The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 38
CHAP. XXXVIII. Inſtruction five.
Inſtruct. 5 MAke uſe of this Doctrine of Providence as a ſanative to cure you of all carking cares: God is not like a needy houſholder who taketh more people into his family than he hath meanes to maintain; for the whole world is his with the riches thereof: it is a matter of pitty for to ſee many rent their hearts when they need not; Gods Providence eaſeth us of that care; many men have had ſuch proofs of Gods providing for them in their ſtraits, as might make them all their daies relie upon him; yet how ſoon are are their hearts filled with perplexing cares, as if they had never known his power; ſome preſent pinching neceſſity wipeth out the rememberance of former mercies, which filleth the heart with unbelief and diſpair of ſupply: when we are plunged in great troubles, and ſee little appearances of deliverance, then it's good to raiſe up our ſpirits with theſe and the like conſiderations.
1. God is as good to Iſrael as ever he was, and as mighty to help and ſave his people as he was in the daies of old.
2. As he hath all times and ſeaſons in his hand, ſo he is moſt wiſe to appoint the fitteſt ſeaſons for their deliverance.
3. If deliverance come not according to our deſires; it is not for that it will not come at all, but becauſe the ſet time of mercy is not yet come.
4. That God will then help his people, when the help of man is vain, and when he ſeeth that their help is gone, Deut. 32.36. when man giveth over, there is then both time and place for God.
5. That God is more wiſe to ſee, and more able to do that which is good for his people, than all the world beſides; let us therefore take heed leſt by diſtruſtfull cares we make God's providence work things to our grief who uſually maketh all things to work together for the good of his Children; let us do our duty cheerfully, and leave the event of things to God and his Providence. God is ſtiled a faithfull Creator, and we are bid to caſt all our cares upon him, for he careth for us, 1 Pet. 5.7. reſt fully on God's Providence, reſolving to well come whatſoever it bringeth to us. The Apoſtle bids us, be carefull for nothing. Phil. 4.6. Doth God take care for Oxen? That is, doth he take ſuch care for Oxen as for men, eſpecially for his Miniſters? 1 Cor 9. God provided food for man before he made him, and therefore will provide for his Creature being made:Vivere ſub tutela & providentia caeleſtis patris, conditio eſt ſuavis, cuſtodia tuta; patris enim eſt omnes curas & labores in ſe recipere & nihilominus fructum eorum dividere cum filio. Otho Gaſm…. Take no thought for your life what ye ſhall eate, neither for the body what ye ſhall put on, ſaith our Saviour; For the life is more than meat, and the body than raiment, Luk. 12.22, 23. Food is leſſe than life, and Raiment leſſe than the body. He that gave us a body and life, will furniſh us with neceſſaries for both; if we can relie upon him, we ſhall have both a convenient and ſufficient ſupply in all our wants. Do we not ſee that as the neceſſities of man in generall are more than other Creatures, ſo the ſupplies that he giveth to man are of more excellent nature, and God alloweth us a larger maintenance then he affordeth to other creatures; yea other Creatures die that we may live; how many Fowls, Fiſhes, and Beaſts loſe their lives to keep our lives; God ſends us bread from one ſoile, drink from another, Fowls from the aire, Beaſts from the earth, Fiſhes from the Sea, Wine from Spain and other Counteries, Spicery and Bullion from the Indies: how often may we ſee the commodities of all Countries in our houſes and on our tables? Why then ſhould our hearts at any time be rent with diſtruſtfull cares, ſeeing God opens his hand ſo liberally to us; it is man's priviledge in temporall neceſſities to be better provided for than other creatures; and it is the Saints priviledge to be better ſupplied with grace than other men, The Lord is my ſhepherd, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, therefore I ſhall not want. It is a ſweet thing to live under the care and providence of our Heavenly Father,Pſal. 23.1. ſuch and ſuch onelyonly are in ſafe cuſtody.
Object. What then may ſome ſay, ſhall we therefore baniſh all care out of our hearts, as the Cibbrites did all Cocks and watchfull birds out of their Cities, and nothing but turne our ſelves upon our beds as a door turneth upon his hinges with Solomons ſluggard?
Reſp. I anſwer: all care is not forbidden; ſome cares are neceſſary becauſe God commandeth them, as cares of diligence and prudence; other cares are unneceſſary becauſe forbidden, as carking cares. 'Tis ſaid of the vertuous woman,Prov. 31.27. that ſhe eateth not the bread of idleneſse, but looketh well to the waies of her houſhold: and Solomon ſends the ſluggard to the Ant for inſtruction, Go to the Ant thou ſluggard, Conſider her waies and be wiſe, which having no guide, overſeer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the ſummer, and gathereth her food in the harveſt, Pro. 6.6, 7, 8. Joſeph in time of plenty laies up againſt the famine following, Gen. 42.48. and the Diſciples every man according to his ability provide to ſend relief to the brethren at Judea, againſt the great dearth that ſhould be thorowout all the world in the daies of Claudius Caeſar, Act. 11.28, 29. And Paul tells us, that parents muſt lay up for their children, 2 Cor. 12.14. and ſaith, that he that provideth not for his family is worſe than an infidell. Thus we ſee that we are not diſſwaded from all lawfull cares, but from all diſtruſtfull carking cares, that might hinder us in the ſervice of God, and in the diſcharge of our duties, ſuch a care as is called, Cura eventus, a care about the iſſue and event of things, the contrary whereof is, in faith to ſtand ſtill, and ſee the ſalvation of God, Ex. 14.13. and in all ſtraights to ſay to our ſoule,Plura ſunt quae terrent quam quae nos premunt; & ita nimiùm timendo ſaepè fruſtrà miſeri ſumus ante tempus. Multi vixere in freto, moriuntur in portu. Senec. ad Lucil. Epiſt. 19. as Abraham to his ſon, Deus providebit, God will provide. There are, more things which affright men, ſaith Seneca, than really oppreſſe them, and ſo by exceſſive fears we often become miſerable before our time; many have been ſafe in the ocean which have periſhed in the harbour.