( _ _ J to the [oun:re_y-man. _ ~ ~~~- / our curnes. Marr1c eh is mull be noccd(as I fatd A thlllgs lm: parricular o,.\·orking proui(lcnce,-altc-1 before) chat 111 all chcfc fccondaiiC cau(es ber1,1g, frannng, and bending as ..,axe his in1 fiJc rhctr nacurall "\'orkc, wh1ch God bar'h g1Hrumcncs to his good ,._,ill. Truly by this con.o. ucn them, thciC u a!JO rhc fpcc:Jall vo.;orke of ftdcration, a Chrilli:m man v ..·ill be broughr ro God lus fpcciall hand!howcd. God "Aorkcth Icaur off to fcckc what cucnt the worl\cs of not by fccond cauJcs as Magdlrarcs gouctnc God lhall hauc before they come to paOC. If;:~ 1 1 thc11 comruon V\ calrhs by thea JnfctJour offiman f11all come into a Ioyncrs fl1oppe, can bee cars.For chcy fo goucrnc; by rhcm,that they do by knowing rhc viC of all his tool~s, tell what nothing or very little thcmfclues,&pcraduen~ thing<; he bath made in his fl10ppc? No. i,.Vhar ~urc neucr know what is done. GOd gouerneth is the caufc o(thar? Hcc victh not oncly his nor the world fo,bur in cuery particular work, toolcs in his worke, bur thcrcumo adioyncth he harh his p:nricular Hrokc. That the thunder hi) OV\'m: hand, by which he handlerh and rurburneth,moucrh,huncth;it is rhe gencr:~Jl p10ncrh rhe wolc to his owne plea.litre, and fo· uidcncc ofGod:but that it burneth 1 or hurtcth m:~keth diurrskinde of workes with rhc fame this or rh:~tman, on this or rhat part, in rh is or inChumenrs.Thc: fame may be faid uf our Progthac manner, it is the fpeci<1ll prou1dence ofthe B nofhicators,whi(.h I Wot1id to God they would .fame God. The Lord bath lhowed hi; fpeciall fomewha: eonGder. prouidCce in onecxceUentex5.plc.lfthchatchet (faith God) fall (orth ofthe hand of him which loppeth the tree, t!nd I:J.ll a man in the W'!f, l rhe Lord haH< kjll<dh,m, God alfo goucrnctlnhe "''orld immediately, and his prouidence wor– keth whhout mean~,& many things he bring– eth to paffe againfl all mcancs, which is tnani– fdl by that of Matthr:w<: Man liff<th •of by breadone!;, hut hJ euery word whic.h procetdtth omof(be mouth of God. For example without meanes, the !pirit ofGod did moouc vpon the waters, and couer them in the creation itnme– diarcly. The firtl garment which was made, was of l~achcr ,and God alone without meancs made ir. No:th in the Arke was prcfcrucd by God alone an whole ycare,againll the force of C the waccrs. Withoutmcancsdid hekecpc the fheocs and g:mnents of the l[raelitn whole for tic ycarcs. He alone iufiifieth, f.'ln£\ifieth, & conueneth a finner. Againfl the courfc of na– turehe made the fca to diuide it felfc,the funne to go backward,thcf1renot to burne the duce children, the Lyons JlOt to dcuoure Daniel!. The caufes of this, arc thcfe: r. That we may know when God works bycaufcs,hc doth it by no ncceffitic,buc freely. z.that we ~~night know when God \lfeth means,thr\t then he is noc idle but workcth all in all.. ;. That ifmcane£ wane, nay if mcancs beagainA: vs, yet wdhould not dcfpaircof Gods prouidcncc.Now to corne to our Pro.lf,nof/icatoun,and Moone-prophcts, how !hall they be able to knowc wlm will come ·o . to p3Cfc hereafter? for firll, the he:.'lu.em bceing oncly one particular inflrumcnr·ofGods proui– dencc,among many, they cannot certainely& . truly fay, this thinoor that thing prQceedeth fi·om the hcaucns: frcondly,thcy cannot deter. mine whether God in cxtraordinaric matters, as Plague, F'aminr, Barrcnndfe, Difrcmpcred weather,Eanbqu:\kcs,Warrcs,&c.doth work, 1 immediately, or \\'ith mc3nes: Ifwith mcancs, they cannot determine, \.\·hither the heaucns, or Angel!:,or men, or a.ny other things, be the mc:mcs ofhis prouidencc.Thirdly,ifthey were able to know what the Hcaucn worketh natu– rally, yer they were neucr the better: for God bcfide the power of the Heaucns, bath in all The thirdRea{m, thcwar.f of expenmce. IF ohr P~·og'11oflic~ttollrJ hauc a.ny mc:mes to foretell things ro come, they haue th6fc meancs eidu~r withoure11:perience, or with ex pcriencc;Ifthey h:me themwithout exped~n< t: then mull thou accoum al! "vhich they doe to be foolt01 dreamcsand dcccir. For all kind of humane learningwhich ts profitable, and h:nh vfc in the ltfCofm:~n,is taken from often obfcr– uacions, and experience. lf it be faid th;~t rhey hauc their dirctlions in Prognnfticating from experience, and that of all times, I WJ!l con– uinc~ them thus, True experience ofthe c,at!fcS of things, is an ofcc1t obCeruing of efft:Cts of the fame caufcs,v. ith thisground that they can precn·dc from no other thing. The Phyfic.iat~ faid1 Rheubarhdoth purge choler. \Veil; how knoo.,\•eth he rh1s? he h:nh often tried this, and that in old men,youngmcn,childrcn:and hadi found,that in the bodies of all men, the caufe of pmgir' g this humour, could be afcribed t~ noching cliC. Wherefore he may peremptorily conclude, Rheubarbpurgeth cholcr,Our PrPg· nojlicatours, in the he;lU<ns, can hauc no fuch experience,For they can not obferue often tbe fame pofition ofAarrcs in the hrauC.The order :1nd caufc vfthc fixt"d llarrs and Pl3ncts, which '!.VC finde in the hcauens this c;by, the r.cxt day ,.._ill bcch:J.unged,and 11eu~r the like :~gaine• Th~y will f.'ly indeed although the fame pofiti– on of the v. hole heauen neucr happen, yet the fame con1un61ions, ofnorablc thrrcs, the fame rilings 1 and fcnings and the f.'lrr:e conllellati– ons of rhe ch1cfdt tlarres arc marked often. 1(ay againc,that \\hen thcfc Eclipfcs and great coniunc1:ions bappcn,chc rcft ofthe fl:ars being othcrwifc.: affeCted then they,were before,:md hauing new pofitions,may cithet· e:ncrcafe- and dimini01 their effeCts, or cifc hinder them, and C]Uitc take the1n away. As we fee when the Sun caAing his be<1lnCs into a chambcr,the light of candles, and rorches, and fires do make it lhinc dimmc, ycr thefe beeing abf~m. it ''•ill fhine bright. Again<:, they arc not able to f~y that con- -- -- - -- ---
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