The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII. Corol. 6. Corol. 7.
Cor. 6.IF God govern the whole world, then it muſt needs be that he cannot want Inſtruments to execute vengeance upon his Enemies; he need not ſeek far for Inſtruments; for there is not a creature in Heaven, in Earth, or in Hell, but is at his command: If he ſpeak to the fire, it burneth the Sodomites; if to the water, it deſtroyeth the wicked old world; if to the Earth, it openeth its mouth, and ſwalloweth up Corah and his companions; Two Bears at his command tear in pieces two and fourty children that mockt the Prophet: Worms at his command devour Herod that perſecuted the Apoſtles, Act. 12. He plagueth a proud King by poor creatures, as Frogs, Lice, Flies,Ut per animalcula oſtenderetur opitulatoris omnipotentia. Theodoret. Pompon. Laetus. Locuſts or Graſhoppers, Exod. 8. that by thoſe little animals the omnipotency of his peoples helper, might be manifeſted; as Theodoret ſpeaketh. Prophane Hiſtories tell us alſo that Honoricus King of Vandals, and Arnulphus the Emperour, were fed upon alive, and gnawn till they were dead, by Worms and lice. Fabius the proud Senator was ſuddenly taken away with an hair ſwallowed in milk: And Pope Adrian the fourth, after that he had accuſed Frederick the firſt, was choked with a Flie in a draught of cold water. Yea the Angels good and bad are preſſed at his command to do what he pleaſeth. And ſhould God make uſe of none of theſe Inſtruments, yet his own immediate wrath were enough to confound his Enemies; as Saul, Judas, Joſeph. Naucler. Egeſippus.Atalus King of Pergamus, and Ariſtobulus ſon of Hircanus, who living in horrour of conſcience, died in fearfull ſort; which examples ſerve to ſhew, that his means are, as his power is, infinite, to chaſtiſe and ſcourge the proudeſt and greateſt of his Adverſaries. And if God arm not the creatures againſt us, yet he can make one man to devour another: Such a judgment the Lord threatneth, Jer. 13.13, 14. viz. to fill the King of Judah, the Prieſts, Prophets, and all the Inhabitants of the Land with drunkenneſs; and daſh them one againſt another. As drunkenneſs depriveth men of the uſe of common ſenſe and reaſon, and worketh ſo upon ſome tempers, as to fill them with rage and fury, that like mad men, they ſpare not thoſe that are near and dear unto them,Carion. Chron. lib. 2. as is evident in Cambyſes the ſecond King of Perſia, notwithſtanding he was well brought up, and dealt valiantly during the life of his Father Cyrus, who committed the Kingdom to him while he lived, yet falling to drunkenneſs, he ſlew his brother, married his own ſiſter, and ſlew her afterwards being great with child, for but lamenting the death of her brother. So Alexander the Great being drunk ſlew his deareſt friend Clitus. Wit overcome with wine, is like a Horſe that hath caſt his rider: Even ſo ſuch a ſpirit of drunkenneſs and madneſs did God threaten to give up the people of Jeruſalem unto, that like drunken men they ſhould deſtroy and conſume one another. Yea God can cauſe ſinners themſelves to become their own Executioners, and to lay violent hands upon themſelves. And as God hath all the hoſts of Heaven and Earth and Sea ready preſt at his command, to perform his pleaſure againſt his Enemies; ſo likewiſe to do any good office for his children and friends; the jaw-bone of an Aſs is both a ſword and a bottle to Sampſon, Judg. 15, 15, 19 And the Earth helpeth the woman, by opening her mouth, and ſwallowing up the floud which the Dragon caſt out of his mouth, Revel. 12.15, 16.Euſeb. Eccl. Hiſt. l. 5. c. 15. Euſebius tells us, That at the ſame time God ſent rain to refreſh the Souldiers of M. Aurelius his Army at the prayers of the Chriſtian Legion,Comment. Relig. & Reipubl. Galliae. and a tempeſt to affright their Enemies. It's likewiſe recorded, that God provided wonderfully for the poor Proteſtants of Rochel, ſending them plenty of Fiſhes to feed upon during the ſiege, which ceaſed alſo when the ſiege removed. Whence was it that Stephen Brune that godly French Martyr, could not be conſumed with a fire of Faggots twice made about him, ſo that the Executioner was compelled to thruſt him thorow with a Sword? Was it not from God's over-ruling Providence?
Cor. 7.If God govern the world by his Providence; then it is in his power to deny us the uſe and benefit of any of his creatures, and of any thing that is moſt dear unto us, and can at his pleaſure take them from us; For the Earth is the Lords, and the fullneſs thereof; and as the original right and title to all things is the Lord's, ſo he never parteth from the Fee-ſimple of any thing: no he doth not ſo much as let any Leaſe for any certain time, or any ſet term; but the greateſt Monarchs in the world hold their Crowns and Kingdoms of him in Capite, and be no better than his poor Copy-holders to be diſplaced at his pleaſure, and to be turned out of all they enjoy at leſſe than an hours warning. Therefore God chargeth the idolatrous Jews thus; She knew not that I gave her corn, and wine, and oyl, &c. Therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the ſeaſon thereof, Hoſ. 2.8, 9. Whatſoever thou haſt the uſe and benefit of, it is the Lords, and he can recover it out of thy hands when he pleaſeth. When Herod was highly diſpleaſed with the men of Tyre and Sidon, they came with one accord to him, and having made Blaſtus the Kings Chamberlain their friend, they deſired peace, Becauſe their Countrey was nouriſhed by the Kings Countrey, Act. 12.20. Thoſe Towns being Maritime Towns depended upon Herod's Countrey, being a Corn countrey for their food and nouriſhment. All that we have is in the hands of God, by whom we are ſed and nouriſhed continually, and he can take away his creatures from us when he will; and if he give us the creatures, yet he may deny us the uſe of them. Sometime by bodily pains and violent ſickneſſe, God makes a man to abhor bread and all dainty meat, Job 33.19, 20. or elſe by ſorrow and ſadneſſe of heart God makes the creatures uſeleſſe to us, making men with David, to eat aſhes like bread, and mingle their drink with tears, Pſal. 102.9. Sometimes ſuddain dangers and great fears deprive men of the uſe of the creatures; thus the Amalekites out of fear leave all they had taken as a prey to David, 1 Sam. 30.19. And the fear that ſurprized the Camp of the Syrians, made them flie away, and leave all that they had to the men of Samaria, 2 Reg. 7.6, 7. Sometimes covetouſneſſe will not ſuffer the greedy worldling to take the comfort of his enjoyments, though God hath given him Riches, Wealth and Honour; and that he wanteth nothing to his ſoul of all that he deſireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a ſtranger eateth it, Eccl. 6.2.
Here alſo I ſhall inſiſt upon an inſtance of an higher nature, viz. the unchurching of a people, the taking away the light of the Goſpel and Ordinances from them; whenſoever this happeneth it cometh from God's Providence. God threatned that famous Church of Epheſus, to remove her Candleſtick out of its place, Except ſhe repented and did her firſt workes. This Candleſtick was the viſible Church in Epheſus, joyned together in the profeſſion of the Goſpel, and enjoyment of Ordinances, as a Candleſtick holding a Candle in it. When God formeth a people into a viſible Church, he ſets up the light of the Word among them, as men light a Candle, and put it into a Candleſtick; but when God will unchurch, he threatens to take away the Candleſtick, take away all Church-priviledges, and Goſpel-ordinances.
I am of opinion, and humbly do conceive, that this Church of Epheſus repented at this admonition of Chriſt, and was long preſerved, that it ſtood firm under the Romane perſecutions, and a long time after; outſtanding the rage of all the Heatheniſh Tyrants, though that laſted three hundred years; for about an hundred and thirteen years after, viz. about the year 413. after Chriſt, there was a famous Councel held in this Church of Epheſus, to condemn the wicked Hereſie of Neſtorius, and to aſſert the truth of Chriſt; which ſheweth, that it is not in the power of men or Devils to take away Goſpel-ordinances from any Church or people, till the Lord pleaſeth; and when at any time theſe are taken away, it is the Lord that doth it; it is he that removeth the Candleſtick out of his place.