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Show The firft Booke ofthefirSt part rein felenflereatepret Cuarit§.11 Cane. Gar2 B. matheFiftorie ofthe World. A worthy fonneis borne ofa wickedfather. senothing (after Gods refered power) thatfo muchofetteth this art ofin- {ubftances,and petithable natures : for the foulesof men; louing and fearing God, ré- ceiue\influence from thatdiuinelight it felfe; whereof the Sunnes clarity and that of the Statres,is by P/ato.called buta fhadow. -Lamen cf umbraDei, Gr Dews of lumen In- Plat.pol.6. j iseooettRadice me ralé;»us education doth : forthére arenone:in the Worldfo Wickedly inclined, but thara religiousinftrudtionand. bringing wp.may fashion anew the and reforme them. nor aay fowell difpofed , whom: (the reines being let loofe) cornot may: men ute ofdiffol ‘examples the and ; ty familiari <ontinuall fellowthip and ruptand deforme. Veflels will euer retatnea fauour oftheir firft liquor : it being equal- minis ; Light the {hadow of Gods brightneffe, whe is the light of lizht: But to end this Fiitini7.pal queftion, becaufethis Deftiny, together with Providence, Prefcience, and Predeftina- tion areoften confounded, [thinke it notimpertinent tot‘ouch thedifference ina word ortwo;for eueryi man hath not obferued it,thongh all learned men haue, ly difficult eyrherto clenferhe minde once corrupted;or'to extinguifh the {weet ‘auour x9 ofvertuefirtt receiued; wherithe minde was yet tender, open,and eafily feafoned ; but treenoes §. XII. where a fauourable conftellation (allowing that the Starres incline thewill) and a vertaous educatiottdoe happily atriue, orthe contrary in both, therebyit is that men are found fo exceeding vertuousor vicions,Heauen and Earth(as it were)running together, Ppprecognitio, ox prefcientia) confidered in order and nature (ifwee may {peake of ftian counfaile produce better and more beautifull fruit, than the ftrength offelfe-na- things, before he had created them,or before they had being to be cared for : and Of Prefciente.. Refcience, or fore-knowledge (which the Greckes call Proguofis , the Latines andiagreeingin one: for asthe feedes ofyertue may by the art and husbandry of Chriture and kiid could haue yeelded them ; fothe plants apt to grow wilde, andto change themfelues into weedes, by beingfet in a foylefutable, and likethemfelues, are made more vnfavoury andfilled with poyfon.. It was therefore truelyaffirmed , Sapiens aa- innabit opus aflrorum', quemadmodumagricola terre naturam; A wife man 4fsisteth thes20 worke ofohe Starves,«s the Husbandman helpeth the nature of the foyler. And. Ptolomics him(elfe confeffeth thus much, Sapiens, & omina [apientis medicé dominabuntur aftris, A God after the manner of, men) goeth before Prouidence : for God fore-knew all know, except the famebeto fucceed accordingly,it cannotbe true that wefore-know it. Butthis Prefcience ofGod(as it is Prefcience only)is not the caufe of any thing fu2oturelyfuceceding : neither doth Godsfore-knowledge impofe any neceffity, or binde. Forinthat wee fore-know that the Sunnewill rife, andfet ; that all men borne in the Worldthall dye againe ; that after Winter, the Spring fhall come after the Spring Summerand Harueft,and that according to the feuerall feeds that we fow,wefhall rea {euerall forts ofgraine,yet isnot ourfore-knowledgethe caufeofthis, or any ofthefe : neither doth the knowledgein vs bind or conftraine the Suntorifeand fet > OF men to dye; forthe caufes (as men perfwade themfelues) are otherwife manifeft and knowne whofe iuifluences may be ‘called hisreferued and vnwritten Lawes. Butlet vs confider howthey bind': euen asthe-Lawes of men doe; for although the Kings and Princes of the World haue by theit Lawes decreed, that a Thiefe and a2 Murdererfhallfuffer death ; and though their Ordinances are daily by Iudges and Magiftrates (the Starres of Kings) executed accordingly , yet thefe Lawes doe not depriue Kings of their naturalor religious compaffion, or binde them without prerogatiue, to fuch a feuere 39 execution,as that there fhould be nothingleft ofliberty to iudgment,power, or confci- toall. The eye of maz ({aith Borrivs) beholdeth thofe thingsfubiec? tofenfe,as they are: the eye feeth thatfuch a beaft is an horfe, stfeeth men, trees, and honfes, oe. but our feeing of them (as theyare) ts mot the caufeoftheirfa being, for{uch they be in their owxe natures, Anda. 30 gaineout of thefame Author; Divina pronidentia rebus Sewerandis won sunponit wecefsita- - de cone tem, quia fi ommia euenirent ex nece/sitate, premia bonorum, & pana wealorump erirct , Di- , 5 : 7 ; ; Preaideneer(l tine Prowsaenc aine faith he)4impofethJ no nece/sity open things that areto exif); for ifalcamete palfeof necefsity,thereould neswher be reward ofgoed,norpuifoment ofenill, ence : the Lawin his ownenature,being no other than.a deafe Tyrant. But feeing that iris otherwife,and that Princes (who ought to imitate God in all they can) doe fometimes for caules tothemfelues knowne, and by mediation, pardon offences botha- ent ee gainft others and themfelues; it were then impiousto take that powerandliberty from Godhimfelfe, which his Subftitutes enioy ; God being mercy, goodneffe, and charity itfelfe. Otherwife that example ofPrayer by our Sauiour taught; 4nd det vs. wot bee led into temptation , but delinervs from ewill, had beenc no other but an expence of words andtime ; butthat God (which onely knoweth the operation of his ownecreatures truely) hath affured vs, that there is no inclination or temptationfo forcible, 40 which our humble Prayersand Defires may not makefruftrate and breake afunder: for were it (as the Stoicks conceiue) that Fate or Deftiny , though depending vpon etérnall power,yet being once ordered and difpofed,had {uch a connexion & immutable te -- dependency,that God himfelfe fhould in a kind haue {hut vp himfelfe therein: How mi- Serable then were the condition ofmen (faith S.Avcys Tin) left altezether without hope! And ifthis ftrength ofthe Starres were fo transferred, asthat God had quitted vnto Pre- {cience is no other than an infallible fore-knowledge. For whatfoeuer our felies fores wife man, andthe ominous art ofawifePhyfician foal prenaile againft. the Starres, Laftly. we ought all to know, that God created the Starres,as he did the reft ofthe Vniuerfall, SSaa, 15 them the fame dominion ouerour immortal! foules ; which they lane ouerall bodily §. XIII. OfPronidencer, N OwProuidence (whichthe Greekes call Pronaia) is an intelleQuall knowledge, 4° both fore-feeing,caring for, and orderingall things , and doth not onely beWee B hold.all paft,all prefent,and all ta,come,but is the caufe oftheirfo being,wh ich Prefcience (fimply taken) is not: and therefore I rouidence by the Philofoph ers(faith St.-dagu/line) is diuided into Memory, Knowledge, and Care: Memory ofthe' paft. Knowledge of the prefent, and Care ofthefuture : and wee ourfelues accountfach a man for prouident, as,remembring things paft,and obferuing things prefent, can by indgement, and comparing the one with theother, prouide for the future,andtimes fucceeding. That fuch a thingthereis as Prouidence,the Scriptures euery-wh ere teach them all dominionouerhis creatures ; be hee Pagan or Chriftian that fo beleeueth,the YS; Méofes inmanyplaces, the Prophets in their Predictions, Chrift himfelfe andhis onelytrue God ofthe one, and theimaginary gods ofthe other,would thereby bee de{poyledof all worfhip,reuerence,or refpe@, shag Oras, Plato, Plotinus, and(in cftect) all learned men ac knowledge the Prouidence of And certainly, God whichhath promifed vs the reward ofwell-doing,which Chrift 59 himfelfe claimed at the hands ofthe Father, (/bawe finifbed the worke which thou gauctt mec to doc: ) and the fame God,whohath threatned vatovs the forrow and torment ofoffences, could not,contraryto his mercifull nature,be fo vniuft, as to bind vs incwitably to the Deftinies or influences of the Starres, or fubie& ourfoules to any impofed neceffity. But it was well faid ofP/orinus,thar the Starres were fignificant, bur not eff cient,giuing them yet fomething leffethantheir due : and therefore as I do not confent with them, who would make thofe glorious creatures of God vertuleffe : fo I thinke that wee derogatefrom his etegnall and abfolute power andprouidence, to afcsibe 0 : them Apoftles affure vs hereof: and befides the Scriptures, Hermes, Orpheus, Emripides, Py God: yea the Turks them{elues arefo confident therein,as they refufe not to accompa- 3° nyand vific each other, in the moft peftilent difeafes , nor fhun any perill whatfoeuer, though death therein do manifeftly prefent it felfe. Theplaces of Scripture proouing Prouidence,are fo many,both in generall and particular, as I {hall neede to repeate but afew oftheminthis place. Sing vateGed (laith Davin) which couereth the Heauens with cloudes,andprepareth rainefor the carth,and ma- vfal.t47.% keth the eraffeto crowvpon the Mountataes , which giveth to beatts their food , andfeedeth the yonewe Raucn that cries: <4 th ‘fe wait upon thee, that thou mayeftgine them food in due Seaton: 9. Andthou fh elt drinke of the Riser Chearcth (aithGodto EL 1a u) andl bane Fat Oa ey & 145-45. Bz 60m- |