Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A32726
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A treatise of divine providence I. In general, II. In particular, as relating to the church of God in the world / by ... Mr. Steph. Charnocke ...
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Charnock, Stephen, 1628-1680.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing C3712; ESTC R13224
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166,401
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418
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therefore the continuance of that being depends upon his preserving influence * Stillingsleet Orig sacrae lib. 3. cap. 3. §. 3. God upholds the World and causes all those laws which he hath impressed upon every Creature to be put in execution not as a man that makes a watch and winds it up and then suffers it to go of it self Or that turns a River into another Channel and lets it alone to run in the grass he hath made for it but there is a continual concurrence of God to this goodly frame For they do not only live but move in him or by him his living and omnipotent power runs through every vein of the Creation giving it life and motion and ordering the acts of every part of this great body All the motions of second causes are ultimately resolved into the Providence of God who holds the first link of them in his hands * Hos 2.21 22. More particularly the nature of Providence may be explained by Two propositions First Proposition The universality of it His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole Earth First 'T is over all Creatures 1. The highest 2. The lowest I. The highest and most magnificent pieces of the Creation 1. Over Jesus Christ the first born of every Creature Gods providence was in an especial manner conversant about him and fixed upon him It was by the determinate Counsel of God that he was delivered up * Acts. 2.23 His providence was diligently exercised about him in his whole course Christ answers his Mothers solicitousness with the care his Father took of him * Luk. 2.49 wist you not that I must be about my Fathers business 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hammond in loc Do you not know that I am about those things my Father takes care of * This exposition best agrees with his reproof who blames them for creating so much trouble to themselves upon their missing him in the Town 'T is not why do you interrupt me in my dispute with the Jewish Doctors But How is it that you sought me Do you think I am not under the care of my Father It was particularly exercised on him in the midst of his passion * Zach. 3.9 Seven eyes were upon the Stone Seven a number of perfection a perfect and peculiar care of God attended him 2. Over Angels and Men. The Soul of the least Animal and the smallest Plant is formed and preserved by God but the breath of Mankind is more particularly in his hand Job 12.10 In whose hand is the Soul of every living thing and the breath of all Mankind 1. Over good Angels and Men. He charges his Angels with folly and weakness They cannot direct themselves without his wisdom nor preserve themselves without his power God hath a Book of Providence wherein he writes down who shall be preserved and this Book Moses understands Exod. 32.33 Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my Book not the Book of Election no names written there are blotted out but out of the Book of Providence As it is understood Isa 4.3 every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem i. e. every one whom God designs to preservation and deliverance * Hortons Serm. Ps 87. p. 56. That God surely that hath a care of the mean animals will not be careless of his affectionate Worshippers He that feeds the Ravens will not starve his Doves He that satisfies the Ravening Wolf will not famish his gentle Lambs and harmless Sheep He shelters Jacob from Labans fury and * Gen. 31.29 tutors him how he should carry himself towards the good man He brought Haman out of favour and set Mordecai in his place for the deliverance of the Jews which were design'd for slaughter 2. Over evil Angels and Men. Gods power preserves them his patience suffers them his wisdom orders them and their evil purposes and performances to his own glory The Devil cannot arrest Job nor touch a Lamb of his Flock nor a hair of his head without a commission from God He cannot enter into one filthy Swine in the Gaderens herd without asking our Saviour leave Whatever he doth he hath a grant or permission from Heaven for it Gods special providence is over his people but his general Providence over all Kingdoms and Countreys He takes care of Syria as well as of Judaea and sends Elisha to anoint Hazael King of Syria as well as Jehu King of Israel * 1 King 19.15 Though Ishmael had mocks for Isaac yet the God of Isaac provided for the wants of Ishmael * Gen. 25.16 17 18. He causeth his Sun to shine upon the unjust as well as the just to produce Fruits and plants for their preservation II. Over the meanest Creatures As the Suns light so Gods Providence disdains not the meanest wormes 'T is observed that in the enumeration of the works of Creation * Gen. 1.21 only the great Whales and small creeping things are mentioned and not the intermediate Creatures to shew that the least as well as the greatest are under his care 'T is one of his Titles to be the preserver of Beasts as well as men * Neh. 9.6 He is the great Caterer for all Creatures * Ps 104.21 The young Lyons seek their meat from God They attend him for their daily portion and what they gather and meet with in their pursuit is Gods gift to them vers 27 28. He listens to the cries of the young Ravens though they are Birds of Prey * Psal 147.9 He gives to the Beast his food and to the young Ravens which cry In Psalm 104. David throughout the whole reads a particular Lecture of this Doctrine wherein you may take a prospect of Gods Providence all over the world He acts them by a Commandment and imprinted Law upon their natures and makes them observe exactly those statutes he enacts for the guidance of them in their proper operations Psal 147.15 he sendeth forth his Commandment upon Earth and his word runs very swiftly viz. his word of Providence God keeps them in the observation of their first ordinance * Psal 119.91 They continue this day according to thine Ordinances for all are thy Servants i. e. The Earth and what is upon it They observe their stations the Law God hath set them as if they had a rational knowledge of their duty in their particular motions Ps 104.19 the Sun knoweth his going down Sometimes he makes them instruments of his Ministry to us sometimes executioners of his judgments Lice and Frogs arm themselves at his command to punish Egypt He makes a Whale to attend Jonas dropping into the Sea to be an instrument both to punish and preserve him Yea and which is more wonderfull the multitude of the very Cattle is brought among others as a reason of a peoples preservation from destruction Jonah 4.11 the multitude of the Cattle are joyned with the multitude of
may bring to his own ends As in some Engines you shall see wheels have contrary motions and yet all in order to one and the same end God cured those by a Brazen Serpent which were stung by the fiery ones whereas Brass is naturally hurtful to those that are bit by Serpents * Grotius Mat. 20.16 Aes naturaliter nocet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Afflictions Joseph is sold for a slave and God sends him as a Harbinger his Brothers sold him to destroy him and God sends him to save them Pauls Bonds in the opinion of some might have stiffled the Gospel but he tells us that they had fallen out to the furtherance of the Gospel 1 Phil. 12. 2. Sins * Hall contempl book 3. p. 806 807. God doth often effect his just Will by our weakness neither thereby justifying our infirmities nor blemishing his own action Jacob gets the blessing by unlawful means telling no less then two lies to attain it I am Esau and this is venison But hereby God brings about the performance of his promise which Isaac's natural affection to Esau would have hindred Jacob of The breach of the first Covenant was an occasion of introducing a better Mans sinning away his first stock was an occasion to God to enrich him with a surer The loss of his original righteousness made way for a clearer and more durable The folly of man made way for the evidence of Gods wisdom and the sin of man for the manifestation of his grace and by the wise disposal of God opens a way for the honour of those attributes which would not else have been experimentally known by the Sons of men 3. Casual means The Viper which leapt upon Pauls hand out of the bundle of sticks was a casual act but designed by the providence of God for the propagation of the Gospel Pharaoh's Daughter comes casually to wash her self in the river but indeed conducted by the secret influence of God upon her to rescue Moses exposed to a forlorn condition and breed him up in the Aegyptian learning that he might be the fitter to be his kindreds deliverer Saul had been hunting David and at last had lodged him in a place whence he could not well escape and being ready to seize upon him in that very instant of time a Post comes to Saul and brings the news that the Philistines had invaded the Land which cut out other work for him and David for that time escapes * 1 Sam. 23.26 27 28. Thirdly 3. Reason Such actions and events of things are in the world which cannot rationally be ascribed to any other cause then a supreme providence 'T is so in common things Men have the same parts the same outward advantages the same industry and yet prosper not alike One labours much and gets little another uses not altogether such endeavours and hath riches flowing in upon him Men lay their projects deep and question not the accomplishment of them and are disappointed by some strange and unforeseen accident And sometimes men attain what they desire in a different way and many times contrary to the Method they had projected This is evidenced 1. By the restraints upon the passions of men the waves of the Sea and the tumults of the People are much of the same impetuous natures and are quelled by the same power * Psal 65.7 which stilleth the noise of the Sea and tumult of the People Tumults of the People could no more be stilled by the force of a man then the Waves of the Sea by a puff of breath How strangely did God qualify the hearts of the Aegyptians willingly to submit to the sale of their Land when they might have risen in a tumult broke open the Granaries and supplied their wants * Gen. 47.19 21. Indeed if the World were left to the conduct of chance and fortune what work would the savage lusts and passions of men make among us How is it possible that any but an Almighty power can temper so many jarring Principles and rank so many quarrelsom and turbulent Spirits in a due order If those bruitish passions which boyl in the hearts of men were let loose by that infinite power that bridles them how soon would the World be run headlong into unconceivable confusions and be rent in pieces by its own disorders 2. By the sudden changes which are made upon the Spirits of men for the preservation of others God takes off the Spirit of some as he did the wheels from the Egyptian Chariots in the very act of their rage Paul was struck down and changed while he was yet breathing out threatnings c. God sees all the workings of mens hearts all those cruel intentions in Esau against his Brother Jacob but God on a sudden turns away that torrent of hatred and disposeth Esau for a friendly meeting * Gen. 33.4 And he who had before an exasperated malice by reason of the loss of his birth-right and blessing was in a moment a changed man Thus was Sauls heart changed towards David and from a Persecutor turns a justifier of him confesseth Davids innocence and his own guilt 1 Sam 24.17 18. thou art more righteous then I for thou hast rewarded me good whereas I have rewarded thee evil c. What reason can be rendred for so sudden a change in Saul's revengeful Spirit which had all the force of interest to support it and considered by him at that very time For vers 24 he takes special notice that his Family should be disinherited and David be his Successor in the Throne How suddenly did God turn the Edge of the Sword and the heart of an Enemy from Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 18.31 Jehosaphat cried out and the Lord helped him and God moved them to depart from him The holy Ghost emphatically ascribes it to Gods motion of their wills by twice expressing it But stranger is the preservation of the Jews from Hamans bloody designs after the decree was gone out against them Mordecai the Jew is made Ahasuerus's Favourite by a strange wheeling of Providence First The Kings Eyes are held waking and he is inclined to pass away the solitariness of the night with a Book rather then a game or some other Court past-time no book did he fix on but the Records of that Empire no place in that voluminous book but the Chronicle of Mordecai's service * Esther 6.1 2. in the discovery of a treason against the Kings life he doth not carelesly pass it over but enquires what recompence had been bestowed on Mordecai for so considerable a service and this just before Mordecai should have been destroyed had Ahasuerus slept Mordecai and all his Countrey-men had been sacrificed notwithstanding all his Loyalty Could this be a cast of blind chance which had such a concatenation of Evidences in it for a superior power 3. In causing Enemies to do things for others which are contrary to all rules of policy 'T is