The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI. Queſt. 1. How God governeth all things; whether immediately by himſelf, or mediately by ſecond cauſes, anſwered in two Theſes. An Objection anſwered.
Queſt. 1. IT will not now be impertinent to enquire, How God governeth all things, viz. whether immediately by himſelf, or mediately by ſecond cauſes.
Resp. I anſwer, That God diſpoſeth of his Decrees both in regard of his fore-knowledge and purpoſe immediately by himſelf, and ſo taketh care of all things, but concerning the execution of this Decree, ordinarily he doth it by means. So then, for reſolving this doubt, we muſt conſider two Theſes or Poſitions.
The firſt is,Theſ. 1. Mornay Truneſſe of Chriſt. Relig. That Providence in God is immediately from God, in respect whereof the ancient Philoſophers (led onelyonly by the Moon-light of Nature) called the Godhead it ſelf foreign, or foreign, that is, God or Providence, becauſe the one cannot be imagined without the other, therefore he governeth and taketh care for all things immediately in himſelf, and without means. God immediately by himſelf worketh all in all, and governeth all things by a certain general influx (which ſome call the general power of God) by which every creature being preſerved and moved by God, acteth and worketh according to its own nature: thus the Sunne ſhineth, fire warmeth, the Heavens are in continual motion, living creatures generate and bring forth: Men have underſtanding, and make choice of this, refuſe that, they ſpeak, move, act, &c. In him we live, move, and have our being; and by him all things are moved; in him do they conſiſt; he ſupporteth all things by the words of his power.
Theſ. 2.The ſecond Poſition is, That God executeth this Decree, and governeth ſome time.
Greg. Nazianzen calleth thoſe works of God, quae ſuprà leges naturae ac facultarum hominum facit foreign. Dei potentias, quas nos mentis intelligentia nunquàm conſequi poſſumus.1. Without means: that we may know he is not by neceſſity tied to them, but at pleaſure freely uſeth them, and that he can at his pleaſure effect his purpoſe without them, and that his children may not diſtruſt, nor be too much caſt down when they want them, and that men may think God is not idle, and that nothing falls out by Fortune, as they ſay; Thus the Lord raineth down Manna from Heaven, enough to ſuffice the whole Camp of Iſrael, that the people ſhould go out and gather that which is ſufficient for every day, Exod. 16.4. If the fields ſhould fail, and the whole Earth grow barren, yet can the Lord nouriſh his people, and ſend food to nouriſh thoſe that truſt in him. God is not tied to ordinary means, nor our maintenance to the fruits of the Earth; he findeth meat for the Ravens, and they bring bread and fleſh morning and evening to the Prophet Elijah by the brook Cherith, 1 Reg. 17.5. and this was done by God's command; I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there, verſ. 4. So when he fled from Jezabel, an Angel provideth a Cake for him baken upon the coals, and a cruſe of water at his head, and he did eat and drink, and went in the ſtrength of that meat fourty days and fourty nights, unto Horeb the Mount of God, 1 Reg. 19.8. A little oil ſhall continue running, till many veſſels be full when he pleaſeth, 2 Reg. 4.4. To this purpoſe our Saviour propoundeth a Queſtion to his Diſciples, When I ſent you forth without purſe, and ſcrip, and ſhoes, lacked ye any thing? and they ſaid nothing, Luk. 22.35. They that are at God's finding find no inconveniences therein, but by his bleſſing he maketh what ever he gives them (be it little or much) ſufficient for them.
2. God ordinarily in his government of the world worketh by means; I ſay ordinarily, becauſe extraordinarily ſometime he worketh without means, ſometimes againſt means. God uſeth the Miniſtry of ſecond cauſes both natural and voluntary, either men or Angels,Pemble de provident. which are the moſt excellent Inſtruments of providence in governing the world. Though the Decree of God be unchangeable, yet means muſt be uſed. God will have what he purpoſeth effected, even by his enemies againſt themſelves. He cauſeth Pharaoh's daughter to bring up Moſes to deliver his people from their bondage. God provideth a friend for his Prophets to feed them with bread and water by fifties in a Cave; he raiſeth up an Obadiah in the Court of wicked Ahab; as in Pharaoh's Court he had a Joſeph to provide for Jacob and his family in a time of famine. God provideth a fiſh to ſet Jonah ſafe on the ſhore. Thoſe means which God hath appointed (if rightly uſed by us) ſhall be ſufficient for us, however they ſeem to us, though Abana and Pharpar be better than the River of Jordan, 2 Reg 5.14.yet Jordan ſhall do the deed, if God by his Prophet ſpeak the word.
Object. But are not the Godly ſubject to many outward wants as well as the wicked; and doth not the Wiſe man tell us, That all theſe things come alike to all, both to the good and the bad?
Resp. Miſery ſits not ſo heavy upon the Godly, as upon the ungodly.Man is better than the fowls; 1. In respect of kind. 2. In reſpect of gifts above them, natural, ſupernatural. 3. In reſpect of his rule and ſoveraignty over them. 4. In reſpect of his uſe and end above them. Dr Th. Taylor Serm. on Mat. 6.26. Moſes his face did ſhine in his faſting day; and Daniel and the three children having lived ten dayes upon pulſe and water, appeared fairer in their countenances, and fatter in fleſh than all the children which did eat the portion of the Kings meat, Dan. 1.15. Beſides, God will help his people in their greateſt extremities, as he did the ſons of Jacob, when they gazed one upon another. God will either ſupply his peoples wants, or take them away before the ſharpneſſe of extremity cometh. It is rare to ſee the godly fall into thoſe pinching wants that the wicked meet with. Therefore David ſaith from his own experience, He never ſaw the righteous forſaken, nor his ſeed begging bread, Pſal. 37.25. He that giveth to beaſts their food, will not ſuffer his children to ſtarve: He that provideth meat for the fowls, will much more provide for his own children, Mat. 6.26. And if Gods children want this or that, yet ſhall they want nothing that is good for them, Pſalm 34.10.