Gods Three Arrows, Section 22 – Section 23
§. 22. Of the meanes of famine ordered by God.
MEanes of famine are ſuch as theſe.
1. The heavens with-holding raine. For the earth is drie of its owne nature: being drie it can yeeld no fruit. The ordinary meanes of watering and moiſtening it, is raine from heaven. Where that is with-held, the earth waxeth drie and barren: and living creatures want that ſuſtenance which ſhould maintaine their life. But it is God that cauſeth the heavens to with-hold raine. aLev. 26. 19.I (ſaith the Lord) I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as braſſe. Iron can not diſſolve into water, nor braſſe yeeld out fruit. The meaning then is, that heaven over them ſhould yeeld no raine, nor the earth under them, fruit. More plainely ſaith the Lord in other places, bIſay 5. 6.I will command the clouds that they raine no raine upon it. cAmos 4. 7.I have with-holden the raine from you. I cauſed it to raine upon one city, and cauſed it not to raine upon another city. As an evidence hereof, dIam. 5. 17. 1 King. 17. 1.Elias prayed earneſtly that it might not raine: and it rained not on the earth by the ſpace of three yeares and ſix moneths.
2. The heavens ſhowring downe raine in ſuch unuſuall abundance, as thereby the fruits which the earth hath brought forth are deſtroyed: eſpecially in harveſt time. We have few inſtances hereof in Scripture: For Iudea was under an hot climate: ſo as oft they wanted raine, but ſeldome had too much. Our Northerne, cold Regions of the world are moſt puniſhed with over-much raine: which oft cauſeth dearth and famine. Yet that this unſeaſonable and overflowing abundance of water is ordered by God, is evident by that great inſtance of the eGen. 7. 11, 12.generall deluge: and by that extraordinary inſtance of f1 Sam, 12, 17.thunder and raine, that at Samuels prayer fell in a day of wheat-haruest. This phraſe, gPro. 28. 3.A ſweeping raine which leaveth no food, ſheweth that of old there was ſuch immoderate raine as cauſed famine. And this ſpeech of the Lord himſelfe, hEzek. 38. 22.I will raine an over-flowing raine, and great haile-ſtones, ſheweth, that God ordereth immoderate raine.
3. Barrenneſſe of the earth. For iPſal. 104. 14.God bringeth forth food out of the earth. And for their ſuſtenance, kPſal. 115. 16.The earth hath he given to the children of men. If therefore the earth where men abide be barren, there muſt needs be dearth and famine. But it is the Lord that maketh a land barren. lPſal. 107. 34.He turneth a fruitfull land into barrenneſſe. In this reſpect it is ſaid, m1 Cor. 3. 7.Neither he that planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth: but God that giveth the increaſe.
4. Very ſharpe winters, extraordinary froſts, ſnow, haile, blaſting, mildew, rotting of ſeed under the clods, and ſuch like meanes as deſtroy corne and other fruits, before they come to maturity for mans uſe. Theſe are expreſly noted to n1 King 8 37 Iocl 1. 17.cauſe famine, and to be oAmos 4. 9.ordered by God.
5. pPſal. 105. 34. Nah. 3. 15.Locusts, graſhoppers, cater-pillars, canker-wormes, palmer-wormes, and other like hurtfull creatures which oft by their innumerable multitudes eate up all the graſſe, corne, herbes, and fruits of the earth whereby men and beaſts are nouriſhed: and ſo qIoel 1. 4.cauſe famine. Theſe God calleth his r—2. 25.great army. They are therefore at his command, diſpoſed by him.
6. Enemies. Theſe oft bring great famines: and that by ſIudg. 6. 4.deſtroying the increaſe of the earth, and all manner of cattell, and leaving no ſuſtenance: For they kill, and burne, and ſpoile all that they can, when they enter into others lands. Yea and by blocking up people within narrow compaſſes: girting and beſieging their townes and cities, ſo as they can not go abroad to uſe any meanes for ſupply of their wants. The foreſt famines that ever were, have beene cauſed this way. t2 King. 6. 25.Enemies long beſieging a place, force the incloſed to eate the fleſh of aſſes, the dung of doves, and any thing that they can chew or ſwallow. Yea, it forceth them uDeut 28. 53. 2 King. 6. 29.to eate their owne children. Now enemies which ſo afflict others, are Gods xIſa. 10. 5. 15.rod, ſtaffe, axe, ſaw, yIer. 50. 23.hammer, zIſa 34 5, 6. Ier. 12. 12.ſword, *Ier. 43. 10. Peſtis … implicata ſaepiſſi… graſſatur. Niceph. Eccleſ. Hiſt l. 7. c. 28,ſervants.
7. The plague. Many are thereby taken away: others moved to depart from their callings, and meanes of maintaining themſelves, and providing for others. Whence followes penury and famine. We a1 King. 8. 27. Ezek. 7. 15. Ier. 24 10.oft in Scripture reade of plague and famine joyned together. For the one is a cauſe of the other. Famine breedeth peſtilence: and peſtilence cauſeth famine. bforeign fames foreign peſtis utranque a foreign deficeit. Vide ſupr §. 4. diſtinct. 10.The ancient Graecians do ſet them out by words very like, which come from the ſame root.
8. Periſhing of graine, fruit, and other kinds of food in ſtore: or in the places where it is laid up. For it oft falleth out that Monopoliſts, and ingroſſers of corne, and other commodities, do heape up, for their owne private gaine, all the proviſion they can get: which being ſo heaped together, by heate, or moiſture, or ſome ſuch other meanes, muſtieth, putrifieth, and is made unfit for uſe: or by mice, rats, and other vermine is conſumed: or by fire devouted: or ſome other way deſtroyed: whence followeth famine. That ſuch courſes of engroſſing commodities have of old bene uſed, is evident by this proverb, cProv. 11. 26.He that withdraweth corne the people ſhall curſe him. That God hath an hand in the ſpoile of ſuch treaſures is evident by dNah. 2. 9.Gods threatning to ſpoile, where there is no end of ſtore.
9. Deficiency of vertue in ſuch meanes as men have. This is compriſed under this phraſe of eLev. 26. 26. Pſal. 105. 16.breaking the ſtaffe of bread: and fIſa. 3. 1.Taking away the whole ſtay of bread, and the whole ſtay of water. That Metaphor is taken from an old man, who being not able to ſtand upright of himſelfe, hath a ſtaffe to leane upon, and thereby is ſupported: or from a rent which is held up by the ſtaffe in the midſt of it: if ye breake, or take away that ſtaffe or ſtay, downe will the old man, or the tent fall. This ſtaffe of bread, and ſtay of water, is that vertue which by the Divine providence is in them of nouriſhing ſuch as eate the one, and drink the other. It is therefore by ſome tranſlated, the ſtrength of bread, and the ſtrength of water. By others the vigour and power of Fortitudo panis, & fortitudo aquae, I…em robur panis & robur aquae. Hier in Eſay 3. Vis & vigor panis & aquae. Calvin in Iſay 3. 1. Fulcimentum. Vatab.bread and water. Take away this vertue from bread and water, they are as if they were not: of no uſe, of no benefit. Now it is God onelyonly that gives, or takes away this ſtaffe: and in that reſpect cauſeth famine.
As in theſe, ſo in all other meanes of famine the Lord hath an over-ruling providence: ſo as theſe ſecondary cauſes give witneſſe to this, that God ſendeth famine: and that therefore God is to be ſought unto for removing, and taking away famine.
§. 23. Of enquiring of God in and by his Word.
Quest. HOw may we now ſeeke of God? a The meanes of old uſed, are now no more of uſe.
Anſw. In generall, God requireth no other meanes of ſeeking him, then what he himſelfe hath ordained. In particular, we have as ſure and certaine a meanes for enquiring of God, as ever the Church had: which is his written Word. This meaneth he who ſaith, We have a more ſure word, (2 Pet. 1. 19.) And he who long before that ſaid, To Habent ubi quae rerent Chriſtum. Habent, inquit, Moyſen & Eliam, id eſt, Legem & Prophetas Chriſtum praedicantes: ſecundum quod & alibi apertè, Scrutamini Scripturas, in quibus ſalutem ſperatis. Illae enim de me loquuntur. Hic erit. Quaeri. e & invenietis. Tertul. de Praeſcript. Haeret.the law and to the testimony, If any ſpeake not according to this word, it is becauſe there is no light in them, Iſay 8. 20. This was it which he, who in this text is ſaid to enquire of the Lord, made his counſeller, his lamp and light, Pſal. 119. 24, 105.
This oracle of God firſt declareth the cauſes of famine: wherof before. § 6. If hereunto we impartially bring the teſtimony of our owne conſcience, we may ſoone find what cauſes hereof are in our ſelves: and how farre we in our perſons have provoked the Lord to judge us. If further we bring a wiſe obſervation of the times wherein, and of the perſons among whom we live, we may alſo find what are the common and publique cauſes of the judgements which God inflicteth.
2. This oracle ſheweth what means may be uſed for well ordering or removing that judgement whereof the cauſes are found out. The means noted before, §. 8. are all preſcribed in Gods Word.
3. It alſo revealeth ſuch Divine promiſes of bleſſing a right uſe of ſuch means as are therein preſcribed, as we may with much confidence reſt on a good iſſue.
Let this therfore be the generall uſe and cloſe of all, that in famine and other like judgements we do as David is here noted to do, enquire of the Lord: enquire of him in and by his word: and withall, as David here alſo did, follow the directions preſcribed by the Lord in his Word; then ſhall we be ſure to have ſuch an iſſue as David had, expreſſed in theſe words, God was intreated for the land.2 Sam 21. 14.