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A34921
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Isagoge ad Dei providentiam, or, A prospect of divine providence by T.C., M.A.
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T. C., M.A.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing C6818; ESTC R4623
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270,847
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560
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of matters so in Jonah 4 8 9 10 11. 4. Forgetfulness who the Lord is and who man is that grumbles at his Maker Lam. 3 39. Rom. 9. 20. And as for the fruits they are none of the best but bad enough Men are ready to flag in duty yea to throâ— Ergo ne nobis forâ—e contingat impingere adversus Deum quasi cum ipso confligere discamus cohiberâ— nostram temeritatem id tempestivè antequam forociat siâ—… ergo atque nobis obrepunt cogitationes quae Deo aspergant aliquam notam ignominiae eas citissime compescamus quia si admittimus paulatim nos irretient donec nos pertrahant ad extremam hanc vesaniam ut nulla religio vel pudor nos teneat quin palam blateremus adversus Deum Calv. praelect in Ezek. c. 18. it off Psal 73. 13. Mal. 3. 14. yea in the way to blaspheme God see Job 2. 9. Mal. 3. 13. Rev. 16. â— OBSERVATION VII God's Soveraignty displayed in his Dispensations should be a golden Bitt to check man's corruption and a sacred Goad to quicken to the exercise of Grace CHAP. I. THE Soveraignty of God whereby as Absolute Lord he doth whatsoever he pleaseth Psal 115. 3. hath its latitude or extent it is like the Sun which is not confined to one part of the Zodiack but his going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of the earth I shall therefore consider it largely as it is expresly or implicedly absolutely or respectively in some particulars displayed A view then we may take of it 1. In Spirituals 2. In Temporals In Spirituals and so 1. In Election of a person to life and glory by Jesus Christ Was not Esau Jacobs brother saith the Lord Mal. 1. 2. Yea it may be answered and his elder brother too and yet the children being not yet born neither having done good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him who calleth Jacob have I loved and Esan have I hated Neither is there unrighteousness with God in passing by the one and chusing the other for be saith unto Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion oâ— whom I will have compassion Rom. 9. 11 13 14 15. Thus the Apostle in that Divine Tract of Predestination asserteth Replies to Objections and wades farther on in the Controversie in the following Verses and speaks particularly of the Soveraignty of God in v. 20 21. On which Aquinas comments saying About the election of the good and the reprobation of the bad a two-fold question may be moved One in the general Why God will harden some and have compassion on others The other is special or particular Why he takes compassion on this and harden that man There may be a reason of the former assigned but not so of the later unless The meer will of God An illustration of which we have in human affairs for if any willing to build an house should have many stones alike and equal gathered together therâ— may some reason be assigned why he placetâ— some above some below from the End intended Because to the perfection of the Housâ— which he intendeth to build there is required a Foundation which hath stones below and likewise the top of the Wall which hath stones above the others but why he dotâ— place these stones above and these below hatâ— not any reason unless Because the Artificer â—… Mason will have it so Thus Aquin. 2. In the conveyance of the means of grace to some and not so to others He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes and his judgments unto Israel he hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments they have not known them praise ye the Lord Psal 147. 19 20. And this is not only Old-Testament Doctrine but also New the Lord directs Paul and Timothy where and where not they are to preach the Gospel Now when they had gone thoroughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia after they were come to Mysia they assayed to go into Bythinia but the Spirit suffered them not and they passing by Mysia came down to Troas and a vision appeared to Paul in the night there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying Come over into Macedonia and help us and after we had seen the vision immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them Acts 16. 6 c. 3. In conferring gifts and endowments on some and not on others All are not alike subjects of such and such qualifications Balaam prophesieth Numb 23. Ahitophel is a reputed Oracle for wisdom and counsel in Israel 2 Sam. 16. 23. Many will say to Christ in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many wonderful works Mat. 7. 22. The Apostle Paul supposeth That some like Lead may have a very specious stamp of some gifts and yet be Lead still 1 Cor. 13. 1 2. 4. In planting saving-grace in the hearts of some not so in the hearts of others It is given unto you saith Christ to the Disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and to them it is not given Mat. 13. 11. Our Saviour speaks of two sorts of branches some fruit-bearing ones others not so John 15. 2. The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews doth tacitly distinguish of professors when he saith But beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation Heb. 6. 9. 5. In calling home by his grace some at one time of their life and in a different way in point of circumstances others not so Some their ship arriveth sooner at the Port of Grace and are brought in with gentle gales others after a long coursing up and down meet with rough winds and so are landed at last Josiah Jeremiah John the Baptist Timothy may serve as instances on the one part Manasseh Paul with others may be exemplifications on the other Some are sweetly won into the Vinyard others are driven and as it were hunted in and at different seasons for we read of the morning the third hour the sixth ninth and eleventh Mat. 20. 6. In giving larger measures of grace to some not so to others Some are smoaking flax and bruised reeds Mat. 12. 20. Others grow as the Lilly and cast forth their rootslike Lebanon their branches spread and their beauty is as the Olive-tree and their smell as Lebanon Hos 14. 6 7. John rangeth Christians into little children fathers and young-men 1 John 2. 12 13. Why they who are the children are not the young men the young men the fathers and why the fathers are not the young men and young men the children the one in one place the others in the other is supreamly
said as of old O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as the morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away Hos 6. 4. 4. What ground of support is there from hence for the Church of God under all threats contrivements attempts of men and devils God will have a people let men and devils say and essay the contrary No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper Isa 54. 17. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. 18. God is not changeable in his Purpose Prediction An plus existimemus ad impugnandum posse humana conamina quam quod ad protegendum praevalet divina tutela Cypr. lib. 1. Epist 3. Promise and though men may rage and be as the great Mountain as it is said Zech. 4. 7. yet the Christian hath Mountains to oppose against the worlds Mountains what the Christians Mountains are the place before quoted Zech. 6. 1. doth give to understand they are Mountains of Brass and so afford two Meditations 1. That wicked ones will find these Mountains of Brass too firm for their weak shoulders to overturn 2. That the Arrows which the sons of Belial shoot against these Mountains will recoil back and mischief themselves in the end The Doegs of the world whose fingers itch to be medling with God's Davids will have their hands full of Wo one day A black prophecy there is for such Psal 52. 5 6 7. and they themselves take the course to have it accomplish't as Doeg did for if the Lord did not pour forth wrath on Doeg before David came to the Throne what could Doeg expect from a David but to be the instrument of God's wrath towards him who had belied David and murdered the Priests of the Lord as 1 Sam. 22. It is often to be observed That the way wicked men take to ruin others ruins themselves Pharaoh who will kill the Israelites or down them perisheth with his Host in the waters Exod. 14. 23 with 28. OBSERVATION VI. God hath His Secrets or Depths but is never unjust in His Providential Dispensations CHAP. I. THAT the Lord hath his Secrets may be made manifest if we consider 1. How this is symbolically or mystically insinuated in Scripture That of God to Moses Exod 33. 23. Thou shalt see my back-parts but my face thou shalt not see doth intimate we have not full view of the Lord as when a man comes up face to face but see him in part at a distance as the Apostle Paul hath it 1 Cor. 13. 9. We know but in part We read how when the Lord appeared he vailed himself with a cloud Exod. 16. 10. 1 King 18. 10 11. And in Isa 6. 1. there is mention made of the train or skirts nothing of the upper ornaments Nec caret ratione quod nihil meminit Propheta de superioribus Divinae Majestatis ornamentis sed de simbriis tantum Exprimitur consternatio animi religiosi qui in visionibus divinis non superiora sed vix insima contemplatur Et admodum essemus soelices si vel simbrias Divinae Majestatis pie ac religiose contemplaremur Musculus as one observeth and what may this import but our seeing of the Lord after a poor low imperfect sort in comparison of what He is 2. How otherwise were there such ground for admiration if the Lord had not His Secrets or Depths to be admired If there were no knots to unty how could it be so said O the finger of God The Angels are said to cover their faces with their wings Isa 6. 2 Paul cries out O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledg of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out Rom. 11. 33. Here by the way let it be noted That if so skilful a Pilot as Paul cries out O the depth shall such who may be scarce reckoned common Fore-mast-men pretend to find out a Northwest passage a new way in the Decrees of God and the Providence of God and such a way as that it may be said Behold the Plains according to their model which yet is a Labyrinth where they lose themselves and whilst they labour to Tinker up one hole they make two 3. The Scripture plainly asserts how it is the glory of God to conceal a thing Prov. 25. 2. For the better understanding of this place I shall annex what pious and judicious Cartwright saith God verily is to be honoured inasmuch as he hath revealed his counsel and will in many things But such mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven whose causes and reasons are unsearchable yield to him the richer crop of honour such are the Mysteries of the Trinity The threefold distinction of Persons in one Essence The eternal generation of the Son The procession of the Holy Spirit The eternal predestination of some to life others to death The incarnation of the Son of God or the assumption of our frail flesh into the unity of his Person Of God all things whatsoever are done both decreeing and his Providence so ruling that out of the evil which is done he contracts no guilt Of Parents sins to be punisht on posterity to many generations Of just judgment to be executed by the unjust Of the burning of the Wife for the Husband's sin and the Children for the Parents Josh 7. 25. Of which and all such kind it may be truly affirmed They do each afford to men a large field of praising and glorifying God yea he is the more amply and with fuller mouth in these to be extolled than in other matters whose causes and principles with our minds and understanding we do in some measure take in for first of all it is apparent from hence That God's Wisdom is infinite and unsearchable to the Creature Moreover That God is to be believed upon his own testimony and according to his pleasure may do whatever he will and so far condescends from his right when he vouchsafeth to render a reason of his doings or sayings That though the Lord hath his Secrets Depths yet he is never unjust in his Dispensations The Lord hath his Throne of righteous Judicature The judgment was set and the books were opened as Daniel beheld in that Vision chap. 7. 10. It is said there v. 9. that the Ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as the snow and the hair of his head like pure wool there is not the least spot or taint of injustice in his management of matters for so much may be denoted by this description though I deny not but the whiteness of the garment may likewise betoken supream dignity as being an Ensign of Honour as is observed by Junius on the place Besides this graphical description Majestati Dei proponuntur ista 1. quod antiquissimus diebus est ad notandam aeternitatem illius 2. Quod vestimentum ejus nivei coloris