The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 32
CHAP. XXXII. Corol. 4. Corol. 5.
SEeing it is proper to God to govern abſolutely well;Cor. 4. this ſheweth, That the better every Ruler, Magiſtrate, or Maſter of a Family governeth in his place; ſo much the nearer he cometh to God. Good Magiſtrates and Governours (like Job) muſt be eyes to the blind, Job 29.15, 16.feet to the lame, and fathers to the poor. Guides to the blind by giving good counſel to thoſe that are weak and ſimple: Feet to the lame, by giving countenance to the juſt cauſes of thoſe that are of meaner parts, and might otherwiſe be over-born by thoſe that are mightier than them: And Fathers to the poor, by protecting thoſe that are deſtitute of help, and flie to them as a Sanctuary for refuge in their diſtreſſe.foreign. Ariſt Epiſt. ad Alexand. And herein they will reſemble God, who is a Father of the fatherleſs, and a Judge of the widow in his holy habitation, Pſal. 68.5. God hath not ſet up Magiſtrates ſo much for their own ſakes to dominier over whom they will, as for the peoples ſake, that they might have to whom to reſort, and on whom they may relie for help in their neceſſities: herein the precedency of Rulers above the vulgar ſingularly conſiſteth, whereby they have the title of gods, that they are able to ſuccour thoſe that are in miſery,Princeps probus parum differt à parente probo. Xenophon. Regum aut eſt aut eſſe debet paternum Imperium. Ariſt. Polit. and to do more good than others are. Xenophon ſaith, That a good Prince differeth little from a good Parent. And Ariſtotle in his Politicks ſaith, That Kings ought to govern their Subjects as tender fathers.
Miniſters likewiſe ought to be very watchfull over the flock of which the holy Ghoſt hath made them Over-ſeers, Acts 20.28. Paul ſaith, That he had a care of all the Churches, 2 Cor. 11.28. And that he was gentle among the Theſsalonians, cheriſhing them as a nurſe cheriſheth her children, being willing to impart himſelf, yea his own ſoul to them being dear unto him, 1 Theſſ. 2.7, 8. and he tells the Corinthians, He would gladly ſpend, and be ſpent for them, 2 Cor. 12.15. We that are Miniſters, ſaith Auſtin, have two things,Auguſt. Tom. 9. de paſtor. cap. 1. the one that we are Chriſtians, the other that we are Miniſters: Illud quod Chriſtiani ſumus, propter nos eſt; quod autem praepoſiti ſumus, propter vos eſt: in eo quòd Chriſtiani ſumus, attenditur utilitas noſtra; in eo quòd praepoſiti, nòn niſi veſtra. We are Chriſtians for our ſelves, and Miniſters for you; in that we are Chriſtians our own profit is attended, but as we are Miniſters your profit is ſought.
Maſters of Families ſhould likewiſe imitate God in his Providence,Nam que proprium boni filii eſt, primò currere ad domum patris. Chryſoſt. in Mat. 21. Providence in man is an excellent thing, the more provident, the more in that reſpect commended. Walker de provident. part 1. in providing for their children and ſervants; If any provide not for his own, and especially for thoſe of his own houſe; he hath denied the faith, and is worſe than an infidel, 1 Tim. 5.8. It is the property of a good and loving ſon, as Chryſoſtom ſaith, firſt to run to the houſe of his Father. Miſtreſſes alſo are not exempted from a providential care for thoſe of the houſhold. Solomon ſaith, The vertuous woman is like the merchant's ſhip, ſhe bringeth her food from afarre; ſhe riſeth alſo while it is yet light, and giveth meat to her houſhold, and a portion to her maidens, Prov. 31.14, 15. Therefore children are required to carry themſelves reſpectively to their Mothers as well as to their Fathers. It is ſaid, Levit. 19.3. Ye ſhall fear, every man his Mother and his Father. The holy Ghoſt putteth the Mother in the firſt place, becauſe ſhe is leaſt able to help her ſelf, having (for the moſt part) no ſuch power and authority over her children as her husband hath, who may diſinherit, or otherwiſe puniſh his diſobedient children at his pleaſure: But ſhe (for the moſt part) is tender hearted and pitifull, and by Law reſtrained from uſing ſuch ſeverity; and therefore becauſe ſhe hath been an equal ſharer in taking care and pains for her child; God will have her to have an equal partition of honour and duty from him.
Cor. 5.Seeing that all things are governed moſt wiſely; notwithſtanding the great diviſions that are among us; the rapines, wars, tyrannies, oppreſſions, blaſphemies, ſacriledges, ſtrange diſorders and confuſions that are in the world at this day, and the great plagues and puniſhments for them. Though theſe be evil, as men commit them, yet good as God permitteth them. Many men are apt to think, when they ſee ſuch things as theſe, that God either regardeth not what is done here below; or (at the leaſt) though he doth intend to bring men to a reckoning at laſt, yet in the mean time he ſuffereth them to do what they pleaſe without reſtraint: But we are to know, that the Lord hath power to rectifie all diſorders whatſoever, and he doth alwayes exerciſe his dominion over the whole world, though not to keep all things in an exact order (according to our judgment) yet ſo to order all things as to get glory to himſelf out of all: God conducteth the motions of all creatures to one end, viz. the glory of his name; he will make thoſe actions that in themſelves tend highly to his diſhonour, to become occaſions of praiſe and glory to him
His great wiſdom in governing all things likewiſe appeareth in preſerving a Church to himſelf from ſeveral parts of the world:Pſal. 110.2. He ruleth in the midst of his enemies, like a King that is able to keep up his Court and royal Family in the midſt of rebels; though they may ſometime prevail againſt, yet they ſhall never be able to root up the Church of Chriſt.
Object. But it may be objected, That when the ſeventh Angel ſounded, there were great voices in Heaven, ſaying, The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chriſt, and he ſhall reign for ever. And the four and twenty Elders fell upon their faces, and worſhipped God, ſaying; We give thee thanks, O Lord God Allmighty, which art, and waſt, and art to come, becauſe thou haſt taken to thee thy great power, and haſt reigned, Revel. 11.15, 16, 17. Divers circumſtances ſhew this to be a new event, and that God had not alwayes actual poſſeſſion of all the Kingdoms of the world, it happening at the ſound of the ſeventh Trumpet, and when be took this great power to himſelf, and entered upon the government of all the Kingdomes of the world, it was then entertained by the Church with praiſe and thankeſgiving; which ſeemeth to ſhew, that God did not governe univerſally at all times, and in all Ages of the World.
Resp. I anſwer, that the Lord hath a two-fold Kingdom,
Regnum Potentiae,
Regnum Gratiae,
A Kingdom of Power,
A Kingdom of Grace.
In the exerciſe of his power he hath alwayes reigned over the world. The Lord hath prepared his Throne in Heaven, and his Kingdome ruleth over all, Pſal. 103.19. God hath always ruled over all the world, when the world hath reigned moſt in wickedneſſe; but in reſpect of the exerciſe of his government in regard of the Kingdom of his Grace, by the Spirit of his Son in the hearts and conſciences of men, he hath reigned over but a very few. This therefore is meant of the Kingdom of his Grace, that the Lord upon the ſound of the ſeventh Trumpet, would bring them in ſubjection to his Goſpel, cauſing men in all places to yield ſubjection to the golden Scepter of Chriſt held forth in the preaching of the Goſpel.