Gods Three Arrows, Section 5 – Section 7
§. 5. Of Chance.
Such being the extent of Gods providence as hath beene ſhewed, the concluſions following may well be inferred.
I. FOrtune is a meere fiction. Fortune, I ſay, as commonly it is taken, in oppoſition to Gods Providence. For, aStultitia, & error, & caecitas fortunae nomen induxit. Lactan. Inſtit 3. 29.folly, errour, and blindneſſe hath brought in the name of Fortune. What fortune or chance is, to take it poſitively as a diſtinct thing that may have a being, none ever could tell. It is a meere fancy, and vaine conceit, or rather a plaine deceit of mans idle braine. Yet bTeſacimus fortuna Deam, coelo que l…camus. Iuvenal.the Heathen have ſet her in the number of their goddeſſes, and placed her in heaven. cParant fortunae menſam, nihil ad Deum pertinere credentes: ſed vel ſtellarum curſu, vel varie tate fortunae omnia gubernari. Hier. Cōment. l. 18. in Esa. 65.They prepare a table for fortune, beleeving nothing to belong to God, but all things to be ordered either by the courſe of the ſtarres, or by the mutability of fortune. Yea, not onelyonly the vulgar, but many others alſo among thoſe that profeſſe Chriſtianity, dote too much upon her, and attribute too many things unto her, whereby God is robbed of much honour. I know not any one other thing, whereunto, more of thoſe things which are done by God, are attributed, then to fortune, or chance, or lucke, (for theſe are but ſeverall titles which are uſed to ſet out one and the ſame thing.) Commonly thoſe things which are moſt immediately done by the divine Providence, are aſcribed to Fortune. For, when they ſee not any apparent externall cauſe of a thing, they conceit it to be done by Fortune. How frequent in mens mouths are thoſe phraſes, good luck, ill luck: By good fortune I got this: It was my ill fortune to loſe this. Yea, Chriſtians have learned of Heathen Philoſophers to entitle all the externall good things of this world with this ſtile, goods of Fortune: and ſtill that old diſtinction of good things is retained, Goods of the Mind, (as knowledge, wiſdome, temperance, and all ſorts of ſuch vertues) Goods of the Body (as, Health, ſtrength, beauty, Bona animi, Bona corporis, Bona fortunae.&c.) Goods of Fortune (as, Honour, Wealth, Peace, &c.)
The Heathen by this phraſe, Goods of Fortune, implyed that all the things of this world were ordered and diſpoſed by their goodeſſe Fortune.
Ob. The Holy Ghoſt in ſacred Scripture uſeth this title chance: eLuk. 10. 31. foreignBy chance there came downe, &c. and ſeemeth to attribute all thereto, in this phraſe, fEccl. 9. 11.chance happeneth to them all.
Anſw. Chance or Fortune is taken two wayes, either for a cauſe of it ſelfe, oppoſed to the divine providence, as the Epicures, other Philoſophers, and many of the vulgar take it: So the Philistims uſe it, 1 Sam 6. 9. or els for the hiddenneſſe or ſecrecy of a cauſe; when the cauſe of a thing is ſecret and hidden from us, then it is ſaid to fall out by chance; whereby is meant the ſecret appointment, diſpoſing, and providence of God. gProvidentiam Dei quae ad ho mines pertinet, nonnunquam Fortunam appellant, quia efficiat multa improviſa, nec opinata nobis propter obſcuritatem, ignorationem… cauſarum Cic Academ. 1Some of the wiſer among the Heathen diſcerned, and affirmed as much: namely, that the Providence of God, ſo farre forth as it concerneth man, is ſometimes called Fortune, becauſe it effecteth many things, to us unawares and unthought of, by reaſon of the obſcurity and ignorance of cauſes.
In this latter ſenſe the Holy Ghoſt uſeth the word chance: Nihil aliud in rebus caſum vocamus, niſi cujus ratio & cauſa ſecreta eſt. Aug contr. Acad. l. 1 Nihil fit niſi quod aut ipſe facit, aut fieri ipſe permittit. Aug. de Bon. Perſev. l. 2. c. 6.whereby it excludes mans projecting or determining this or that, not Gods Providence. To it there is no chance or fortune at all. Thus God is ſaid to deliver him to a mans hand, whom we ſuppoſe to be kild by chance. (compare for this purpoſe Exo. 21, 13. with Deut. 19. 4, 5.) Yea the whole diſpoſition of a lot, is ſaid to be of the Lord, Pro. 16. 33. So as there is nothing done, ſeeme it to us never ſo caſuall, but God either doth it or ſuffereth it to be done. Fortune, as oppoſed hereunto, is a moſt deteſtable idoll.
§. 6. Of Gods Providence extending it ſelfe to things below.
II. *See §. 5.GODS Providence extendeth it ſelfe to things here below. If to all things (as hath been proved, §. 3.) then to things under heaven. The inſtance here in my text given of ſparrowes, and the other particular inſtances noted in the generall doctrine, give expreſſe evidence hereunto.
Theſe inferiour things under heaven, by reaſon of their mutability, manifold infirmities, and contrariety one againſt Quidam Philoſophi ex ſiderum curſu at que conſtantia ſuſpicantur eſſe in …oe…e ſtibus providentiam: & terrena contemni, dum nihil redi, nec iuxta ordinem in terris geritur. Hier. Comment l 3. in Ezek. 8. Lege Aug. Enar in Pſal. 188. cont. iſtud delirium.another, do ſtand in moſt need of a divine Providence. And ſurely the divine Providence will moſt manifeſt and exerciſe it ſelfe, where is moſt need thereof. In this reſpect God is ſaid to be A Father of the fatherleſſe, a judge of the widowes, a preſerver of the ſtranger, &c. Pſal. 68. 5. & 1469.
This extent of the divine Providence to things here below, I do the rather note, becauſe many Philoſophers, and others alſo have limited and bounded Gods Providence within the circuit of the celeſticall orbes. Such were thoſe whom Eliphaz taxeth, Iob 22. 13, 14.
That they may not ſeeme to be mad without reaſon, they give this ground, that in heaven all things are caried with an unalterable courſe and conſtancy, but on earth nothing is done according to order.
Anſw. 1. This latter aſſertion, that nothing is done according to order, is moſt falſe.
2. The ſeeming diſorder of things here below, is ſo farre from giving evidence againſt the divine Providence about them, as it doth rather ſtrongly evince that Gods Providence reacheth ſo farre. For, notwithſtanding their diſorder, by the divine wiſdome they are brought to good ends. How could all things (being ſo diſordered, yea ſo contrary one to Rom. 8. 28.another) worke together for good to them that love God, were it not that they are ordered and governed by the divine Providence?
Let this extent of Providence to theſe inferiour things be the rather noted, that we may thereby be brought to diſcerne the wiſdome of God, to call upon him, to truſt to him, to depend on him, and patiently to expect a good iſſue in all things whatſoever do, or may befall us.
§. 7. Of deſpiſing meane things.
III. *See §. 5.MEane things are not to be deſpiſed. Nothing whereunto God extendeth his Providence is to be deſpiſed. But we have heard how God extendeth his Providence to the meaneſt things. This is true of unreaſonable creatures. How much more true is, it of reaſonable? which are not onelyonly governed by the divine providence, but alſo created after Gods image, redeemed by the bloud of his Sonne, ſanctified by his Spirit, and reſerved to eternall glory in heaven. That this conſequence of not deſpiſing that wherof God taketh care, is a good and juſt conſequence, is evident by the like, thus inferred by the Apoſtle, Let not him Rom. 14. 3.that eateth deſpiſe him that eateth not. For, God hath received him. So as he whom God receiveth, is not to be deſpiſed.
On this ground many proud deſpiſers of others are juſtly to be taxed, as,
1. Such as the proud Phariſie, who was ſo conceited in Luk. 18. 10, &chis owne righteouſneſſe, as he deſpiſed the humble, contrite, penitent Publicane, who, according to Chriſts owne determination, went down to his houſe justified rather then the other.
2. Such hard-hearted and unmercifull men, as the Priest and Levite were, who ſeeing a poore man robbed, ſtripped, Luk. 10. 30, &cwounded, and left halfe dead, paſſed by him (though they ſaw him in that pitifull plight) the one on the one ſide, the other on the other ſide, but affoorded him no ſuccour at all.
3. Such as take occaſion from the infirmities of men to abuſe them, and to ſcorne them. The Law giveth two inſtances, inſtead of many, by way of prohibition, thus, Thou ſhalt not curſe the deafe, nor put a ſtumbling blocke before the Lev. 19. 14.blind.
4. Such ungratious children as mocke their father, and deſpiſe to obey their mother. A fearefull judgement is paſſed Pro. 30. 17.againſt ſuch. The ravens of the vally ſhall plucke out his eye, Deut. 27. 16.and the young eagles ſhall eat it. Yea, he that ſetteth light by his father or mother is pronounced accurſed.
5. Such undutifull ſervants as take occaſion from their maſters meanneſſe, weakneſſe, age, poverty, or any other infirmity to contemne them. Thus was he in his affliction dealt withall, who ſaid, They that dwell in my houſe, and my maids count me for a ſtranger. I am an alien in their ſight. I Iob 19. 16, 17.called my ſervant, and he gave me no anſwer, &c.