The Ways of Providence - Christadelphian Studies

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE 25
which are expressly declared in the illustrations brought
forward to be the work of God, alias providence.
The first signal illustration is the case of Abraham.
There was much in his life that belongs to the category
of revelation, such as the direct summons to leave the
land of the Chaldees, the command to offer Isaac, repeated
interviews with members of the angelic host, &c.
With such, at present, we have nothing to do. We look
to the incidents of what may be considered the natural
order avowedly manipulated by the hand of providence.
They are not awanting.
Abraham, at a certain stage of his journeyings,
sojourned dt Gerar.—(Gen. xx. 1.) Seeing the licentious
character of the neighbourhood, he feared his life might
be endangered by the comeliness of his wife, if the relation
were avowed. He, therefore, agreed with Sarah, who
was his sister on his father's side, though not on his
mother's (verse 12), that she should announce herself his
sister. The result was that Sarah was the object of the
king's attention, and Abraham was honoured for her
sake. "Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah."
She was at his court for a considerable time —(verse 18 )
He supposed her to be an unmarried woman and free,
and his desires were towards her. How came it that he
did not give effect to his ideas ? We learn from a
divine message communicated to him (verse 6). "I know
that thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart; for I
also withheld theefrom sinning against Me, THEREFORE,
SUFFERED I THEE NOT TO TOUCH HER." ThlS instance
bears two ways, first, with respect to Abraham, God