The Being, who made the world at first, “works hitherto," and will continue forever to work. He upholds and governs the world, and fuperintends all events, great and small, which take place in it. If he fhould fufpend his influence and withdraw his hand, the fyftem of nature would be diffolv ed, the stars would start from their orbs, planets run lawless through the void, and creation return to chaos.

The fame providence which fuftains the univerfe, overrules all events in our world. Not only the armies of heaven, but also the inhabitants of the earth, are fubject to its power. The revolutions of ftates and kingdoms are under its controul. "There are many devices in the hearts of men ; but the counfel of the Lord fhall ftand." They have neither wisdom to guide, nor power to effect their purposes without his fupport and permiffion. He raises up one, and cafts down another; whatsoever he pleafes, that he does, and none can stay his hand. He weakens the ftrength of the mighty, and turns to foolishness the devices of the crafty. He gives power to the faint, and to them who have no might he increafes ftrength. The great events, which are often brought about by difproportionate means, are proofs of an almighty, fuperintending providence.

The prophet, defcribing the wheel of providence, fays, "It was on the earth, and its rings were fo high, that it was dreadful." All things were comprehended within its vaft circumference, and moved with its motions. There is a fimilar representation in the book of Job. "Who can by fearching find out God? Who can find out the almighty to perfection? It is high as heaven; what can we do? Deeper than hell; what can we know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and

broader than the fea." The majefty of providence is described in the like elevated language by the prophet Isaiah. "God fits on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as graffhoppers. He weigheth the mountains in fcales, and the hills in a balance. All nations before him are as a drop in a bucket, or a small duft in a balance. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his thoughts, and his ways above

ours.

II. Providence is compared to a wheel, to fignify the mutability of all things on earth.

As the condition of particular perfons, fo the ftate of nations and kingdoms is always changing. They are all on this mighty, ftupendous wheel. All are in motion. None are ftationary. Some are rifing; others falling. They who rife, exult in their afcending progrefs, and forget that their motion will foon be reverfed, and that the nations, which now feem to lie under them in the duft, will, at a future time, change places with them.

There was a time, when the Jews were high above all nations. In Ezekiel's day they had funk to the lowest degradation. They were at the bottom of the wheel. They had loft their pow. er, their government, their liberty. Many were carried captive to a diftant land; thofe who remained at home, were flaves there. But they were to rife again, and their enemies were to fall. The Affyrians, now their mafters, were afterward conquered by the Perfians. At that time the Jews were released from bondage, and allowed to return to their own country. The Perfians foon funk from their elevated pofition on the wheel and the Grecians rofe over them. These, in their turn, rolled down, and the Romans afcended. Thus

the nations of the earth have been, ftill are, and, for a time, will be in continual rotation.

Thefe changes are the immediate effects of the pride, ambition and avarice of men; but they are all under the fuperintendency of a wife and righteous providence. "The rings of its wheels are full of eyes." Their motions are not cafual, but intelligent; the effects, not of blind impulfe, but of rational defign. "The Spirit of life is in the wheels, and whitherfoever the Spirt goes, they go."

God has fome great and benevolent design in all his works. Men have defigns too, but they are often very different from his. The end, which divine wifdom has in view, is the protection and enlargement of the church, the diffufion of knowledge, and the eventual establishment of virtue and righteousness. The objects, which earthly powers are pursuing, are the enlargement of territory, the extenfion of dominion, the accumulation of wealth. But all their purposes God overrules to the furtherance of his own holy and benevolent ends. "The wrath of men he makes to praise him, and the remainder of their wrath he reftrains." Powerful kings are often "the rods of his anger to chaftife the people of his wrath; howbeit they mean not fo, neither doth their heart think fo, but it is in their heart to deftroy and cut off nations not a few." And when they have accomplished God's righteous defign in the punishment of guilty nations, then " he will punish the fruit of their ftout heart, and the glory of their high looks."

III. The text fuggefts to us, that there is a wonderful order and connexion in the works of providence.

The wheels in Ezekiel's vifion were fo nicely framed and adjufted, that they moved in concert,

and without interference.

"There was a wheel

in the middle of a wheel." Their motions were all harmonious; they were all directed to the fame point, and guided in the fame course by the Spirit, which was in them.

In a complex machine, there is a number of wheels, all which have a relation to, and dependence upon one another. One wheel, put in motion, moves the next, and this another through the whole fyftem, till the main figure is exhibited, and the final object is accomplished. The scheme of providence is more complex, than any human defign. It is carried on by a greater number of movements. It is framed together by more exquifite wisdom. It is conducted with more exact regularity, and accomplishes its end with more infallible certainty.

We can fee a part only of God's immense plan. We cannot difcern his work from the beginning to the end. But we can fee enough to convince us, that there is a wheel within a wheel, and that one movement is produced by another. There is often in the scheme of providence, an obvious connexion, which we can trace through a long feries.

It

The act of Jacob's fons in felling their brother Jofeph into Egypt, led, by various steps, to the prefervation of that country, and of the patriar chal family in a time of extreme famine. brought down this family into Egypt. The increase of the Hebrews awakened the jealousy of the Egyptians who, to check the growth of these forcigners, reduced them to cruel fervitude. The oppreffions which they fuffered were the occafion of their feeking and obtaining deliverance from this land of idolatry. In confequence of their deliverance, a church was planted in Canaan,

which had been long overfpread with ignorance, fuperftition and vice. From hence the knowledge of true religion was afterward communicated to other nations. The Jews often departed from the purity of divine inftitutions, and corrupted the religion, which had been taught them from heaven. For their defection they were punished with various calamities. For their impenitence under milder punishments they were given up to the power of their enemies, and fcattered among furrounding nations. By means of their captivities and difperfions the knowledge of the facred fcriptures and of the ancient prophecies was dif fufed in the world; notices of the future appear. ance of a wonderful Redeemer were conveyed to many nations; the Old Teftament became fo far known and regarded among the learned, that it was tranflated into the Greek, which was the most common-language of the day. Thus the world was, in fome measure, prepared to receive the gospel, when it was preached by the apoftles.

When the Saviour appeared, the Jews rejected him. For their unbelief they were delivered into the hands of the Romans, and fcattered into all parts of the empire. Their difperfion was the occafion of many vifits and epiftles from the apostles to them, and to the gentiles among whom they dwelt. Thus the gofpel was more speedily and more extenfively propagated. Things are now working, in the courfe of providence, for the recovery of that people, who have long feemed to be reprobated for their unbelief. "Have they ftumbled, that they fhould fall? By no means; but rather through their fall is falvation come to the gentiles. And if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them be the riches of the gentiles, how much more their ful