A phrase John used yesterday that caught my ear. Sounds like something that came from somewhere... and so might be amenable to search. What turns up?
Introduction: Conservatism and History Carolina Armenteros 2011...Joseph de Maistre's historical thought. For Maistre, history was a moral force, the vehicle of Providence, the site for the accumulation of experience, and the tool for discovering what humanity actually is. It was a nearly total means of explanation, guided by a God who was a source of illumination.Words on the Word coramfratribus.com
...Cyrus is called the Lord's anointed, that's messiah in Hebrew, christ in Greek. He is chosen, called, and honoured even though he remains ignorant of the Power — the one true God — who is acting in his life. Cyrus is a vehicle of providence, a crucial connecting link in God's plan of salvation without having an idea of what he is being used forMoney All-Powerfull From 'The Review' by Daniel Defoe (16 October, 1707)
...O MONEY, Money! What an influence hast thou on all the affairs of the quarreling, huffing part of this world, as well as upon the most plodding part of it! Without thee parliaments may meet, and councils sit, and kings contrive,but it will all be to no purpose, their councils and conclusions can never be put in execution! Thou raisest armies, fightest battles, fittest out fleets, takest town, kingdoms, and carriest on the great affairs of the war; All power, all policy is supported by thee, even vice and virtue act by thy assistance, by thee all the great things in the World are done, thou makest heroes, and crown'st the actions of the mighty; By thee, in one sense kings reign, armies conquer, princes grow great, and nations flourish.Mighty Neuter! Thou great jack-a-both sides of the world, how hast thou brought all things into bondage to thy tyranny? How art thou the mighty word of this war, the great wheel in the vast machine of politick motion, the vehicle of providence, the great medium of conveyance, in which all the physick of the secret dispensation in human Affairs is administered, and by the quantity of which it operates to blessing or cursing? Well art thou called the God of this world; for in thy presence and absence consists all the heaven or hell of human affairs; for thee, what will not mankind do, what hazards will they run, what villanies perform? For thee, kings tyrannize, subjects are oppressed, nations ruined, fathers murdered, children abandoned, friends betrayed. Thou art the charm that unlocks the cabinet, unscrews nature; for thee, the traitor fawns, the parasite flatters, the profligate swears, and the hypocrite prays; for thee, the virgin prostitutes, the honourable degenerates, the wise man turns fool, the honest man a knave, the friend turns traitor, the brother turns a stranger, Christians turn Heathens, and Mankind devils.
Providence appears in Swedenborg, so I ought to have some sense of the term's signification (see Angelic Wisdom concerning The Divine Providence (1764) ...and
...In Divine Providence Swedenborg explains why it is that we cannot always see God's hand in our chaotic world. Why tragedy and war are allowed to happen and how these things relate to us. If God were to remove all tragedies from our lives of what worth would free will be?and compare this from George Dole:Divine Providence is one of the major works of the Enlightenment scientist and religious seer Emanuel Swedenborg. It provides a coherent and satisfying solution to what has been called "the problem of evil": How are God's goodness and power reconcilable with evil's presences in the larger world and in the human mind and heart? By tackling an array of issues that commonly undermine belief in God, including war, suffering, and inequality—and by revealing the wise and loving laws that lie hidden behind these seemingly senseless phenomena—Divine Providence aims to restore our faith in the meaningfulness of the world. Despite its universal focus, Divine Providence is also a highly practical book on the personal level, demonstrating how we can put aside negative attitudes and behaviors and grow into positive thought and action....though I'm not sure that these cast any useful light on the phrase as John used it.