known passage <i> some special views and arguments bearing on faith in the providence of God as a means of deliverance from anxious care </i> (Matthew 6:25-34 = Luke 12:22-34). ( <i> a </i> ) The first thing that strikes us here is the emphasis He lays on the Divine Fatherhood (Matthew 6:26; Matthew 6:32). The revelation of God as our Father in heaven is the central fact of Christ’s teaching, and it illuminates His doctrine of providence just as it illuminates His whole message. This is the point at which His doctrine of providence rises above the highest and best teaching of the OT upon the subject. God’s providence is a more individual and a more loving care than the saints of old had ever dreamed of, and this it is precisely because He is our Father. Once we have realized the fundamental truth about our relation to Him, we find it not merely possible to believe in His loving guardianship of our lives, but impossible to conceive of anything else (cf. Matthew 7:11 = Luke 11:13). ( <i> b </i> ) Taking for granted that His hearers believe in God as their Creator, Jesus argues from creation to providence as from the greater to the less. The life is more than meat, and the body than raiment. He, therefore, who breathed into the body the breath of life will assuredly sustain the life He has inspired, and clothe the body He has framed (Matthew 6:25). ( <i> c </i> ) Next He argues, we might say, from the less to the greater. If God feeds the birds of the air, shall He not much more feed His spiritual offspring? If He clothes the flowers of the field in their radiant beauty, how can He fail to clothe His own sons and daughters? (Matthew 6:26; Matthew 6:28-30). ( <i> d </i> ) Again, He argues generally that the fact of our Father’s knowledge of our needs carries with it the certainty that all our needs shall be supplied—an argument based directly on the thought of Fatherhood, and the love that Fatherhood implies (Matthew 6:31-32). </p> <p> <b> 2. Human providence. </b> —Christ’s special teaching on the providence of God in the passage just considered has sometimes been misinterpreted into a pronouncement against any providence on the part of man. The language of the Authorized Version no doubt lends itself to this; for in modern English ‘Take no thought’ is a very misleading rendering of μὴ μεριμνᾶτε (Matthew 6:25; Matthew 6:31; Matthew 6:34; cf. Matthew 6:27-28). It was not forethought, however, but anxiety (see Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885) that Jesus warned His disciples against, when He turned their minds to the great truth of the heavenly Father’s providence (see art. Care). That He believed in the value and the need of prevision and forethought we may learn from His own example. The long years of silence at [[Nazareth]] were evidently spent in a deliberate preparation of Himself for the high tasks that lay before Him. And when His public ministry began, so far from being careless of the morrow, He shaped all His days according to a pre-conceived plan (cf. Matthew 3:13 ff., Mark 1:14 f., Luke 12:50, John 9:4; John 17:4). In His teaching He lays frequent stress on the value of prudent forethought (see art. Prudence), both in worldly matters and in the affairs of the Kingdom of heaven—witness the parables of the [[Unjust]] [[Steward]] (Luke 16:1 ff.), of the Pounds (Luke 19:13 ff.), and the [[Talents]] (Matthew 25:14 ff.), of the [[Wise]] and the [[Foolish]] Virgins (Matthew 25:1 ff.). His appeal, therefore, to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field was not meant to encourage a belief that God would work for the idle and provide for the improvident. The argument rather is, If God provides for His unconscious creatures who cannot exercise forethought, much more will He provide for His conscious children who can and do. If He feeds the birds that neither sow nor reap, much more will He prosper you in your sowing and reaping; if He clothes the lilies that toil not neither do they spin, be sure He will see to it that men and women, on whom He has laid toiling and spinning as a necessity, do not lack the raiment they require. Work you must; it is the law of your lives as God’s rational creatures; but learn from the birds and the lilies not to be anxious in the midst of your toil. [[Sow]] your seed, trusting in God to send the harvest. [[Fulfil]] your appointed tasks, but leave the results with confidence in your Father’s hands. Jesus, then, does not commend improvidence. On the other hand, He does condemn a providence that confines itself altogether to the provision of earthly things, or even gives these the chief place in the heart. He condemns the providence of the Rich [[Fool]] (Luke 12:16-21), and urges His disciples to lay up their treasure in the heavens (Luke 12:21-33). ‘Seek ye <i> first </i> the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ (Matthew 6:33) is the counsel with which He concludes His special teaching on the relation of His disciples to the providence of the heavenly Father. </p> <p> Christ’s doetrines of Divine and human providence are thus complementary to each other. The thought of God’s foreseeing care does not do away with human freedom and responsibility. On the contrary, it accentuates these by assuring us that we are not the creatures of fate, but the free children of God, and that we live our lives and fulfil our tasks under His watchful and loving eyes. The realization of the need of forethought and preparation on our part for the duties and events of life does not render us independent of the Almighty care. On the contrary, man’s providence rests altogether upon the providence of God, and apart from it is utterly vain. And so to win Christ’s approval human providenee must be the providenee of religious faith, and must be directed above all to the securing of higher than earthly blessings. It is only when we seek <i> first </i> the Kingdom of God and His righteousness that we have the promise that ‘all these things’—food and raiment and whatsoever else we require for the bodily life—shall be added unto us. </p> <p> Literature.—Schürer, <i> HJP </i> [Note: JP History of the [[Jewish]] People.] ii. ii. 14 ff.; Wendt, <i> Teaching of Jesus </i> , i. 205, 289; Martensen, <i> Dogmat </i> . p. 214; C. G. Monteflore, ‘Heb. and Greek Ideas of Providence and Retribution’ in <i> JQR </i> [Note: QR Jewish Quarterly Review.] v. (1893) 517; Ritschl, <i> Chr. Doct. of Justif. and Recon. </i> (English translation 1900) 614; F. H. Woods, <i> For Faith and Science </i> (1906), 93; E. A. Abbott, <i> [[Silanus]] the [[Christian]] </i> (1906), 109; W. N. Clarke, <i> Outline of Chr. Theol </i> . p. 147; Dykes, <i> Manifesto of the King </i> , p. 483; Dale, <i> Laws of Christ </i> , p. 157. </p> <p> J. C. Lambert. </p>

<p> the conduct and direction of the several parts of the universe, by a superior intelligent Being. The notion of a providence is founded upon this truth, that the [[Creator]] has not so fixed and ascertained the laws of nature, nor so connected the chain of second causes, as to leave the world to itself, but that he still preserves the reins in his own hands, and occasionally intervenes, alters, restrains, enforces, suspends, &c, those laws by a particular providence. Some use the word <em> providence </em> in a more general sense, signifying by it that power or action by which the several parts of the creation are ordinarily directed. Thus Damascenus defines providence to be that divine will by which all things are ordered and directed to the proper end: which notion of providence supposes no laws at all fixed by the author of nature at the creation, but that he reserved it at large, to be governed by himself immediately. The [[Epicureans]] denied any divine providence, as thinking it inconsistent with the ease and repose of the divine nature to meddle at all with human affairs. [[Simplicius]] argues thus for a providence: If God does not look to the affairs of the world, it is either because he cannot or will not; but the first is absurd, since, to govern cannot be difficult where to create was easy; and the latter is both absurd and blasphemous. In Plato's Tenth Dialogue of Laws, he teaches excellently, that (since what is self-moving is, by its nature, before that which moves only in consequence of being moved) mind must be prior to matter, and the cause of all its modifications and changes; and that, therefore, there is a universal Mind possessed of all perfection, which produced and which actuates all things. After this he shows that the [[Deity]] exercises a particular providence over the world, taking care of small no less than great things. In proving this he observes "that a superior nature of such excellence as the divine, which hears, sees, and knows all things, cannot, in any instance, be subject to negligence or sloth; that the meanest and the greatest part of the world are all equally his work or possession; that great things cannot be rightly taken care of without taking care of small; and that, in all cases, the more able and perfect any artist is, (as a physician, an architect, or the ruler of the state,) the more his skill and care appear in little as well as great things. Let us not, then," says he, "conceive of God as worse than even mortal artists." </p> <p> The term providence, in its primary signification, simply denotes foresight; and if we allow the existence of a supreme Being who formed the universe at first, we must necessarily allow that he has a perfect foresight of every event which at any time takes place in the natural or moral world. Matter can have no motion, nor spirit any energy, but what is derived from him; nor can he be ignorant of the effects which they will, either separately or conjointly, produce. A common mechanic has knowledge of the work of his own hands: when he puts the machine which he has made in motion, he foresees how long it will go, and what will be the state and position of its several parts at any particular point of time; or, if he is not perfectly able to do this, it is because he is not perfectly acquainted with all the powers of the materials which he has used in its construction: they are not of his making, and they may therefore have qualities which he does not understand, and consequently cannot regulate. But in the immense machine of the universe there is nothing except that which God has made; all the powers and properties, relations and dependencies, which created things have, they have, both in kind and degree, from him. Nothing, therefore, it should seem, can come to pass at any time, or in any part of the universe, which its incomprehensible Architect did not, from the moment his almighty fiat called it into existence, clearly foresee. The providence of God is implied in his very existence as an intelligent Creator; and it imports not only an abstract foresight of all possible events, but such a predisposition of causes and effects, such an adjustment of means and ends, as seems to us to exclude that contingency of human actions with which, as expectants of positive rewards and punishments in another world, we firmly believe it to be altogether consistent. </p> <p> By providence we may understand, not merely foresight, but a uniform and constant operation of God subsequent to the act of creation. Thus, in every machine formed by human ingenuity, there is a necessity for the action of some extraneous power to put the machine in motion: a proper construction and disposition of parts not being sufficient to effect the end: there must be a spring, or a weight, or an impulse of air or water, or some substance or other, on which the motion of the several parts of the machine must depend. In like manner, the machine of the universe depends upon its Creator for the commencement and the conservation of the motion of its several parts. The power by which the insensible particles of matter coalesce into sensible lumps, as well as that by which the great orbs of the universe are reluctantly, as it were, retained in their courses, admits not an explanation from mechanical causes: the effects of both of them are different from such as mere matter and motion can produce; they must ultimately be referred to God. Vegetable and animal life and increase cannot be accounted for, without recurring to him as the primary cause of both. In all these respects the providence of God is something more than foresight; it is a continual influence, a universal agency; "by him all things consist," and "in him we live, and move, and have our being." </p> <p> Much labour has been employed to account for all the phenomena of nature by the powers of mechanism, or the necessary laws of matter and motion. But this, as we imagine, cannot be done. The primary causes of things must certainly be some powers and principles not mechanical, otherwise we shall be reduced to the necessity of maintaining an endless progression of motions communicated from matter to matter, without any first mover; or of saying that the first impelling matter moved itself. The former is an absurdity too great to be embraced by any one; and there is reason to hope that me essential inactivity of matter is at present so well understood, and so generally allowed, notwithstanding some modern oppugners of this hypothesis, that there can be but few who will care to assert the latter. All our reasonings about bodies, and the whole of natural philosophy, are founded on the three laws of motion laid down by Sir [[Isaac]] Newton, at the beginning of the <em> "Principia." </em> These laws express the plainest truths; but they would have neither evidence nor meaning, were not inactivity contained in our idea of matter. Should it be said that matter, though naturally inert, may be made to be otherwise by divine power, this would be the same with saying that matter may be made not to be matter. </p> <p> If inactivity belong to it at all, it must belong to it as matter, or solid extension, and therefore must be inseparable from it. Matter is figured, movable, discerptable, inactive, and capable of communicating motion by impulse to other matter; these are not accidental but primary qualities of matter. Beside, matter void of inactivity, if we were to suppose it possible, could produce no effects. The communication of motion, its direction, the resistance it suffers, and its cessation, in a word, the whole doctrine of motion cannot be consistently explained or clearly understood without supposing the inertia of matter. Self-moving matter must have thought and design, because, whenever matter moves, it must move in some particular direction, and with some precise degree of velocity; and as there is an infinity of these equally possible, it cannot move itself without selecting one of these preferably to and exclusively of all others, and therefore not without design. Moreover, it may be plainly proved that matter cannot be the ultimate cause of the phenomena of nature, or the agent which, by any powers inherent in itself, produces the general laws of nature, without possessing the highest degree of knowledge and wisdom; which might be easily evinced or exemplified by adverting to the particular law of gravitation. "The philosopher," says an excellent writer, "who overlooks the laws of an all-governing Deity in nature, contenting himself with the appearance of the material universe only, and the mechanical laws of motion, neglects what is most excellent, and prefers what is imperfect to what is supremely perfect, finitude to infinity, what is narrow and weak to what is unlimited and almighty, and what is perishing to what endures for ever. Sir Isaac Newton thought it most unaccountable to exclude the Deity <em> only </em> out of the universe. It appeared to him much more just and reasonable to suppose that the whole chain of causes, or the several series of them, should centre in him as their source; and the whole, system appear depending on him the only independent cause." If, then, the Deity pervades and actuates the material world, and his unremitting energy is the cause to which every effect in it must be traced; the spiritual world, which is of greater consequence, cannot be disregarded by him. Is there not one atom of matter on which he does not act; and is there one living being about which he has no concern? Does not a stone fall without him; and does, then, a man suffer without him? The inanimate world is of no consequence, abstracted from its subserviency to the animate and reasonable world; the former, therefore, must be preserved and governed entirely with a view to the latter. But it is not mere energy or the constant exertion of power that is discernible in the frame or laws of the universe, in maintaining the succession of men, and in producing men and other beings; but wisdom and skill are also conspicuous in the structure of every object in the inanimate creation. After a survey of the beauty and elegance of the works of nature, aided by the perusal of Matthew 6:28 , &c, we may ask ourselves, Has God, in the lowest of his works, been lavish of wisdom, beauty, and skill; and is he sparing of these in the concerns of reasonable beings? Or does he less regard order, propriety, and fitness in the determination of their states? The answer is obvious. Providence also implies a particular interposition of God in administering the affairs of individuals and nations, and wholly distinct from that general and incessant exertion of his power, by which he sustains the universe in existence. </p> <p> The doctrine of providence may be evinced from the consideration of the divine perfections. The first cause of all things must be regarded as a being absolutely perfect; and the idea of absolute perfection comprehends infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; hence we deduce the doctrine of providence. The Deity cannot be an indifferent spectator of the series of events in that world to which he has given being. His goodness will as certainly engage him to direct them agreeably to the ends of goodness, as his wisdom and power enable him to do it in the most effectual manner. This conclusion is conformable to all our ideas of those attributes. [[Could]] we call that being good who would refuse to do any good which he is able to do without the least labour or difficulty? God is present every where. He sees all that happens, and it is in his power, with perfect ease, to order all for the best. Can he then possess goodness, and at the same time not do this? A God without a providence is undoubtedly a contradiction. Nothing is plainer than that a being of perfect reason will, in every instance, take such care of the universe as perfect reason requires. That supreme intelligence and love, which are present to all things, and from whence all things sprung, must govern all occurrences. These considerations prove what has been called a <em> particular, </em> in opposition to a <em> general, </em> providence. We cannot conceive of any reasons that can influence the Deity to exercise <em> any </em> providence over the world, which are not likewise reasons for extending it to <em> all </em> that happens in the world. As far as it is confined to generals, or overlooks <em> any </em> individual, or <em> any </em> event, it is incomplete, and therefore unsuitable to the idea of a perfect being. </p> <p> One common prejudice against this doctrine arises from the apprehension that it is below the dignity of the Deity to watch over, in the manner implied in it, the meanest beings, and the minutest affairs. To which it may be replied, that a great number of minute affairs, if they are each of them of some consequence, make up a sum which is of great consequence; and that there is no way of taking care of this sum, without taking care of each particular. This objection, therefore, under the appearance of honouring God, plainly dishonours him. Nothing is absolutely trifling in which the happiness of any individual, even the most insignificant, is at all concerned; nor is it beneath a wise and good being to interpose in any thing of this kind. To suppose the Deity above this, is to suppose him above acting up to the full extent of goodness and rectitude. The same eternal benevolence that first engaged him to produce beings, must also engage him to exercise a particular providence over them; and the very lowest beings, as well as the highest, seem to have a kind of right to his superintendence, from the act itself of bringing them into existence. Every apprehension that this is too great a condescension in him is founded on the poorest ideas; for, surely, whatever it was not too great condescension in him to create, it cannot be too great a condescension in him to take care of. Beside, with regard to God, all distinctions in the creation vanish. All beings are infinitely, that is, equally, inferior to him. </p> <p> Accident, and chance, and fortune, are words which we often hear mentioned, and much is ascribed to them in the life of man. But they are words without meaning; or, as far as they have any signification, they are no other than names for the unknown operations of providence; for it is certain that in God's universe nothing comes to pass causelessly, or in vain. Every event has its own determined direction. That chaos of human affairs and intrigues where we can see no light, that mass of disorder and confusion which they often present to our view, is all clearness and order in the sight of Him who is governing and directing the whole, and bringing forward every event in its due time and place. "The Lord sitteth on the flood. The Lord maketh the wrath of man to praise him," as he maketh the "hail and rain to obey his word. He hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." No other principle than this, embraced with a steady faith, and attended with a suitable practice, can ever be able to give repose and tranquillity to the mind; to animate our hopes, or extinguish our fears; to give us any true satisfaction in the enjoyments of life, or to minister consolation under its adversities. If we are persuaded that God governs the world, that he has the superintendence and direction of all events, and that we are the objects of his providential care; whatever may be our distress or our danger, we can never want consolation, we may always have a fund of hope, always a prospect of relief. But take away this hope and this prospect, take away the belief of God and of a superintending providence, and man would be of all creatures the most miserable; destitute of every comfort, every support, under present sufferings, and of every security against future dangers. </p>

<p> Foresight, Greek pronoia "forethought" (Acts 24:2). As applied to God, it expresses His never ceasing power exerted in and over all His works. It is the opposite of "chance," "fortune," and "luck." It continues creation. In relation to all things it is universal, and nothing is too minute for its regard; to moral beings special; to holy or converted beings particular. Each is an object of providence according to its capacity. God's providence is concerned in a sparrow's fall; His children are of more value than many sparrows, and therefore are assured of His providential care in all their concerns. Its acts are threefold; preservation, co-operation, and government. He controls all things for the highest good of the whole, acting upon every species conformably to its nature: inanimate things by physical influences, brutes according to instinct, and free agents according to the laws of free agency. Providence displays God's omnipresence, holiness, justice and benevolence. </p> <p> If the telescope reveals the immense magnitude and countless hosts of worlds which He created and sustains, the microscope shows that His providence equally concerns itself with the minutest animalcule. Nothing is really small with God. He hangs the most momentous weights on little wires. We cannot explain fully why evil was ever permitted; but God overrules it to good. If no fallible beings had been created there could have been no virtue, for virtue implies probation, and probation implies liability to temptation and sin. [[Sin]] too has brought into view God's wisdom, mercy, and love, harmonized in redemption, and good educed from evil; yet the good so educed by guilt does not exculpate sinners, or warrant the inference, "let us do evil that good may come" (Romans 3:8). </p> <p> Proofs of providence. </p> <p> (I) We can no more account for the world's continued preservation than for its original creation, without God's interposition. </p> <p> (II) He sustains because He originally made it (Psalms 33:6; Psalms 33:13-16; Colossians 1:17); as one may do what one will with his own, so God has the right to order all things as being their Maker (Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:20-23). God's interest in His own creation is Job's argument for God's restoring him (Job 10:3; Job 10:9-12; Job 14:15). </p> <p> (III) God's power, wisdom, knowledge, and love all prove a providence. "He that denies providence denies God's attributes, His omniscience which is the eye of providence, His mercy and justice which are the arms of providence, His power which is its life and motion, His wisdom which is the rudder whereby providence is steered, and holiness the compass and rule of its motion" (Charnock). </p> <p> (IV) The prevailing order in the world proves providence (Genesis 8:22). The Greek word for world and order is one and the same, kosmos , Latin, mundus; and modern science has shown that the very seeming aberrations of the planets are parts of the universal order or law which reigns. "All discord harmony not understood, All partial evil universal good." (Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 40:26.) The plagues, earthquakes, drought, flood, frost, and famine subserve ends of providence which we only in part see; and they also suggest to us the need of a providence to control them within appointed bounds, and that without such a providence all nature would fall into disorder (Jeremiah 5:22; Job 26:7-11; Job 38:4-14). </p> <p> (V) The present moral government of the world. [[Conscience]] stings the wicked, or civil punishments or the consequences of violating nature's laws overtake them. </p> <p> (1) The anomalies apparent now, the temporary sufferings of the righteous and prosperity of the wicked, the failure of good plans and success of bad ones, confirm the revelation of the judgment to come which shall rectify these anomalie.s (See JOB.) </p> <p> (2) The godly amidst affliction enjoy more real happiness than the ungodly, whose prosperity is "shining misery"; (1 Timothy 4:8; Mark 10:29-30). </p> <p> (3) The sorrows of godly men are sometimes the result of their running counter to laws of nature, or even of revelation; as Jacob's lying to Isaac, repaid in kind retributively in Jacob's sons lying to him, etc., David's adultery and murder punished retributively by Absalom's lying with his father's concubines and by the sword never departing from David's house (2 Samuel 12). </p> <p> (4) Yet even so they are overruled to the moral discipline of the saint's faith, patience, and experience (Romans 5:3-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7); David's noblest qualities were brought forth by Saul's persecutions, and even by Absalom's punitive rebellion (2 Samuel 15:25-26; 2 Samuel 16:10-12). </p> <p> (5) There is sin even in men sincere before God; they need at. times to be brought, as Job at last was, to abase themselves under God's visiting hand, and instead of calling God to account to acknowledge His ways are right and we are sinful, even though we do not see the reason why He contends with us (Job 40:4-5; Job 42:2-6; contrast Job 10:2; Job 33:13). </p> <p> (6) The issue of wickedness is seen even in this life generally, that though flourishing for a time (Jeremiah 12:1) the wicked are "set in slippery places, and brought into desolation as in a moment" (Psalm 73; Psalms 37:35-37; Job 20:5). </p> <p> (VI) History vindicates providence. The histories of Israel, Judah, and [[Gentile]] nations show that "righteousness exalteth a nation" (Proverbs 14:34). The preparations made for the gospel of our [[Saviour]] indicate a providence (Galatians 4:4), the distinctness of prophecy waxing greater and greater as the time for the evangelization of the [[Gentiles]] approached (Luke 2:32). The translation of the Jewish [[Scriptures]] into the language of a large part of the civilized world, Greek, by the [[Septuagint]] (by it the history of providence and the prophecies of [[Messiah]] became accessible to the learned everywhere; all possibility of questioning the existence or falsifying the contents of the prophecies was taken away; the closing of the canon just before proved that the Scriptures, so translated, supplied complete all that God revealed in Old [[Testament]] times); the expectation throughout the East of a great King and [[Deliverer]] to arise in Judaea; the increasing light of philosophy; the comprehension of most of the known world by the [[Roman]] empire, breaking down the barrier between E. and W., establishing a regular police everywhere, and the universal peace which prevailed at the coming of the gospel of peace; the multiplication and settling of [[Jews]] in Egypt, Asia, Greece, Italy, and western Europe (Horace, Sat. i., 9:69-71; 4:140): all paving the way for promulgating the gospel. </p> <p> The remarkable working of providence secretly (for God's name never occurs in the book) is apparent in the case of Esther, whereby the fate of the whole Jewish nation hung upon a despot's whim, acted on by a favorite. (See ESTHER.) The providential preparations for the appointed issue, Ahasuerus' feast, Vashti's womanly pride, Mordecai's informing the king of the design against his life, the choice of Esther as queen, Haman's plot, laid so cleverly yet made to recoil on himself, so that after having himself to thank for dictating the honours which he had to pay to the very man whom he wished to destroy he was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. </p> <p> So in the case of Joseph; the brothers' wicked and seemingly successful plan for defeating God's will of elevating him above them, as revealed in his dreams, was overruled to being made the very means of accomplishing it. So "Herod and [[Pontius]] Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel,were gathered together against Christ, for to do whatsoever God's hand and God's counsel determined before to be done" (Acts 4:27-28; compare [[Genesis]] 42:6; Proverbs 19:21; Proverbs 21:30). Fighters against the truth have been by providence made, in spite of themselves, instrumental in spreading it, by calling attention to it and to its power in ennobling believers' lives. "They that were scattered abroad" by persecutors "went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4), the storm that would rend the oak scatters its seed in every direction. </p> <p> (VII) Belief in providence is the basis of religion, especially of revealed religion: "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will" (Daniel 4:32), So minute is His providential care that "the very hairs of our head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30; Acts 27:34; Luke 21:18; Daniel 3:27); nor is the smallest saint forgotten amidst countless multitudes: "Thou art as much His care as if beside Not man nor angel lived in heaven and earth; Thus sunbeams pour alike a glorious tide, To light up worlds or wake an insect's mirth." See Amos 9:9. It is God who "clothes the grass of the field." "The lot cast into the lap" seems chance, "but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33; Jonah 1:7). God's guardianship of His people amidst dangers and plagues appears in Psalm 91 and in His putting a difference between Israel and the [[Egyptians]] (Exodus 11:6-7; Exodus 10:23); the dependence of all creatures on God's providence in Psalm 104; Acts 17:28. Christ upholdeth all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3); "by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17; Job 38-41). </p>

<p> The superintendence and care which God exercises over creation. The arguments for the providence of God are generally drawn from the light of nature; the being of a God; the creation of the world; the wonderfully disposing and controlling the affairs and actions of men; from the absolute necessity of it; from the various blessings enjoyed by his creatures; the awful judgments that have been inflicted; and from the astonishing preservation of the [[Bible]] and the church through every age, notwithstanding the attempts of earth and hell against them. Providence has been divided into immediate and mediate, ordinary and extraordinary, common and special, universal and particular. Immediate providence is what is exercised by God himself, without the use of any instrument or second cause; mediate providence is what is exercised in the use of means; ordinary providence is what is exercised in the common course of means, and by the chain of second causes; extraordinary is what is out of the common way, as miraculous operations; common providence is what belongs to the whole world; special, what relates to the church; universal relates to the general upholding and preserving all things; particular relates to individuals in every action and circumstance. This last, however, is denied by some. </p> <p> But, as a good writer observes, "The opinion entertained by some that the providence of God extends no farther than to a general superintendence of the laws of nature, without interposing in the particular concerns of individuals, is contrary both to reason and to Scripture. It renders the government of the Almighty altogether loose and contingent, and would leave no ground for reposing any trust under its protection; for the majority of human affairs would then be allowed to fluctuate in a fortuitous course, without moving in any regular direction, and without tending to any one scope. The uniform doctrine of the sacred writings is, that throughout the universe nothing happens without God; that his hand is ever active, and his decree or permission intervenes in all; that nothing is too great or unwieldy for his management, and nothing so minute and inconsiderable as to be below his inspection and care. While he is guiding the sun and moon in their course through the heavens; while in this inferior world he is ruling among empires, stilling the ragings of the waters, and the tumults of the people, he is at the same time watching over the humble good man, who, in the obscurity of his cottage, is serving and worshipping him." "In what manner, indeed, Providence interposes in human affairs; by what means it influences the thoughts and counsels of men, and, notwithstanding the influence it exerts, leaves to them the freedom of choice, are subjects of dark and mysterious nature, and which have given occasion to many an intricate controversy. </p> <p> Let us remember, that the manner in which God influences the motion of all the heavenly bodies, the nature of that secret power by which he is ever directing the sun and the moon, the planets, stars, and comets, in their course through the heavens, while they appear to move themselves in a free course, are matters no less inexplicable to us than the manner in which he influences the councils of men. But though the mode of divine operation remains unknown, the fact of an over-ruling influence is equally certain in the moral as it is in the natural world. In cases where the fact is clearly authenticated, we are not at liberty to call its truth in question, merely because we understand not the manner in which it is brought about. Nothing can be more clear, from the testimony of Scripture, than that God takes part in all that happens among mankind; directing and over-ruling the whole course of events so as to make every one of them answer the designs of his wise and righteous government. We cannot, indeed, conceive God acting as the governor of the world at all, unless his government were to extend to all the events that happen. It is upon the supposition of a particular providence that our worship and prayers to him are founded. All his perfections would be utterly insignificant to us, if they were not exercised, on every occasion, according as the circumstances of his creatures required. The Almighty would then be no more than an unconcerned spectator of the behaviour of his subjects, regarding the obedient and the rebellious with an equal eye. " </p> <p> The experience of every one also, must, more or less, bear testimony to it. We need not for this purpose have recourse to those sudden and unexpected vicissitudes which have sometimes astonished whole nations, and drawn their attention to the conspicuous hand of heaven. We need not appeal to the history of the statesman and the warrior; of the ambitious and the enterprising. We confine our observation to those whose lives have been most plain and simple, and who had no desire to depart from the ordinary train of conduct. In how many instances have we found, that we are held in subjection to a higher Power, on whom depends the accomplishment of our wishes and designs? Fondly we had projected some favourite plan: we thought that we had forecast and provided for all that might happen; we had taken our measures with such vigilant prudence, that on every side we seemed to ourselves perfectly guarded and secure; but, lo! some little event hath come about, unforeseen by us, and in its consequences at the first seemingly inconsiderable, which yet hath turned the whole course of things into a new direction, and blasted all our hopes. At other times our counsels and plans have been permitted to succeed: we then applauded our own wisdom, and sat down to feast on the happiness we had attained. To our surprise we found that happiness was not there, and that God's decree had appointed it to be only vanity. We labour for prosperity, and obtain it not. Unexpected, it is sometimes made to drop upon us as of its own accord. The happiness of man depends on secret springs too nice and delicate to be adjusted by human art: it required a favourable combination of external circumstances with the state of his own mind. </p> <p> To accomplish on every occasion such a combination, is far beyond his power: but it is what God can at all times effect; as the whole series of external causes are arranged according to his pleasure, and the hearts of all men are in his hands, to turn them wheresoever he will, as rivers of water. From the imperfection of our knowledge to ascertain what is good for us, and from the defect of our power to bring about that good when known, arise all those disappointments which continually testify that the way of man is not in himself; that he is not the master of his own lot; that, though he may devise, it is God who directs; God, who can make the smallest incident an effectual instrument of his providence for overturning the most laboured plans of men. "Accident, and chance, and fortune, are words which we often hear mentioned, and much is ascribed to them in the life of man. But they are words without meaning; or, as far as they have any signification, they are no other than names for the unknown operations of Providence; for it is certain that in God's universe nothing comes to pass causelessly, or in vain. Every event has its own determined direction. That chaos of human affairs and intrigues where we can see no light, that mass of disorder and confusion which they often present to our view, is all clearness and order in the sight of Him who is governing and directing all, and bringing forward every event in its due time and place. The Lord sitteth on the flood. </p> <p> The Lord maketh the wrath of man to praise him, as he maketh the hail and the rain obey his word. He hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." "To follow the leadings of providence, means no other than to act agreeably to the law of duty, prudence, and safety, or any particular circumstance, according to the direction or determination of the word or law of God. He follows the dictates of Providence, who takes a due survey of the situation he is placed in, compares it with the rules of the word which reaches his case, and acts accordingly. To know the will of God as it respects providence, there must be, </p> <p> 1. Deliberation. </p> <p> 2. Consultation. </p> <p> 3. Supplication. The tokens of the divine will and pleasure in any particular case are not to be gathered from our inclinations, particular frames, the form of [[Scripture]] phrases, impulses, nor even the event, as that cannot always be a rule of judgment; but whatever appears to be proper duty, true prudence, or real necessity, that we should esteem to be his will." </p> <p> See Charnock, Flavel, Hoakwell, Hopkins, Sherlock, Collings, and Fawcet on Providence; Gill's Body of Divinity; Ridgley's Body of Divinity, qu. 18; Blair's Ser. ser. 18, vol. 5:; Forsythe's [[Piece]] on Providence, Enc. Brit.; Wollaston's [[Religion]] of Nature delineated, sec. 5; Thomson's Seasons, Winter, conclusion. </p>

<p> The opening question of the [[Heidelberg]] [[Catechism]] (1563) asks: “What is your only comfort in life and death?” Answer: “That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful [[Savior]] Jesus Christ who so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation.” This statement gets at the heart of the biblical doctrine of providence. We can distinguish this understanding of providence from several distortions which have been advanced throughout the history of the church: </p> <p> fatalism: the view that all events are determined by an inviolable law of cause and effect. This was a popular doctrine among the [[Stoics]] (as in Seneca's treatise, <i> De Providentia </i> ) who believed that all history and human life was subject to Fate. </p> <p> deism: the idea that God created the world but then withdrew from its day-to-day governance, leaving it to run by itself as a machine. [[Deism]] safeguards the transcendence of God at the expense of His immanence. </p> <p> pantheism: this is the opposite error of deism, for it virtually identifies God with His creation. God is a kind of World [[Soul]] or impersonal force which permeates all the universe. </p> <p> dualism: the view that two opposing forces in the universe are locked in struggle with each other for its control. The ancient religions of [[Zoroaster]] and [[Mani]] posited two coeternal principles, darkness and light. A modern variant of this theory is set forth by process theology which holds that God is limited by the evolving universe, caught in a struggle with forces over against His control. </p> <p> In the New Testament, the Greek word for providence ( <i> pronoia </i> ) occurs only once, and that with reference to human rather than divine foresight (Acts 24:2 ). The verbal form ( <i> pronoeo </i> ) meaning “to know in advance” is found twice in the New Testament and eleven times in the Greek Old Testament. Yet the theme of God's provident care for the created order is present in all levels of the bibical material. The Psalms are filled with allusions to God's direction and sustenance of the creation. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork (Psalm 19:1 ). God directs the seasons (Psalm 104:19 ); the clouds are His chariot, the winds His messenger (Psalm 104:3 ); He stills the storms and girds the mountain ranges (Psalm 107:29; Psalm 65:6 ); everything that hath breath is exhorted to praise the Lord “for his mighty acts” (Psalm 150:2 ,Psalms 150:2,150:6 ). The so-called nature Psalms are not dedicated to the glory of nature, but to the God who created and sustains it with His fatherly care. </p> <p> Providence is related to creation on the one hand and to the history of salvation on the other. Theologians speak of this second aspect as “special” providence. In Nehemiah 9:6-38 , God's general and special providence are brought together in the same passage. “Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the earth, and all things that are therein, and thou preservest them all Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram,. . And madest known unto them thy precepts, by the hand of [[Moses]] thou art a gracious and merciful God. who keepest covenant.” After the destruction of [[Jerusalem]] in 587 B.C. and during the long period of Exile, confidence in God's providence sustained the children of Israel through all of their doubts and disappointments (compare Isaiah 40:21-31; Isaiah 42:1-6 ). </p> <p> Two classic passages in the New Testament direct [[Christians]] to focus on God's providential care as a remedy for overanxious concerns. In the [[Sermon]] on the Mount, Jesus commanded His hearers not to worry about tomorrow, since the [[Heavenly]] Father cares much more for them than the birds of the air or the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:25-34 ). The point is not that following Christ will exempt one from trouble or pain. What it does provide is the assurance of God's presence in the midst of the stormy tempests of life. [[Armed]] with this assurance we can face whatever may come in the knowledge that God will care for us, as He does daily for the birds and flowers. Romans 8:28 (NIV) says: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This does not mean that everything which happens to us is good, nor necessarily the result of a “snap decision” by God. It does mean that nothing can ever happen to us apart from the knowledge, presence, and love of God, and that in the most desperate of circumstances God is always at work towards the good. We are not given to understand how this is so. We are only told that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us ( Romans 8:18-25 ). </p> <p> The doctrine of providence encompasses many other themes in the Bible as well. Scripture presents God working in various ways to accomplish His purpose. Often God works through secondary causes such as natural law or special messengers, such as the angels. Sometimes God effects His will directly through miracles or other supernatural happenings. Frequently enough, as [[William]] Cowper put it, “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.” Because we are sure that God is for us, not against us, we can afford to live with this mystery which impugns neither God's sovereignty nor His goodness. In our own day, the doctrine of providence has been challenged by the enormity of evil in the world. Some theologians have attempted to devise a theodicy, a rational justification of God's providential rule, as a response to the problem of evil. Yet the Bible itself presents no systematic answer to this dilemma. It affirms only the reality of evil, its vicious, demonic power in the present age, and the certainty of Christ's ultimate victory over its every manifestation (1 Corinthians 15:24-28 ). In the meanwhile, Christians can face the future in the confidence that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NRSV). See [[Election]]; [[God]]; [[Predestination]] . </p> <p> Timothy [[George]] </p>

<p> The word ‘providence’, though not found in the Bible, is commonly used to describe God’s control and government of all things. He maintains the universe and cares for his creatures according to his perfect love, wisdom and power. He directs all affairs, small and great, according to his purposes and brings them to their appointed goal (Psalms 147:8-9; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Isaiah 10:5-7; Matthew 10:29; Ephesians 1:11; Philippians 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:15). </p> <p> God’s providence is evident everywhere – in the physical creation (Psalms 29:3-6; Psalms 78:13-16; Psalms 104:27-28; Matthew 6:26; Matthew 6:28; Acts 14:17), in the events of world history (Proverbs 21:1; Amos 9:7; Luke 1:52; Acts 17:26; Romans 9:17) and in the lives of individuals (Genesis 30:1-2; Job 1:21; Proverbs 16:33; Matthew 6:25; Matthew 6:30; Matthew 10:30; Luke 1:53). God’s people are particularly aware of these truths, because they see God at work in everything (Ephesians 4:6). </p> <p> Christians see not only God’s love in his preservation of nature, but also his purpose in directing it towards its final glory (Matthew 5:44-45; Romans 8:19-23; Colossians 1:17). They see that his direction of history has produced Jesus the Saviour and will lead to victory over all evil at the final triumph of Christ’s kingdom (Galatians 4:4; Colossians 1:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). They see God at work in their own lives, lovingly controlling all their affairs in order to lead them to greater spiritual maturity (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:12-13; James 1:2-4; see also PREDESTINATION; SUFFERING). </p> <p> Providence is not fate. There is no suggestion that because of God’s controlling power everything happens mechanically. Neither the world of nature nor the world of humankind is the helpless subject of unalterable impersonal laws that determine the course of events. All things and all people are in the hands of the living God who is responsive to their needs (Genesis 50:20; Jeremiah 17:7-10; Jonah 4:11; Matthew 8:26; Matthew 15:32; James 5:17-18; see MIRACLES; PRAYER). Also, people cannot excuse their mistakes by trying to put the blame on God’s providence. People are moral beings and God holds them responsible for all their actions (Deuteronomy 30:15-18; Romans 2:15; cf. Luke 22:22; Acts 4:27-28). </p>

<p> <strong> PROVIDENCE </strong> . <strong> 1 </strong> . The word is not found in the OT. In the NT it is used only once; in the exordium of his address to Felix, the orator [[Tertullus]] says: ‘By thy providence evils are corrected for this nation’ ( Acts 24:2 ). Here ‘providence’ simply means ‘foresight,’ as in Malachi 4:6 Malachi 4:6 ‘the king’s providence.’ </p> <p> <strong> 2 </strong> . The first appearance of the word ‘providence’ (Gr. <em> pronoia </em> ) in Jewish literature is in Wis 14:3 , where God is represented as making for a ship ‘a way in the sea’; the Jewish author, borrowing the expression from the Stoic philosophers, says: ‘Thy providence, O Father, guideth it along.’ In a later passage, recognizing the sterner aspect of the truth to which the OT also bears witness, he contrasts the destinies of the [[Israelites]] and Egyptians and describes the latter, when they were ‘prisoners of darkness,’ as ‘exiled from the eternal providence’ ( Wis 17:2 ). </p> <p> <strong> 3 </strong> . Although the OT does not contain the word ‘providence,’ it is a continuous and progressive revelation of Him ‘whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth.’ Historians narrate the gradual accomplishment of His redemptive purpose concerning the Chosen People and the world at large ( Genesis 50:20 , Exodus 8:22 , Deuteronomy 32:8 ff.; cf. Psalms 74:12 ff.); poets delight to extol Him ‘whose tender mercies are over all his works’ ( Psalms 145:9; cf. Psalms 29:3 ff., Psalms 104:1-35; Psalms 136:1-26 ); prophets point to the proofs of God’s guidance in the past in order that the people may gain wisdom for the present and courage for the future ( Deuteronomy 32:7 ff., Haggai 2:9 , Isaiah 51:2 , Malachi 4:4 ff.). The Book of Job has been called ‘the book of Providence,’ because it not only gives the author’s solution of perplexing problems, but also ‘furnishes reasons for believing in the righteous providence of God from the consideration of His character and His dominion over nature’ (Oehler, <em> [[Theology]] of OT </em> , ii. 474; cf. Job 27:1-23; Job 34:10; Job 36:22; Job 37:21 ). </p> <p> <strong> 4 </strong> . Belief in Providence stands or falls with belief in a personal God. It is incompatible with mechanical or pantheistic theories of Creation. [[Ancient]] problems which perplexed Greek philosophers and [[Hebrew]] sages press heavily upon the modern mind as it strives to reconcile its trust in Divine providence with the reign of law in the universe and with the existence of pain and evil. Jesus Christ taught that the laws of nature are the established methods of His Heavenly Father’s working, and that they fulfil as well as reveal His will ( Matthew 6:25 ff; Matthew 10:29 ff., John 5:17 ). Belief in Providence means to the Christian, trust in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has so clearly revealed His will in His Son as to make it plain to His children that natural laws may not only subserve moral and spiritual ends in this present time, but may also further His unerring purposes which are not bounded by this mortal life ( Romans 8:28 , 2 Corinthians 4:11 ff., 1 Peter 1:6 ff.). </p> <p> J. G. Tasker. </p>

Psalm 18:3563:8Acts 17:28Colossians 1:17Hebrews 1:3Psalm 104:14135:5-7Acts 14:17Psalm 104:21-29Matthew 6:2610:291 Chronicles 16:31Psalm 47:7Proverbs 21:1Job 12:23Daniel 2:214:251 Samuel 2:6Psalm 18:30Luke 1:53James 4:13-15Exodus 12:361 Samuel 24:9-15Psalm 33:14,15Proverbs 16:119:2120:2421:12 Samuel 16:1024:1Romans 11:32Acts 4:27,28Philippians 2:134:13212:9,10Ephesians 2:10Galatians 5:22-25 <p> As regards sinful actions of men, they are represented as occurring by God's permission (Genesis 45:5; 50:20 . Compare 1 Samuel 6:6; Exodus 7:13; 14:17; Acts 2:3; 3:18; 4:27,28 ), and as controlled (Psalm 76:10 ) and overruled for good (Genesis 50:20; Acts 3:13 ). God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good. </p> <p> The mode of God's providential government is altogether unexplained. We only know that it is a fact that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions; that this government is universal (Psalm 103:17-19 ), particular (Matthew 10:29-31 ), efficacious (Psalm 33:11; Job 23:13 ), embraces events apparently contingent (Proverbs 16:9,33; 19:21; 21:1 ), is consistent with his own perfection (2 Timothy 2:13 ), and to his own glory (Romans 9:17; 11:36 ). </p>

<p> We meet with this word (as far as I recollect) but once in the Bible, and that is in the famous speech of the orator Tertullus. (Acts 24:2) If the consult the Scripture, he will reader will find the occasion upon which it was used, I should not have thought it necessary to have given it a place in this work, but with the hope of correcting the improper application of it which is but too common in life. I have noticed upon numberless occasions this error, yea, even among truly pious persons, from whom one might have expected better things; and therefore I hope I shall not offend in my observations upon it. The word providence is somewhat similar to that of dispensation, or ordination, and hath a general reference to the appointments of God. Hence when we speak of the Lord's government, either in the kingdoms of nature or grace, we say, the Lord by his providence hath ordered all things in heaven and in earth. It is he that provideth for the raven his food. (Job 38:41) So again, speaking of the Lord's care over his people, it is said, "thou preparest them corn when thou hast so provided for it." (Psalms 65:9) From all which it appears, that providence or providing are acts of the Lord, and not the Lord himself. Therefore when it is said, (as it is too frequently said) I hope providence will do this or that, I trust to providence, providence hath been very good, and the like, this is ascribing to the deed what belongs only to the Lord, the doer of that deed; and however unintentional on the part of the speaker, it becomes a great error. We should never give any glory to the creatures of God which belongs only to God himself; and to ascribe to providence what belongs only to the God of his providences, is certainly doing so. Both providence and grace are creatures of God; and however the Lord is carrying on his merciful purposes of redemption by both to his church and people, yet to give glory to either, instead of glorifying the Author of either, is to overlook the loveliness of the Lord in the loveliness of his creatures, and to place secondary things in the stead of the first. [[Whereas]] we ought to say, to use somewhat like the form of the apostle James, "If the Lord will, we shall live by his providence and grace." (James 4:15) </p>

<p> Acts 24:2 , a superintending and forecasting care. The providence of God upholds and governs every created thing. Its operation is coextensive with the universe, and as unceasing as the flow of time. All his attributes are engaged in it. He provideth for the raven his food, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Bible shows us all nature looking up to him and depending upon him, Job 38:41; Psalm 104:1-35; 145:15,16; 147:8-9; and uniformly declares that every occurrence, as well as every being, is perfectly controlled by him. There is no such thong as chance in the universe; "the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," Proverbs 16:23 . Not a sparrow, nor a hair of the head, falls to the ground without his knowledge, Isaiah 14:26-27; Matthew 10:29-30; Acts 17:24 - 29 . Nothing that was not too minute for God to create, is too minute for him to preserve and control. The history of each man, the rise and fall of nations, and the progress of the church of Christ, reveal at every step the hand of Him who "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." </p>

<p> PROV'IDENCE, n. L. providentia. </p> 1. The act of providing or preparing for future use or application. <p> Providence for war is the best prevention of it. Now little used. </p> 2. [[Foresight]] timely care particularly, active foresight, or foresight accompanied with the procurement of what is necessary for future use, or with suitable preparation. How many of the troubles and perplexities of life proceed from want of providence! 3. In theology, the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. He that acknowledges a creation and denies a providence, involves himself in a palpable contradiction for the same power which caused a thing to exist is necessary to continue its existence. Some persons admit a general providence,but deny a particular providence, not considering that a general providence consists of particulars. A belief in divine providence, is a source of great consolation to good men. By divine providence is often understood God himself. 4. [[Prudence]] in the management of one's concerns or in private economy.

<p> An old authority assures us that 'the Jews fancy, concerning the cloud that conducted Israel through the wilderness, that it did not only show them the way, but also plane it; that it did not only lead them in the way which they must go, but also fit the way for them to go upon it; that it cleared all the mountains and smoothed all the rocks; that it cleared all the bushes and removed all the rubs.' </p> <p> What is probably a mere legend as to the type is abundantly true of the providence of God, which it so accurately represents. Our gracious God not only leads us in the way of mercy, but he prepares our path before us, providing for all our wants even before they occur. </p>

<p> (1): (n.) Foresight; care; especially, the foresight and care which God manifests for his creatures; hence, God himself, regarded as exercising a constant wise prescience. </p> <p> (2): (n.) The act of providing or preparing for future use or application; a making ready; preparation. </p> <p> (3): (n.) A manifestation of the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures; an event ordained by divine direction. </p> <p> (4): (n.) Prudence in the management of one's concerns; economy; frugality. </p>

<p> The word Providence originally meant foresight. By a well-known figure of speech, called metonymy, we use a word denoting the means by which we accomplish anything to denote the end accomplished; we exercise care over anything by means of foresight, and indicate that care by the word foresight. On the same principle the word Providence is used to signify the care God takes of the universe. As to its inherent nature, it is the power which God exerts, without intermission, in and upon all the works of His hands. But defined as to its visible manifestations, it is God's preservation and government of all things. As a thing is known by its opposites, the meaning of Providence is elucidated by considering that it is opposed to fortune and fortuitous accidents. </p> <p> Providence, considered in reference to all things existing, is termed by Knapp universal; in reference to moral beings, special;and in reference to holy or converted beings, particular. </p> <p> Providence is usually divided into three divine acts: preservation, cooperation, and government. </p> <p> By preservation is signified the causing of existence to continue. </p> <p> Co-operation is the act of God which causes the powers of created things to remain in being. </p> <p> Government, as a branch of Providence, is God's controlling all created things so as to promote the highest good of the whole. </p> <p> Among the proofs of divine Providence may be reckoned the following—One argument in proof of Providence is analogous to one mode of proving a creation. If we cannot account for the existence of the world without supposing its coming into existence, or beginning to be; no more can we account for the world continuing to exist, without supposing it to be preserved; for it is as evidently absurd to suppose any creature prolonging as producing its own being. </p> <p> A second proof of Providence results from the admitted fact of creation. Whoever has made any piece of mechanism, therefore takes pains to preserve it. Parental affection moves those who have given birth to children to provide for their sustentation and education. It is both reasonable and Scriptural to contemplate God as sustaining the universe because he made it. </p> <p> A third proof of Providence is found in the divine perfections. Since, among the divine perfections, are all power and all knowledge, the non-existence of Providence, if there be none, must result from a want of will in God. But no want of will to exercise a Providence can exist, for God wills whatever is for the good of the universe, and for his own glory; to either of which a Providence is clearly indispensable. God therefore has resolved to exercise his power and knowledge so as to subserve the best ends with his creation. </p> <p> A fourth proof of God's Providence appears in the order which prevails in the universe. That summer and winter, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, day and night, are fixed by a law, was obvious even to men who never heard of God's covenant with Noah. But our sense of order is keenest where we discern it in apparent confusion. The motions of the heavenly bodies are eccentric and intervolved, yet are most regular when they seem most lawless. They were therefore compared by the earliest astronomers to the discords which blend in a harmony, and to the wild starts which often heighten the graces of a dance. Modern astronomy has revealed to us so much miraculous symmetry in celestial phenomena, that it shows us far more decisive proofs of a Ruler seated on the circle of the heavens, than were vouchsafed to the ancients. </p> <p> A fifth proof of a Providence is furnished by the fact that so many men are here rewarded and punished according to a righteous law. The wicked often feel compunctious visitings in the midst of their sins, or smart under the rod of civil justice, or are tortured with natural evils. With the righteous all things are in general reversed. The miser and envious are punished as soon as they begin to commit their respective sins; and some virtues are their own present reward. But we would not dissemble that we are here met with important objections, although infinitely less, even though they were unanswerable, than beset such as would reject the doctrine of Providence. It is said, and we grant, that the righteous are trodden under foot, and the vilest men exalted; that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong: that virtue starves while vice is fed; and that schemes for doing good are frustrated, while evil plots succeed. But we may reply: </p> <p> The prosperity of the wicked is often apparent, and well styled a shining misery. </p> <p> We are often mistaken in calling such or such an afflicted man good, and such or such a prosperous man bad. </p> <p> The miseries of good men are generally occasioned by their own fault, since they have been so foolhardy as to run counter to the laws by which God acts, or have aimed at certain ends while neglecting the appropriate means. </p> <p> Many virtues are proved and augmented by trials, and not only proved, but produced, so that they would have had no existence without them. </p> <p> The unequal distribution of good and evil, so far as it exists, carries our thoughts forward to the last judgment, and a retribution according to the deeds done in the body and can hardly fail of throwing round the idea of eternity a stronger air of reality than it might otherwise wear. All perplexity vanishes as we reflect that, 'He cometh to judge the earth.' </p> <p> Even if we limit our views to this world, but extend them to all our acquaintance, we cannot doubt that the tendencies, though not always the effects, of vice are to misery, and those of virtue to happiness. These tendencies are especially clear if our view embraces a whole lifetime, and the clearer the longer the period we embrace. Indeed, as soon as we leave what is immediately before our eyes, and glance at the annals of the world, we behold so many manifestations of God, that we may adduce as </p> <p> A sixth proof of Providence the facts of history. The giving and transmission of a revelation, it has been justly said—the founding of religious institutions, as the Mosaic and the Christian—the raising up of prophets, apostles, and defenders of the faith—the ordering of particular events, such as the Reformation—the more remarkable deliverances noticed in the lives of those devoted to the good of the world, etc.—all indicate the wise and benevolent care of God over the human family. But the historical proof of a Providence is perhaps strongest where the wrath of man has been made to praise God, or where efforts to dishonor God have been constrained to do him honor. </p> <p> As a seventh ground for believing in Providence, it may be said that Providence is the necessary basis of all religion. For what is religion? One of the best definitions calls it the belief in a superhuman Power, which has great influence in human affairs, and ought therefore to be worshipped. But take away this influence in human affairs, and you cut off all motive to worship. To the same purpose is the text in Hebrews: 'He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of such as diligently seek Him.' If then the religious sentiments thrill us not in vain—if all attempts of all men to commune with God have not always and everywhere been idle—there must be a Providence. </p> <p> In the eighth place, we may advert to the proof of Providence from the common consent of mankind, with the single exception of atheists. </p> <p> In the last place, the doctrine of Providence is abundantly proved by the Scriptures. </p>