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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	church_n	time_n	wilderness_n	1,494	5	9.8942	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08803	Several discourses concerning the actual Providence of God. Divided into three parts. The first, treating concerning the notion of it, establshing the doctrine of it, opening the principal acts of it, preservation and government of created beings. With the particular acts, by which it so preserveth and governeth them. The second, concerning the specialities of it, the unseachable things of it, and several observable things in its motions. The third, concerning the dysnoēta, or hard chapters of it, in which an attempt is made to solve several appearances of difficulty in the motions of Providence, and to vindicate the justice, wisdom, and holiness of God, with the reasonableness of his dealing in such motions. / By John Collinges ...	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1678 (1678)	Wing C5335; ESTC R233164	689,844	860

not seen It is certain that by the special Providence of God they are more eminently upheld confirmed in their state of integrity governed in their motions and actions by God and that in a more eminent manner than other inferiour creatures but I intend no discourse of that 2. The second object of special Providence is Man 1. Mankind considered in the general All men and women are under more special acts of Providence as to Preservation and Government than the grass or the beasts the inanimate creatures or the brute creatures but neither shall I make this the subject of my discourse The Psalmist speaks of man in the general Psal 8.5 Thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands thou hast put all things under his foot All sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field 2. But Secondly The Church of God and more especially those that are the invisible part of it that glory not in appearance only but in reality and have not only a name to live but live indeed are the more eminent objects of special Providence I say first 1. The whole visible Church by which I mean the whole body of people whom God by the Preaching of the Gospel hath called out to an external profession and visible owning of the Lord Jesus Christ The Church of the Jews of old Amos 3.2 the whole body of that Nation circumcised and visibly owning and serving the true God were under more special Providence than all the world besides The Christian Church is so Canaan of old was the land which God cared for and he hath a Canaan now his whole Church which he doth care for and for whom he exerciseth a more special Providence both in the preservation and Government of them 2. But yet the invisible part of the visible Church that is that number of Professors whose Profession is not only visible to men Psal 33.18 but their faith their sincerity their true holiness is seen by God who love and fear the great God in truth and holiness these are the most special objects of special Providence Only one thing let me more add in an answer to this Question that neither all mankind not members of the Church nor all Churches nor all Saints are under the same or equal influences of Providence and therefore Divines have distinguished special Providences into those which are more extraordinary or ordinary the former are more miraculous or little differing from miracles the latter are more equal and ordinary and so will be the more the subject of our discourse All men are not restrained as Abimelech was All Churches are not preserved in a red Sea a wilderness have not Manna rained from heaven to feed them nor Waters brought out of a rock to satisfie their thirst as the Jewish Church had All Saints are not taken up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot as Elijah nor preserved in the Lions Den as Daniel or in the fire as the three children But there is 1. A special Providence attends every visible Church of Christ 2. And every one who is a true believer and puts his trust in the Lord. I come more particularly to shew you by what more particular acts the Providence of God discovereth Gods special care for his Church and for particular Souls Quest 3. By what more particular acts doth the Providence of God discover Gods special care for the visible Church and for particular believing souls 1. As to the Church of God 1. He preserveth it so as it shall never perish You know the promise The gates of hell shall not prevail against it Matt. 16.18 God preserveth the individual Being of every particular man He holdeth our souls in life but yet his being shall fail there will come a time when he shall not be Our Prophets are gone our fathers where are they God preserveth the Beings of Polities the Kingdoms and Empires of the World but these also have their periods where are the great Empires of the Medes and Persians the Grecians the Romans c He so preserveth his Church that it shall never fail this is a Specialty of Providence Men shall dye Kingdomes shall dye Empires shall come to nothing the Church shall not dye This woman may flee into the Wilderness from the red dragon as in Rev. 12. Where she hath a place prepared of God but there she shall be fed 1260 days the earth shall help the woman Rev. 12.16 Christ will be with them to the end of the world God so preservetth no creatures no Polities no Societies of men whatsoever 2. A second specialty of Providence relating to the Church seems to be a special Ministry of Angels Heb. 2.14 Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who are heirs of salvation Who are those that are heirs of salvation but the Church of God Acts 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved 1 Cor. 11.10 The woman ought to have power over her head or a covering over head because of the Angels There have been many Divines who have thought that in the Government of Providence some particular Angels have the charge of particular Kingdoms and Provinces and Churches You read Dan. 10.12 The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days but lo Michael one of the chief Princes came to help me and ver 21 There is none that holdeth with me in these things but Michael your Prince There are some also that interpret thus The Angels of the Asian Churches mentioned in the Revelation but most interpret them of the Pastors over them but certain it is the Angels whether one more specially or no have a special Ministry towards the Church of Christ Psalm 91.11 He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways I shall not enlarge upon this for though this seemeth to be plainly enough in Scripture revealed yet the particulars of their Ministration are not so clearly revealed as we can assert much distincty concerning them Dan. 12.1 At that time saith the Prophet shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people The Angels stand up for the Church that is a Specialty of Providence 3. Thirdly All Gods extraordinary acts in the Government of his Creatures have been for his Church It was in revenge of their oppressions that God sends ten plagues one after another upon Pharaoh it is for them he suspendeth the Laws of Nature for them the waters of the Red-sea then the waters of Jordan divide for them it was that the Sun stood still in Gibeon and the Moon in the Valley of Ajalon in the time of Joshuah That the earth opened Numb 16 and swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram It is for his Church that natural Beings have acted beyond their ordinary capacities Hail-stones are

then they shall find favour in the eyes of the great men of the Earth and of their lesser neighbours another time he designeth to scourge and chasten his people then every ones spirit shall be up and their tongues let loose against them Thus it was with the Israelites Gods ancient people Exod. 11.7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue The Psalmist telleth us Psal 105.23 24. That Israel came into Egypt and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham and he increased his people greatly and made them stronger than their enemies Vers 25. He turned their hearts to hate his people to deal subtilly with his servants 2. The great variety of actions in the world doth also demonstrate this In the 12th of the Revelations you have as Divines think shewed unto John the state of the gospel-Gospel-Church there represented under the notion of a woman cloathed with the Sun having the Moon under her feet travelling and in pain The Devil and his instruments the Enemies of the Church set out under the notion of a great Red Dragon Vers 3. Having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns This Dragon was cast unto the earth and there ver 13. He persecuted the woman who had the wings of an Eagle given her by which she fled into the wilderness where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent vers 15. The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away off the flood Now vers 16. it is said That the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth Very good Interpreters by the Earth there understand V. Paraeum ad loc Homines terrenos per quos saepe aliud agentes Deus Ecclesiam suam mirabiliter protexit The men of the Earth by whom though they intend no such thing God often wonderfully protecteth his Church God sometimes designeth to scourge and chasten his people for their sins then all the world is in arms against them sometimes again he designeth to increase his Church and give them further ground to enlarge their Territories and increase their borders he then accordingly disposeth the spirits of the men of the world and the truth is the various complexion of those Nations in the world that are Enemies to the Gospel of Christ and of those persons that are certain Enemies to the power and practice of Godliness is a thing of which an account can hardly be given by him that doth not consider this That God hath a people in the world that are dear unto him and with whom in the wisdom of his Providence he dealeth diversly sometimes exalting and lifting them up another time humbling them and keeping them low and with relation to these he governs the hearts and actions of Princes and great men and of the lower sort of men also subordinating the affairs of the world to his designs with reference to these people God hath a design to multiply the seed of Jacob according to his promise though there be a famine in Canaan it shall not destroy them his Providence directeth one of that family to be sold into Egypt to become a great man there to save much people alive to give them rest and a time to multiply there peaceably Exod. 1.7 And the children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied and increased abundantly and waxed exceeding mighty and the land was filled with them Exod. 1.7 But there was another part of the promise to be fulfilled they were to come out of Egypt and to inherit the promised land of Canaan God accordingly ordereth the actions of the Kings of Egypt they shall grow jealous of them and set themselves to destroy them He turned their hearts to hate his people saith the Psalmist and to deal subtilly with his servants David is anointed to be King over Israel and Judah and to the Kingdom he must come the Philistines shall protect him he shall flee to them for sanctuary against Saul and they shall afford it him On the contrary God hath a design to chasten the Israelites and David their King the Philistines shall be their constant Enemies seeking all advantages against them There is nothing more remarkable in Divine Providence than this is Who seeth and is not astonished sometimes to observe the strange difference in the complexion and inclinations of the wicked world to Gods little remnant in it The ebbing and flowing of the Tide of which none that I know hath as yet given the world a satisfactory account is not so unaccountable a thing as this is If we do not admit of the hypothesis of this Observation Will not any one be amazed to consider how the Gospel should at first have gotten any footing in the world but for this What a strange thing it was that John the Baptist the harbinger of our blessed Lord should be suffered to come preaching in the wilderness and so plainly to point out the coming of the Messias that Jerusalem and all Judea and all the Region round about Jordan should go out to him confess their sins and be baptized of him that immediately upon this Christ should come and meet with that acceptance he did though indeed it was true that the generality of his own received him not That first the seventy and then the twelve should go out to Preach the Gospel and Paul alone should carry it from Hierusalem to Illyricum and the great persecutions should not arise till the Gospel had got such a footing that it was not to be rooted out but they rather tended to the furtherance than to the hinderance of it I say these were all strange things to him that considereth not how God to this great end subordinated the affairs of the world The Jews were then tributary to the Romans and so in no capacity to shew themselves such hinderers of this as probably they otherwise would have been The Romans were a great while more careless in the matters of Religion while the Gospel continued in Judea it made little noise in the world and was looked upon but as a division amongst the Jews in matters of Religion in which the great masters of the world concerned not themselves so much and when the Apostles first carried the Gospel amongst the Heathens it was at first little taken notice of while the Christians grew very numerous so as ten persecutions succeeding one another could not root them out and the same thing you shall constantly observe in any great works of Providence relating to the Church It could not have been thought that Germany and France should have so easily fallen in with the carrying on of the Reformation if the Providence of God had not first fitted the world for it by the complexion of Princes the diversity of their interests by suffering

in Egypt and this by endowing him with a power to interpret Pharaohs dream so he came to be a great man and was a protection to the Church of God for many years in Egypt So when they were in the Captivity of Babylon we do not read that besides their Captivity and their want of their worship at Hierusalem their condition was very sad but in the peace of that Countrey they had peace yet they were amongst Heathens and Idolaters but the Providence of God raised up Daniel and the three Children and by giving them great Wisdom and some miraculous deliverances of them he brought them into a great credit and Daniel was made first President over 120 Provinces God designed afterwards the Jews peaceable building of the Temple and enjoyment of their own land his Providence brings Esther one of them to be Queen makes use of Mordecay to discover a great treason and by this means brings these two eminent friends to his Church into great reputation The like might be parallel'd all along in story and may be every day observed but the Scripture-instances are enough 2. Sometimes the Providence of God makes the Earth to help the woman by making his people the ballance to the clashing interests of the men of the world and this is a very ordinary method of Divine Providence The men of the world are not always friends one with another if they were in humane probability the Church would quickly be swallowed up But their lusts will not suffer them always to agree and then the Providence of God ordinarily maketh his Church the ballance and so they obtain peace and protection either by a neutrality not engaging on either side or by strengthening the weaker party against the stronger where the case is such that they can do it with consistency to their duty to God and religious principles David with his little company upon this account doubtless was protected by the King of the Philistines a while 3. Sometimes the Providence of God raiseth up his people to such a considerableness as to the commerce and trade of a Nation that they cannot be rooted out without cutting the sinews of a nation and breaking the strength of it The Prince who Solomon saith is served by the field is concerned as to his revenue the poor are highly concerned as to their employment and livelihood it may be many of the maddest of their Enemies are concerned for there is a strange twisting of all mens interests in the trade and commerce of a Nation This is another way by which the Providence of God helpeth and maketh the earthy part of the world to help the Woman his Church 4. Sometimes the Providence of God suffers the maddest Enemies of his people to run out to such strange extravagancies of oppression and injustice of folly and superstition in worship of looseness and debauchery in morals that the soberer part of men though no great friends to the practice and power of godliness yet is not able to bear them but chuse rather to take the part of them with whom they agree better in matters of civil justice and sobriety and temperance though not at all better in matters of true Religion and Godliness This was the very case in the beginning of Reformation both in Germany and other places The Providence of God having designed a better time for the true worshippers of him had so ordered it in his great Wisdom that the Church men of the Popish party had made themselves a just abomination to all sober persons the generality of their watch-men were such as they were in Israel and Judah just before their ruin described Isa 56.10 His watch-men are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumb dogs that cannot bark sleeping loving to slumber yea they are greedy dogs that can never have enough and shepheards that cannot understand they all look to their own way every one for his gain from his quarter Come you say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant Just such a Clergy they had in Germany and in England and other parts too before the reformation Some learned men they had but they for the most part spent their studies and pains about trifles in Divinity subtil school-niceties and distinctions signifying nothing to mens salvation the generality of them were drunken sots and debauched persons dumb dogs that could not bark neither pray nor preach nor say any thing almost beyond what they had in their mass-books but thought to have carried all before them with the forms of a few latine Prayers their Albes and Stoles and Levitical habits c. yea and they were greedy dogs too never thinking they had enough This was that ruined them their selling men pardons for a sum of money every one looking for his tythes and oblations but none regarding peoples souls And by the way observe this A generally debauched ignorant sottish cruel Clergy is a certain sign either of an approaching ruin to that nation or to that party by a reformation of the nation To the Jews it was a prognostick of an approaching ruin All you beasts of the field come to devour yea all you beasts of the forrest saith the Prophet his watchmen are blinded c. Upon the reformation from Popery it was a prognostick of reformation and indeed so it is ordinarily where there is not like people like priests But God keepeth up in any considerable number of people an abomination and hatred of those Priests and their courses but where they fall in with them applaud patronize them and these are the men they are for The interpretation be to those that hate that people So that I say from hence observing Christians may make a great judgment how it is likely to go with the Church you must lay down this for a principle That no wicked men have any hearty love and affection for those that are the people of God There is an Enmity which God hath put betwixt the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent and nothing but grace will wear it out besides they see themselves shamed and condemned every day by their contrary conversation It is only the interest of the men of the world that gives them any breathing-breathing-time and maketh the earth to help the woman So that if at any time you can but make up a judgment from what quarter the the wind blows for the men of the worlds interest you may go a great way to determine how at such a time it is like to fare with the Church and People of God for God ordinarily subordinates his government of the world to his designs with reference to his Church If there happens to be such a juncture of affairs that the People of God are few in any place like a gleaning of grapes after a vintage or an Olive-berry or two upon the top-boughs there is

Reason That God hath this day a Church in the world and also confirm them that notwithstanding all the appearances of hostility against it yet God will have a Church to the end of the world Whoso considereth the Church of God this day especially the Reformed Church and looks back upon it even from the commencement of its Reformation cannot but fancy it as Noahs Ark in the midst of raging waters every moment threatning to swallow it up like Moses his ark of Bulrushes ready to be washed away at the return of every tide like the Burning bush which Moses saw all on fire yet not consumed You shall find the Reason why it is not so in the 46 Psalm a Psalm which Luther was wont often to call for in his troublesom time God is our refuge and strength a present help in trouble Ver. 5 God is in the midst of her The Lord of Hosts is with her the God of Jacob is our refuge he breaketh the bow he cutteth the spear in sunder he burneth the chariots in the fire Papists call for Miracles as a Note of the true Church see here a Miracle Was it not a Miracle that Luther a poor Friar renouncing his former Superstition and bidding an open defiance to the Pope and the whole power of Rome in such a time when all the World was admiring or fearing the Beast and so boldly and freely opposing himself to them as he did and falling upon them in a point of profit should not only go through all his bold attempts and die in peace but also draw unto him so many learned men and prevail so far amongst the people as that in very many if not in most parts of Germany the Doctrine of the Gospel should prevail the Mass and Popish worship should be abolished and the Truth contrary to the Doctrine of Rome should be received Was there not a special Providence think you watched over them Next to the preservation of the Apostles and the succeeding of them to the first plantation of the Gospel in the World there hath not been a more eminent and conspicuous work of special and miraculous Providence than in Gods preserving and succeeding the works of Reformation by which the Doctrine of Christ and Worship instituted by him was restored in a great measure to that Primitive integrity and purity which the great Lord of the Gospel first instituted And a due meditation of this Doctrine of special Providence may also secure the hearts of the people of God against their fears for the prevailing of the Churches enemies against it Their fears can arise but from the prospect of the multitude and rage of the Churches enemies and their judgment is but a judgment of probability made from the more common and ordinary workings of Providence but this judgment proceeds upon a false Hypothesis viz. That Gods way of Providence as to his Church is but an ordinary road and such as he keepeth towards other men Now this is false God in his workings for his Church keepeth not the beaten road of his Providence Zion hath a special Providence watching over it The eyes of the Lord are upon it from one end of the year to the other Canaan is the Land that God careth for God is known in the places of his Church for a refuge For lo the Kings were assembled they passed by together they saw it and so they marvelled they were troubled and hasted away Fear took hold upon them there and pain as on a woman in travel Psalm 48.3 4 5 6 God will establish it for ever Ver. 8 Watch about Sion saith the Psalmist and go round about her tell the towers thereof mark you well her bulwarks consider her palaces that you may tell it to the generations following for this God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide until death We have lived to see as bold and impudent attaques made upon the Church as to that part of it that hath been studious of the stricter and severer practice of Holiness as possibly later ages have known If Christians could have been swagger'd and hector'd out of the practice of Holiness or jeer'd and drolled out of it or threatned and frighted or cudgel'd out of it there have been arguments enough of this nature used but how little have they done how few are less in love with the good and holy ways of God than before Having therefore so many great and precious Promises for the preservation of the Church and God exercising a special care for it and keeping it under a special tutelage Let us not fear but believe that God as the Psalmist saith will establish it for ever Let us therefore look off creature-appearances and humane-probabilities The Church is a burning-bush and hath been so from the very first plantation of it but we see it is not consumed because God is in the midst of it Remember this That the Church liveth not upon an ordinary common general Providence but upon a special peculiar Providence watching over it and caring for it In the next place this may serve to shew you your duty Vse 2 every one to observe the special Providences that attend your lives There is an observation of the more general Providence of God in upholding and governing the World which is our duty and a very sweet and advantageous piece of duty but this I shall hereafter further press upon you That which I would speak a few words to here is the observation of the special Providence of God relating to you What the Psalmist saith of the observations of Providence more generally Psalm 107 the last verse Whoso observeth these things is wise and he shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord is eminently true Here it speaks 1. A Spiritual wisdom 2. It will be of great use to make us understand the loving kindness of the Lord. Observe the special Providences of God towards his Church his Church in former ages his Church in our present age you will by those observations be able to make up a judgment what man is like to do against it and what God is like yet to do for that body of people that come under that Notion nay you will be able to go a great way in making up a Judgment who they are that make up the true Church of God even those upon whom the Eye of God is most and for whom his Arm is most stretched out not in this or that particular act but in a continued series and course of strange preservations There is and indeed always hath been a great dispute in the World which is the true Church of God The Jews arrogated the honour to themselves and indeed there was a time when none could claim with them but the Apostle amply declareth their rejection and the Gentiles ingraffing But though it be certain now that the Church of God is made up of those that were Gentiles yet as several Sects and parties have risen

calls to us for Psalm 37.1 Neither be thou envious at the workers of iniquity And the Wiseman Prov. 3.31 Envy not the Oppressor Prov. 23.17 Let not thy heart envy Sinners You have an usual saying It is better to be envied than pitied the meaning is to be in a state of prosperity which usually is the Object of Envy than in a state of adversity which is usually the Object of pity It is not so here It is better to be a child of God though an Object of pity than a Sinner though an Object of Envy Prosperity slayeth the fool nor is he ever so near ruin as when he is at the highest There is a story of a custom they had in Persia to gratifie a condemned Malefactor for an hour before his Execution with whatsoever he should desire which of us should have envied such a poor wretch for that hours pleasure Sinners are never so near ruin as when they are at the highest O then envy them not in their heighths 2. Much less fret and repine against God for allowing them such a preheminence over thee as to their outward estate God hath his wise and just ends in it both in suffering them to grow high and thee to continue in a low and afflicted state by the former he ripeneth them for Judgment by the latter he prepareth you for Mercy Fret not because of evil-doers saith the Psalmist Psalm 37. ver 1. We cannot dive into the bottom of Gods Counsels but if this observation of the motions of Providence be true we may see cause enough not to fret our selves nor to murmur and repine at God we have no reason to repine at God when we see his Providence working towards our deliverance and towards the downfal of his and our Enemies Thus it is according to this Observation when we are brought most low and the Enemies of God are suffered to mount most high 3. Certainly if this be true the flourishing state of sinners should be no temptation to us so much as to desire to take part with them Solomon joins them together Prov. 3.31 Envy not thou the Oppressor neither chuse any of his ways My son saith Solomon If sinners entice thee consent not thou unto them though they say we shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil The words of Sinners are nothing so enticing as their prosperous state for riches and honour and rule and pleasures not many can resist the temptation of them but certainly if the heighths of these to sinners be prognosticks of their ruin if we could consider their pride their riches honours plenty dominion as things which set them nearer unto ruin they would be no temptations desire not to rise and thrive and grow great and domineer with wicked men lest thou also fall with them 2. But in the last place let us from hence conclude the duty of a child of God in his lowest state or in the lowest state of the Church and people of God I will open it in few particulars and so conclude First To glory in Tribulation The Apostle maketh this one of the fruits of justifying faith Rom. 5. St. James would have the rich Christian rejoyce in that he is made low Ja. 1.10 A depth of misery in the people of God always makes way for mercy and the redemption and salvation of the people of God is never nearer than when in humane appearance it seems to be furthest off Indeed this must be the rejoycing of faith for the eye of sense at such a time is quite put out Besides the circulation of Divine Providence which is evident to those who look wistly upon the motions of Providence in the World there is a great deal more to give the people of God at such a time cause of rejoycing they are more prepared for mercy their Enemies are more prepared for vengeance it is then a fit season for God to work for his glory c. Secondly This should learn the people of God patience under all their sufferings pressures and oppressions Patience is a grace of which we may say as Solomon of a Friend or a Brother It is made for adversity There are many arguments to perswade Patience that is a quiet calm submission to God under frowns of Providence but nothing more effectual to our hasty and impatient frail natures than to hear that the burthen of God upon our shoulders shall not lie there long when we can hope that Nubecula est transibit it is but a storm and it will over What said our Saviour to his Disciples Could not you watch with me one hour The prospect of the shortness of an Evil doth very much alleviate it and relieve our spirits under the burthen of it That miserable Emperour had no other relief under his most cruel torments than Hoc non est Eternitas this is not Eternity Now what an argument is this for a Christians patience and fortitude for him to think when his case is worst when his burthen most pincheth him then his deliverance is nearest even at the door They say in a dark morning the darkness is always thickest just before break of day In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen I am sure it is always darkest just before break of day with the Church and the people of God As the pains of a Woman in travel encrease so the hour of her delivery more hasteneth and there is no worse sign of a long travail to her than little and lingring pains The Women at such a time will sometimes say to those that enquire after the Woman in pangs We want more pain Truly it is so oft-times with the Church of God They want more pain more pressures and oppressions they are not brought low enough for a mercy O let us be patient then under the greatest trials Great trials never last long You know what the Martyr said We have a bad Dinner but we shall have a better Break-fast Thirdly This calleth aloud to the people of God at such a time for the exercise of faith Indeed this is the proper time for faith to work As too much light blinds the Eye instead of helping it so doth sense blind the Eye of Faith Sense followeth Providence but Faith stands by the Promise and exerciseth it self upon that When the Providence of God is most out of our sight then is the time to lay the fastest hold upon the Promise As there are degrees of darkness in nights some are much more dark than others so there are degrees of darkness in the Churches nights sometimes there is a darkness in it which may be felt when Providence is so far from giving a light to us like that of the Sun that it doth not give us the light of a Candle Here now Christians stand concerned to shew that they do not live by the light of Providence but by faith in the word of God which still is the same and

the ignorance and sottishness of the Popish-Clergy together with their covetousness ambition and debauchery to grow to that heighth that they grew an abomination to all men And as it is in the Political and Ecclesiastical body so it is as to the particular persons of Christians the Providence of God ordinarily disposeth the body according to the work which he hath to do upon the soul But that is more forreign to my observation therefore I shall not inlarge upon it Besides that I spake something to it under the former observation which hath some cognation with this this only differing from it in this shewing you that the Providence of God doth not make the Church lacquey to the world but he makes the world lacquey to the Church and subordinateth the business of the world to his own great designs relating to the Church Now if you ask me the reason of this it doubtless lyeth Reas In the peculiar favour of God to that people in the world which bear the name of his Church You have an expression Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Sion was the place at the foot of which the Temple was built where all the worship which God had in the world performed according to his will was performed The tabernacle in Shiloh was forsaken Psal 78.60 God hath a particular kindness for any place for any persons amongst whom his true worship is and where he hath placed to himself a Tabernacle though God had a kindness for the whole seed of Jacob yet he loved the gates of Sion above all the dwellings of Jacob because that was the place where his worship was regularly performed It holds still under the New Testament and will hold to the end of the world wheresoever God hath a Church or people he hath a particular kindness for that people they are in Scripture called the house of God God is said to dwell and walk amongst them and God hath yet a more particular favour to those that are the invisible part of the visible Church I mean such as truly belong unto God that worship him in spirit and in truth that fear the Lord and hope in his mercies as the Psalmist expresseth it Psal 33.18 All the world is nothing to God in comparison of this little flock to whom it is his will to give a Kingdom He hath given them his Christ and shall he not with him give them all things This were easily to be proved to you from a variety of Scripture and arguments drawn from thence Now supposing this it is no wonder if he subordinateth his works in the world to his designs here This is that Canaan which the Lord careth for and upon which his eyes are from one end of the year to another Deut. 11. His heritage the dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12.7 His peculiar treasure his sister his spouse the redeemed and ransomed of the Lord his portion in short there is a multitude of expressions by which God hath shewen that his Church the whole body of people owning and professing him and especially those of them that worship him in spirit and truth and walk up to the rule of his word are dearer to him than all the world besides He calls them his bride Rev. 21.9 His beloved Psal 108.6 His building 1 Cor. 3.9 His City Heb. 12.22 His chosen generation 1 Pet. 2.9 His family Eph. 3.15 His husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 His Kingdom the lot of his inheritance Now considering this it is no wonder at all that the Providence of God should manage all the affairs of the world in subordination to his designs for the good of this body All the relation of God to others is but that of a Creator and they are no better than the synagogues of Satan as to the Divine Worship that is in them and the throne of Satan with respect to the homage of their Conversation They are called children of wrath of disobedience of the curse strangers and forreiners If God sometimes gives up his people into the hands of wicked men it is either 1. For his peoples good to purge away their dross and take away their tinn as the Prophet expresseth it or for to ripen sinners for their destruction that they may by it fill up the measure of their iniquities Methinks you have a full proof of this Observation in the 105 Psalm the Psalmist in that Psalm is calling the Church of the Jews to give thanks unto the Lord to sing unto him to talk of all his wondrous works Then followeth a recapitulation of those great things which God had done for them amongst which this is reckoned that he subordinated his motions of Providence amongst the men and the nations of the world to his gracious designs for them Vers 14. He suffered no man to do them wrong yea he reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm and so he goes on almost quite through that Psalm Now I say the reason of all this was his love set upon this people As most of us have some particular persons that our heart is most set upon some particular interest and design that we drive on now whoever those persons be or whatever that design be we make all the rest of our actions to be subordinate to that So the great God having set up his glory as his great interest and design and set apart him and them that are godly for himself it is no wonder at all if he ruleth all the world and governeth all the affairs of it in subordination to this great interest and the good of this people I now come to the Application of this Observation Vse 1. In the first place as I said before upon the other Observation so I say here From hence a wise and observing Christian may in a great measure know what weather it is like to be in the Climate of the Church How it is like to fare with them that are the People of God They are and always were the far lesser part of the world and their quiet and tranquillity to look with a rational eye doth much depend upon the complexion of the men of the world and their inclinations if God intends a calm and tranquillity to the Church he usually so ordereth the world that the earth helps the woman the men of the world either out of good nature or which indeed mostly is the business out of interest shew them kindness Hence you shall observe that when God intendeth the tranquillity and prosperity of the Church his Providence ordinarily bringeth one of these things to pass 1. He sometimes raiseth up some eminent servant of his to do great services for the men of the world this you see in the case of Joseph God had designed the Jews a prospering multiplying time in the land of Egypt he raiseth up Joseph makes him a Privy-Counsellor to Pharaoh yea the second man

taken them off from that pursuit of the world by which others procure themselves a livelihood he hath told them they should live upon his Altar he hath told us 1 Cor. 9.7 That no man goeth to a warfare at his own charge none planteth a vineyard and eateth not the fruit thereof nor feedeth a flock and eateth not the milk thereof he seeth them out of obedience and conscience to him refusing the bread they might have men will not provide for them he will Ravens shall bring them meat every day but they shall be fed This is but a reasonable motion of Divine Providence I shall make a short Application of this discourse Vse 1. This in the first place lets you see the fountain of that bounty which the many painful and faithful servants of Christ have experienced in all times and even in the days wherein we live It hath pleased God in all times to raise up friends to his faithful Ministers I remember when Abigail came to meet David coming against her husband and had stopt his journey David saith unto her 1 Sam. 25.32 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee to meet me this day and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou c. First he blesseth God then he blesseth her the faithful servants of God yea the Churches of God who by this means enjoy any thing of the labours of their shepherds have reason to bless those whom God hath made his instruments to support those upon whom others had no pity Yea verily and what our Saviour said of the woman that spent her box of Oyntment upon him I think I may apply here Wherever the Gospel is preached what they have done shall be told for a memorial of them If a cup of cold-water for a thirsty Prophet shall obtain a Prophets reward the greater kindnesses of many shall certainly be rewarded they have but put a little money into the bank which God keeps in Heaven But we have more reason to look upward to him who hath the hearts of all men in his hand and openeth them as he pleaseth God hath in it shewed his special Providence for his faithful Ministers let us therefore say Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who hath stirred them up It was the grace of God bestowed upon the Churches in Macedonia 2 Cor. 8.1 2 3. which taught them in a great tryal of affliction and deep poverty to abound in riches of liberality and willingly of themselves to give to their power yea and above their power Let it be written to posterity for a memorial of the people in England that for so many years together in the midst of a devouring pestilence many consuming fires expensive wars and a deadness of trade they have refreshed the bowels of so many hundreds if not thousands of Gods messengers but let God have all the glory who hath given the heart though their hands distributed the money Vse 2. In the second place Let me cry out O house of Aaron trust in the Lord O house of Levi trust in the Lord Trust in the Lord and do good saith David so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed Psal 37.3 Let us be faithful to our masters service and do the work which he hath given us to do and verily we shall be fed I cannot say God will provide Coaches and delicate things for us but necessaries we shall not want Herein let us exercise our selves to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God and towards men and as to other things we may trust a Providebit Deus God will provide for us and ours The experience of these times if wistly attended to certainly is enough to keep any from being tempted through fear of want to debauch their consciences by doing any thing which is apparently sinful or but so judged and suspected by them We see some fed with great provisions faring deliciously every day whiles others like Daniel and his partners have been fed with little more than pulse and water and at the end of some years it appeareth they look fairer as to worldly circumstances than those who have had far better commons Vse 3. Lastly This observation commendeth confidence and courage to all in the Lords work in opposition to fear and cowardise I would not be mistaken be sure in the first place you be in Gods work that which by his word appeareth to be the duty of one in thy circumstances nothing but the conscience of having been surprised in the way of our duty will bear us up under sufferings be therefore in that point well satisfied having done that observe those rules of Prudence which reason directs thee in such cases this done fear nothing Remember the Providence of God most eminently watcheth over the boldest adventurers in the way of their duty They are the words of our blessed Lord Mar. 8.35 Whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel shall save it They observe in war that the soldier that turns his back and flyes is in much more danger than he who stands to it and that nothing makes a conqueror so much as resolution and bold adventuring it is so in our spiritual fight with the world be then of good courage in it and quit your selves like men remember God is with you and if so there 's more with you than can be against you God indeed in our combats with the world doth not always keep us shot-free and bring us off without a scratch but those whom he doth bring off are ordinarily those who are most valiant and adventurous however it is better to fall valiantly than cowardly and our Lord hath told us That if a man will save his life he shall lose it if he hath such a mind to sleep in a whole skin that he will neglect his duty and do that which his heart condemneth him for doing he shall lose what he hoped to save by it be it life reputation estate c. It speaketh great unbelief and distrust in God to be cowards in plain and certain duties Be prudent but take heed of forbearing necessary duty out of prudence or being faint in the performance of it That can be no prudence If a man fainteth in the day of adversity Solomon saith that his strength is but small his faith is but small and his observation of Gods Providence in such cases hath been very small too But I shall add no more upon this Argument SERMON XXV Psal CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Have done with the Tenth thing in the motions of Divine Providence which I commended to your observation I proceed now to another Observ 11. The Providence of God maketh a very frequent and remarkable use of the sins of people though it be always spotless in making such use of