First Set apart some time more than once to be spent in secret before the Lord. 1. In seeking earnestly his special assistance and gracious acceptance of you 2. In considering distinctly all the Termes or Conditions of the Covenant as they have been laid before you in the Directions already given you and are also expressed in the form hereafâ—er proposed 3. In searching your bearts whether you either have already or can now freely make such a closure with God in Christ as you have been exhorted to In special Consider what your sins aâ—e and examine whither you can resolve to forgo them all Consider what the Lawes of Christ are how holy strict and spiritual and whether you can upon deliberation make choice of them all even those that do most crosse your worldly interests beloved sins and corrupt inclinations as the rule of your whole life Be sure you be clear in these matters see that you do not lye unto God Consider whether however corruption will play its part and be pulling you back yet the prevailing part of you will be for God and Christ and all his holywayes Secondly Compose your spirits into the most serious frame possible sutable to a transaction of so high importance Thirdly Lay hold on the Covenant of God and rely upon his promise of giving grace and strength whereby you may be enabled to performe your promise Trust not to your own strength to the strength of your own resolutions but take hold on â—â—nstehigâ—s Fourthly resolve to be faithful Having engaged your hearts opened your mouths and subscribed with your hands to the Lord resolve in his strength never to go back Lastly Being thus prepared on some convenient time set apart for the purpose set upon the work and in the most solemn manner possible as if the Lord were visible present before your Eyes fall down on your knees and spreading forth your hands towards Heaven open your hearts to the Lord in these or the like words O Most dreadful God for the passion of thy Son I beseech thee accept of thy poor prodigal now prostrating himself at thy door I have fallen from thee by mine iniquity and am by Nature a Son of Death and a thousand-fold more the Childe of Hell by my wicked practice but of thine infinite Grace thou hast promised Mercy to me in Christ if I will but turn to thee with all my heart Therefore upon the Call of thy Gospel I am now come in and throwing down my Weapons submit my self to thy mercy And because thou requirest as the condition of my peace with thee that I should put away mine Idols and be at defi-ance with all thine enemies which I acknowledge I have wickedly sided with against thee I here from the bottom of my heart renounce them all firmelie covenanting with thee not to allow my self in any known sin but conscientiously to use all the meanes that I know thou hast prescribed for the death and utter destruction of all my corruptions And whereas I have formerly inordinately and idolatrously let out my affections upon the world I do here resigne my heart to thee that madest it humblie protesting before thy glorious Majestie that it is the firm Resolution of my heart and that I doe unfeignedly desire Grace from thee that when thou shalt call me hereunto I may practice this my resolution through thy assistance to forsake all that is dear unto me in this world rather then to turn from thee to the wayes of sin and that I will watch against all its Temptations whether of prosperity or adversiâ—y least they should withdraw my heart from thee beseeching thee also to help me against the Temptations of Satan to whose wicked suggestions I resolve by the Grace never to yield my self a Servant And because my own righteousness is but menstruous rags I renounce all confidence therein and acknowledge that I am of my self a hopeless helpless undone creature without righteousness or strength And forasmuch as thou hast of thy bottomless Mercie offered most Graciouslie to me wretched sinner to be again my God throug Christ if I woul accept of thee I call Heaven and Earth to record this day that I do here solemnly avouch thee for the Lord my God and with all possible veneration bowing the neck of my Soul under the feet of thy most sacred Majestie I do here take thee the Lord Jehovah Father Son and Holie Ghost for my portion and chief good and do give up my self bodie and soul for thy servant promising and vowing to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the daies of my life And since thou hast appointed the Lord Jesus Christ the onely means of coming unto thee I do here upon the bended knees of my Soul accept of him as the onely new and living way by which sinners may have access to thee and do here solemnly joyn my self in a marriage covenant to him O blessed Jesus I come to thee hungry and hardly bestead poor and wretched and miserable and blinde and naked a most loathsome polluâ—ed wretch a guilty condemned Malefactor unworthy for ever to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord much more to be solemnly married to the King of Glorie But 〈◊〉 such is thine unparallel'd love I do here with all my power accept thee and do take thee for my head and husband for better for worse for richer for poorer for all times and conditions to love and honour and obey thee before all others and this to the death I embrace thee in all thine offices I renounce mine own worthiness and do here avow thee to be the Lord my Righteousness I reâ—ounce mine own wisdome and do here take thee for mine onely Guide I renounce â—ine own will and take thy will for my Law And since thou hast told me that I must â—uffer if I will reign I do here covenant with thee to take my lot as it falls with thee and by thy grace asisting to runne all hazzards with thee verily supposing that neither life nor death shall part between thee and me And because thou hast been pleased to give me thy holy Laws as the rule of my life and the way in which I should walk to thy Kingdome I do here willingly put my neck under thy yoak and let my shoulder to thy burden and subscribing to all thy Laws as holy just and good I solemnly take them as the rule of my words thoughts and actions promising that though my flâ—sh contradict and rebell yet I will endeavour to order and govern my whole life according to thy direction and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that I know to be my duty Onely because through the frailty of my flesh 〈◊〉 am subject to many failings I am bold humbly to protest That unallowed miscarriages contrary to the setled bent and resolution of my heart shall not make void this Covenant for so thou hast
whose blood speaks whose bowels speak whose spirit speaks Doth he speak for sinners and yet not for me 4. Their own necessity Sinners are necessitous Creatures they have nothing of value left them In the fulnesse of their sufficiency they are in straits As a sinner of an hundred years is but a child so a sinner of thousands by the year is but a beggar poor miserable blind and naked He can want nothing and yet doth want every thing that is good Sinne hath stript him to the skin stabâ—d him to the heart the iron hath entred into his Soul it hath left him nothing but wounds and bruises and putrifying sores Is this thy case sinner and hast thou nothing to say Spread thy wants and necessities before the Lord and let these speak for thee Learn of Beggars that come to thy door who if they have ever a sore or malady about them a blinde eye a lame leg a burnt hand a broken arm that they will be sure to open to move pity and procure an Alms. Their pinching hunger their parching thirst their naked backs their cold lodging thy door shall be sure to ring of Never a peâ—ny in my purse never a morsel of bread have I had for this long time their necessity will both make them to speak and help them to speak Sinner spread thy necessities before the Lord spread thy wants open thy wounds and thy sores tell him how desperately sad thy case is tell him of the guilt that is upon thy head the curse that is on thy back the plague that is in thy heart God of Bowels look hither behold what a poor blind dead hardned unclean guilty creature what a naked empty helplesse creature I am Look upon my sin and my misery and let thine eye affect thine heart One deep calls to another a deep of Misery cries out to a deep of Mercy Oh my very sins which cry so loud against me speak also for me My misery speaks my curses the woe and the wrath that lies upon me my bones speak my perishing Soul speaks and all cry in thine ears Help Lord God of pity help help and heal me help and save me Come unto me for I am a sinful man O Lord I dare not say as once it was said Depart from me for I am a sinful man Come Lord for I am a sinful man Thou couldst never come where is more need Who have need of the Physitian but the sick Come Lord I have too often said Depart from me but if thou wilt not say Depart to me I hope I shall never again say Depart to thee My misery saith come my wants say come my guilt and my sins say come and my soul saith come Come and pardon come and convert come and teach come and sanctifie come and save me Even so come Lord Jesus Thus you have the sinners plea. Poor Sinner Art thou willing to return from thy sins fear not to go to thy God Take thee some such words as these and go and tell the Lord that one of his poor Ambassadors told thee from him that he expects thee before the Throne of Grace and is ready if it be not thine own fault to grant thee mercy Go and the Lord help thee give thee thy hearts desire and fulfil all thy mind and for thy encouragement take along with thee this Scripture Isa 55. 6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for be will abandantly pardon 4. Pray in Faith James 1. 6. But let him ask in Faith You will here enquire What Faith is it that is necessary to our prevailing in prayer I answer Not onely the Faith mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 11. 6. He that cemeth to God must believe that God is Nor onely a perswasion that he is able to performe our petitions or that he is ready to answer those that seek him aright nor onely a perswasion concerning prayer that this is Gods Ordinance appointed by him as a means whereby we may obtain mercy from him Though all this be included in it yet this is not all The same faith is necessary to the acceptance of our prayers which is required to the acceptance of our persons That faith which gives a person interest in Christ will alone procure the acceptance of his prayers Now this faith puts forth in prayer a three-fold Act. 1. It presents and offers up the prayer in the Name of Christ Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered his Sacrifice Faith carries our Prayers to our Mediator the great Master of Requests for his hand to be put to them without which they will not be regarded yea it puts them into his hand it saies unto Christ Lord Jesus take thou this prayer what infirmities there are in it do thou cover what sinnes thou findest in them do thou hide Mingle thy blood with my Sacrifice let thine incense ascend with my offering and thus let it be carried before the Throne of Grace where that it may speak for me let thy blood speak for it 2. It depends and relies upon God through Christ for acceptance and performance It eyes and leans upon the Promise of God which in Christ is Yea and Amen and setting to its seal that God is true upon this it stayes it self 3. It works the heart to a confidence or a confident perswasion that God for Christs sake will hear and answer 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us But here consider that this confident perswasion that God doth hear and accept us however it ar gues an higher degree of Faith and brings in much Peace and Comfort to the heart and if it be well grounded is a good Argument that the Lord intends to fulfil our desires yet is it not so necessary to the acceptance of our Prayers but that they may be heard where this is wanting If the former Acts have been put forth if there hath been a presenting them in the hands of our Mediatour joyned with some little staying of our hearts upon the Promise though there be a great fear upon the spirit that God doth not regard them yet for all this they may not be rejected I fear saith a doubting Saint I fear the Lord will not hear me nor regard my prayers there is so much sin in them so many weaknesses wandrings distrâ—sts distractions that I much doubt whether the Holy God will ever have respect to them but such as they are there I leave them in the hands of my Advocate I leave mine Offering on the Altar as poor as it is it is the best I have and though I much question whether it will be accepted yet there I leave it waiting what answer the
worse if I go on a little longer 4. The Renewing of our Covenant will revive the Obligation of it Though there be not a stricter yet there is another Tye There is a new link added to the old cord Men are more afraid and ashamed to break their word as soon as it is gone forth out of their mouths The seriousness wherewith such a sacred duty should be performed will leave some impressions upon the heart The very considering over our Covenant-breaches which is necessary to our renewing of it will awaken our hearts to more care and watchfulness These things being premised I shall give you this double Direction for the performance of this Duty 1. For the time when 2. For the manner how Touching the former there are some special times when this Duty is especially seasonable As 1. Upon your falls into any greater sins Great sins make great breaches and 't is not safe to let them lie unmade up Breaking of Covenant makes a breach upon Conscience and this will prove as the breaking down the banks of the Sea which if they be not presently made up there may be no stopping them 2. In great straights and Afflictions We have then our hearts at the advantage to bring them back or to bind them the faster to the Lord when we stand in any special need of comfort or help from God Gen. 28. 20 21. when Jacob fled from his Fathers house for fear of his Brother Esau he vowed If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and rayment to put on so that I come again to my Fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God Times of straights and difficulties are a special season for this Duty though it be too ordinary that those vows which we make in the dayes of our distress are quickly forgotten in the dayes of our prosperity Sickness-promises are in our health like Sampsons Wit hs broken as Tow when it toucheth the fire 3. In case of any declinings to a careless remiss and sensless frame of heart or life 4. At our approaches to the Table of the Lord. These are some of the special times for the performance of this Duty 2. For the manner how 1. Remember your Covenant read over and consider distinctly the terms of it and weigh diligently the strictness and great solemnity of your engaging to God therein that your hearts may be the more deeply affected herewith 2. Remember your faults Read over and consider distinctly the sins you have fallen into since your engaging to the Lord together with the several aggravations of them and repent and be humbled under them Isa 50. 4 5. 3. Especially consider how your hearts have stood towards the Lord in the main whether your falls have not been such as give you occasion to suspect that you were not upright in your first engaging Consider whether such a life as you have led since such sins as you have been overcome by since are consistent with sincerity 4. Resolve upon more care watchfulness and faithfulness for the future Verbal promises though there appear some affection at the time if they be not joyned with a resolution to take more care are like to come to nothing 5. Have a special eye in your engaging to the Lord at your special sins failings and neglects that you have found your selves more enclined to and more ordinarily overtaken by I will through the help of God watch against every sin but especially against covetousness passion or lying c. This is my sin herein I am apt to be faulty here my hardest work lies I will watch to every Duty but especially to temperance or patience or self-denial herein I have been most wanting 6. Lay hold on the Covenant or Promise of God for the renewing of his Grace towards you for the renewing of your strength whereby you may be more enabled to perform your promises and pay your vowes It may be your former experiences of your unfaithful hearts have quite discouraged you I have found this heart of mine so fickle and so false and so feeble that I dare not trust it so far as to engage any further for it I have found my work so hard my lusts so strong my temptations so many my strength so small my attempts to follow God so successess that I am afraid I shall never come to any thing I doubt I shall but mock God and bring more guilt upon my self by adventuring to promise any thing farther for this sinful infirm and unfaithful heart Why though thou darest not trust thy heart yet trust thy God who hath said That he will put his fear into thee that thou shalt not depart from him that he will renew thy strength and that his grace is sufficient for thee Depend upon God for the renewing of thy strength and then fear not to renew thy Vows 7. In this strength of the Lord go into his presence and with sorrow in thine heart and shame in thy face falling down before him humbly confess and acknowledge thy falls and failings and then in the like solemn manner as thou hast been before directed engage thy self again to the Lord in the same Covenant 2. I shall next direct you to make right improvement of Duties Godliness doth not stand barely in Praying Meditating or Examining there is something farther that these Duties have a respect and must be useful to 'T is an holy life that is the end to which our holy Duties are to lead and help us on That they may do so take these two following Directions 1. Whenever you set upon Duties resolve to put hard for it to enjoy such sensible Communion with God in them that you may come off in a better and more spiritual frame of heart than you came on 2. Having gotten up your hearts to any better frame in Duty be careful to keep it up after Duty Whenever you set upon Duties resolve to put hard for it to enjoy such sensible Communion with God that you may return from them with some advantage upon your spirits Resolve with him Nunquam à te absque te recedam whenever I come before the Lord I will never go away without him The reason why we thrive no more by Duties is because we do not meet our God in them God never meets with his Saints but he sends them away with some marks of his Goodness upon them The reason why we do seldome meet with God in our Duties is because we do not so wishly look for his appearance God waits for thy coming Soul and if it be not thy fault thou mayest see his face before thou departest and if thou see God in a Duty thou wilt not then return without some impressions of God upon thy heart When Moses came down from the Mount where he had seen the Lord his face did shine there was something of the glory of God upon his
said Now Almighty God searcher of hearts thou knowest that I make this Covenant with thee this day without any known guile or reservation beseeching thee that if thou espiest any flaw or falshood therein thou wouldst discover it to me and help me to do it aright And now glory be to thee O God the Father whom I shall be bold from this day forward to look upon as my God and Father That ever thou shouldest find out such a way for the recovery of undone sinners Glory be to thee O God the Son who hast loved me and washed me from my sinnes in thine own blood and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer Glory be to thee O God the Holy Ghost who by the Finger of thine Almighty power hast turned about my heart from sin to God O dreadful Jehovah the Lord God omnipotent Father Son and Holy Ghost thou art now become my Covenant friend and I through thine infinite Grace am become thy Covenant-servant Amen So be it And the Covenant which I have made on earth let it be ratified in Heaven The Authors advice THis Covenant I advise you to make not onely in heart but in word not onely in word but in writing and that you would with possible reverence spread the writing before the Lord as if you would present it to him as your Act and Deed. And when you have done this set your hand to it Keep it as a memorial of the solemn transactions that have passed between God and you that you may have recourse to it in doubts and temptations And now Beloved having shewed you the way the Father give me leave to be instant with you in pressing you to hearken to me herein to come and joyn your selves thus to the Lord. And if you will not be perswaded to this solemn and express way of Covenanting with him which I believe you will find a great advantage and do therefore make it my great request unto you yet if you will not do that take heed you refuse not to engage your hearts to the Lord and make a full closure with Christ upon all the particular terms laid before you till that be done I must be bold to tell you again as I have told you already that you are short of Christianity strangers from the Covenant of Promise and Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Brethren the Lord God hath sent me amongst you upon the same Eâ—â—and as Abraham sent his servant Gen. 24. To take a wife for his Son to espouse you to Christ I am not without â—ear as that servant was not that some of you will not follow me but if the Lord see it good to send his Angel before me to make my way prosperous if the Lord give me success in this great thing that I may thus bring you into Covenant with him I shall therein have performed the main part of my Ministerial work among you I shall have espoused you to Christ maâ—ried you to that one Husband I shall have brought you within the strait gate and set your foot safe into that narrow way that leads to life and have laid the foundation of your following the Lord in holiness and comfort here and of living with him in blessedness for ever For 1 When once you are sincerely in Covenant from thenceforth you have a God that you may call your own to whom you may have free access with whom you may be sure to find grace to help in all times of need How blessed is his condition who is able to say I have no friâ—â—â— in the world but I have a God in Heaven I have many enemies but I have a God I have no house nor money nor lands but I have a God I have troubles I have sins that are a daily torment and vexation to me but I have a God a God to feed me a God to succour me God to shelter me a God to pardon me a God to sanctâ—fie me to â—ave me 2 From the time of this your Covenant Union with Christ you have the blessing of communion with him 〈◊〉 Whatsoever is Christs is now become yours the husband gives the wife leave to set heâ— name on all his goods and all that Christ hath you may now write your name upon it say boldly All this is mine his prayers his tears his obedience his blood his spirit all are mine because he is mine 2. Whatsoever is yours is his your sufferings your sins your debts your wants are all upon your husband Christ says to you as the old man Judg. 19. 20. to the Levite Let all thy wants be on me and so all thy debts and straits and fears and troubles let them all be on me 3 Christ and you shall have your lot together God deals with Christ and a Believer as one and the same party who must be absolved and condemned stand or fall live or die together In Christs being justified your justification is secured in Christs Resurrection your Resurrection in Christs Glorification your Glorification is secured for ever Because I live ye shall live also This is the portion this is the Inheritance of all Gods Covenanting-Servants You that are yet in your sins in your old Covenant with Death and agreement with Hell Will you yet be perswaded by what hath been said to say one to another Come let us break these bonds asunder and cast these cords from us come let us go over to Christ let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant that never shall be forgotten You that are sincerely come within the bonds of this Covenant of the Lord the Lord is henceforth become your God Christ is henceforth become your Saviour you have shot the Gulf that good work is begun which the Lord will perform to the day of Christ you are gotten within the gate you are entred into the Path of Life 2 In the next place therefore I shall give some advice to the godly or those that are already in Christ whom I shall direct 1 To a right performance of holy duties these four duties especially Prayer holy Meditation Self-examination and renewing their Covenant 2 To a right improvement of holy Duties 3 To the carrying on an holy course In all which though I shall apply my self especially to those that are in Christ yet I shall also give some farther helps to those that are yet out of Christ Before I shall enter upon the Directions for the right performance of holy Duties it will not I hope be lost labour if I prefix a word of encouragement to duty by laying before you the influences which holy duties will have upon the carrying on a holy life which I shall dispatch in these four particulars 1 Duties are the exercise of Grace Grace out of exercise grows quickly out of case Idleness breedâ— ill humours and diseases in the body and no less in the soul stirring keeps us warm and healthful Now Duties are the stirrings and exercises
hath cost them so dear but shall prize it the more and be the more wary and tender how they pollute and turn aside from it God hath adventured deep on you make not him a Liar the devil his instruments will be ready to say concerning you as once he did to the Lord concerning his Servant Job Put them into our power let us have the handling of them a while and thou shalt quickly see what truth there is in them or what trust there is to them they 'l curse thee to thy face they 'l deny thee to thy face they 'l eat their own words they 'l be ashamed of their God their Godliness and Confidence Let God be true Christians and the Devil a Lyar be living Commentaries on this blessed Text Let the World and their black Prince see that they cannot make you miserable because they cannot make you sinners like themselves That you are still the more upright for falling into the hands of a crooked Generation Let them see that though your God will not suffer you yet you are contented to serve him for nothing That though his Hedge be removed from you yet your Heart is not removed from him Be able to say Though all this be come upon us Our heart is not turned back neither have we declined thy way Let our standing and encreasing in the Grace of God and abounding in the works of Righteousness be a standing VVitness for God in the VVorld and a Seal to his Scriptures and in special to the glorious Truth of this Text. 4. The evil things of the Saints prepare better things for them their Sufferings go into their Reward As the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ Every suffering comes with a comfort in its Belly and the sweet is so great as swallows up the bitter 't is a hundred fold that the Saints gain by all their Losses in this Life but how great shall their Reward be in Heaven 2 Cor. 4. 17. Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding Eternal Weight of Glory They shall not only have weight for weight measure for measure their Load of Glory for their Load of Sufferings but they shall have over-weight over-measure good measure pressed down heaped together and running over shall then be given unto them According to their deep poverty shall be the height of their riches according as their blackness hath been in their Houses of Bondage shall be their brightness in the Land of Promise for all thy shame thou shalt have double The double of thy Reproach in Renown the double of thy Tears in Triumphs all thy bottled Tears shall be returned in Flagons of Joy yea in Rivers of Eternal Pleasure By this time Christians you see what glory there is in this good word All things shall work together for good to them that love God And that none may have the face to say all this is but conceit I shall in the next place bring in clear and undeniable Evidence that it is certainly and unquestionably so as hath been said And therefore know 5. That all things do and shall certainly work for good to them that love God This besides the Testimony of this Scripture I shall make evident from these three Propositions 1. There is a Divine Providence that governs the VVorld 2. The Design of Providence is the accomplishment of the good purpose and promise of God 3. The Providence of God shall never fail of accomplishing its end 1. There is a Divine Providence which governs the VVorld the Epicureans who deny Providence and leave all on Chance and Fortune may as well deny that there is a God which yet they are asham'd to stand to Of Epicurus himself it was said Quem nihil pudendum pudet pudet tamen Deum negare It can be no way reconcilable to the infinite Wisdom of God who made this Glorious Fabrick with the various Creatures therein either not to determine them to their Ends or else to take no care for their accomplishing those Ends they are determined to The whole Current of Scripture is so plain in these matters that he that runs may read Let the following Scriptures amongst others be considered Psal 97. 1. The Lord reigneth let the Earth rejoyce let the isles be glad Psal 67. 15 16. The Eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them their Meat in due season Thou openest thy hand and satisfiest the desires of every living thing Psal 36. 6. Thou preservest man and beast Psal 75. 6 7. Promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South but God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up another Amos 3. 6. Shall there be Evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it Psal 17. 13 14. Deliver my Soul from the wicked which is thy Sword from Men which are thy Hand The confessions of those Infidels Nebuchadnezzar and Darius speak the same Dan. 4. 35. All the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his Will in the Army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the Earth and none can stay his Hand or say unto him What dost thou Dan. 6. 26. I make a Decree that in every Dominion of my Kingdom Men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the Living God and stedfast for ever and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and his Dominion shall be even unto the End He delivereth and rescueth and he worketh Signes and Wonders in Heaven and Earth who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions But more distinctly the Lord governs all inanimate and sensitive Creatures in their actions he orders the Stars in their courses The Stars in their courses he made to fight against Sisera He governs the Winds and the Floods he bringeth forth the Winds out of his Treasures he rides upon the wings of the Wind. He maketh the Clouds his Chariots he sitteth on the Floods the Thunder and the Hail and the Rain and the Frosts are all at his Command He giveth Snow like Wool and scattereth the hoar frost like ashes He casteth forth the Ice like morsels he sets bounds to the Sea which it shall not pass the Birds of the Air the Beasts of the Field the Fishes of the Sea yea the stones and dust of the Earth are all at his beck More especially he rules and governs the men of this World He sits in all the Counsels of men though they see him not he orders all their Decrees there 's no Decree can pass unless God gives his Vote He rules in all the actions of men even those things that are acted through our improvidence come not to pass without the providence of God He rules in all the changes that are in the world he changes the times and the seasons he changes Kingdomes and Governments he removeth Kings and