Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 57
CHAP. LVII. Of Gods prouidence.
EVery one that leadeth a godly life, and trusteth in God his Prouidence, shall finde that in extreame dangers he will put such things into their mindes, that they shall be cheered and comforted, when others shall be disquieted and deiected. This we may see in the parents of Moses, because they beleeued, and led a godly life, Heb. 11. This is the blessing, but the wicked shall want this good issue: for the Lord will punish their wickednes in such a case; as appeareth in the time of the glorious Martyrs, who liued well before, and in their deaths were crowned, but Apostataes had their former hypocrisies punished, and in such danger they shall not know what to doe: but the godly trusting in Gods prouidence, if they hauehave a way to escape, shall hauehave their life for a prey, but if they want this way, yet they will offer themselues a sacrifice to the Lord.
2 When Moses and the rest of the children of Israel had receiued some good handsell of the goodnes of God in his prouidence ouer them, they gathered thereupon that the Lord would neuer faile them, nor forsake them, till he had brought them to his habitation;Thankefully to record Gods benefits receiued. which should teach vsus to doe the like, for strengthning our faith in his goodnes, by keeping continually as it were a beadroll of his benefits already receiued of him, least by letting the olde slip out of our mindes, which should make vsus thankfull, we neuer receiue the new, whereof we are so carefull.
3 As the roote of all sinne is in our soule, so the beginning of all diseases is in our bodies. And as there is no sinne which we should not fall into if the Lord leaue vsus; so is there no disease which should not come vponupon vsus, vnlesse he preserue vsus. For when his prouidēceDiseases. watcheth not ouer vsus, we are ready to fall into all miserie. It is not in our selues to keepe our good name from euill reports, our minds from disquietnes, our estate from pouertie, &c. This if it were beleeued and felt, it would both make vsus thankful & continue in prayer, not only in the want of such things we desire, but also in the abundance of those we enioy: For man liueth not by bread onelyonly, neither is it care can make vsus rich, nor our owne deuises bring quietnes to our mindes: but it is the Lord, who in his prouidence worketh all in all, which must alwaies be acknowledged of vsus, to the end we may make vse of all things in any estate, to the glory of his name, and the good of our brethren.Triall of our faith concerning prouidence.
4 We may trie our faith in Gods prouidence by this, as we vse the meanes to come to earthly things, so for this we must vse the word and prayer, Psal. 119. part. 22. If then we esteeme not of the word, and find no comfort in prayer, Psal. 32. we can neuer esteeme of his prouidence: we can neuer say in truth, God giueth vsus all things.
5 The Lord oftentimes in his wise prouidence helpeth the wicked, and such as are vnworthie, and in steade of punishments which they doe deserue, he sendeth blessings when they crievnto him for them. From which we may gather, that if he heare the wicked, much more will he graunt the desire of such as feare him. If hee remit the vngodly, much moreGod heares the wicked otherwhile. them that in truth of heart serue him, for he dealeth not with vsus as our deserts are, as eueryevery man may feele: but he doth good both to the godly and the wicked, & that to diuers ends; to the godly, to hyre them from their sinnes; to the wicked, that after hee may confound them without excuse. Therefore if when the Lord forbeareth, we be touched in heart to repent, this is the worke of Gods spirit, the cōfort thereof will abide for euer: but if when he forbeareth, we thinke Note.our sinnes are lesse, and so harden our hearts, then are wee to feare that vtter confusion is at hand.
6 The Lord neuer forsaketh his, but in all dangers he will prouide though all meanes faile, onelyonly let vsus belieue his prouidence, and so will he giuegive vsus our hearts desire, if it stand with his glorie, or else if we desire that which standeth not with his glorie, yet let vsus belieue that he is our FATHER in CHRIST, and he will recompence the outward wants with aGod will neuer faile his. spirituall blessing.
7 We may reade in Exodus 17. 7. that the Israelites through distrust, doubted whether God was among them, because they saw not such visible signes of Gods presence and fauour as they would. With the like doubt our Sauiour Christ was tempted by the diuel, Luc. 4 who laboured to make him doubt, whether he were the Sonne of God, because he wanted some things which were needful for this life: wherby we may learne to know our own corruption, how ready we are to iudge, as the Israelits did, because we s…e not such ordinary helps as we and other of Gods children hauehave at sometimes had: but we are to correct this in ourselues, and on the contrarie to thinke that God is amongst vsus, and with vsus, although we see some tokens of his anger. Thus do we reason in religion. Is this true religion, seeingCorrupt reasons of blinde men concerning religion. there be so many diuersities of iudgments, such little godlines, it is like it is not, but rather we are to looke for some other: so we reason in the common-wealth. Is this gouernment good, which bringeth so great hurly burlies, and so great troubles: so in mariage, when contentions and temptations do arise, then they thinke they were not ioyned together by God: so in eueryevery kind of trouble, we iudge of the presence and prouidence of God by our outward sense & feeling. This is the policie of the diuel, to cause men either to sink downeRemedies. in despaire, or else to be impatient, & at the least to murmur. But to preuent this, these are some remedies following. The first, that we looke to the word, and when we see that religion1 hath alwaies had troubles, and so shall hauehave still, then shall we straightwaies see that our iudgement is fleshly. Secondly, whē we see that many of Gods children in the world, as Iob 2and others had trouble in their mariage, and yet that it was of God, then shall we learne that our iudgement is not according to the spirit. Then let vsus consider that the diuel doth herein exercise policie to ouerthrow our mariage, & we shal be wary to auoide them. And if many hauehave been in this state, & yet the Lord hath not left them, why should we yeeld to the temptation of Sathan, who would perswade vsus that our case is worse? Thirdly, we must3 looke to the former mercies of God, which we hauehave felt. If we hauehave once felt them, then though we hauehave not alwaies the like feeling, yet we must not thinke that he hath forsaken vsus, so that experience of former mercies must be our strength herein, if we hauehave been in as great danger as now we are, and euen then he helped vsus, why should we doubt? Fourthly,4 we must consider that many of Gods children are and hauehave been so, and therefore we must take heede that in our rashnesse we do not condemne them. We must not therefore iudge thus, vnlesse we will be hurtfull to our selues, and iniurious to our brethren.
8 Moses was commanded to take the same staffe with which he stroke the red sea, and therewith to strike the stonie rocke, to giuegive the Israelites water to drinke, to teach thē that the Lord was as well able to bring water where it is not, as to stay the course thereof whereHow to depend on Gods prouidence. it is. This ought they to hauehave considered, and then would they not in other things hauehave doubted. If we wil auoid the like distrust, we must remember the former works of God, & then labour to be garded in the hope of euerlasting life, the resurrection of the body, and the forgiuenes of sins, that so we may be sure he will be good to vsus still. And, as the chiefeHe that beleeueth that Christ is his redeemer beleeueth also that God is his prouident …ather. helpe of al these, let vsus labour to be throughly perswaded of our iustificatiō through Iesus Christ & the rising againe to euerlasting life, which if we be surely grounded in, then shall we not doubt of Gods prouidence; but on the contrarie, if we labour not against fidelitie in these articles of our faith, we shall neuer resist vnbeleefe in Gods prouidence.
9 When the daughter of Pharaoh went of purpose to wash her selfe, it might seeme to be fortunate, and a thing that happened by chance: but if we look into the euent, we might see the hand of God in it: and his most wise and mighty prouidence therein, for the preseruation of Moses, whō he was cast out by great cōstraint of his owne mother. From whenceSee of murmuring in the third part. we may learne the tender louelove and most prouident care which the Lord hath ouer his Church, to defend it from danger, and to preserue it from perill; yea, and rather than it should perish or miscarie, he wil so prouide that the very enemies thereof shal succour and nourish the same, as Moses was, who was brought vp in Pharaohs house: in which exampleGods prouidence in the preseruation of Moses. we must needs see the wondrous worke of God, as appeareth, in that Pharaoh his daughter neuer doubted, nor questioned with his sister, & gaue him a name that might continue to posteritie, gaue him to his owne mother to be nouised, that he might, as it were, sucke religion out of her breasts, & be wained in the same, rewardeth her for her paines: wherein we see how the Lord doth crowne the worke of his children, and their faith: for Moses motherGod is euer the same in his prouidēce to his faithfull children. had not onelyonly the thing which she desired, but also a reward; wherein appeareth the great and exceeding mercy of the Lord. God is the same now as then he was, he will neuer faile those that trust in his mercy through Christ, and obtaine forgiuenes of their sins, studie and striue continually to serue him, euen in their hearts, and patiently, and constantly waite vponupon his fatherly prouidence. But he will alwaies watch ouer them for good and not for euill, and in what distresses soeuer they are, he will make a way out, and giuegive comfortable deliuerance in his due time.