The Pattern of Wholesome Words, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Of Gods Prouidence.
Rom. 11.36.
For of him, and through him, and for him, are all things. To him be glory for euer. Amen.
7Principles concerning Gods prouidence.THe principles concerning Gods prouidence are;
That God still knowes, and takes continual notice of all things:
Prou. 15.3. The eies of the Lord in eueryevery place behold the euill, and the good.
Zach. 4.10. These seuen are the eies of the Lord, which goe through the whole world.
Heb. 4.13. Neither is there any creature, which is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open vntounto his eyes, with whom we hauehave to doe.
Psal. 113.6. Who abaseth himselfe to behold things in the heauen, and in the earth.
That God vpholds, and gouerns, & disposeth of the world, so as al things continue through him:
Psal. 119.91. They continue euen to this day by thine ordinances: for all are thy seruants.
Iohn 5.17. But Iesus answered them: My Father worketh hitherto, and I worke.
Acts 17.25.28. He giueth to all life, and breath, and all things: For in him we liue, and moue, and hauehave our being.
Psal. 104.14.21.27.28.30. Hee causeth grasse to grow for the cattle, and hearb for the vse of man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth.
The Lions rore after their prey, and seeke their meate at God.
All these waite vponupon thee, that thou maist giuegive them food in due season:
Thou giuest it to them, and they gather it; thou openest thy hand, and they are filled with good things.
Againe, if thou send forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth.
That this prouidence of God reacheth to all things; euen the smallest things are gouerned, & vpheld by God.
Rom. 11.36. For of him, and through him, and for him, are all things: To him be glory for euer. Amen.
Matth. 10.29.30. Are not two Sparrowes sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father:
Yea, and all the haires of your head are numbred.
Psal. 147.8.9.16.17.18. Which couereth the heauen with clouds, and prepareth raine for the earth, and maketh the grasse to grow vponupon the mountaines.
Which giueth to beasts their food, and to the young rauens that crie.
He giueth snow like wooll, and scattereth the hoare frost like ashes.
He casteth forth his ice like morsels, who can abide the cold thereof?
He sendeth his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
That of al creatures, God hath most care and respect of man.
Prou 8.31. And tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth, and my delight is with the children of men.
Psal. 8.3.4. What is man, say I, that thou art mindfull of him? and the sonne of man, that thou visitest him?
1. Cor. 9.9.10. For it is written in the Law of Moses, Thou shalt not mussel the mouth of the oxe, that treadeth out the corne; doth God take care for oxen?
Either saith he it not altogether for our sakes? for our sakes no doubt it is written, that he which eareth, should eare in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope.
That the good or euill which befalles man, is not without Gods prouidence.
Amos 3.6. Or shall a trumpet be blowne in a Citie, and the people be not afraid? or shall there be euill in a City, and the Lord hath not done it?
That he doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him in heauen and in earth, Psal. 115.3. But our God is in heauen, he doth whatsoeuer he will.
Ionah 1.14. For thou (O Lord) hast done as it pleased thee.
Eccles. 3.14. I know, that whatsoeuer God shall doe, it shall bee for euer: to it can no man adde, and from it can none diminish: For God hath done it, that they should feare before him.
That Gods dominion is euerlasting, Psalm. 146.10. The Lord shall raigne for euer, O Sion, thy God endureth from generation to generation: praise ye the Lord.
The vses are:The vses.
For information: this is a glorious subiect to meditate of,1For information. and if wee search into it distinctly, there are many things admirable in Gods gouernment;11Things admirable in Gods prouidence. as,
1 First, ye vicegerency of Christ his Son, Heb. 1.3. Who being the brightnes of the glory, & the engraued form of his persō, & bearing vp al things by his mighty word, &c.
2 Secondly, the splendor of the meanes he vseth, euen Kings on earth are his seruants, Pro. 21.1. The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the riuers of waters: he turneth it whithersoeuer it pleaseth him: yea Angels in heauen, Oh the admirable glory of the gouernmēt of angels in the world! as is shadowed out in Ezech. 1.4. to 15.
3 The variety of meanes he hath, and can raise; euen all the armies in heauen and earth.
4 His working somtimes without meanes, Genes. 2.
5 His working against means sometimes, Psalm. 105.12. to 16. The Sunne must stand still: Fier must not burne: the Sea must not drowne, &c.
6 The extent of his gouernment; what a worke to order all things?
7 The preseruation of all the sorts of things euen by the word of God: By succession perpetuating his creation; and supporting all things, prouiding daily for them.
8 The destruction he makes amongst the creatures, Psa. 104.29. By deluge, fier, sword, pestilence, tumbling downe Monarchies, &c, Psal. 68.1.
9 The ordering of the disorders of the world, turning sinne to good, as an Apothecary doth poyson; and directing euill instruments, wicked men, to punish the wicked, or to correct the godly. To see how God lookes one way, and they another. Nabuchadnezzar intends to satisfie his owne pride, reuenge, ambition, couetousnesse: yet God guides it to another vse, euen to correct his people, which hee sheweth by burning his rod, Esa. 10.5.6. Esa. 14.5.6. and 29. and God directs the euill actions of the wicked to a good end: so of the Iewes in killing Christ, &c.
10 But especially his admirable disposing of all things, notwithstanding the infinite multitude of all things in the world, which is shadowed in the wheeles, Ezech. 1.15. &c.
11 All this to be done without labour, or vexation: say therfore, as Psalm. 104.1.24. My soule praise thou the Lord: O Lord my God, thou art exceeding great, thou art clothed with glory and honour.
O Lord how manifold are thy workes! in wisedome hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Psalm. 106.2. Who can expresse the noble acts of the Lord, or shew forth all his praise?
47. Saue vsus, O Lord our God, and gather vsus from among the heathen, that wee may praise thy holy name, and glory in thy praise, &c.
Psal. 107.8. Let them therefore confesse before the Lord his louing kindnesse, and his wonderfull works before the sonnes of men.
22. And let them offer sacrifice of praise, and declare his works with reioycing.
Psalm. 113.2.3.4.5. all the Psalme.
The second vse is for reproofe and confutation:Vses for reproofe.
1 Of such Atheists, as say God doth not see, or not regard, Psal. 94.7. &c. Yet they say the Lord shall not see; neither will the God of Iacob regard it.
2 Of such, as acknowledge chance or fortune.
3 Of the discontentment, that is in man with their condition: Dauid calles himselfe a beast for this, Psal. 73.22. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was a beast before thee: an excellent Psalme cleane through.
4 Of the security of wicked mē: If God gouerne, woe to them. Psalm. 139.7.8, Whither shall they goe from thy spirit? or whither shal they flie from thy presence?
If they ascend into heauen, thou art there; if they lie downe in hell, thou art there.
Iob 9.4.5. Hee is wise in heart, and mighty in strength, who hath been fierce against him, and hath prospered?
Hee remoueth the mountaines, and they feele not, when hee ouerthroweth them in his wrath.
Psalm. 107.42, The righteous shall see it and reioyce; and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
Psal. 146.9, The Lord keepeth the strangers, hee relieueth the fatherlesse and widow: but hee ouerthroweth the way of the wicked.
Thirdly, the doctrine of Gods prouidence should teach vsus diuers duties.8Vses for instruction.
1 Take not thought what thou shalt eate, &c. thou art at Gods finding, Matth. 6.31, Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we drinke? or wherewith shall wee bee clothed? &c. cast thy care vponupon God: for he careth for thee.
1. Pet. 5.7, Cast all your care vponupon him, for he careth for you.
Psal. 55.22, Cast thy burthen vponupon the Lord, and hee shall nourish thee: he will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer.
Say with Abraham, God will prouide, Heb. 13.5. Let your conuersation be without couetousnesse, and bee content with those things that ye hauehave; for he hath said, hee will not faile thee, neither forsake thee, &c.
Be patient in aduersity, and shew it:
1. By restraining griefe and sorrow in thy selfe, Psalm. 39.9. I should hauehave been dumb, and not hauehave opened my mouth, because thou didst it.
1. Sam. 3.18. So Samuel told him eueryevery whit, and hid nothing from him: Then he said, It is the Lord, let him doe what seemeth him good.
Prou. 3.11.12. My sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither be grieued with his correctiō.
Affliction comes not out of the dust.
2 By not vsing ill meanes.
By not fearing the rage of any creature, Luk. 12.4.5.6.7. &c. And I say vntounto you my friends be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that are not able to doe any more, &c.
Matth. 10.28.29.30. Are not two sparrowes sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father, &c.
1. Pet. 4.19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit their soules to him in well doing, as vntounto a faithfull Creator.
4. By seeking to God, though we see no meanes, for hee hath a thousand wayes we know not of.
Seeke all good things at his hands, hee hath the disposing of all.
Acknowledge all good things from him, as Psalm. 147, all ouer. Serue him in all meanes, and sacrifice not to thine owne nets, Habak. 1.16. Therefore they sacrifice vntounto their net, and burne incense vntounto their yarne, because by them their portion is fat, and their meate plenteous.
Trust not in thine owne proiects, nor in the meanes, Ier. 10.23. O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe, neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steps.
Deut. 8.3. Therefore hee humbled thee, and made thee hungry, and fed thee with man, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know it, that hee might teach thee, that man liueth not by bread onelyonly, but by eueryevery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth a man liue.
Psalm. 127.1.2. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vaine that build it; except the Lord keepe the City, the keeper watcheth in vaine.
It is in vaine for you to rise early, and to lie downe late, and eate the bread of sorrow; but hee will surely giuegive rest to his beloued.
But commit thy way to God, and trust vponupon him, Psalm. 37.4. And delight thy selfe in the Lord, and he shall giuegive thee thy hearts desire.
Pray God to direct the works of thine hands, Psalm. 90.17. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be vponupon vsus, and direct thou the workes of our hands vponupon vsus, euen direct the worke of our hands.
If God gouerne, do good and be alwaies assured, as Psal▪ 58.11. And men shall say, verily there is fruit for the righteous; doubtlesse there is a God that iudgeth in the earth.
Obserue Gods workes, keepe a Catalogue of experiments, Psalm. 107.43. Who is wise, that hee may obserue these things? for they shall vnderstand the louing kindnesse of the Lord.
And make knowne his deeds, talke of his wondrous workes: Remēber the maruellous workes he hath done, Psal. 106.1.2-5. Praise ye the Lord, because he is good, for his mercy endureth for euer: who cā expresse the noble acts of the Lord or shew forth all his praise? &c.
Shall wee not for euer bee afraid of him, that so mightily and daily gouerneth? &c. Eccles. 3.11.14. Hee hath made eueryevery thing beautifull in his time: also hee hath set the world in their heart, yet cannot man finde out the worke, that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end.
I know, that whatsoeuer God shall doe, it shall be for euer: To it can no man adde, and from it can no man diminish: For God hath done it, that they should feare before him, &c.
The fourth vse is for consolation to the godly,Vse for consolation. our bones and haires are numbred, Psal. 34.20. He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken.
Luk. 12.6.7. Yea all the haires of your head are numbred, feare not therefore, you are of more value then sparrowes, &c.
He knowes our way, Psal. 1.6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.
Our teares are in his bottle, Psalm. 56.8. Thou hast counted my wandrings: put my teares into thy bottle, are they not in thy Register?
He will not leaue vsus nor forsake vsus, Heb. 13.5. Let your conuersation bee without couetousnesse, and bee content with those things that you hauehave: For hee hath said, I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee.
No good things will he withhold, Psalm. 84.11. For the Lord God is the Sun and shield vntounto vsus: the Lord will giuegive grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walke vprightly.
Esa. 48.15.16. Can a woman forget her child, and not hauehave compassion on the sonne of her wombe? though they should forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold I hauehave grauen thee vponupon the palme of mine hands; thy walles are euer in my sight.
Hee that beleeueth shall not be ashamed.
Thus of the prouidence of God in generall: as it concernes man in speciall, it lookes first vponupon the estate of Innocency.