his will because it should not be done if he did not suffer it he doth that which is good permitteth that which is evil directeth both good and evil Although God doth order and govern sins that be done yet he is not properly the efficient cause of sin therefore Austin again saith well An evil thing hath not a cause efficient but deficient as the corruption of judgement and the perverseness of the will of man I might shew through the whole current of the Scriptures how God at his pleasure ordereth the actions of evil men and Devils to the bringing to pass whatsoever he will have done he maketh the hard dealing of Laban turn to the benefit of Jacob Gen. 31. he turneth the cruelty of Jacobs sons to the advancement of Joseph Gen. 39. and Chap. 41. the Aegyptians oppressions to the encreasing of the Israelites In the same thing there is vertue both to kill and cure as in Achilles spear The Flies Cantharides having their bodies applied to any parts of our bodies exulcerate the same and especially the bladder and the wings applied to the same place help what the body hurteth The Scorpion and Vipers dissected and applied to the wounds heal what the sting of the one and biting of the other hand hurt Dr Bright Tract de Melanchol Exod. 1.12 the persecution of Saul to the benefit of David the hatred of the Caldeans to the exaltation of Daniel Dan. 6. the envy of Haman to the preferment of Mordecai and the delivery of the Jews the contempt of the Pharisees to the admission of the Publicans the persecution of the Apostles among the Jews to the calling of the Gentiles And to this I may adde that not only the sinfull actions of other men but even the Saints own sins through Gods wise disposing providence are turned to their benefit as of Serpents flesh Triacle is made which is a preservative against poison so the evils and sins of the faithfull are turned finally to their good When we grow dull he quickens us we wax proud he humbleth us we abuse his creatures he takes them from us dealing with our vices and sins as a good Gardiner with the weeds that would over-run his ground pulling them up and pruning his trees to bear good fruit CHAP. XXII How Gods providence reacheth the habitations and dwellings of Men. 5. IT will not now be unmeet to shew how Gods providence reacheth the habitations and dwellings of men God knew the City called Damascus and the Street therein called strait he knew the house of Simon the Tanner at Joppa Christ knew the upper room in that house where he intended to eat the Passeover with his Disciples Omnia nòn â—olùm à Deo permissa sed etiam immissa Lypsius de constant All mens habitations and dwellings are appointed by God he appointeth to every man his proper place and saith Dwell thou here Some plot to dwell in this place some in that and God sendeth them into other places and Countries to dwell some are appointed to dwell in hungry and barren places and others in delectable pleasant well-watered and fruitfull places some have very convenient dwellings for their more comfortable enjoyment of Gods Ordinances as it is said of Justus Migrat in aliam domum proculdubiò Gentilis hominis ut etiam nomen Romanum indicat quo tanto commodiùs posset cum Gentilibus agere eosque docere occasione hospitis hospitii Flac. Illyr in Act. 18. that his house joyned hard to the Synagogue Act. 18.7 and it 's very probable that the house of Anna the Prophetess was very near to the Temple in Jerusalem for it is said that she was a widow of about fourscore and four years having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity and that she departed not from the Temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day Luk. 2.36 37. She was of a great age when she uttereth her prophesie concering Christ in all likelyhood about an hundred years old at this time for it 's not likely she married before fifteen years of age she lived with her husband seven a widow eighty four years wherein we have a rare example of chastity and constancy for a young noble woman in the flower of her age about some two and twenty years old to lose her husband and to content her self to live a widow so long in one place with such singular commendation Now whereas it is said that she departed not from the Temple c. it is not meant that she never went out of the Temple but should lodge there as a Nun or Cloysterer so much cannot be gathered Supervenire autem nòn potuit si nonquam discessisset Gualt ad loc but the contrary because it is said vers 38. that she came upon Joseph and Mary at the same instant that they brought up Jesus to the Temple but such was her devotion as she was seldome absent thence she abode there for the most part giving her self to the service of God by the exercises of fasting night and day that is at all times or very frequently God sometime sends a man to dwell in such a place to convert some of the inhabitants thereof It is conceived that David dwelling a while at Gath Fenner's Catechism converted Ittai the Gittite to the faith 2 Sam. 15.19 and that Abraham dwelling or sojourning among the Canaanites by his godly perswasions preaching to them and conversing with them made many forsake their Idolatry and imbrace the true worship of the true God There is no man hath a spot of ground or never to small a cottage to dwell in but he hath it at the hand of God and it is a singular providence of God that we can dwell in safety and that our habitations dwelling houses and possessions are not laid waste when we consider the greatnesse of our sins which are able to make desolate the most goodly Edifices and most stately Palaces God threatned to send a fire into the house of Hazael that should devour the palaces of Benhadad Amos 1.4 God depriveth men of a great blessing when he takes their dwelling houses from them God hath many wayes to remove men from their houses and homes David through fear of Absalom was forced to flie from his house in Jerusalem Manasseh was forced out of his house and Kingdom into a prison others by riotousnesse and unthriftinesse cast themselves out of their habitations some wilfully like the Prodigal leave their Father's house Luke 15. Some go into a strange Countrey and never return again to their own native Countrey Shebna the treasurer promised himself a setled habitation and made himself a Sepulchre yet the Lord threatens to drive him out Isa 22.15 God commandeth the Prophet to say unto Shebna What hast thou here and whom hast thou here that thou hast hewed thee out a Sepulchre here as he that â—heweth out a Sepulchre on high and that graveth
godly and also shew how it reacheth the wicked First Toward the Godly 1. In afflicting them he is said in Scripture to send affliction to his people all afflictions either inward as passions of the mind grief of heart and sorrow of spirit or outward as diseases sicknesses pains of the body come from God and are inflicted by him David confesseth Psal 32.4 saying That Gods hand lay heavy upon him day and night Yea God himself tells us as much Isa 45.7 I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create evil that is the evil of punishment Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 Affliction springeth not out of the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground saith Eliphaz Job 5.6 This form of speaking is proverbial Proverbialis quaedam sententia est qua tollat easum asseratque divinam erga res humanas impiorum supplicium providentiam Pineda ad loc as the Learned note and frequently used in those times when they would remove Chance or Fortune as men commonly say or deny any event to be without a certain directive power they spake in this language This sprang not out of the dust nor came from the ground We must not therefore stay upon the second causes as the common corrupt custom of the world is blaming themselves for over-sight and want of good heed taking and in other cases blaming the falsnesse of friends and want of seasonable supplies and sometimes crying out of the unseasonablenesse of the weather and times causing infection in the air and putrifying the bloud c. But as Cratippus was wont to say Fata per causas agunt populi peccata evertunt imperia Cratippus That the destinies do act by causes and Empires are overthrown by the sins of the people So it 's not the influences of the Heavens nor the positions of the Stars nor the unseasonablenesse of the weather or the like that be the causes of sore diseases at any time among us but the just hand of God that punisheth our strange sinnes with strange sicknesses These have their places it cannot be denied but there 's an hand that over-rules them whereat we must look and which we must confesse and acknowledge Else shall we be like those of whom God complaineth by his Prophets Isa 1.5 Isa 9.13 Jer. 5.3 This is as if one that were wounded should fret and chafe at the spear dart sword bullet or arrow that hit and hurt him but never to regard the striker nor yet apply any medicine to the hurt-place this must needs be extream folly Thus did not David accuse Shimei for railing upon him but acknowledgeth the hand of God stirring him up and setting him a work 2 Sam. 16.11 and holy Job knew as much therefore he doth not cry out upon the Sabeans for taking away his Oxen and Asses nor blame the Chaldeans for carrying away his Camels no nor the Devil himself for raising the winds and hurling down the house upon his children but he confesseth the just hand of God in it all The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken Job 1.21 And so in all afflictions we should do as Nazianzen tells us he did A te Domine percussus ad te respicio Nazianz. viz. go to God and say to him Lord I am smitten of thee and to thee doe I look And so the Prophet calls upon us Come let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6.1 Object But some body perhaps may say Is it not very strange that we should therefore come to God because he hath smitten and afflicted us Doth not Reason teach reasonable creatures and even Nature it self all creatures to seek their preservation and avoid all things that may any way tend to their destruction as tearing and smiting may seem to do When Adam perceived that God was angry with him he ran away and hid himself among the bushes Genes 3. and we may observe that even horses dogs and other unreasonable creatures are easily brought to come to such as feed them and make much of them but they will flie and runne away from such as beat them therefore it may seem that afflictions should rather drive us from God than draw us to him Resp. 1. I cannot deny but must grant these things to be thus in Nature and Reason and therefore we must also know that the Prophet here being endued with Gods Spirit speaketh Metaphysicè above the reach of natural reason for these things come not to passe Vi tribulationis by the force of afflictions which have no power in their own nature but virtute tribulantis by the strength of him that afflicteth who maketh afflictions thus powerfull by his grace and who being infinite in power can produce contrary effects by contrary causes as he brought light out of darknesse Genes 1.3 Water out of a flinty rock Exod. 17.6 Wisdom out of foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1. Yea life out of death for out of Christs death came our spiritual yea eternal life for by his bloud he saveth his children from spiritual and eternal death as the old Pelican by his bloud saveth her young from natural death 2. Or we may answer that howbeit the Argument be not good in sensu diviso yet it is in sensu composito taking all together As therefore men go not to the Physician or take not physick to make them sick and yet are content by his direction to take physick though it doth make them sick for the time present to the end they may recover and be the more healthy for the time to come so the Prophet perswadeth not the people to come and return to him barely because he had torn and broken them so likewise he would heal and bind them up again In a word he wills them to consider and look upon God not as an angry Judge punishing them in his justice and displeasure for their destruction but as a loving Father correcting and chastening them in his mercy for their amendment and their profit For 1. Afflictions to the godly are an eyesalve to make them see and acknowledge their sins as to Josephs Brethren Gen. 42.21 Tribulation enlargeth the understanding making men to see into themselves Prosperity so blindeth men that they cannot know their own estate A man under the cross doth better understand the frailty of his body the uncertainty of his life and doth evidently perceive his manifold infirmities he learneth what little progress he hath made in the wayes of godliness he knoweth his interest in God he knoweth the strength of his faith and is not ignorant of Satans devices he seeth Gods infinite power by which he is able in our extream necessities to give relief and comfort he seeth the unalterable truth of God whereby he performeth all his promises and threatnings hereby he seeth the unmeasurable goodness
even in sinfull actions as he is Gods creature upheld and maintained by him In him we live move and have our being but he sinneth by reason of the corruption of his nature having no free-will to any thing that is good since the fall of Adam but free-will and full power to that which is evil 2. When God withholdeth or suspendeth that power from sinners by which they might avoid that which is evil Thus when God departeth from Saul withdrawing the common aid of his Spirit then an evil spirit vexeth him and he groweth worse and worse The degenerate nature of man which one termeth sins Coach doth then runne which way the Devil driveth Claphâ—m in Cantic as Wheels and Axel-tree till Jesus Christ free our Chariot-nature from the power of hell and withall joyn himself by his own spirit to our nature that so with Ezekiels Chariot it may go forth and return according to the conduct of his holy Spirit 3. When God permits and suffers men to go on long in a course of sin and doth not restrain them for if it pleased him he could hinder men from doing evil Now the will of God is two-fold An approving Will A permitting Will. 1. An approving Will whereby he decreeth the actions of all good men 2. A permitting Will whereby he decreeth not to worke any evil but onely permit it to be wrought The actions of men are either good or evil God willeth good actions by his approving will Evil actions may come under a double consideration 1. In regard of the entity and being of them so God decreeth them by his permitting will for no sinne could be without his permission Act. 17.18 2. In regard of the evil adjunct and vitiosity of them Et potentius melius est bonum ex malo elicere quam esse mala nòn sinere August Bonum est mala esse vel fieri alioquìn summè bonus nòn permitteret ea fieri Lombard Sent. lib. 1. distinct 46. and so they proceed not from God but from the corrupt will of man as a deficient cause We may consider the sins of men as they are evil and so God is not the authour of them but as they may be reduced to some good as the manifestation of his own glory c. and so he suffereth evil to be committed being able to bring good out of evil as water out of a flinty Rock for though evil be not good yet out of evil God can bring good It is better and more powerfull saith Austin to draw and bring good out of evil than not at all to suffer evil to be out of the greatest evil God can produce the greatest good So then God is the Author of every action but not of the deformity enormity and obliquity of the action as the Planets are moved by a direct motion by the primum mobile the obliquity of their motion is à suâ naturâ The Sunne maketh the Earth hard the Wax soft flowers to smell sweetly dead Carrion to stink noisomly so then the diversity of effects proceedeth not from the nature of the cause but of the things wrought upon and God moveth and ruleth things according to their natures Multa sine voluntate Dei geruntur nihil sine providentia providentia est quae dispensat providet voluntas quae vult nòn vult aliquid Origen To explain this point by an instance or two In the selling Joseph into Aegypt Josephs brethren were agents and God was an agent and had an hand in the businesse but their ends were divers they sold him to be rid of him because they thought their father loved him better than themselves and because they thought so to falsifie his dreams that he might not rule over them but God's end was to provide succour and shelter for their father and themselves and all their families Gen. 50.20 Item in the temptations and afflictions of Job the Devil was an agent the Chaldeans and the Sabeans agents God an agent and all these had their several ends The Devils end was to have made Job forsake God that so he might have fallen to his share the Sabeans and Chaldeans end were to impoverish him and enrich themselves and God's end was to prove the Devil a liar and to manifest and declare the faith and patience of Job and make him famous for the same to the whole world In the divers and sundry captivities of the children of Israel by the Caldeans Babylonians Assyrians and lastly in their finall ruine by the Romans their enemies had their ends and God had his The ends that the Caldeans Assyrians Babylonians and Romans aimed at was their own pride and ambition and the enlargement of their Territories and Dominions but Gods end was the punishment of them to admonish others and to fulfill the prophesies and predictions thereof To be brief in the death of Christ the Devil had his end Judas his end the Scribes and Pharisees their end the Jews theirs God his end the Devils end was to make so many murderers and guilty of shedding innocent bloud Judas his end was covetousness to get thirty pieces of silver the Scribes and Pharisees end was envy and malice because they thought he eclipsed their glory Pilates end was partly to please the people but principally not to displease the Emperour the Jews end was hatred and malice because he reproved their sins but Gods end was to fulfill the Prophesies and to bring to pass the salvation of mankind by that means which he had appointed Shimei by cursing would shew his hatred of David but God would make known the patience of David Deus homo idem faciunt Deus pro aequitate laudatur homo pro iniquitate damnatur Aug. Epist 48. ad Vincent Non fit absque Dei voluntate quod fit contra ejus voluntatem efficit bona permittit mala dirigit universa Res mala nòn habet causam efficientem sed deficientem Aug. de civit Dei l. 12. c. 7. which was good Austin sheweth how God and man may will the same thing and God in willing it doth well and yet man sinneth in willing the same thing The Father of an ungracious child is sick God will have him to die in his just judgement the Son desireth the death of his father that he may the sooner come to his inheritance God willeth it justly the son wickedly And saith he further God and man do the same thing God is praised for equity and man is condemned for his iniquity When God the Father delivered his Son and Christ delivered his own body and Judas his Master why in this delivery is God just and man sinfull but only in all one thing which they did there is not all one cause for which they did it Great are the works of the Lord being sought out according to all his wills insomuch that by a marvellous and unspeakable manner that is not beside his will which yet is done against