ARMINIANISM. r out the verge of his all ruling providence, but by fuffering and enduring their ini- quities with great patience, and longfurcring, Rom. ix. zo. defending them oftentimes from the injuries of one another, Gen. iv. r5. by granting unto themmarry tempo- ral bleifings, Muth. v. 45. difpofing of all their works, to the glory of his great name, Prov. xxi. 1, z. he declareth, that they alto live and move, and have their henry in him, and are under the government of his providence. Nay, there is not the leaft thing in this world to which his care and knowledge doth not defceud; ill would it become his wifdom not to fftain, order and di Mote of all things by, him created, but leave them to the ruin of uncertain chance. (a) Hierum then was injurious to his providencg, and caft a blemifh on his abfolute perfeaion, whiff{ thought to have cleared his majefly from being defiled with the knowledge and care of the finalleft reptiles and vermin every moment; and St. (b) Afin is ex- preg to the contrary, Wh>, faith he, bath dfpofed the fever:a members of the Ilea and gnat, ehat halo given unto them order, life and motion, &c. even moß agreeable to holy fcriptures, fo Pfd. Gil, 20 21. and cxlv. 15. Marsh. vi. 26. He feedeth tie fowls, and rloatbeth the grafof the field, Job. xxxix. 1, 1. and youth. iv. 6. 7. fore it is not troublefome to God to take notice of all that he hath created : did he ufe that great power in the produ&iou of the leaß of his creatures, to far beyondthe united aftivity of menand angels, for no endat all ? Doubtlefs even they alto mull have a well difpofed order, for the marifeßationof his glory, not a f arrow falls to the ground, with, ant our father, Match. x. z9, 3o. Even the hairs of our head are numbred, he cloatheth the lilies and graft of thefield which útóbeaaf into the oven, Luke. xii. a7, 28. behold his knowledge and care of them ; again be Ad frogs, and lice, for the punilhmentof the Egyptians, Exod. viii. with a gourd, and a worm he exercifed his fervant yonah, Chap. iii. yea, he calls the locutis his terrible army, and Shall not God know and take care of the number of his fouldiers, theordering of his dreadful hofl ? That God by his providence governech and difpofeth of all thingsby him created, is fufficientlyproved. a. The mannerhow he worketh in all, how he ordereth theworks of his own hands, in what this goverüidg and difpofingof his creatures doth chiefly confifl, comesnow to be confdered. And here -four things are principally tobe obferved, (r.) The fuflahiing, preferving and upholding ofall things by his power. For he upholdeth all things by the word of his power, Heh. i. 3. (a.) His working together with all things, by an influence of caufality, into the agents themfelves, for he alfa bathwrought all our works in us, Iti,iah. xxvi. t a. (3.) His powerful over ruling of all events, both neteffary, free, and contingent, and difpofing of them to certain ends for themanifeflation ofhis glory :. fo )ofeph tells his brethen, As for you, you thought evil again; me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pafs, as it úat thisday, tofave much people alive, Gen. 1. vo. (4.) His determining and rellraining fecond antes to loch and inch effefts : Even . the Keng's7aeartis in thehand ofthe Lord, as the rivers ofmater, he turneth it whitherfaever he will, Prov. xxi. i. (1:) His fuftentation or upholding of all things, is his powerful continuingof their being, natural flrength and faculties beftocved on them at their creation; In bim we live, and move, and have our being, Ads xvii. So that he doth neither work all himfelf in them, without any co-operation oftheirs, whichwould not only turn all things into flocks, yea and take from flocks their own proper nature, but alto is contrary to that general bleffinghe fpread over theface of the wholeworld, in thebeginning, Iaereafeand multiply, Gen. i. zz. nor yet leave them to a fell fublfflence, he inthe mean timeonly not deftroyingthem (c), which would make him an idle fpe&ator of moti things in the world, notto work hitherto asour Saviourfpeaks : and grant to divers things herebe- lowan abfolute being, not derivative from him ; the firfl whereof is blafphemous, the latter impplGble. (z) For God's working in, and together with all fecond castles, for the producing of their effe£ts: what part or portion in the work`pun£tually to affign, unto him, what to (a) Majellatem Doi dedecet, feire per momenta Segala, quot nafcantur oulices, que pulicum & muharum in term multitude, ;limn. in cop.. a. Hal ask, (b) Qisdifpofuit membra pulidaac cu- Skis, ut habeant ordinem fuum, habeant vitam foam, habeant motum fuum, &c. qui fecit in celo-anu gelum, ipfe fecit in terravermiculum, fedangelum in celo pro habitation, terrettri nunquid angetan fecit repere in ccene, act vermiculum in xcelo ? &c. Aug ß. Tom. 8. in Pfal. cxlvüi. (c) Rem. opal. cap. 6. the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=