The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Discourse · Chapter 40 – Chapter 43
The. xl. Chapter. God created this world, good.
S.
THeſe thinges now I doe vnderſtand: proceede therefore vntounto other poinctes whiche you propoſed, and promiſed to entreate of.
M.
What other poinctes?
S.
Declare now at the length, in what kinde of ſtate and maner God made the world.
M.
I can eaſily tell you that, and diſpatche the whole matter in one woorde. The worlde was created a good world, not onelyonly generally, but alſo euerie parte thereof. For after euerie dayes woorke, Moſes addeth playnly and perfectly theſe woordes: And God ſaw that it was good: for ſo it is written in the 1. Chapter of Geneſis.
S.
What doth that goodnes comprehend and ſignifie?
M.
Uerily, not holineſſe of life and conuerſation, neither vprightnes of conſcience. For, moſt of the partes of the worlde hauehave neither ſenſe, neither reaſon, nor conſcience, without whiche there can bee no holineſſe of life. Wherefore, this word, Good, ſeemeth vntounto mee to ſignifie three things ſpecially.
S.
What bee they?
M.
Firſt, the perfection & integritie of the natures which God created, and of the whole worlde: ſecondly the beautie: thirdly the commoditie, I iudge to bee noted by that word. For, thoſe thinges whiche are perfect, and whole: and likewiſe faire, and profitable: are called good, and that by common cuſtome of all men. Although S. Auguſtine in his booke de natura boni againſt the Manichees, beſides the ſubſtance and eſſence of thoſe three thinges, hath ſet doune theſe three thinges, as certeine vniuerſall good thinges, too wit, meaſure, fourme, and ordre, of whiche he ſaieth thus: Therefore, where theſe three bee great, there bee great good thinges: where they bee ſmall, there bee ſmall good thinges: and where they bee not, there is no goodthing. Howbeit, I chooſe rather to follow mine owne opinion, and to keepe the effect and meaning of theſe wordes, and hee ſaw that they were good.
S.
Expounde this more plainly.
M.
This worlde, and all thinges that are created therein, were eueryevery one of them good, if wee conſider of thē as thei were made by GOD at the beeginning, in reſpecte of their owne nature. For thei had it then perfecte and whole, that is to ſaie, in no parte failyng: at that tyme ſounde and ſtrong, and not as it is nowe, weake, ſicke, and wounded. So that the Nature of Heauen and Earth was moſte perfecte, and likewiſe of all Beaſtes and liuyng thynges, Hearbes, Trees, and other creatures of God: their ſtrength alſo pliant and forcible, and not as thei bee now adaies, weake and imperfect, ſcarce able to ſuſteine themſelues, or to doe theyr duety and function, neyther alwaies able to dooe it. Moreouer, if wee conſider the beautie of thoſe thynges, and of the whole worlde as it was made at the firſte, in reſpecte whereof, bothe the whole worlde was good, and eueryevery one of his partes were good. For thei had in themſelues a merueilous comelineſſe of outward fourme and ſhape, and gliſtering beautie: thei were pleaſant and delectable to beholde, and had due and conuenient proportion of all the partes and members in eueryevery bodie: in reſpecte whereof, and alſo for that as yet there remaine many tokens of it, it is now at this daie called by the Grecians Koſmos, of the comelineſſe thereof. Thei had alſo a wounderfull order in reſpecte of the whole worlde. For eueryevery thyng was by GOD placed in conuenient and apte place moſte wiſely, and thei agreed among themſelues with wounderfull concorde, and mutuall good will one toward another: and heauen was anſwerable too the earth, and the earth to heauen, ſo farre foorthe and at what tyme the one had neede to helpe the other. Whiche now, diſcord through ſynne beyng diſperſed amōg them, dooe ſeldome helpe one another, neither dooeth heauen yeilde raine in due ſeaſon vntounto the earth, neither dooeth the earth ſende vp erhalations and vapours vntounto heauen in conueniente tyme, and when neede requireth. To bee ſhorte, the profite alſo and commoditie of theſe thynges, as thei were by GOD created, was very greate, in reſpect wherof the whole worlde, and all his partes were called good. For the ſtrength and powers of eueryevery one of them were ſoūd, and of force to woorke and bryng forthe that, wherevnto God had ordeined them. Thei were frutefull, bicauſe they reteined as yet the power and bleſſynge, whiche GOD had giuen them, whole, and vndefiled: ſynne had not yet hindred, or diminiſhed it: whiche power is as it were now deade and buried, ſo that there appeareth not ſo muche as the leaſt part thereof vntounto vsus, ſpecially in this latter, and as it were, crooked old age of the worlde, whiche ſo greate and manifold giftes of God, ſhould hauehave perpetually continued in all creatures, if man had not tranſgreſſed.
¶ The. xli. Chapter. What maner one this world is now at this preſent after ſinne.
S.
WHat maner one is this worlde nowe, ſince Adams trangreſſion?
M.
Euen ſuch an one, as S. Paule deſcribeth in one woorde, to wit, a creature now ſubiect vntounto vanitie. And therefore it ſigheth and groneth, looking for the reſtoaring of the ſunnes of God: Romanes the 8. chapter, and 20. verſe. So that this vanitie is contrarie too that goodnes, wherein thinges were firſt created.
S.
How then, did mans tranſgreſſion take away the eſſence and nature of thinges?
M.
Not ſo, but it impaired the integritie and perfection of them. For ſinne brought in three thinges with it eſpecially, which are contrarie vntounto thoſe three aboue named commodities. To wit, weakeneſſe, as it were a ſicknes in the naturall powers, diſorder and diſagreement among thinges for lacke of order, and then when they are not fitly anſwerable one too another, there followeth barrennes in ingendring and bringing foorth of young, and fruites: the 4. of Eſdras, the 5. chapter, and 52. verſe. In ſo much, that the ſtrength and plentifulnes of the earth, and of all other thinges decreaſeth dayly, and are nothing nowe in reſpect as God firſt created them, whiche cummeth too paſſe by reaſon of mans trangreſſion, as it may eaſily bee gathered out of the 4. chapter of Ieremie, and 24. and 25. verſes. Finally, in reſpect hereof, this whole world is made, as it were, a confuſed miſt, ſpecially the inferiour and elementare part thereof: Iob the 10. chap. and 21. and 22. verſes: alſo mortall and tranſitorie, as it is writen in the Prouerbes, the 31. chapter, and 8. verſe: and 2. of Peter, the 3. chapter, and 10. verſe, ſo that it may one day periſh and bee deſtroied.
S.
Was not then this worlde mortall and tranſitorie. beefore mans tranſgreſſion?
M.
I can ſay nothyng concerning that point, bicauſe the Scripture herein teacheth mee not any thyng. Howbeit this one thing I may affirme, that this world of it ſelf and in reſpect that it was a creature, was ſubiect to alteration, vnleſſe GOD did ſuſteine, and preſerue it. But whether God would alwaies hauehave preſerued and ſuſteined it, if man had not trangreſſed, I will not ſay. As for man, for whoſe ſake this worlde was created, to bee as it were his dwelling houſe, although hee ſhould hauehave bin immortall, as S. Auguſtine writeth after the booke of wiſedome, in his booke De Agone Chriſtiano: yet ſhould they at length one after another hauehave binne tranſlated into heauen into a better ſtate. But whether there ſhould alwaies hauehave bin ſome men in the worlde, and ſome ſhould alwayes hauehave liued heere, I doe not know.
The xlii. Chapter. From whence poyſons and hurtfull thinges ſprang in the world.
S.
NOw, if the worlde, and all the partes thereof were created ſo good at the firſt: from whence then ſprang ſo many poyſons, ſo many hurtfull things, and deadlye hearbes, ſo many Serpentes with the ſight of their eyes only peſtiferous vntoo men?
M.
By ſinne and for the ſinne of man, theſe ſo many Plagues, venimes, poyſons, hurtful hearbes, and noyſom beaſtes ſprang vp, as the wordes of the Lorde doe declare in the booke of Moſes, Geneſis the 3. chapter, and 18. verſe. For God made nothing at the beginnyng that was vntounto any thing poyſon, deadly, hurtfull, and diſcommodious. Wherfore, if thinges had continued in that nature wherein almightie God created them at the firſt, there ſhould now be neither poyſons, neither euill thinges. For it is not poſſible that any thing ſauyng that which is good ſhould bee made, or proceede from hym that is moſt good. Yea, there is nothyng at this day that is abſolute and in all reſpectes poyſon, but that whiche is hurtfull, as too man: is profitable and holſome to another, as to a Serpent.
S.
I vnderſtand you. But why will God hauehave poyſons, noyſom herbes, and hurtfull beaſtes to remaine now in the earth, ſince mans tranſgreſſion?
M.
There maye ſundrie cauſes bee alleaged, but ſpecially two, which S. Auguſt. bringeth forth in his 3. booke, and 17. chap. de Geneſi ad Literam. The firſt cauſe why theſe doe continue, is for puniſhment and reuenge againſt Man. And therefore they doe all hurt Man, for whoſe offence ſake they bee made poiſon. Moreouer, they bee profitable to prooue, tempt, and exerciſe Man, to the entent that hee maye acknowledge his owne infirmitie, & aſke helpe of God. But this thirde reaſon may bee alſo alledged, that thoſe hearbes whiche bee hurtfull vntounto man, as Hemlock, woulfbane, coloquintida, & ſuch like, are the euil iuce of the earth, and as it were certeine excremētes which are needful too bee expelled, to the ende that the iuce of the other frutes of the earth maye remaine good and ſincere, & holſome and commodious vntounto vsus.
S.
If the thinges which God created firſt, were ſo good, (for Moſes ſayde not onelyonly that they were good, but alſo that they were very good) what difference then is there beetweene God himfelfe, and his woorkes?
M.
There is a threefolde, and that moſt large & wide difference between them. To wit, that God of himſelf is moſt excellent, & vnchangeable good. But ye creatures are not ſo of thēſelues, but of God: not excellently, but ſo far as their nature will ſuffer: not ſo vnchangeably good but that they might fall away from it. For that goodneſſe coulde neuer hauehave decayed in them, & hauehave bene chaunged into vanitie, if ſo bee thei had bene vnchaungeably good. Howbeit, to the ende wee ſhoulde not doubt y• they were good, Moſes added this plainly. God ſawe that they were good.
The xliii. Chapter. Why the thinges that were created, are playnly ſaide too bee good.
S.
WHy did Moſes adde theſe words expreſty?
M.
For two cauſes. To ye intent we ſhould not lightly paſſe ouer theſe woordes of God, as many doe, as though they conteined in them no excellencie, or notable qualitie, whiche mighte mooue vsus vntounto admiration. For in deed they hauehave ſo in them, and the Lorde himſelfe teſtifieth the ſame. And therefore, much leſſe that wee ought to condemne, diſpraiſe, and mocke at ſo excellent woorkes of God, bicauſe of the confuſion and diſorder which nowe is in them through Mans tranſgreſſion, as did that blaſphemous felowe Momus and the Mamchees, and Marcianite heretikes. For wee cannot ſo doe with out offeringe greate iniurie vntounto God, and in ſo doeing, wee take the Lordes name in vaine. Wherefore, the Mamchees, are to bee condemned, and whoſoeuer elſe doe contende that the creatures of themſelues, and as God firſt made them, were euill. For that is moſt falſe, as it appeareth in the 1. to Timothie, the 4. Chapter, and 4. verſe. Moreouer, this admonition and ſayinge mooueth mee not to diſpute this queſtion whiche certaine curious felowes hauehave doone, to wit, whether God could hauehave created eueryevery particulare thing, or the whole worlde better: or now coulde if neede were frame it in more abſolute ſtate, than hee firſt created it. For to ſeeke and ſearche this, what is it other, than to paſſe thoſe bondes whiche the Spirite of God hath laide beefore vsus, and to folowe our owne wandringe mindes? For God made all things that hee created, very good. To conclude, this admonition is very profitable vntounto vsus in this reſpect, that wee doe not raſhely abuſe the creatures of God (which many tymes ſeeme vile vntounto vsus) intemperately at our luſt and pleaſure, which y• holy Ghoſt himſelfe pronounceth to bee ſo precious. Wherefore wee ought to vſe them, ſoberly, modeſtly, and wiſely.
S.
But why was that ſaiyng, And the Lorde ſawe that it was good, let paſſe in the woorke of ſome daies, as of the ſeconde daie?
M.
Bicauſe that daie conteineth onelyonly the beginnyng of the whole woorke, whiche was made afterward, and not the conſummation and finiſhyng thereof. And therefore that bleſſyng is deferred vntounto the ende of the woorke.