THE DIVINE SOVERIGNTY

Sometimes it has seemed to us difficult to write or speak concerning A scriptural subject, from the very fact that it seems so plain, and so much is said about it in the word of God, that we are at a loss where to begin, or where to close, or what Scripture shall be quoted. 

The subject named at the head of this article is one of this kind. To refer to all the Scriptures which directly or indirectly treat upon the sovereignty of God would be to transcribe nearly the whole Bible. This we cannot or of course undertake to do. Nor, in the limits of an editorial, can we treat upon all that is connected with this theme. 

The truth that the Lord reigns, as expressed at the beginning of the 97th Psalm, is one that has been made precious to us. As well as to many of the people of God, as we doubt not. It is of this theme. As it has seemed precious to us that we desire to write at this time. But how halting and stammering must all words seem when we endeavor to speak of such a theme, save the words of the scriptures themselves? We feel like saying "Lo, these are parts of his ways, but how little a portion is heard of him? But the Thunder of his power, who can understand?"

Connected with the theme of the divine sovereignty. And as the first step leading up to it is the truth of the eternity of Jehovah. It is the express declaration of the Prophet that the high and lofty one, whose name is holy, inhabits eternity. The word eternal or eternity is directly ascribed to God some eight or nine times in the Bible. While several times the life which Jesus is and which he gives to his people is called eternal. But surely we need not multiply quotations from the Scriptures to prove this. Nor need we argue to prove what we are persuaded no child of God will deny: That eternity is an attribute of the God whom we worship as our God and Savior. We refer to it because it seems very manifest that the truth may be inseparably linked with the unlimited sovereignty of God.

Now, if eternity is an attribute of Deity, it cannot be an attribute of any other being. God alone is as eternal as all other Beings began to be. God alone is the Creator. All other beings are creatures. That which is created must have a beginning. The creator of all must be before all. To say that a creature is as old as his creator is to give utterance to an absurdity. If eternity can be predicated truthfully on any other being than Jehovah, then that being is not a creature of God and is not dependent upon God for existence or for support. There would be if this be true, another God, a rival of the only living and true God. 

Hence the scriptures declare that there is but one God and he alone is eternal.
It is also manifest that if any being can be said to be eternal in its nature, then that being must be also self-existent. This would appear from a moment's consideration of what Is implied. By eternal existence. It is an existence before which there could be no other existence. Therefore that which is eternal could not be created. It must exist in and of itself, and this is to be self-existent. If eternity can be predicated on any other being than Jehovah, then that being also is self-existent. God is not its author or creator. That which God has created can be neither eternal nor self-existent. It is blasphemy against God to ascribe eternity to any other being. It is saying that there are some things that he did not create. And that he has rivals and equals in the universe. If we say that any. Man or Angel or any spirit, good or bad, has an eternal existence. We are also saying that such a man, Angel, or spirit is self-existent and therefore the equal of Jehovah. But as the Bible ascribes returning to Jehovah and to him alone as self-existence can belong to him only.

In full harmony with this truth, the scriptures again and again declare him to be the Creator. Nearly fifty times as God declared to be the Creator in the Bible. And in no instance is the work of creation ascribed to man or to any other being saved by Jehovah. But if the scriptures did not fully and clearly testify. That God alone is a creator of all, we should be compelled to so conclude from the fact of His eternity and self-existence, and that God is the Creator of all as in full harmony with his unlimited sovereignty. For surely he must exercise unlimited sway over what he himself has brought into existence.

Still further, the scriptures again and again declare our God to be omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, unchangeable, and absolute in knowledge and wisdom. We cannot hear, transcribe, or even refer to those portions of the word that again and again declare these things. We Doubt not that all our readers believe and love these things. We refer them here only to point out that they are divine harmony with the doctrine of the eternity and self-existence of Him who created all things by the word of His power. If plain scriptural testimony did not declare these things to be true of God, we should be compelled to believe them from the eternity and self-existence which the scriptures do ascribe to Him. He who inhabits eternity must be of necessity also infinite in power, knowledge, and extent of being. And as these things follow from a belief in the eternity and self-existence of God, so they are essential to His unlimited sovereignty. He cannot be unlimited in sovereignty unless he is also unlimited in wisdom, power, and knowledge, and is also everywhere and always equally present. All the attributes of Jehovah are harmonious with each other, and we cannot ascribe to him any of them without involving all, and we cannot limit him in any one of them without also limiting him at all. Let us beware of how we limit God. 

It was one of the sins charged by the psalmist upon ancient Israel that they limited God. In full harmony with all that has been written and with the doctrine of the Divine Sovereignty is what the Scriptures declare concerning His Providence. The word Providence signifies forethought, to provide beforehand. We would hardly know where to begin or end in referring to the scriptures which speak of and magnify his Providence among men. All that can by any possibility be supposed to be. For the welfare of men is ascribed to the provision of God. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. His Providence is declared in the Word to extend to all men the evil, as well as to good, and to birds, beasts, and fish, and even to worms and insects. It meets and satisfies the desire of every living thing. Moreover, his Providence is declared to extend to the very smallest event in human life. From the setting up and casting down of a king or a nation to the least service of the most insignificant servant in that nation, all is included in the Providence that overrules and directs all events. How slow are we to remember that our God does not judge things by men's standards! 

We call men and things and events great which in His sight are despised, while things and men that we pass by unnoticed to work out the vast designs of God. What a view of the directing Providence of God is seen in the words of the Savior to His disciples. Not one of them sparrows can fall to the ground without your Father. We have heard this quote without the notice of your father. But what Jesus said is better than this. It is without him, he said, The very hairs of your head are all numbered. How wonderful is that Providence, which so minute that it not a hair of the head, escapes its care! Now what the Scriptures declare concerning the Divine Providence is inseparably linked with the Divine sovereignty. There could be no divine Providence without divine sovereignty. One must be coextensive with the other. What do men mean by the unlimited sovereignty of God? While it is not a Bible expression, it expresses a Bible truth. It means that God reigns everywhere in the universe and that He always has and always will, so reign. Is there any place in the universe where God does not reign? Then we shall have found the space where he is not and which he did not create. 

The unlimited sovereignty of God means that nothing escapes his supreme control. What is implied if this is not in the words of the Apostle? All things work together for good to them that love God, and to those who are the called according to his purpose. Again, how could the Apostle say of tribulation, life, death, things present, and things to come that they should not separate us from the love of God? And that in all these things we are more than conquerors unless he fully recognized the fact that all these things were swayed by the will of God and were made to accomplish his purpose. How could he, inspired by Psalmist, say "The Wrath of Man shall praise you. The remainder of Wrath you shall restrain." Except in full view of this great truth, that God reigns everywhere and always. We can ascribe no bounds to the divine sovereignty without also being guilty of the sin of limiting Jehovah himself. 

Let the enemies of God find any event in the history of the world which was not embraced in the supreme control of Jehovah, and which did not work together with all things besides for the accomplishment of His own ends. And they will have pointed out a place and time where God was not. And will have denied his omniscience and omnipresence. How full and clear the testimony of the psalmist is. "Whatsoever the Lord pleased that He did in heaven and in the earth, in the seas and all deep places." Psalm. 135.6. We would be glad to transcribe the whole Psalms that are limited. Permit the Scriptures of the Old Testament to ascribe all events in life to God. They recognize his decree in the offense. In them, all things bow to the dread supremacy of Jehovah. They know nothing of modern ideas of human free will and independence except to condemn them.

We wish to lift up our voice in solemn warning against any Old School Baptist being entangled by this modern God free will. It is the root of all Arminianism. And just so far as we give place to free will, we limit the sovereignty of God. There is no room for triumphant grace and man's free will to stand upon the same ground. If man's will is free, then farewell to salvation by grace. Grace must kill free will, or else freewill will kill grace, and so where divine sovereignty appears, free will is excluded. If free will should exist anywhere in the universe, there Jehovah does not exercise unlimited sovereignty. Ever since we have believed in a Creator who brought all things into existence and holds them in being by the word of His power. It has been clear in our mind that the will of God alone is, or can be free.

We must conclude, then, that the sovereignty of God is unlimited from a consideration of His eternity, self, existence, wisdom, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, from the fact that He is the Creator of all things. From the universality of his Providence, and from the multiplied testimony of the Holy Scriptures which directly declare this truth.
This truth is good and wholesome for us to receive and believe. This is true for many reasons. 

First. It is evident that we cannot worship God or right unless we know him a right. To worship God is simply to ascribe to him that which is true of him, and to adore him and praise him for what he is and for what he does. If our God be possessed of unlimited sway in all the universe, we suitably worship Him when we ascribe this attribute to Him. If we do not ascribe unlimited sovereignty to Him when it is His, we are not worshipping Him in a suitable or becoming manner, and our worship cannot be acceptable to Him.

Second, if unlimited sovereignty is true of Him, and we are found confessing it with adoring wonder, we are in this worship, one with all the angelic hosts, with all the glorified Saints, and with all the spirits of just men made perfect in past ages. And with the people of God now in every land on earth. Surely it is good to be in harmony with all the multiplied hosts who love and adore and praise God, ascribing to him blessing and honor and power and glory and might and dominion, world without end.

Third. To believe in and confess his unlimited sovereignty is fitted to give strength to the weak, confidence to the doubting, courage to the fearful-hearted, and victory to the tempted. If we believe in the unlimited sovereignty of God, it will help us to be calm and confident under trials, and to go on our way, fearing not what men may do unto us. Because God reigns, we can believe and rest in the testimony of such scriptures as these. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, says the Lord.

Fourth. Believing in the absolute and unlimited sovereignty of God, the child of God can be sure that every prophetic utterance of the Word of God shall be fulfilled, that every promise given to those who believe in Christ is secure, and that in nothing shall the Word of God fail. If, on the other hand, we and our thoughts limited divine sovereignty either in point of space-time, or degree. We can feel sure of nothing. Just as that place or time where his sovereignty is not absolute. May be the place we are in and then we have no safety but stand exposed to every assault of the enemy without shelter or defense.

Fifth. If Jehovah is unlimited in His sovereignty, then it is sure that not one event of our lives is the product of chance. From the cradle to the grave, in every step of our lives, God's ruling hand is seen. Our sorrows are measured out to us as well as our joys. Both alike come and go at his command. There is not a child of God, who has been baptized with the baptism of suffering, who does not rejoice to believe that in it all God has reigned supreme. We have known for some of some children of God who, in the years of their prosperity, did not feel prepared to acknowledge the full measure of the sovereignty of God. But we have never yet known one. Who has followed the Savior in His sufferings very far? Who did not believe in rejoicing to believe that God had reigned and His will had been done in it all? What does the experience of submission or reconciliation or resignation to the will of God in the hour of sorrow and suffering mean if the will of God has not reigned in the sorrow or suffering? It is wholly inconsistent to say I am reconciled, or I desire to be reconciled to the will of God in my affliction, if at the same time that one does not believe in acknowledging the sovereign appointments of God in his affliction.

Sixth. If such be the happy result of a firm belief in this glorious truth. How can the servants of God forbear to proclaim it? If our hearts are full of it, we must speak of it, and as we publish the name of the Lord and ascribe greatness to him, to many poor and needy souls, it shall be as the dropping of the rain and the stealing of the dew upon the new mode grass. And many will be constrained to adopt the language of the prophet Isaiah and say how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good tidings, that publish peace, that bring that publishes salvation, that says under Zion. Your God reigns.!