The Seven Days, Meditation 6
A MEDITATION VponUpon the LORDES Sixth Dayes Worke.
VPonUpon the ſixth Day the LORD openeth the Earth, and maketh it to bring foorth his Treaſures, and bringeth foorth Beaſtes of all ſorts for Mans vſe: and laſt of all hee made Man.
Gods power out of the dead Earth bringeth Man and Beast.Firſt, yee ſee the power of the worde of God, which of that dead and colde bodie of ehe Earth, brought foorth ſo manie liuing creatures which were not before. This is a great Argument for the affirmance of the reſurrection of our dead bodies:Argument, for the reſurrection of the body. for if hee brought out of the boſome of the Earth, and gaue life which was not, how eaſie is it then for him to raiſe out of the Earth the bodies which were liuing? and to cauſe the Sea, the Aire, and the Earth, render an account of the Bodies conſumed in them?
The Lord created Kyne, and Sheepe for his Rayment, the Oxen to labour his Ground, and the Horſes for Carriage: yea, and the Worme to decore him with Silke. As for the Lyon, and other wylde Beaſtes, which are enemies to Man, it is to bee vnderſtoode, that it was not ſo at the beginning: for at the firſt the Lyon, the Tyger, &c. were as obediēt to Man as the Lambe:Sinne hath ina…med Mā aganſt God, & the Beaſtes aganſt Man. 1. King. 13 24. 2. King. 2.23. Nota. Creeping thinges not created in vaine. Exod. 8.6. but (alace) ſinne ſtirred vp, and inarmed Man againſt God, and the Beaſtes againſt Man: as the Lyon againſt the young Prophet, and the Beares againſt the young Children which mocked Eliſha. Therefore, when wee get anie injurie by the creatures, let vsus call to minde that it is for our ſinnes, & ſtudie to bee reconciled to our Creator.
As for the innumerable creeping thinges, let vsus not thinke that God hath created them in vaine; for he hath vſed them as great Hoſtes to puniſh his aduerſaries whenſoeuer he pleaſed: as the Frogges for Pharoah, and the little Vermine for Herod: yea,Act. 12.23. the Worms to ſeaſe vponupon the Bodies of all Fleſh, which (although neuer ſo daintilie fedde) muſt bee a Prey vntounto them.
And againe,Men are compared to Beaſies, wh…ſe nature is beaſtlie. Pſal. 10.9. Pſa. 17.12 Pſa. 22.12 13.16.20.21. &c. Iſa. 56.10.11. Gen. 49.14 16. let vsus remember that Men are often times in the Scripture compared vntounto diuerſe Beaſtes, and get the names of ſuch Beaſtes whoſe faſhions and conditions they are moſte addicted to followe: They are called Lyons, Rauens, Beares, Bulles of Daſhan, Swyne, Dogges, Vipers, &c. The couetous Paſtours are called dumbe & greedie Dogges, who cannot barke, and neuer are ſatisfied: Iſſachar is compared vntounto a wylde Aſſe, which concheth betwixt two Burdens: and Dan vntounto a Serpent, (and there are manie of the Trybe of Dan) which byteth the Horſe heeles and the ryder alſo. And albeit there bee manie (Adulterers and Murderers) of the Trybe of Dan which ſhall enter into Heauen, yet the Serpent-kynde of the Trybe of Dan ſhall not come there. Plinius ſayeth, that there are three kyndes of Serpentes, One which killeth all Strangers, and ſpareth Countrey folks:Plin. lib. 8. cap. 59. another which killeth Countrey folkes, and ſpareth Strangers: and the third which ſpareth none of them: and there are people of all theſe ſortes.
But I marke one thing in the Serpent, wherein it differeth in crueltie from all other Beaſts:A remarkable marke of the Serpit againſt Man. for the Lyon and Wolfe ſeeke after Mens Blood, for the louelove of the Bloode wherevpon they feede: but the Serpent, which feedeth vponupon the Duſt, out of an hatefull deſire of naturall reuenge, thirſteth after Mans Bloode, albeeit it getteth none other gaine thereby but onelie the ſatisfaction of her cruell minde: repreſenting manie deuiliſh and ſerpent-like people,Nota. who albeit they get none other commoditie by the deſtruction of godlie perſons, yet they holde their ſelues ſatisfied that they hauehave gotten the malicious intent of their wicked heartes brought to paſſe.
Man (of grea…eſt price) is made last.Now, when the Lord had furniſhed his Houſe with ſtore of al good things, as a louing and carefull Father, hee builded an Houſe to his Sonne, and he …illed it with all pleniſhing,Simil. and then hee putteth his Sonne into it, as God placed Man. Hee maketh Man with aduiſement: Let vsus make Man, ſayde the Father to the Sonne, and to the Spirit.Gen. 1.26. For this aduiſement telleth vsus, that the Creation of Man is more than the Creation of the whole Worlde: for Man is called a little Worlde, becauſe in him is comprehended a worlde of wonders, in his Bodie and Soule foreign. When hee ſayeth, To our Image, then hee clearlie deſigneth the Trinitie of the perſons,Trinitie. by the worde plurall. And when hee ſayeth Image, in the ſingular,Vnitie. then he noteth the Vnitie of the ſubſtance.
The Image of GOD ſtandeth not in the bodilie repreſentation,Wherein Gods Image ſtandeth. Iſa. 40.18.20. &c. but in the giftes of the mynde: therefore, it is a groſſe Idolatrie for Chriſtians who knowe God to bee an infinite Spirite, to cloſe him within the compaſſe of a finite Image, or to picture him with coloures, who is capable of no qualitie,Levit. 26.1 and which hee himſelfe diſchargeth by his Lawes. For his Image ſtandeth in Righteouſneſſe and Holineſſe, MercieMercy and LoueLove.
GOD made Man and Beaſt of one ſubſtance,The ſubſtāce wherof wee are made ſhould teach vsus humilitie. euen to teach vsus humilitie: and if wee had not ſoules wee differ verie little from Beaſtes. But the power of God appeared ſo much the more, who could produce out of ſo baſe a Subject ſuch a glorious Workemanſhip: As the cunning of the Artificer is much more admired,Simil. who out of a baſe matter can worke fynelie, than of a ſtrong Mettall. Then Mans bodie being ſo artificiallie made, he breathed in him an heauenlie ſubſtance, which is a ſpirit, as God is, who can neyther bee ſeene nor felt.
As the Heauens are more excellent than the Earth,The wonderfull vniō betwixt the Soule & the Bodie. and could worke without it, which the Earth could not doe without the Heauens; ſo can the Soule without the Bodie, prayſe God, as it doeth in Heauen, which the Bodie could not doe without the Soule: In this life they hauehave mutuall operations: the Soule directeth, and the Bodie is directed: the Bodie is blinde without the Soule, and the Soule would bee creeple without the Bodie. Let the Soule therefore commaund the Bodie in thoſe thinges which are lawfull, and let the Bodie obey the good direction of the Soule: which both being made vp to the Image of GOD, they may repreſent Him in all their actions.
A PRAYER, VponUpon the LORDES ſixth Dayes Worke.
O Lord God, Father of Mercies, and God of all conſolation, looke downe vponupon mee, I beſeech thee, with the Eyes of thy merciemercy: and ſithence thou haſt created Man vponupon the ſixth Day, create mine heart anewe, and anoint it with a freſh remenberance of thy power and goodneſſe, that I may become a newe creature. VponUpon the fifth day thou pleniſhedſt the Aire with Birdes, and the Sea with Fiſhes innumerable,Geneſ. 1.21 and now the Earth yeeldeth all ſortes of Beaſtes likewiſe euen to mans vſe: and they are brought vnderunder ſubjectiō, that I might bee free: they lay downe their liues for mee, that I may liue by them: and albeit both I and they bee made of one ſubſtance, yet thou haſt preferred mee aboue them all, and haſt put them vnderunder my feete,Pſal. 8.6. ſo deare am I vntounto thee. I thanke thee, O Lord, that thou of thine vndeſerued merciemercy and louelove haſt made thy choyſe of mee:Nota. God made choyſe of …s, let vsus …herefore make choyſe of God. Geneſ. 2.20 Oh, Lord, cauſe mee to make mine onelie choyſe of thee. Amongſt thy creatures there is none like vntounto thee. Adam could not finde one equall to himſelfe amongſt all thy creatures, till out of himſelfe thou madeſt one like vntounto himſelfe.
O Lord, there is nothing in Heauen nor in the Earth can ſatisfie my ſoule: thou art the perfection of beautie: thou haſt giuen me the reſt, giuegive me thy ſelfe, without whom neither the creatures viſible, nor inuiſible, will content mee. Yet ſeeing it pleaſeth thee, that they ſhould be appointed to feede, cloathe, and eaſe me, make me the more able by them to goe forwarde in thy ſeruice: let not that malediction and curſe fall vponupon mee,Let vsus beware, that wee fight not against the Lord with his owne benefites. that I ſhould fight againſt the God of my life with his owne benefits, to whom I am ſo infinitly obliſhed for his gracious gifts beſtowed on me.
O Lord, I hauehave receiued ſome new comfort in the day of my tryall, when for my humiliation it pleaſeth thee to puniſh me with pouertie, then Sathan biddeth me turne the ſtones into bread (as he did vntounto Chriſt) and ſeeke vnlawfull meanes for my reliefe: But,Matth. 4.3 Lord, augment thou my fayth, and let me depende vponupon thy promiſes, that I may build vponupon them, as vponupon a ſure Holde, and ſpeake boldlie with thy ſeruant Dauid, The Lord is my ſheepheard, I ſhall not want.Pſal. 23.1. No Prince of the Earth can ſay this word:Nota. but a poore chriſtian depending vponupon thee may ſay it.
O Lord, thou haſt appointed thy creatures to labour for me: then ſeeing I am eaſed by them, make me to goe forwarde more buſilie in thy ſeruice, that they may beare me in all my journeyes to glorifie thee; and not carrie me to ſinne,Numb. 22.21. with Baalam the ſonne of Beor, who cauſed Iſrael to ſinne. And as thou haſt appointed the Beaſts for my commoditie, ſo through my ſinne thou haſt inarmed thy creatures aganſt me: for now the Earth bringeth foorth as many enemies as friends vntounto me: For the wylde Beaſtes doe multiplie, as our ſinne groweth, which deſtroyeth both Man and Beaſt: and the Cornes, and Fruits, before our eyes are conſumed by thy great Hoſte. The reſidue of the Palme-worme the Canker-worme hath eaten;Ioel 1.4. and the reſidue of the Canker-worme the Graſhopper hath eaten. O Lord, waken vsus in mercy out of the bed of ſinne, that beeing reconciled to thee, thou mayeſt rebuke thy great Hoſte, and drowne them in the Sea.
Further, O Lord, when I conſider how thou madeſt mee little leſſe than an Angell,Pſal. 8.5. and crownedſt mee with honour and glorie, and yet I am become like a Beaſt in my ſenſualities and pleaſures: Yea, oftentimes like a Swine I returne to the puddle of ſinne, from which I was cleanſed. Waſh me, O Lord, throughly from an euill conſcience. Many are like Bulles, Lyons, and Beares, in this Wilderneſſe where I dwell. O bleſſed God, thou haſt reſcued mee from the clawes of the Beare, and the paw of the Lyon,1. Sam. 17.34. Pſal. 23.2.4. as Dauid did his Fathers Sheepe. O Lord, thou art my ſhepheard: when I feele my ſelfe neare loſt, thy Staffe will deliuer me: Therefore will I ſacrifice to thee my bodie and my life: for thou art the God of my ſaluation, mine hope, mine helpe, my Sauiour, and my God. O Lord,Matth. 12 34. this is a generation of Vipers, and vnnaturall people: they hauehave recompenced me euill for good. Alace, as I hauehave done to thee, ſo hauehave they done to me.Nota. I requite thy kindnes with vnkindneſſe; & thy benignities, with mine iniquities. But pittie, O pittie me, I will doe ſo no more. Let my wayes pleaſe thee, O Lord, let my ſoule be thankfull vntounto thee: that thou mayeſt tame thoſe Wilde Beaſts, and make them friendly vntounto me.
Now ſeeing thou haſt made my bodie and ſoule this ſixth day, grant that all the dayes of my life I may glorifie thee in them both, that while they are together in this world, eueryevery one may prouoke other to ſerue thee;Let Soule and Bodie prouoke one another to Gods ſeruice. my ſoule may be commanded by thee, and ſo may direct my bodie aright, and my bodie may be obedient to the directions of thine holy Spirit, that ſo I may vſe all thy creatures to the glorie of thine holie Name: that when it ſhall pleaſe thee to diuide them, then I may render my bodie to the duſt, whereof it was made, and my ſoule to thee, of whom it was created, waiting when they ſhall meete & be vnited together againe at the laſt day, to praiſe and glorifie thee for euermore. Amen.