m Mt. Sinai near by and did not warn against it.
4. David numbered the people and as a consequence a pestilence befell
them in which so many thousands of them perished; God sent the prophet
Gad to him not before but after the deed and denounced punishment.
5. Solomon was allowed to establish idolatrous worship.
6. After him many kings were allowed to profane the temple and the sacred
things of the church.
7. And finally that nation was permitted to crucify the Lord.

One who hails nature and human prudence sees nothing but what contradicts
divine providence in these and many other passages of the Word. He can
use them as arguments in denial of providence, if not in his outward
thought nearest to speech, still in his inner thought, remote from it.

237. Every worshiper of self and nature confirms himself against divine
providence:

1. When he sees such numbers of wicked in the world and so many of their
impieties and how some glory in them, and sees the men go unpunished by
God.
2. He confirms himself the more against divine providence when he sees
plots, schemes and frauds succeed even against the devout, just and
sincere, and injustice triumph over justice in the courts and in
business.
3. He confirms himself especially on seeing the impious advanced to
honors and becoming leaders in the state or in the church, abounding,
too, in riches and living in luxury and magnificence, and on the other
hand sees worshipers of God despised and poor.
4. He also confirms himself against divine providence when he reflects
that wars are permitted and the slaughter of so many in them and the
looting of so many cities, nations and families.
5. Furthermore, he reflects that victories are on the side of prudence
and not always on the side of justice, and that it is immaterial whether
a commander is upright or not.

Besides many other things of the kind, all of which are permissions
according to laws of divine providence.

238. The same natural man confirms himself against divine providence when
he observes how religion is circumstanced in various nations.

1. Some are totally ignorant of God; some worship the sun and moon;
others idols and monstrous graven images, dead men also.
2. He notes especially that the Mohammedan religion is accepted by so
many empires and kingdoms.
3. He notes that the Christian religion is found only in a very small
part of the habitable globe, called Europe, and is divided there.
4. Also that some in