A01974:1798
Gods three arrows plague, famine, sword, in three treatises. I. A plaster for the…Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the…
Gods three arrows plague, famine, sword, in three treatises. I. A plaster for the plague. II. Dearths death. III. The Churches conquest over the sword. By William Gouge Doctor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friars, London.Gods three arrovves plague, famine, svvord, in three treatises. I. A plaister for the plague. II. Dearths death. III. The Churches conquest over the sword. By William Gouge Doctor in Divinity, and preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friers, London.
London: printed by George Miller for Edward Brewster, 1631
THE EXTENT OF GODS PROVIDENCE: Set out in A SERMON, preached in Bla… › Section 5: §. 5. Of Chance.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. 5. Of Chance.
Such being the extent of Gods providence as hath been showed, the conclusions following may well be inferred.
Such being the extent of Gods providence as hath beene shewed, the conclusions following may well be inferred.
I. Fortune is a mere fiction. Fortune, I say, as commonly it is taken, in opposition to Gods Providence. For, afolly, error, and blindness hath brought in the name of Fortune. What fortune or chance is, to take it positively as a distinct thing that may have a being, none ever could tell. It is a mere fancy, and vain conceit, or rather a plain deceit of mans idle brain. Yet bthe Heathen have set her in the number of their goddesses, and placed her in heaven. cThey prepare a table for fortune, believing nothing to belong to God, but all things to be ordered either by the course of the stars, or by the mutability of fortune. Yea, not only the ⟨p. 380⟩vulgar, but many others also among those that profess Christianity, dote too much upon her, and attribute too many things unto her, whereby God is robbed of much honour. I know not any one other thing, whereunto, more of those things which are done by God, are attributed, then to fortune, or chance, or luck, (for these are but several titles which are used to set out one and the same thing.) Commonly those things which are most immediately done by the divine Providence, are ascribed to Fortune. For, when they see not any apparent external cause of a thing, they conceit it to be done by Fortune. How frequent in mens mouths are those phrases, good luck, ill luck: By good fortune I got this: It was my ill fortune to lose this. Yea, Christians have learned of Heathen Philosophers to entitle all the external good things of this world with this stile, goods of Fortune: and still that old distinction of good things is retained, Goods of the Mind, (as knowledge, wisdom, temperance, and all sorts of such virtues) Goods of the Body (as, Health, strength, beauty,