A44443:75
The vanity of the worldThe vanity of the vvorld
The vanity of the world by Ezekiel Hopkins.The vanity of the vvorld by Ezekiel Hopkins.
London: printed for Nathanael Ranew and Jonathan Robinson, 1668
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.
It is said of the Wheels, Ezek. 1.17. That they went upon their four sides. For one Wheel intersecting and crossing another, the whole must needs consist of four sides or Semi-circles: And moving upon these four sides, it must of necessity move very ruggedly, by jolts and jerks. So truly the Providences of God do sometimes move unevenly, as cross wheels would do moving upon their sides. Great and sudden changes are often brought to pass without being ripened by sensible degrees; but happen by the surprisal of some unexpected Providence, and as it were, by the sudden jerk of the wheel, shaking off those who sate on the top, and crushing them in its passage over.
It is said of the Wheels, Ezek. 1.17. That they went upon their four sides. For one Wheel intersecting and crossing another, the whole must needs consist of four sides or Semi-circles: And moving upon these four sides, it must of necessity move very ruggedly, by jolts and jerks. So truly the Providences of God do sometimes move unevenly, as cross wheels would do moving upon their sides. Great and suddain changes are often brought to pass without being ripened by sensible degrees; but happen by the surprisal of some unexpected Providence, and as it were, by the suddain jerk of the wheel, shaking off those who sate on the top, and crushing them in its passage over.
'Tis true these mutations which to us seem so confused and tumultuary, are all orderly and harmonious in the Divine Counsel & foreknowledge. There is not a Providence that breaks its rank, not a wheel that moves out of its tract, and there is a destined end for them all, the glory of the Almighty Creator; to which, while every Creature pursues its own inclinations, he sweetly, and yet efficaciously sways them. They are all like Arrows shot at a mark by an unerring hand: Some are shot point-blank, and some by compass, but none so carelessly as to miss it. Though changes may surprise us, yet they do not surprise God: But as it is a great pleasure to us, to see our designs and forecasts