Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 1. That which first brought both a present guilt, and entailed a future curse upon mankind, was an inordinate desire of knowledge. And from the fall to this very day, this fatal itch has stuck so close to our nature, that every one is eager to know where he is called only to adore and obey. 2. The Scripture is in nothing more full and frequent than in representing the transcendency of God's ways above all created intellectuals (Psalm 139:6; Psalm 36:6; Psalm 18:9; Psalm 77:19). If we consult its reports, or those of our own experience, about the amazing events of Providence, we shall find the result of our most exact inquiries in the text. I shall demonstrate that the most advanced wisdom of man is incompetent to judge of — I. THE REASON OR CAUSE OF GOD'S WAYS. The causes men assign of the passages of Providence are — 1. For the most part false, as e.g., (1) That the prosperous are the objects of God's love; and the miserable of His hatred. And all this in defiance of the Spirit of God Himself who (Ecclesiastes 9:1) assures us that "no man knows either love or hatred by all that is before him"; nor consequently can conclude himself in or out of favour with God by anything befalling him in this life. Otherwise Lazarus would have been in flames, and the rich man in Abraham's bosom. God sometimes curses men with prosperity, and casts His Jobs upon dunghills, and sells His beloved Josephs into slavery. (2) That the good only must prosper and the bad suffer. A most absurd assertion, for how is it that the good suffer and the bad prosper? — a fact which staggered Asaph (Psalm 73:2), and so confounded Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12:1), that he could almost have offered to dispute the point with God Himself. And from the same topic it was that Job's friends argued, until they were confounded by God's verdict on the whole matter. 2. Always imperfect. Who would assign an adequate reason of anything which God does, must see as far into it as God sees. There is no action of God but there is a combination of impulsive causes concerned in it, one or two of which man may light upon, but the weakness of his discerning powers keeps him inevitably a stranger to far the greater part of them. God, by one and the same numerical lot of providence, may intend to punish one nation, to advance another; to plant the gospel in a third, and to let in trade into a fourth; likewise to make way for the happiness of one man's prosperity, and for the extinction of another's; to reward the virtues of sober and industrious people, and to revenge the crimes of a vicious and rebellious; and we are no more able to search into these than we are to govern the world. II. THE ISSUE AND EVENT OF ACTIONS. Men usually prognosticate — 1. According to the measure of the wisdom of second agents. And it must be confessed that it is the best rule were it not controlled by two better, viz., Scripture and experience. The former of which brings in God laughing at the wisdom of the wise; taking and circumventing the crafty in their own wiles (Job 5:12, 13). And for the latter, history so abounds with instances of the most artificially-spun contrivances dashed in pieces by some sudden and unforeseen accidents, that to ascertain the event of the most promising undertaking, if we trust but our own eyes, we shall have little Cause to trust another's wisdom. 2. From success formerly gained under the same or less probable circumstances. But remember(1) That it is hard, and perhaps scarce possible to repeat any action under perfectly the same circumstances. (2) That in most actions there are still some circumstances not observed, which may have a surer and more immediate influence upon the event than those which, coming more into view, are more depended upon. (3) That the success of every action depends more upon the secret hand of God than upon any causes or instruments visibly engaged in it. 3. According to the preparations made for it, and the power employed in it. And yet we find that it is not always the bigger weight, but sometimes the artificial hand managing the balance which turns the scale. And in like manner, when we have raised armies and manned our fleets, we are still in the hand of that Providence which sometimes sets the crown of victory upon the weak and the few, and disappoints the hopes and breaks the force of the confident and numerous Could anything look more invincible than the Spanish Armada? But we find that there is no commanding the sea without being able to command the winds too. And what a painful defence is multitude on the one side, where Omnipotence takes the other! III. THE USE AND IMPROVEMENT. We may infer — 1. The vanity of making the future event, or presumed success of any enterprise, the rule of our present actings about the same. 2. The absolute necessity of an entire, total, unreserved dependence upon Providence in the most hopeful and promising condition of our affairs. 3. The impossibility of a rational dependence upon Providence with comfort, but in the way of lawful, honest, and religious courses. (R. South, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! |
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