The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 30
CHAP. XXX. Object. 3. Object. 4. anſwered.
Object. 3 IN the third place,Dii magna curant parva negligunt. Cicero. Plin. Nat. hiſt. l. 2. c. 7. Some make it a diſhonour to take care of the ſublunary creatures. The Heathen thought God took care of greater, but neglected ſmaller matters. Some think it injurious to God, to bring him down to the huſbanding of Bees and Ants, and that it is a disparagement to his Majeſty to take notice of trivial objects and occurrences. This Argument is brought by Pliny in his Natural Hiſtory.
This is eaſie to anſwer;Resp. Quis diſpoſuit membra pulicis & culicis? Auguſt. in Pſal. 148. Non imaginari debemus Deum eſſe ſuperbum, at que eas res ceu indignas contemnere quas ipſe condidit, at que per ſe digniſſimas fecit. for the minor is falſe. It is not an indecorum for God to govern the leaſt thing and meaneſt creature in the world. God is no more diſhonoured by taking care of the meaneſt earthly creature, than the Sunne is obſcured and defiled by ſhining upon the moſt unſavoury things; if it were no diſhonour to God to make the leaſt things in the world, than it is no diſparagement to him to govern them being made; neither is God any thing the lower by governing theſe ſublunary things; he humbleth himſelf to behold the things done in Heaven, and on the Earth; the one is no more a humbling to him than the other, Pſal. 113.6. God taketh care of Oxen, of Sparrows, and of things inferiour to them.Hyper. Meth. Theol. l. 1. An Apocriphal Writer tell us, That God made little and great; and as there is nothing ſo vaſt may eſcape his immenſity,Auſtin ſaith of providence, that the world is governed thereby, uſque ad arborum volatica folia. Aug. confeſ. l. 7. c. 6. ſo there is not any thing ſo ſmall which is deprived the bleſſings of his bounty; the Tree loſeth not one of his leafs; the Head one of its hairs; the Air one little bird without his appointment. Is it not from Divine Providence that Antidotes ſhould grow in places where poiſons ſpring: If Africk hath many Serpents,Hiſtor. Sinar. part. 4. there are Pſylles to deſtroy them: If other Countreys breed ſtore of Snakes, there are Aſhen-flowers to drive them away: If Aegypt hath a Crocodile, it affords an Indian-rat, called Ichneumon, that creeps into his belly, and deſtroyes it: The fire which conſumeth ſtraw and droſſe, brightens the Gold,Qui Deum accuſant quod animalcula ut pediculos & pulices formaverit, ſimiles eſſe videntur, his qui picturae ignari id accuſant quod pictor revidentes colores ubi que nòn adhibuerit, cum tamen ille congruos ſingulis diſtribuerit locis. Theodor. and refineth Silver; Water which drowneth men, doth animate Fiſhes: The Spider that poiſoneth a man cureth an Ape. Take poiſon from the Serpent, you bereave him wherewith to live: Every creature is good for ſome uſe or other. Solomon ſpeaks of four things which are little upon Earth, but they are exceeding wiſe: The Ants are a people not ſtrong, yet they prepare their meat in the Summer; the Coneys are but a little folk, yet make they their houſes in the rocks; the Locuſts have no King, yet go they forth all of them by bands gathered together; the Spider takes hold with her hands, and is in Kings Palaces, Prov. 30.24, 25, 26. The great ſagacity of theſe little creatures, and their induſtriouſneſſe, doth highly demonſtrate the extent of God's Providence toward them.
How contrary are they to God that exerciſe cruelty to, and are tormentours of the creatures; by ſporting themſelves at the torturing of the dumb creatures, they do anatomize their own ſinne, ruſhing into Gods forbidden Edict. God hath made man a Lord over the creatures, an owner of them, and not a Tyrant over them, or tormentour of them; he may kill them for his uſe, but not abuſe them at his pleaſure; though the creatures be mans drudges, yet are they alſo his fellow-creatures. A good man (ſaith Solomon) is mercifull to his beaſt.
Object. 4. If all be over-ruled by Providence, then why ſerve Admonitions, Exhortations, Reproofs, Corrections, unleſſe men be amended by them?
Resp. God determineth to bring things to paſſe by means; as to draw David to repentance by Nathan's reproof. Peter by the crowing of a Cock, and to ſave Noah from drowning by the Ark. Chriſt knew he ſhould be glorified, as in initio, and his Apoſtles; yet he prayeth for them, John 17. We muſt uſe the leaſt means for our own ſafety, as do the almoſt famiſhed Lepers, but not tie God to means for the accompliſhment of his promiſes; as one of the Princes of Samaria did, but paid dear for it, 2 Reg. 7.2, 17. nor muſt we relie upon means, as Aſa did upon Benhadad againſt Baaſha, and on the Phyſicians for his Gout; no unlawfull means muſt be uſed in ſickneſſe: Ahaziah ſhould not have gone to Baalzebub the God of Ekron; nor Saul to the Witch of Endor.