Only God Can Govern the World

Puritan: Stephen Charnock

Source: A Treatise of Divine Providence

Originally Delivered: 1680, England

The Lord’s Day: August 9, 2026

“God only is qualified for the universal government of the world. All creatures, as they were unable to create themselves, so are unable to manage themselves without the direction of a superior power, much more unable to manage the vast body of the world.

God is only fit in regard of:

1.   Power. That power which is fit to create is only fit to preserve. A continued creation belongs as much to omnipotence as the first creation. Conservation is but one continued act with creation, following on from an instant to duration, as a line from its mathematical point.

2.   Holiness and righteousness. If he that hates right is not fit to govern (Job 34:17), then He that is infinitely righteous, and has an infinite love to righteousness, is the fittest to undertake that task; without righteousness there would be nothing but confusion in the whole creation. Disorder is the effect of unrighteousness, as order is the effect of justice.

3.   Knowledge. An infinite knowledge to decry all the contrivances and various labyrinths of the hearts of men, their secret intentions and aims, is necessary. No creature has the skill or power to work immediately upon the will of man. He that created the heart, knows all the wards of it, and has only the skill to turn it and incline it as He pleases (Acts 15:8).

4.   Patience. Infinite patience is requisite to the preservation and government of the world, in the circumstances wherein it has stood ever since the fall. What angel, though the meekest, or can all the angels in heaven, be masters of so much patience as is needful for this work of governing the world, though for the space of one day? Could they bear with all those evils which are committed in the world in the space of twenty-four hours? Might we not reasonably conceive, that they would be so tired with the obliquities, disorders, deformities which they would see in the acts of men (besides all the evil, which is in the hearts of men, which lie without the verge of their knowledge), that they would rather call for fire from heaven to burn the world to ashes. This rather fits Him for it, because He can bear with the injuries of wicked men, otherwise the world would not continue a moment.

Angels, though powerful, holy, wise and patient creatures, yet being creatures, lack the infiniteness of all these qualities which are necessary to this government. Though they are knowing, yet they know not men’s hearts; though they are wise, yet they may be charged with a folly uncapable of this; though holy, yet not able in this respect to manage it to the ends and designs of an infinite holiness; though nimble, yet cannot be in all parts of the world at every turn: but the providence of God is infallible, because of His infinite wisdom; unwavering, because of His omnipotence; and righteous, because of His goodness.   

Let this encourage us to Christianity. Though the whole world be in commotion, the earth be removed, and the mountains be cast into the depths of the sea, there is no ground of fear to faith.

Commit your souls to God (1 Peter 4:19) … Wait patiently (Isaiah 30:18) … Wait constantly (Jer. 30:11).”