DISPENSATION (Gr. okov okaa, oy-kon-onz-ee'ah, management of household; hence English economy.
(1) These are otherwise called "the ways of God," and denote those schemes or methods which are devised and pursued by the wisdom and good ness of God, in order to manifest his perfections and will to mankind, for the purpose of their in struction, discipline, reformation and advancement in rectitude of temper and conduct, in order to promote their happiness. These are the grand ends of the divine dispensations, and in their aptitude to promote these ends consist their ex cellence and glory.
(2) The works or constitutions of nature are, in a general sense, divine dispensations, by which God condescends to display to us his being and attributes, and thus to lead us to the acknowledg ment, adoration and love of our Creator, Father and Benefactor.
(3) The sacred scriptures reveal and record other dispensations of Divine Providence, which have been directed to the promotion of the reli gious principles, moral conduct and true happi ness of mankind. These have varied in several ages of the world, and have been adapted by the wisdom and goodness of God to the circumstances of his intelligent and accountable creatures. In
this sense the various revelations which God has communicated to mankind at different periods, and the means he has used, as occasion has re quired, for their discipline and improvement, have been justly denominated divine dispensations.
(4) The various dispensations are known as the Patriarchal, the Mosaic. or Jewish, and the Chris tian. They are called the dispensations of grace, the perfection and ultimate object of every other (see Eph. hull; iii :2). All these were adapted to the conditions of the human race at these several periods; all, in regular succession, were mutually connected and rendered preparatory one to the other, and all were subservient to the design of saving the world and promoting the perfection and happiness of its rational and moral inhabi tants. (See COVENAIN'T.) (5) St. Paul uses the term to indicate the office (duty) intrusted to him by God of proclaiming the Gospel (t Cor. ix:17; Col. i :25).
(6) Those acts of God which affect men either in mercy or judgment, are called dispensations of Providence (which see).