him with the Beasts of the Field and teach you better Manners by some severe Correction Do not Sacrifice to your own Nets and burn Incense to your Drags as if by them your portion were fat and meat plenteous Hab. 1. 16. but ascribe all to God There is that deep Wickedness in the Hearts of Men that if they get any thing by any Fraud and crafty fetches and overreaching of their Brethren in a sinful way they will be too readie to attribute that to the Providence and Blessing of God and say it was God's Providence that cast it in upon them when they have been craftily and sinfully designing it and bringing it about but when they have gotten any thing honestly by their Wisdom and Prudence and Industrie they are too ready to forget Providence and ascribe all to themselves See the Evil of this and remember that no People in the World have greater cause of Thankfulness than we have to God who hath governed Time and Chance on our behalf marvellously O Bless Him for good Success not only when you cannot but acknowledge your own Insufficiency but also wheâ—â—ou have apprehensions of the greatest Sufficiency of Second Causes And Blessed for ever be the Lord who hath Pleasure in the Prosperity of his Servants Psal. 35. 27. Secondly Acknowledge God also in all your Frustrations and Disappointments so as to resent his Disposals and Dispensations towards you in a gracious manner We have met with manie Disappointments in the lâ—te Warre and in other respects We should see God in all When He blasts our Corn defeats our Souldiers frowns upon our Merchants and we are disappointed now acknowledge the Hand of God Ordering Time and Chance according to his Good Pleasure Justifie God in all and bear such Frustrations patientlie When you have done your Dutie be quiet though the Event doth not answer your Endeavours and Hopes Take heed of quarrelling at GOD's Disappointments Do you know VVhom you have to do with I was dumb I opened not my mouth because Thou didst it Psal. â—9 9. If we look at faultie Instruments or at meer Chance onely we shall be apt to murmur It is the observation of One That the Reason why men are more apt to fly out into Cursings and Blasphemies for their bad Luck as they call it in those Vnlawful Games of Cards and Dice than in other Exercises that are governed by Art and Skill ariseth partly from the very nature of those Games because when they have tried their Lot or Chance over and over and their Expectation is deceived they think that that Power that governs the Lot or Chance is Adverse to them They cannot blame their own Art or Skill when no Art can infallibly determine the Event but curse their bad Fortune And if we look at Disappointments as our bad Fortune and Chance onely looking no further we shall be apt to fret and quarrel but if we do indeed see God ordering our Lot for us it may and ought to silence us When Magistrates have done their Duty according to the Law of God and of the Country and endeavoured faithfully to give check stop to the Inundation of Profaneness and Heresy and yet the bad Genius of the Times and degenerous Humour of the People and this or that Emergency happens that frustrates the Success of their Counsels and Endeavours truly they may sit down and mourn indeed but yet humbly submit to the All disposing Providence of God When Ministers have laboured faithfully and yet Israel is not gathered and their Labours seem to be in vain not successful in converting Sinners they may weep in secret indeed but yet patiently bear the Unsuccessfulnes of their Ministry from the Hand of God When Souldiers have shewed themselves valiant and faithful and done what they can and yet are worsted They must acknowledge God's Hand in it and that the Battel is the Lord's 1 Sam. 17. 47. who governeth the Warre and determins the Victory on what side He pleaseth All men have Briars and Thorns springing up in the way of their Callings as well as Husbandmen and meet with Difficulties and Crosses there in Get the Spirit David had 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. and so acknowledge God in every thing as to submit humbly to his Disposals even when they are Adverse and cross to your Desies and â—xpectations Thirdly Be always Prepared for Disappointments Do not promise your selves Success from the Sufficiency of Second Causes God may determine otherwise We should be forewarned and forearmed that we may not Xenìzesthai 1 Pet. 4. 12. strange at it when it comes to pass or be dejected and discouraged Events are not in the Creatures power The Lord sometimes disappoints men of greatest Sufficiency over-rules and controlls their Counsels and Endeavours and blasts them strangely Time and Chance happens to them If Adam had stood though he would not have had the Determination of Events Successes in his own hand yet God would have determined them for him according to his hearts-desire and he should never have been disappointed But since the Fall as no Man hath power to determine Events which is God's Prerogative so it is just with God that every man should meet with Crosses and Disappointments and this is the Fruit of the Curse under which all natural menly and as for the People of God though they are delivered from the Curse of the Law in the Formality of it so that nothing befalls them as a Curse how cross soever it be yet they are not yet absolutely delivered from the Matter of the Curse as appears by the Afflictions they meet with and Death it self And indeed it makes sometimes for the glory of God to disappoint Men of greatest Abilities When men do not see and own God but attribute Success to the Sufficiency of Instruments It 's time for God to maintain his own Right as Dr. Preston speaks and shew that He gives or denies Success according to His own good Pleasure God is much seen in Controlling the ablest Agents blasting their Enterprizes yea more many times than in backing them blessing their Endeavours in an ordinary Course of Providence Herein the Wisdom of God is much seen It is best sometimetimes it should be so with respect to God's Int'rest and Glory His Power also appears in giving Check to the Ablest Instruments and turning all their Designs another way than they Intended His Mercy also to his People is seen herein for it is best for them in some Cases to be defeated and disappointed His Iustice also appears herein in his correcting and punishing the Self-confident sinful Creature with unexpected Disappointments So that it is our Wisdom tolook for Changes and Chances some Occurrents and Emergencies that may blast our Undertakings that Faith and Prayer may be kept a going and lest if such Frustrations befall us unexpectedly we either fly out against God or faint and sink in Discouragements At the first going out of our Forces in the
alwayes to evade danger or win the Prize by Running Nor is the Battel to the Strong The Victory is not determined or the decision of the warre made alwayes on the side of the strongest and valiantest men Nor yet Bread to the Wise. Many wise men are not able to get their Bread or Livelihood in the World Nor Riches to men of Vnderstanding Many understanding men have not any success in their endeavours to gathâ—â— Râ—ches and get Estates Nor Favour to men of Skill Many times the most Skillful Artists and Artificers and the best Accomplished Persons find little Favour and Acceptation among men how deserving and ingenious soever they be 2. Illustrated by the Antithesis of a different and the true Cause of the Determination of Successes and Events signified in those words But Time and Chance happeneth to them all By which we are not to understand that the Determination of Events is reducâ—d and referred to meer Chance Fortune as the Epicurean Philosophers imagined but that the Counsel and Providence of God disposes and orders out all Successes or Frustrations of Second Causes casting in sometimes such unexpected Impediments and Obstructions as defeat the Labours and hopes of men of greatest Sufficiency which though they seem wholly casual and fortuitous Emergencies and are so indeed unto men themselves yet they are governed by the secret Counsel and effectual Providence of God The Summe is that no man how accomplish'd soever is Master of Events or absolute Determiner of the Issues of his own Actings and Endeavours but the soveraign Counsel and the Providence of God orders TIME and CHANCE to be an effectual Furtherance or Hindrance of the Designs of all men as seems good in His sight The Observation is Doct. That the Successes and Events of Vndertakings and Affairs are not determined infallibly by the greatest Sufficiency of Men or Second Causes but by the Counsel and Providence of God ordering and governing Time and Chance according to his own good Pleasure I have endeavoured to comprize and grasp the substance of Solomon's Intendment in this Doctâ—nal Conclusion and shall explicate and demonstrate the Truth of it as God shall help in the following Propositions Prop. 1. Second Causes may have a sufficiency in their Kind to produce these and those Effects an liability a congruous disposition or an aptness yea a kind of sufficiency in order to the putting forth this and that Act and the giving Existence to these and those Effects not indeed an absolute and universal Sufficiency which can be affirmed of none but Him that is All sufficient and Omnipotent but a limited sufficiency or a sufficiency in their Kind and order The Sun to shine the Fire to burn that which is combustible the Rational Creature to act or effect this or that in a way of counsel and with freedom of will the Swift to run the strong and valiant and well-instructed Souldier to fight well the wise man to get his bread to gather riches to gain acceptance among those with whom he hath to do This is no more than to say that created Agents and Second Causes may have the active power and virtue of causes all that is requisite on their parts in ordeâ—â— to the production of their peculiar and appropriate Effects all that sufficiency that dependent Beings and second Causes are capable of And indeed it belongs to the Infinite Wisdom and Goodness of God to furnish his Creatures with sufficient Ability for the opperations and effects He hath made them for and so He did at first when He made every thing good in its Kind and whatever Defect there is now in this respect it is the fruit punishment of Sin Though God is able to give Being to things in an immediate way yet it is his pleasure in the course of his Providence to use Means and to produce many things by the mediation and Agency of second Causes and so gives causal virtue and ability to these and those things in order to the producing of such and such Effects It is a good observation that the Lord is pleased not through any defect of power in Himself but out of the abundance of his goodness to communicâ—te causal power and virtue to his Creatures to honour them with that Dignity that they may be his Instruments by which He will produce these and those Effects whereby He takes them as it were into partnership fellowship with Himself in the way of his providential Efficiency that they may be Vnder-workers to yea Co-workers with Himself Hence He gives them an aptitude and sufficiency in their kind in order to their respective operations and effects though some have a greater aptitude sufficiency than others But without some degree of such sufficiâ—â—cy nothing can deserve the name of a Cause the very essence whereof consists in its power virtue ability to produce an Effect A cause cannot be a cause without an active power or sufficiency to give being to this or that Effect Prop. 2. The Successes and Events of Affairs and Vndertakings do ordinarily depend in some respects upon the Sufficiency of Second Causes I do not say in the Observation nor is it the meaning of Solomon that Successes and Events of Affairs and Undertakings do not depend at all in an ordinary course on the sufficiency of Second Causes For this were to deny and destroy their causality and to make nothing of their efficiency Second causes have their peculiar Influence into their Effects and contribute something to their Existence and to assert the contrary were to say that Causes are no Causes and to speak a flat Contradâ—ction This would be to suppose that the Lord hath set up an Order and course in Nature in vain and given to Second Causes a sufficiency in their Kind for Action to no purpose and to deny the ordinary Providence of God which is that whereby the Lord observes the Order which He hath set and that course of Nature which is originally of his own Appointment whereby one thing depends upon and receives Being from another Though the Lord is pleased sometimes upon great and important Occasions to leave the ordinary Road of Providence and act beyond and above the usual stated course of Things and not to concurre with and shine upon the endeavours of created Agents so as to crown them with that success which according to an ordinary course of Providence might be rationally expected yet it is not to be imagined that He should ordinarily dispence with the course and methods of his ordinary Providence For why then should it be called ordinary God who is the Lord of Hosts the great Leader Commander Ruler of Nature not only permits but also effectually commands and causes his whole Militia ordinarily to move and act according to their Natures and natural Properties respectively without Countermanding them or turning them out of their way For as I remember One argues He will not shew such a dislike to
his own workmanship as ordinarily to cross the Order and alter the course He hath set in the World Therefore the meaning of the Text is not that Swiftness conduces nothing to the winning of the Race or Strength to the winning of the Battel or Wisdom Vnderstanding to the getting of Bread and Riches or Prudence Art or Skill to the getting of the Favour and good will of Princes or People nor that the Race is never to the Swift or the Battel never to the Strong no nor yet that the Race is not more frequently to the Swift and the Battel usually to the Strong c. For the Lord doth most ordinarily award Success unto causes of greatest Sufficiency rather than Disappointment Defeatment Otherwise it would be a very heartless if not a foolish Thing in the eye of Reason to use means or to think to get the Race by Swiftness or Bread by Labour and Diligence or Favour by dexterous prudent Behaviour or Learning by Study and Industry or to win the Battel by good Conduct and Courage and numbers of men Yea then Wisdom would not be better than Folly nor Strength more desirable than Weakness nor Diligence more beneficial available than Idleness and sitting still This therefore is evident that the Issues and Events of Undertakings do in some respect ordinarily depend upon the Sufficiency of Second Causes insomuch as the greatest probability of Success according to an ordinary providence and in the eye of Reason is ordinarily on the side of Causes that are most sufficient in their kind of Efficiency Prop. 3. Second Causes though of greatest Sufficiency in their kind have not the certain Determination of Successes Events in their own Hands but may be frustrated disappointed Though the Successes and Events of Undertakings ordinarily depend upon the sufficiency of Second Causes yet they are not infallibly determined thereby Created Agents have not Events in their own Hands but may be disappointed they cannot warrant the Events of their Undertakings or Success of their Counsels and Endeavours but may be defeated of their Hopes and Expectations Thus no man hath the absolute command of the Issue success of his own Undertakings He may be sure of this or that Event if the Lord Promise it to him or Reveal it to be His Pleasure to give such Success to such Endeavours but he cannot be secured of it from or by any Sufficiency of his own He may as a wise man foresee say what in an ordinary course of Providence is rationally to be expected but cannot warrant the Success of his Undertakings or carv out what Event he pleases to himself His Prudence and Providence and Diligence and Sufficiency for Action cannot assure him of the Event or determin the Success on his side And there is that Demonstration of it that created Agents of the the greatest Sufficiency are sometimes disappointed Two Things I would say here 1. Agents of greatest Sufficiency are subject to Disappointment as well I do not say as much or as ordinarily and often but as well as Agents of less sufficiency The Ablest Men in any kind may miss of the Success they expect as well as weaker men That Men of great Sufficiency in this or that way may be defeated of their Ends and Hopes Solomon from his own Experience assures us in the Text and who is it that upon his own observation cannot set his Seal to what He asserts He gives five Instances 1. The Race is not to the Swift not profitable or successful to him always but sometimes pernicious destructive Many agood Runner runs Himself into mischief and Ruine Thus Asabel that is said to be as light of foot as a wild Roe ran after Abner so fast that he lost his Life in that overhasty pursuit 2 Sam. 2. 18-23 There are Times when men that are swift would run from danger and cannot they have neither power to run nor success in attempting it Ier. 46 6. Sometimes the Flight perisheth from the Swift and he that is swift of foot or that rideth the Horse though it be at full speed cannot deliver himself Amos 2. 14 15. It is not absolutely in the power of the swiftest man to escape danger or win the prize by Running 2. The Battel is not to the Strong There is in Bello Alea the Chance of Warre as they use to speak There is as it were a kind of Lottery a great Uncertainty in Warre Great Armies are sometimes defeated by small and inconsiderable Forces the great Host of Midian by Gideon's three hundred men the Garrison of the Philistines by Ionathan and his Armour-Bearer This hath been often observed in the World Sometimes strong and valiant Men are overthrown by those that are in strength farre inferiour to them great Goliah by little David Well might David say as Psal. 33. 16 17. There is no King saved by the multitude of an host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength An Horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength There are Times when the mighty Ones are beaten down Jer. 46. 5. The mighty cannot deliver himself or the strong strengthen himself but the couragious among the mighty is put to flight Amos 2. 14 16. Sometimes the strong melt like water at approaching danger and the stouthearted are spoiled and sleep their sleep and the men of might cannot find their hands to make the least Defence or Resistance Psal. 76. 5. 3. Bread is not to the Wise. Wise men are not able to get their Livelihood but have much adoe to make a shift to get a bare Subsistence in the world and it may be are forc'd to beg for it or be beholding to the Charity of others There have been strange Instances of very wise and worthy Persons that have been reduced to such a Condition Some of you know the famous Story Date Obolum or as others have it Panem Belisario David was put to beg his Bread of Nabal 1. Sam. 25. Paul was often in Hunger and Thirst 2 Cor. 11. 27. 4. Riches are not to men of Vnderstanding Sometimes indeed wise men get Estates and gather Riches and one would think they should be best accomplish'd for it and yet it so falls out that some understanding Mâ—n cannot thrive in the World and grow rich notwithstanding all their Endeavours So it is that many men of great Understanding and rational Forecastings and Contrivances to gather wealth though they lay out their Parts and their Hearts this way and would be rich yet they cannot but are strangely defeated You read of the poor wise man Eccles. 9. 15. Many men of great Understandings are too wise and of too great Spirits to labour after wealth or if they do their designs are unsuccessful 5. Favour is not to men of Skill Many very wise and knowing skillfull men and experienced in Affairs and prudent also in their Deportment yet cannot get
supplies of Strength and Grace Is. 40. 29 30 31. And though you have many Enemies Sin Satan World and may meet with much Opposition yet God that hath all Issues and Events in his Hand being on your Side nothing shall do you real hurt Rom. 8. 31. You need not fear what Men or Devils can do against you seeing God that manages the active power of the Creature is for you They have no power but what God gives and hands as He will Ioh. 19. 10 â—1 He will not suffer them to do you real hurt Nothing shal separate you from the Love of God in Christ Rom. 8. 35-39 Nay all adverse Powers though of greatest sufficiency to doe you hurt and bent upon it shall do you good whether they will or no Rom. 8. 28. And you shall be sure to conquer at last and have good Success Indeed you may at present have many particular Designs and Undertakings and be frustrated and suffer disappointment therein but then it is good for you to be afflicted crossed disappointed and Unsuccessfulness is really best for you most conducive to the prosperity of your Souls you shall be sure of good Success so far as Infinite Wisdom sees it to be good for you And then however your particular designs and undertakings may be defeated yet you have a general Grand Design that is paramount predominant which is The everlasting Enjoyment of God and if you reach that you are well enough and as happy as you would be and the Lord who is the Lord of Time and Disposer of Events and Governour of his Creatures to their Ends will not suffer you to be disappointed herein You shall infallibly glorify God and enjoy Him for ever This is matter of Comfort to the People of God in the worst Times when it is with them as with Iacob when he said All these Things are against me Gen. 42. 36. when none on their Side Refuge fails and no Means appearing for them And indeed the People of God in this Country have had great Experience of this What Deliverances hath God commanded When few and weak and low and exposed to the Rage of Enemies God said Touch not my Anointed do my Prophets no harm The Salvations of New-England have been most apparently by the Lord 's Governing Time and Chance This or that Chance or Occurrent hath faln in in the very Nick of Time to prevent Ruine It hath not been from the sufficiency of the Instruments of our Salvation but from the All-sufficiency of God and His overruling Events wonderfully Therefore let all that fear God comfort themselves with this Consideration And that you may take down be refreshed with this Cordial Consider two Things 1. That Events are not to be judged or concluded of beforehand from the Aspects of Second Causes As Astrologers conclude this or that shall happen because of this or that Aspect the Conjunction or Opposition of Planets and Positure of the Stars heavenly Houses so do Politicians from the prospect they take of the Combinations and Confederacies and various Aspects of Second Causes Hence also God's People are discouraged when they see the World combine and enter into Leagues Confederacies against the Church now they conclude they shall be a prey to their Teeth and swallowed up And Enemies are ready to Insult over the Curch and to say as Pharaoh I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoil c. Exod. 15. 9. But this is a wrong way of judging because Time and Chance happens God may turn all a quite other way It was a good observation of Mr. Caryl When wicked men are nearest their Hopes godly men are furthest from their Fears because then usually God defeats them and their Insolence Confidence engage Him to do it 3. That the Determination of all Events is in the Hand of God in Christ or of the Lord Iesus Christ. The Mediator is at God's right Hand and hath all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to Him all Judgment and the Command and Government of all Events He governs Time and Chance God is in Christ providentially ruling all Events prospeting or blasting all Affairs as He will It is the Man upon the Throne above the Firmament that gives out his Orders according to which the Living-Creatures or Angels move the wheels of Providence as you may see in that excellent Scheme of Providence which is drawn in the first Chapter of Ezechiel And it 's well for Believers that themselves and their works are in the Hand of Christ and that all Events in the World are determined by Him Thà t Christ whose Person you love whose Ordinances you love whose Truth you love whose Commands you love whose Members you love whose Appearing you love that Christ that loveth you a thousand times more than you can love Him and loved you above his own Life and will love you to Eternity that Blessed Lord Jesus Christ hath the managing of all Affairs and of all your Concerns and Undertakings in his own Hands And therefore we may conclude that He will do all in favour of his Members it shall be well with them that fear God Eccl 8. 12. VSE IV. Of Exortation in sundry Particulars 1. Labour to maintain an humble Sense of your own Insufficiency to accomplish any thing even in that kind wherein you seem to be most sufficient best accomplished Let worthy Magistrates in Consultations for publick Good Ministers in their Ministerial way Scholars in their way and Souldiers in their military capacity walk humbly with God Truly God hath poured Contempt upon our military Men our Artillery men and good Souldiers New-England hath gloried in these Things Indeed men of martial Spirits and Skill ought to be encouraged these Trainings and Exercises are very commendable by all means to be supported and countenanced and it is piâ—y that as in other things so in this the good Old Spirit is so much gone These are not Times wherein the Nations beat their Swords into Plough-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks War in some cases is lawful and at sometimes necessary and sure then Learning of War is so also But I fear we have trusted too much in Sword and Bow and gloried in our Numbers in our Arms and Ammunition in our Trainings in our expert Souldiers and the Lord hath shewn us that all these things are nothing without his Blessing and that unless the Lord watch the Town keep the garrison'd House fight the Battel all is in vain We have seen that a despised despicable Enemy that is not acquainted with books of military Discipline that observe no regular Order that understand not the Souldier's Postures and Motions and Fâ—â—ings and Forms of Battel that fight in a base cowardly contemptible way have been able to rout and put to flight and destroy our valiant and good Souldiers And I must confess that which determined my thoughts to this Text was