The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 34
CHAP. XXXIV. Profitable Inſtructions ariſing from this Doctrine of Providence. Inſtruct. 1.
THis Doctrine of Providence may now afford us many ſeaſonable and profitable Inſtructions.
Inſtruct. 1 This ſhould teach us warily to obſerve and take notice of God's various diſpenſations in the way of his Providence. My ſonne, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes obſerve my ways, Prov. 23.26. Solomon by means of his great wiſdom, did obſerve many things in his ſhort time of vanity, he ſaw a juſt man periſhing in, or by reaſon of his righteouſneſs; and that many a wicked man liveth to a great age and proſpereth, notwithſtanding his wickedneſs, Eccleſ. 7.15, 16, 17. The ſhort life of man upon Earth yieldeth great variety of matter for much obſervation; the many ſtrange events that happen in a mans age, call for our moſt ſerious obſervation: As a City built upon a narrow plot of ground hath many Inhabitants in it imployed about ſeveral callings, wherein much may be ſeen within a little compaſſe: So the ſhort life of man yieldeth great variety of matters to be obſerved. When I applied my heart to know wiſdome, and ſee the buſineſs that is done upon the earth, &c. Then I beheld all the works of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the Sunne; becauſe though a man labour to ſeek it out, yea further though a wiſe man think to know it, yet ſhall he not be able to find it, ſaith Solomon, Eccleſ. 8.16, 17. Though the ſecrets of divine Wiſdom in the various wayes of his providence be often beyond the reach of the wiſeſt and moſt induſtrious Chriſtians; yet ought we not to let any of them paſſe without a ſerious obſervation. Do we not ſee that ſome men in a ſhort time will do great matters? What great things were done by Alexander by the two and thirtieth year of his age, Hiſtories teſtifie. And Julius Caeſar being imployed by the Pretor of Rome to ride in Circuit, being Quaeſtor, as Lord Juſtice, coming into Spain to keep the Aſſizes, eſpied there the Picture of Alexander with his Acts; and when perceiving that he had conquered the world at his age, he deſired licenſe to depart ſpeedily, having diſpatcht his buſineſſe, and that night he dreamed a dream, which the Augurs interpreted to ſignifie,Sueton. de C. Jul Caeſar. that the Earth ſhould be ſubject to him, and under his Dominion; Hereupon he undertook great matters, and ſo fortunate he was in his Wars, that at length he carried in his Enſign theſe three words, Veni Vidi, Vici; I came to ſuch a Town, I ſaw it, and overcame it. Now if ſome men in a ſhort time can do great things, (as we alſo have ſeen in theſe our dayes) then God much more, who in wiſdom and power doth far exceed all the men of the world. Beſides, the Lord for his own glory doth vary much in the carr…ge of things: As in the creation of the world, he not only made all things good, but made alſo great varieties of things, for the manifeſtation of his Wiſdom, Power and Glory; ſo in governing the world God makes uſe of variety of Agents in the world, led by divers principles: ſome by the ſpirit and power of grace, ſome by the fleſh, and by the ſpirit of the world, and by the Prince of the power of the air: ſome labour to build up the Church of God; others like Sanballat and Tobiah do hinder the building, and croſſe others who ſeek the welfare of Sion, and altogether ſeek for honour and preferment for themſelves. Now by theſe contrary effects of men, the Lord bringeth forth contrary events, and cauſeth his Glory to ſhine thorow all.
How juſtly then are they to be reproved that have lived long, yet make no ſpecial obſervations of thoſe events that have happened in their dayes? Some are ſo much taken up with vain and fooliſh delights, as pleaſant Muſick, jovial company, feaſting and carouſing, that they regard not the work of the Lord neither conſider the operation of his hand, Iſa. 5.12. Whoredome and wine, and new wine hath ſtollen away their hearts, Hoſ. 4.11. Others there are whoſe hearts are wholly taken up with worldly buſineſs, only minding earthly things. It is an argument of a bruitiſh ſpirit to neglect obſervation: Wherefore is a price put into the hand of a fool, ſeeing he hath not an heart, Prov. 17.16. Gods work is about us, and in us (at leaſt in a common providence) and yet few there are that ſee it, or ſee God in it. It is the part of fools to paſſe by theſe things without obſervation: Who ſo is wiſe will obſerve theſe things: Pſal. 107. ult.He that is endued with heavenly wiſdom, and taught by the Spirit of God, will obſerve them, and ſhall underſtand the loving kindneſſe of God.
It is admirable to conſider God's Providences without the Church among the Enemies thereof. The Kings of Aſsyria had overcome divers Nations; therefore Sennacherib ſends meſſengers to Hezekiah, to tell him, That the gods of the Nations could not deliver them whom his fathers had deſtroyed, as Gozar, Haran, &c. therefore he would have Hezekiah to have believed, that he could have done the like to his God alſo. Now the uſe that he makes of it was, not ſlightly to paſſe by theſe things, but makes a contrary uſe of it, acknowledging his God to be the living God, and able to ſave him out of his hand; and that the gods whom the Aſsyrians had caſt into the fire, were no gods, but the work of mens hands; therefore they had deſtroyed them. Now the iſſue was dreadfull to the Aſsyrians; Iſa. 37.11, 12, 18, 19, 36, 37, 38.An Angel of the Lord in one night ſlayeth an hundred fourſcore and five thouſand in the camp of the Aſsyrians; and Sennacherib himſelf was afterwards ſlain by two of his own ſons, as he was worſhiping in the houſe of Niſroch his god. So likewiſe it is very obſervable concerning the Turks the vaſſals of that baſe and grand Impoſtor Mahamet, who are great enemies of the Church; that the Lord hath ſo ordered it by his Providence, that they have not ſent ſuch huge armies againſt the Chriſtian Church for many yeares paſt as they did heretofore.
Within the Church Chriſt bids us diſcern the ſignes of the times,Mar. 16.2. and makes it a note of hypocriſie to be able to diſcerne the face of the skie and of the earth, and not to diſcern the ſignes of the times; (as he ſad to the Phariſees,) which then were admirable, the Scepter being then departed from Judah, and one of Eſau's race enjoying it: John Baptiſt (the promiſed Elijah the forerunner of Chriſt) being now come before the face of the Meſſiah as a meſſenger to prepare his way before him, Great Miracles wrought by our Saviour, the blind receiving their ſight, the lame walking, the Lepers cleanſed, the deaf hearing, the dead raiſed, and the poor having the Goſpel preached unto them; all which ſhewed him to be that Meſſiah that was to come, and not another.
So in Luther's time there was an admirable change;What warrant have the Papiſts for their Jubilees, but the Popes knocking at Rome-Gates with his golden hammer, promiſing pardon to whomſoever ſhall enter in at them that year, bringeth much Gold to St Peter's chair and the Pope's coffer; keeping their Kitchen ſmokeing. Jubilees were of uſe before Chriſts coming, but ever ſince out of date. clear light ſhining out of thick darkneſſe, the year of Jubilee proclaimed the acceptable year of our Lord, the year of releaſe from Babiloniſh thraldom, and Popiſh ſuperſtition, free juſtification by the blood of Chriſt preached: An Angel cometh down from heaven having great power, and the earth was lightned with his glory; and he crieth out mightily with a ſtrong voice ſaying, Babylon the great is fallen, &c. Rev. 18.1, 2. and verſ. 4. Another voice from Heaven ſaith; Come out of her my people, that ye be not pertakers of her ſinnes, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
And is it not vrey needfull for us to obſerve the Signs of theſe our times; how many Nations profeſſing the truth of the Goſpell with us, have of late endured many hard and ſore trials, God hath deſtroyed the ſtrength of many Kingdomes, overthrowing the Charets and thoſe that rode in them; the Horſes and their riders have come down,Hag. 2.21. 22. every one by the Sword of his Brother. God hath even ſhaken the Heavens over us, and the earth under us, for the great formality and lukewarmneſſe, intemperance, earthlymindedneſſe of the Nations, and for the great oppoſition of the Kingdom of Chriſt, the beauty of holyneſſe, and the truth of God clearly revealed in the Goſpell.
Furthermore, It is very obſervable, how that many men in all ages have been taken away by ſuddain judgements, and that divers waies. Herod, on a ſuddain cometh upon the Galileans, and killeth them as they were Sacrificing, mingling their Blood with their Sacrifices, Luk. 13.1. upon eighteen others a Tower falls ſuddainly and killeth them, as the houſe upon Job's Children. Thus ſome men have been taken away in their drunkenneſſe, and in their riotous meetings; ſome fall from ſcaffolds, ſome be ſlain with timber, ſome killed with the overthrow of earth, ſome drowned, ſome with falls from Horſes, ſome with Tiles or Stones falling from Houſes,Mayer. Expoſit. in Jam. Paenitentia eſt animi medicina. Lactant. Secunda Tabula poſt naufragium. Hieron. as that worthy Roman Captain riding through the ſtreets of Rome in Triumph after a famous victory, was killed by a Tile of a Houſe falling on his head. Now the uſe and end of God's judgments upon ſome, is to work amendment and repentance upon all. Repentance (as Lactantius calls it) is the Phyſick of the ſoul, which all that be ſin ſick (as all Adam's brood be) muſt take before they can be recovered, and all that will not be drowned in the Sea of Sinne, muſt of neceſſity ſwim out upon the plank of repentance.