God's Minute

November 8

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.--1 Peter 2:1-2

O LORD our God, we desire to thank Thee sincerely for Thy never-failing love and mercy unto us. For all the great temporal blessings, and especially for the gift of Jesus Christ our Saviour, we bless and praise Thy Holy Name.

Cleanse our hearts, we beseech Thee, from all unrighteousness, and forgive wherein we have failed to do Thy will. Grant unto us the strength we need to overcome temptation, and to be brave and cheerful amid the trials and sorrows of life. May the light of Thy truth shine into our hearts, dispelling the darkness of fear and unbelief.

Help us, O Lord, to be more generous in our judgment of others. May Thy wondrous live fill and flood our hearts, making us to be kind and sympathetic in our treatment of those whose lives we touch day by day.

We pray that Thy blessing may descend upon the people of all lands. May the day soon come when the good news of salvation shall have been made known to all mankind. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Rev. Joseph Janes, M.A.,
Ingersoll, Ont., Canada

WCF Chapter V: On Providence IV

On Reformation Day, I was thinking about how God had providentially brought together many and varied people, events, and even an invention to bring about the Protestant Reformation of the church. I posted an entry about some of my thoughts which included Chapter V of the Westminster Confession of Faith: On Providence. My friend, MissM, commented:

My head does not understand IV. I believe it because I know God and that He is good and just but I don't fully comprehend it. I need to pull it apart.

So, in the interest of "pulling it apart" I am going to further divide Chapter V, Section IV into even smaller sections so that we can pull it apart together. I do not pretend to have all the answers--far from it! What I will do is provide the text from the section along with the Biblical references provided by the Westminster divines along with some insights I have gleaned from reading G.I. Williamson's classic volumes on The Westminster Confession of Faith and The Shorter Catechism along with other commentaries such as Thomas Vincent's The Shorter Catechism Explained by Scripture.

I expect this to take some time; partly because of the importance and depth of the subject matter and also because of the real life time constraints of every day life. It's a subject that requires care and deserves development, so I'm going to take it nice and slow.

Before we get to that, though, let's begin with some definitions of Providence:

From the Shorter Catechism:

Question 11:

What are God's Works of Providence?

Answer:

God's Works of Providence are His most Holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions.

From the American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, 1828:
PROV'IDENCE, n. [L. providentia.]

1. The act of providing or preparing for future use or application.
Providence for war is the best prevention of it. [Now little used.]

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.

And last, from Vincent's Shorter Catechism explained by Scripture:

XI. Ques. What are God's works of providence?

Ans. God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

Q. 1. What are the parts of God's providence?

A. The parts of God's providence are—

1. His preservation of things. "O Lord, thou preservest man and beast." — Ps. 36:6.

2. His government of things. "Thou shalt govern the nations upon the earth."— Ps. 67:4.

Q. 2. What is it for God to preserve things?

A. God preserveth things—

1. When he continueth and upholdeth them in their being. "O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven; thou hast established the earth, and it abideth; they continue this day according to thine ordinances."— Ps. 119:89-91.

2. When he maketh provision of things needful for their preservation. "The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satiafiest the desire of every living thing."— Ps. 145:15-16.

Q. 3. What is it for God to govern things?

A. God governeth things when he ruleth over them, disposeth and directeth them to his and their end. "He ruleth by his power for ever, his eyes behold the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves."— Ps/ 66:7. "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps."— Prov. 16:9.

Q. 4. What is the subject of God's providence?

A. The subject of God's providence is—

1. All his creatures, especially his children. "Upholding all things by the word of his power."— Heb. 1:3. "His kingdom ruleth over all."— Ps. 103:19. "One sparrow falleth not to the ground without your Father;— ye are of more value than many sparrows."— Matt. 10:29, 31. "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and if God clothe the grass of the field, shall he not much more clothe you ?"— Matt. 6:26, 28, 30.

2. All the actions of his creatures.

(1.) All natural actions. "In him we live and move."— Acts 17:28.

(2.) All morally good actions. "Without me ye can do nothing" — John 15:5); that is, nothing that is good.

(3.) All casual actions. "He that smiteth a man that he die, and lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand, I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee."— Exod. 21:12-13.

(4.) All morally evil actions or sins.

Q. 5. How doth God's providence reach sinful actions?

A. 1. God doth permit men to sin. "Who in time past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways."— Acts 14:16. "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence."— Ps. 50:21.

2. God doth limit and restrain men in their sins. "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."— Ps. 76:10. "Because thy rage against me is come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook into thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back," &c. — 2 Kings 19:28.

3. God doth direct and dispose men's sins to good ends, beyond their own intentions. "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, I will send him against an hypocritical nation," (namely, to chastise it for its sin) "howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so," &c.— Isa. 10:5-7 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to save much people alive."— Gen. 50:20.

Q. 6. What are the properties of God's providence?

A. 1. God's providence is most holy. "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in ail his works."— Ps. 145:17.

2. God's providence is most wise. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works?" (speaking of the works of providence, as well as creation) "in wisdom hast thou made them all"— Ps. 104:24.

3. God's providence is most powerful. "He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand."— Dan. 4:35. "He ruleth by his power for ever."— Ps. 66:7.

Related Tags: Providence, Westminster Confession of Faith, Shorter Catechism, Webster's 1828 Dictionary, Thomas Vincent, Vincent's Shorter Catechism Explained by Scripture

What have you done?

I've seen this around bloglandia for a week or so, most recently at MissM's.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside outside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (the storm was at sea, I was on shore)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (huge is relative. I was at the final game of the season that determined whether the Indians would go on to the play offs. They didn’t.)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (no, but I walked up the spiral staircase in Notre Dame!)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (well, only my head slept under the stars; my body was zipped in the tent.)
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing (Devils Den, Gettysburg Battlefield, several times)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (with the TV, but not in public--never in public)
59. Lounged around in bed all day (I was very ill, so lounge is a relative term)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (does taping songs from the radio when you were ten years old count?)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (or at least well enough to communicate effectively with another person who spoke no English for three days)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised/ing children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (sort of, but not without reason)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking (happens regularly)
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart (at least temporarily)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (I was very sick)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey (does a children’s version count?)
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read (more than one)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (long story that involved a child's first fish, a freezer, a fish that would not die, and a trip to the grocery store for a filet)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (happens everyday in my house—Just call me Dr. Doolittle)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ (does spinning records at church camp count?)
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (Twice; both times involving only my car and a garage.)
150. Saved someone’s life

God's Minute

November 7

This is His commandment, that we believe.--1 John 3:23

OUR Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. We thank Thee for the day that is before us, with its opportunities, its privileges, its unexpected pleasures, and its disappointments as well. We rejoice in the opportunity to serve Thee, to witness for Thee in our intercourse with men. May we be ever ready to display a sympathetic interest in the welfare of those with whom we mingle in the home, the train, the busy street, the office and the shop. As we look back over the life of our Lord, we find that wherever He moved among men they were conscious of a rising hope within them, their spirits were quickened, and they faced life's tasks with new courage and hopefulness. Grant, our Father, that we, too, may be used this day, through the Holy Spirit, in making Christ very real to someone. May we find keen enjoyment in the work which we have been called upon to do, and may we seek to know Thy will in the commonplace duties which in They providence have been assigned to us. When discouragement confronts us and when obstacles are placed in our paths--yes, even when perhaps we may not have any tangible evidence on which to base our hope--may we then trust Thee fully and completely, for Thou art our Father and our God.

Amen.

S. Earle Hoover,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

God's Minute

November 6

As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.--Matthew 8:13

OUR Father in Heaven, as children come to an earthly parent, so we, Thy children, come to Thee. We acknowledge Thy goodness in keeping us in safety during the night, and in the mercies renewed to us with the return of the day. While we have been locked in slumber, Thou hast sustained us, and the morning of a new day finds us with renewed vigor for its labor and toil.

As the day brings to us fresh obligations, fit us for their discharge. As new temptations make their appeal to us, strengthen us for their resistance. In new battles we may have to fight, lead us to victory. Fortify us against the evil we may have to meet, and make us responsive to every uplifting and helpful influence. May the evil tendencies in our nature constantly grow less insistent. May the spirit of love to Thee and to all become the fixed characteristic of our lives.

Accept our gratitude for daily renewed mercies. Give us pardon for all our sins. Keep us as a family from harm and evil today, and when our days on earth are past, bring us to the Heavenly home. We ask it in Christ's name.

Amen.

Rev. J.W. Stewart,
Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada