FROM THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

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goodness of God, and therefore to disprove a superintending providence. The minds of reflecting persons have from the earliest times been disturbed by this doubt; and the advocates of providence have endeavoured in various ways to solve it. It is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, and receives various answers according to the different aspects which the subject assumes; e. g. Ps. XXXVII. XXXIX. XLIX., and especially LXXIII. Job XVI. et passim.Many also among the Grecian philosophers were very much perplexed on this subject; and Diogenes the Cynic declared," that the prosperity of the wicked, disproved the power and wisdom of the gods," Cicero, De Nat. Deor. III, 34. Others however, and particularly the Stoics, undertook to answer this objection; and Seneca, in his book "De Providentia," investigates the question, how the righteous can suffer, if there is a divine providence? According to the opinion of Bayle, this objection cannot be met by any satisfactory answer.

But,

(a) This objection results in a great measure from ignorance, and from the low and false estimation put upon the real advantages which the godly enjoy, and the true happiness which flows from the possession of them. Most of those who urge the objection, that the righteous suffer adversity, while the wicked prosper in the world, place happiness in external things,-in the possession of wealth, or in sensual indulgences; and of course regard the poor man, who is little thought of by the world, as unhappy. But in this they mistake, overlooking the essential distinction between true, and only apparent good. True advantages, such as health of body, knowledge of the truth, holiness of heart, and others both of a physical and moral nature, make men happy by their own proper tendency. These are the true spiritual goods, the treasures in heaven of which Christ speaks, by the possession of which alone, the soul is prepared for the true happiness of moral beings. But besides these, there are other things, such as riches, the enjoyments of sense, power and honor, which may become advantages by a wise and rational use of them, but which otherwise are injurious, and the occasions of unhappiness to men. They are however regarded by many, even when unwisely and improperly used, as real blessings, because they excite sensations agreeable to the carnal mind. But to those who form a right judgment respecting them, they are, when improperly used, only apparent blessings; because

the pleasure which they produce is transient, and turns at last to pain. The writer of Ps. XLIX. very justly decides, therefore, that the life of the profligate is only outwardly and in appearance happy, and is often in reality, only splendid and showy misery, to envy which, would be extremely foolish. In Ps. LXXIII., Asaph points to the end of the wicked, and shows that their prosperity, being unsubstantial, is suddenly and in a moment lost. We cannot certainly regard that as a good in reference to another, or account him as happy for the possession of any thing, which he himself does not truly enjoy. But it is not unfrequently the case, that the things most esteemed by the world, so far from making the possessor happy, are the occasion of disquietude and misery. And so it is often said in common life, that the fortune of the rich and powerful is only shining misery; that they are not to be envied; that we would not exchange places with them; etc.

(b) When this is considered, and the state of the virtuous and the vicious is then compared; that of the former, though replete with external sufferings, must be pronounced to be more happy than that of the latter. For although the good man may have no worldly honor, no earthly riches, no superfluity of pleasures; he has true, spiritual good, treasures in heaven, which moth and rust do not corrupt, and which are secure from thieves, Matt. 6: 19, 20; and although he were bowed down under external afflictions, he would yet maintain his integrity of heart, and the reward which the favor of God secures,-the greatest of all the blessings which men cap enjoy; vid. Matt. 16: 25. He has cheerfulness and tranquillity of soul; while those who seek their good in external things are constantly disquieted by passions, cares, and disappointments. But this blessedness which the virtuous man enjoys, makes but little show in the world, and is hence so often undervalued by worldly men. They find it impossible to see or believe, that there can be any happiness in things for which they have so little taste.-This train of thought is much dwelt upon by the Stoical philosophers, and by the sacred writers.

(c) It is a mistake, however, to suppose, that the virtuous always endure more external sufferings, than the wicked; for the righteous are frequently prosperous, even in their worldly affairs; while the wicked are unsuccessful in all their undertakings. But these cases are less noticed, because they seem to follow in the natural course of things.

FROM PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED, ANSWERed.

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(d) Even good men often bring upon themselves, the sufferings which they endure by their own fault; they do not in all cases act according to the law of duty and the rules of prudence; and in such cases, they cannot justly ask to be excepted from the common lot of faulty and injudicious men, and must expect to endure the unhappy consequences of their errors and follies. Christ says, Luke 16: 8, "The children of this world are wiser in their generation, than the children of light;" i. e. those whose affections are fixed upon the world,-the worldly-minded are often more wise with regard to the things of time, than those whose affections are fixed upon heaven are, with regard to their heavenly treasures. The former have more care for their welfare in the present life, than the latter for their blessedness in the world to come. Should pious and good men exhibit the same zeal and prudence, which worldly men exhibit in managing their worldly affairs, how much would they accomplish for their own advantage, and that of others! But since they do not always come up to this standard, they must suffer the evil consequences of their delinquency.

(e) Nothing is more common, than for us to err in our estimate of the moral state and character of other men. All are not pious and virtuous, who appear to be such, and are esteemed such by their fellow men. And it is equally true, that all who are accounted ungodly, are not the gross criminals and offenders, they are sometimes supposed to be; vid. Luke 18: 10, sq. The character of many a man is made out, by those who look upon him with hatred or envy, to be much worse, than it really is. One man commits some flagrant, out-breaking crime, which brings him into disgrace, and draws upon him the contempt of the world; but he may be, at the same time, of a better disposition, and less culpable in the sight of God, than many a reputed saint, who covers over his real shame with the hypocritical pretence of virtue; vid. John 8: 3, 7, 10, 11. And since this is the case, and it is always difficult, and sometimes impossible for us, who cannot search the heart, to determine the true moral character of men, and of their actions; we ought to be extremely cautious in deciding, whether the good or evil which befalls them is deserved or not. In most cases, our judgments on this subject are certainly very erroneous.

(f) The afflictions which good men endure are beneficial to them and to others, and are promotive of their highest welfare.

They often prevent a greater evil which was threatening them; exercise and strengthen their piety, virtue, and confidence in God; increase their zeal in the pursuit of holiness, and consequently their true happiness; and thus verify the declaration of Paul, Rom. 8: 28," that all things work together for the good of those who are friends of God;" cf. Rom. 5: 3. James 1: 2. Matt. 5: 10. Heb. 12: 5-13, especially v. 11, which appears to be copied directly from the heart of an afflicted saint. "No chastening for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them who are exercised thereby." Hence the sufferings of good men are sometimes called лεαoμol, because by means of them their characters are proved, and their faith is tried and strengthened.

(g) But there is one other consideration, which may remove all our doubts, and make us contented when we see the innocent oppressed and suffering, and the wicked who forget God, in a prosperous condition: viz. that the present life is only the first, imperfect stage of our existence,―a state of probation, in which we are to prepare for another and more perfect state. This consoling doctrine respecting the future life, and retribution beyond the grave, is one of the chief doctrines of Christianity, from which every thing proceeds, and to which every thing is referred; and the writers of the New Testament constantly make use of it, and seek to comfort the pious by the truth, that divine justice will not be fully exhibited until the future state shall commence, and that then the righteous shall be richly recompensed by the exceeding greatness of their future reward, for all the evil they have suffered; vid. Rom. 8: 17. 1 Pet. 4: 12-14. 2 Cor. 4: 17, 18, and the parable of Lazarus, Luke xvI., especially v. 25. But of those who act here upon the earth from improper motives, even if they perform actions which in themselves are good and praiseworthy, Christ says, they have their reward, i. e. they may indeed obtain temporal advantages, but God will not reward them with the treasures of the future world; Matt. 6: 2, 5, 16.

tant.

$72. DIVINE Providence universal.

$72. Of the nature and attributes of divine providence.

1. It is universal.

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It extends to every creature and to every event in the universe, -to the small and insignificant, as well as to the great and imporThe Bible every where teaches, that the purpose of God extends not merely to the whole, and to the connexion of all its parts, but to each and every part, their relations and their alterations. His knowledge must accordingly comprehend the smallest and most apparently insignificant circumstances. This follows even from the scriptural idea of creation; vid. § 46. Cf. Ps. 113: 5, 6, “ He dwelleth on high, and humbleth himself to behold the things in heaven and in the earth." Ps. 138: 6, "Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly." Ps. 36: 6. CXLVIII. Matt. 10: 29, 30, "Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice; he numbers the hairs of our heads."

The doctrine, that the providence of God extends even to the minutest things (providentia circa minima) leads us, when it is properly considered, to entertain a very exalted idea of God and his attributes, in that he thinks and cares for every creature which he has made during every moment of its existence, and in every situation in which it is placed. But because the manner in which the providence of God can extend to all individuals, is incomprehensible by the human understanding; and because men are prone to compare God with themselves; this doctrine has been often either wholly misunderstood, or directly denied. Since it is supposed inconsistent with the dignity of princes and the great of the earth, to concern themselves with small affairs; the case is thought to be the same with God, and his honor, it is imagined, is asserted, by denying that he cares for what is small and insignificant. This doctrine was accordingly either doubted or denied by most even of the Grecian philosophers; and indeed it could not appear to them with that degree of clearness in which it appears to us, considering that their ideas respecting matter, and the creation of the world, and the relations in which matter and the world stand to God, were so imperfect, and so wholly unlike those which we have derived from the Bible; vid. $$ 45, 46. Aristotle maintained, that the