A SERMON OF THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD. Preached at Paules Crosse the 25. of October 1607. By IOHN PELLING Bacchalaur of Diuinitie PROVER 4.13 Take hold of instruction and leaue not for she is thy life LONDON Printed by Nicholas Okes for Nathaniell Butter dwelling at the signe of the Pide Bull neere S. Austins gate 1607. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND RELIGIOVS LORD THE LORD EDWARD SEIMAVR EARLE OF Hertford and to the right Honorable and virtuous Lady the Lady Frauncis Countesse of Hertford Gods abundant graces and blessings for this life and for the life to come RJght Honorable my singular good Lord and Lady your Honours both hauing from time to time exceedingly comforted and encouraged me in my labours of this kind J rest assured you will gladly accept and protect to your vtmost this sermon of mine published my good Lord at your command Whereas some of good sort and iudgment moued your Lordship to put me to it for a further good to Gods Church and whereas also your Lordship out of your honourable and religious care procured the right reuerend father in God the Lord Bishop of London my especial good Lord to require it of me and seing hereupon his Lordship hath vouchsafed to peruse it and by his authoritie hath allowed it hauing duely waighed all this J professe that I accompt God hath had a directing and a working hand in all and haue therefore obeyed leauing all excuses which I might probablie haue made euen so Gods will be done When a publique good in a mans calling is likely to be effected excuses for priuate respects in my conscience haue no place Had I but imagined in time that it should haue come to this at length by Gods help it had beene better and yet his goodnesse it is that it is no worse it is truth and it is needfull that J dare and do auouch for my part to take it well and to vse it wel may make it good and profitable for your Honors first and so for others to whom God shall giue opportunitie and grace J haue beene earnestly moued to set it out as I preached it of the words I am sure I haue mist very few of the matter nothing Your Honours are well knowne to to pray together to heare sermons together to receiue the communion the blessed body and bloud of Christ Iesus and that in your publique Parish-Church together God grant more of your state for examples sake for their owne soules sake and for Gods glorie sake to do the like If together also your Honors wil be pleased sometimes to reade and conferre seriously of this diuine matter heer consecrated to your Soueraigne good let me be blamed and most seuerely censured if you finde cause to repent your well bestowing time and paines this way The Lord God of mercies fill your noble hearts with heauenly graces and powre vpon both your Honours and all yours his richest blessings for his deare sonne Christ Iesus his sake London the 25 of Nouember 1607. Your honours most bounden and deuoted chaplaine IOHN PELLING 1. PETER 5.7 Cast all your care on him for he careth for you BEing to prouide me for this time and place right honorable right worshipfull and welbeloued in our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus I haue with Gods direction I trust setled vpon these words for my Text which I haue heer read vnto you I meane by Gods helpe not to idle out any time in handling them your faithfulnesse in hearing on your part may with Gods blessing proue to you well worth the while Obserue therefore I pray you the words the doctrine and the vse The wordes importe a commandement and a reason to induce men to obey it The doctrine is the doctrine of Gods prouidence which all that talke of vnderstand not the truth nor the depth of The vse is so manifold and profitable that any good man may be diuerse wayes bettered by it either he may be informed of that he knew not or be resolued in that he doubted of or be put in minde of that he remembred not or be perswaded to that he affected not or be comforted in his sorrowes or be moderated in his ioyes or be incouraged in his wel-doing or be deterred from euill some all these waies some by more then these may be singularly benefited God in all duely serued and his name glorified The words importing the commandement are Cast all your care on him the words inciting men to obey it are these For he careth for you Next before my text we reade Humble your selues vnder the mightie hand of God that he may exalt you in due time and so comes in my text Cast all your care on him it must be meant on God for he that is God careth that is prouideth for you for you most especially and most beneficiallie that cast all your care on him For men to cast all their care on God presupposeth mens taking some care for themselues and implyeth that men should not ouercharge themselues with care nor build vpon their owne but vpon the care that God hath of them who is better able to prouide for them then they can for themselues So that to care to care moderately and to accompt it a mans best prouidence to depend most vppon Gods prouidence is that which we are here commanded and incited vnto Sith no man can care in that measure or manner nor relye in all his courses vpon Gods care Gods prouidence as he ought either not knowing or not duely considering what Gods prouidence is we will by his assistance plainely and truely deliuer the doctrine touching that great matter plainely that it may be vnderstood truely that it may be beleeued and so by Gods grace also well applyed and vsed In opening this doctrine I must shew first what Gods prouidence is 2. what things are subiect vnto it 3. Gods manner of working by it In the writings of the godly learned we finde it thus described Prouidentia Dei est actio Dei externa temporalis qua omnia et singula quae sunt conseruat et quae fiunt omnia singula disponit ad finem quem ipse determinauit secundum libertatem voluntatis suae idque vt in omnibus et singulis glorificetur The prouidence of GOD is an outward and a temporarie action of God by which he doth preserue all things that are vniuersall and singular and doth dispose of all things general and particuler that are done and doth determine the end of them according to the libertie of his owne will and that to this end that in all things generall particuler he may be glorified And thus Prouidentia Dei est eternum et immutabile decretum Dei de rebus omnibus et singulis ad suos certos vsus et fines perducendis secundum illum ordinem quem ipse praefiniuit ad suam gloriam Gods prouidence is an eternall and an immutable decree of God touching all things whatsoeuer
vniuersal and singuler to bring them to their certain vses and ends according to that order which God himselfe hath appointed to his owne glorie That these descriptions of the prouidence of God haue some diuersitie in them they must not bee thought absurd though they haue some semblāce of opposition they must not be thought false for well lookt into they giue light one to the other and well vnderstood they nothing crosse but euery way strengthen each the other The diuersitie that seemes is rather in words then in matter the one peraduenture expressing more then the other but both the truth The opposition that seemes is that Gods prouidence in the former description is said to be an action of God an outward action and temporarie in the latter that it is called an eternall and an immutable decree of God How can it bee an action of God and a decree too how temporarie and yet eternall and immutable There are to bee considered in the prouidence of God three degrees praescientia rerum omnium voluntas rem quamlibet ad suum finem perducendi et actualis eiusdem voluntatis exequutio God his foreknowledge of all things whatsoeuer Gods will to bring euerie thing to its certaine end the actuall exequution of that his will The two former of these his foreknowledge and his will importe his decree and that in God is eternall and immutable the latter the exequution of his decree and that is outward and temporarie Now some handling the prouidence of God define it as it is a decree of God some as it is his exequution of the same decree They that handle it as Gods decree must needes set downe those properties which doe necessarily accompany his decrees eternitie and immutabilitie they that handle it as it is the exequution of the same decree must needs set it downe as it is an action and that temporarie yet both agreeing for they that expresly handle the action presuppose the decree and they that expresly handle the decree imply the action I to make my treatise the more full expresse both For a summe of all to shew what Gods prouidence is consider we yet foure more particular degrees which are first Creatio rerum the second Conseruatio rerum the third Gubernatio rerum the fourth Ordinatio rerum the creation or making of things the conseruation or maintenance of things the vncontrouleable command and gouernment of things the orderly setting and appointing vnto all things their seuerall and certaine ends All these in order are Gods prouidence his decree eternall for all and according to the same decree his actual exequuting all in time Thus much as briefly and as plainly as I can possibly to shew truely and fully what all true christians are to take Gods prouidence to be Next what things are they that are subiect vnto it They are all mankinde elect and reprobate all mens actions words and thoughts good and bad all courses men take all matters men take in hand and all their euents prosperous or crosse all creatures whatsoeuer great and small all in all vniuersal special particular are subiect vnto Gods prouidence they are according to his eternall and immutable decree in time begunne continued guided and brought to their ends to his glorie Let vs take a view of Dauids 104. Psalme there shall we finde what things are within the view of Gods prouidence that in wisedome that is in his prouidence God made maintained gouerned and ordained to set vses and ends the heauens spred like a curtaine and light to decke all as with a glorious garment The Moone to keepe her seasons the Sunne to rise and to know his going downe the clouds caried about like chariots and the winds as with wings his Angels ministring spirits the foundations of the earth vnmoueable the deepe couered the waters standing sometimes and sometimes flying at his rebuke The voyce of his thunder to terrifie the hils to go vp to the valleys to go downe to the springs sent into the riuers and the riuers to run among the hils For the beasts of the field to drinke and quench their thirst Grasse brought foorth for cattle and greene hearbe for the seruice of men bread to strengthen wine to glad mans heart and oyle to make him a cheerfull countenance the day for him to labour in and the night for him to rest in the soules to inhabit the ayre and to sing among the branches the sappie trees the tall Cedars for birds to rest in the firre trees for the Storke goates to haue refuge on hils and to Conies in stony rocks the Lyons one while to roare after their pray and seeke their meate at God another while to get them away together and to lay them downe in their dens The great wide sea also with the creeping things therein innumerable both small and great God appointed the ships to passe them and the Leuiathan the greatest fishes as Whales and the like to make their pastime in them O Lord saith Dauid haw manifold are thy workes in wisedome that is in thy prouidence thou hast made them all they all waite on thee that is depend on thy prouidence things that need meate to haue it in due season at the opening of thy hand and thy filling them with good Thus doth the glorious Maiestie of the Lord endure Thus doth the Lord reioyce in his workes in the workes of his prouidence beginning maintaining governing them and bringing them to their due seuerall ends Touching man himselfe more particularly saith S. Paul Act. 17. In him that is in God we liue and moue and hane our being more particularly yet the Prophet Dauid as of himselfe so of euery good man liuing in his 139. Psal O Lord thou hast searched me out and hnowne me thou knowest my downe sitting and my vprising thou vnderstandest my thoughts long before thou art about my path and about my bed and spiest out all my wayes For loe there is not a word in my tongue but thou O Lord knowest it altogether thou hast fashioned me behind and before and layde thine hand vpon me my reines are thine thou hast couered me in my mothers wombe I am fearfully and wonderfully made my bones are not hid from thee though I be made secretly thine eyes did see my substance yet being vnperfect and in thy booke that is in the booke of thy prouidence were all my members written which day by day were fashioned when as yet there was none of them that is none of them perfect Whether then shall I go from thy presence If clime vp into heauen thou art there If I goe downe into hell thou art there also If I take the wings of the morning and remaine in the vttermost parts of the sea euen there also shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me If I say peraduenture the darknes shall couer me then shall my night be turned to day the darknesse is no darknesse
with thee but the night is as cleere as the day the darknesse and light to thee are both alike All this is true of good men so is it of bad men too King Salomon in the 15 of his Prouerbs teacheth that the eyes of the Lord in euery place behold the euill and the good God is not properly sayd to haue eyes but by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the manner of men His eyes are taken for his all-viewing prouidence in euerie place Court Citie and Countrey publique and priuate God beholdeth and obserueth the euill and the good men and women actions and intents whatsoeuer Our Sauior himselfe in the 5 of Matt. saith expresly that God maketh the Sun to arise vpon the euill and vpon the good and sendeth raine vpon the iust and the vniust I will conclude this point with an obseruation of S. Chrysostome Vt nauis sine gubernatore As a ship without a gouernour is for no seruice And as another noteth well Vt corpus sine anima as a bodie without a soule can do nothing Sic mundus so the world could neuer be created as it was nor continue as it doth and hath done nor be gouerned as it is and hath bene nor come to the appointed end it shall it selfe and all things therein Sine Dei prouidentia without the prouidence of God God worketh all things according to the Council of his will amongst all the rest all things concerning all men and so vs heer from the highest to the lowest Thus much of those things which are subiect to Gods prouidence Now to the third point the manner how God worketh in his prouidence which we are to know acknowledge to be Vniuersaliter specialiter particulariter not generally only but particularly too secondly Immediatè mediatè not immediatly alwayes by himselfe alone but by meanes also many times when it pleaseth him thirdly Immutabiliter non mutabiliter so necessarily that it can be no otherwise then he will and he doth nothing contingently fourth and lastly Benè non malè he worketh in euery thing well in nothing ill Not generally only but particularly also God had a worke with Ionas when he charged him to go to Niniuie when Ionas was shifting and shipt to go another way God sets a tempest to worke at sea against that ship God cast the lot vpon Ionas to be cast out God prouided a Whale to receiue Ionas and to set him safe on shoare Againe God charged him for Niniuie guided him thither prouided for him there Gods hand in his prouidence working particularly is most euidently seene in this storie The like on Herod eaten vp with wormes for his pride and on Pharaoh plagued and confounded for his obstinacy and hardnesse of heart The like on Iob strangely afflicted for his triall more strangely crowned for his patience The like on many other whom bookes do report some notable particulars of the like no doubt on all men liuing though men vse to obserue nothing but strange matters that befall them but God is as particular in his ordinarie workes amongst vs as in his extraordinarie ordinarie and extraordinarie to him are both alike The next point is that God worketh in his prouidence immediatè without meanes yea against meanes and sometimes mediatè by meanes Without meanes God created the world of nothing he preserued Moses fortie dayes on the Mount without food and the Israelites fortie ycares in the wildernesse without chaunge of apparell In tempests at sea many times when men looke euery houre to be cast away In extremitie of sicknesse when Physitions and all giue a man off In dangerous child-births when women be at their wits end in many desperate extremities of this life when wee see no meanes of helpe in the world it is found diuerse times that GOD commeth in with his immediate helping hand and turneth tempestuous stormes to faire weather deadly sicknes to safe recouerie most sorrowfull trauels to ioyfull deliueries the bitterest iarres amongst friends to sweete contentment the greatest neglect and foulest disgraces vnde erued especially into highest accompt and dearest sauour The Kings hart saith Salomon in the 21. of the Prouerbs is in the hands of the Lord as the riuers of waters he turneth it whither soener it pleaseth him As Kings harts so all mens else Our God saith Dauid is in heauen and hath done whatsoeuer pleaseth him as hee hath done so doth he still and will doe howsoeuer it pleaseth him with meanes or without meanes or against meanes meanes or no meanes to God are both alike onely as in his prouidence he hath disposed how things shall be brought to passe so it must be That he worketh against meanes is the strangest but it is as true as the rest In the 14 of Exod. wee read that the sea diuided for Moses and the Israelites In the 2. of Kings 2. That the riuer of Iordan diuided for Elijah and Elisha in the 10. of Iosuah That the sunne stood still for Iosuah In the 3. of Daniel that the fire would not burne Shadrach Meshach and Abednego In the 6. of Daniel that the hungry Lions would not touch Daniel In the 12 of the Acts that neither Iron chaynes nor an Iron gate could hold Peter In the 28. of the Acts that a venemous viper could doe Paule no harme If all the wicked of all the nations in the world should band themselues against the Lord and against his annoynted our Prince his prophets his seruants God can dash them all as it pleaseth the Lord so only come things to passe blessed bee the name of the Lord. Now it followeth to be shewed that God worketh by meanes which I cannot declare better then by shewing what meanes he vseth in his workes as first his Angels that sometimes appeare visibly to men as they did to Iacob in the 32 of Genesis when he was in his iourney he calleth them the host of God sometimes not seene at first but afterwards as in the 2 of Kings 6. Chap. the Prophet Elishas man at his Maisters petition to God had his eies opened that he saw the mountaines couered with horses Chariets of fire which were Angels sent for the Prophets and Gods peoples defense against the mighty hoste of the Aramites sometimes and most commonly not seene at all to men yet alwaies in a readines for Gods seruice and his childrens preseruation as in the 18. of Matt I say vnto you saith our Sauiour Christ that their Angels alwaies behold the face of my father which is in heauen As it was with those little ones Christ there speaketh of so is it with ail Gods children God keepeth angels to waite vppon them though wee haue no proofe for euery one one yet haue wee for that which is as good or better They are all alwaies in such a readines at Gods commandement for mans good that Dauid saith in his 34 Ps They alwaies pitch round about them that feare the Lord to
deliuer them and the holy ghost in the 1. to the Hebrues teacheth that they are all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heires of saluation When they are seene they haue some shape giuen them for the time that they are not seene it is for that they are spirits which are inuisible to men seene to men or vnseene God seeth them and vseth them and they are his mightie meanes to preserue and to destroy The bad Angels and all God vseth to punish sinners and for the tryall sometimes of the best men as of Ioh. Besides Angels ministring spirits God hath the heauenly bodies with their light motion and iufluence which they haue all of God to worke vnder him in the world as in his Prouidence hee hath appointed Moses in the 1. of Genesis and Dauid in the 136 Psal teach vs that God made the Sunne to rule the day the moone and the starres to gouerne the night God himself in the 38 of Ioh testifieth of a set course of the heauens and of a pourefull rule of theirs ouer the earth of the Pleiades and their sweete influence the starres as learned and godly men take it which bring in the spring time Of Orion and the loosing of his bands a starre which bringeth in winter of Mazoroth and their times the 12 signes of guiding Arcturus and his sonnes which are likewise noted to signifie the north starre and those thereabout In the 9. of Ioh wee reade of Gods countermanding those great Rulers of the world the sunne to rise or not and of God his closing vp the starres as vnder a signet Besides the heauens God hath other his creatures too as his effectuall meanes to the maintenance gouernment and ordering of the whole In the 2. of Hosea God saith I will heare the heauens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the corne the wine and the oyle and they shall heare Israel That is God is the fountaine of all excellencie of power and virtue to the heauens the heauens shed downe their influences into the earth the earth giueth nourishment to the corne iuycé to the wine fatnesse to the oyle all these are to inable and stirre vp man with gladnesse and cheerefunesse to serue vnder God in his prouidence as he hath appointed How men are this way God his meanes may appeare by a viewe of mens states in this land publique and priuat Their gouernment and their maintenance In publique the king in his kingdomes is immediately vnder God ouer the Church and common wealth he exerciseth his soueraigne gouernment assisted by his Council Vnder the King ouer the Church are the Arch bishops and Bishops and the rest of his Maiesties ecclesiasticall gouernours The Common wealth is to be considered as it is in peace or as it may haue warres In warres are noble men especially to be generals men of worth only to be captaines commanders and officers In peace Cities and great Townes are ordinarily gouerned by their Maiors Aldermen and others of the better sorte Countries abroade by the Peeres of the Land the Iudges of the land the Iustices inferior officers vnder them Priuat houses are either for learning or for hous-keeping In societies of learned men the heads and auncients are to gouerne the yonger In those that ave for houskeeping and hospitalitie are the husband and the wife to rule their farnilie children and seruants In great mens houses chiefe officers in their places are to command the rest of the houshold I hus for gouernment Now for maintenance the King is to haue it royally of his subiects the Landlord rightfully of his tenents the Churchmen liberally by the Church liuings the Lawyers and Phisitions duely by their fees the Souldier is to liue on his pay the Merchant by his trafficke the husbandman by his flocke and tillage the crafts man by his hands the seruant by his wages the poore and impotent by almes and beneuolence I cannot remember all but you may see by these how God doth vse men his meanes for gouernment and maintenance one of another The next note is that God worketh immutably first God is immurable himselfe the Holy ghost teacheth it vs in the 1. of Iames With God is no variablenesse nor shadow by turning In his essence he is immutable Malachi 3. I am the Lord I change not In his decrees the 19. of the Prouerbs The Counsil of the Lord shal stand In the execution of his decrees Esai 14. The Lord of hosts hath sworne saying Surely like as I haue purposed so shall it come to passe That nothing shall preuent him or preuaile against him the 27. of the same chap. The Lord of hosts hath determined it and who shall dis mull it and his hand is stretched out and who shall turne it away That this holds not in some places onely but in all againe the same Prophet at the 26. verse of the same 14. chapter This is the counsil that is consulted vpon the whole world and this is the hand stretched out ouer all the nations Now notwithstanding all this that we see the Sunne doth rise and set the Moone doth wax and wane the sea doth ebbe and flowe the yeare hath winter and sommer that weather proues faire and foule grasse greene and withered flowers fresh and fading fruits ripe and rotten that men in their minds prone off and on in their bodies sicke and healthie in their states rich and poore in yeares yong and old All these changes and all else argue not that in God the creator there is mutatio voluntatis but that God doth velle mutationem in creatura God wils the change in the creature The effects may be diuerse yea contrarie though the cause be one The cause of all effects is God in him there is no mutabilitie though multiplicitie of power God determineth second causes So that in respect of God there is no casualtie of effects though there be varietie Whatsoeuer God ordaineth in respect of God is necessarily that that it is it can be no otherwise God worketh immutably in his prouidence The last note touching the manner of Gods working in his prouidence is that he doth all things well nothing ill God commandeth in 1. Cor. 14. That in his house which is his Church All things be done honestly and by order As in the Church so will God haue it in the comon wealth too and as in publique states euen so in priuat houses also In the same chap. 33. ver God is said not to be the author of Confusion In the 9. to the Rom. there is a question asked whether there be vnrighteoushes with God the answer is in the same place God forbid It is true that is in the 11. of Wisdome God hath ordered all things in measure number and weight And it is worthie to be noted which is in the 1. of Gen. and so often repeated at the Creation That God saw that it was good