The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Discourse · Chapter 17
The xvii. Chapter. Of the cauſes of the worlde, and firſt of the cauſe efficient thereof, which is God: not Angels, nor Diuells.
S.
WHiche bee the cauſes of this world?
M
There bee foure, firſt the efficient or producing cauſe, the materiall, formall, and finall.
S.
Can you declare them ſeuerally vntounto mee?
M.
I will.
S.
Tell mee then, whiche is the efficient cauſe?
M.
God, and hee onelyonly.
S.
HaueHave you anye reaſon, wherby you can prooue thys your ſo ſhort reſolution?
M.
Yea, I hauehave. And firſt Moſes proueth, that it was God y• made this world, Geneſis y• 1. chap. In the beginning God made heauen & earth. And Dauid alſo cōfirmeth ſame in y• 33. Pſalme, and 6. verſe: By the woorde of the Lorde were the heauens made, and all the hoſte of them by the breath of his mouth. For hee ſpake, and it was doone: hee commaunded, and it ſtoode. Likewiſe Iſay in the 44. chap. And Iob the 12. chap. And finally both the newe and old Teſtament. The ſame alſo did Anaxagoras the Philoſopher ſignifie ſum what obſcurely, hauing before receiued it by ſome auncient tradition, who called the mynde; that is to ſaye, God, the Creatour of all thinges: who, although hee were therefore laughed at by the other naturall Philoſophers of his tyme, yet he helde the true opinion. Howbeeit, the Marcionites, and after them the Manichees, doe vrge farther. They ſay, that this world wherin there is ſutch diſturbance and diſorder among thinges, is vnworthy to bee called or counted Gods woork. For, what confuſion, what calamitie, what perturbacion is there ſeene in this worlde, and in all theſe thinges, where wicked men doe rule, good men are vexed, the Summer ſometyme is colde, the Harueſt greeuous, and daungerous, and ſutch other like accidentes doe happen? And therfore, if wee ſay that God made theſe things, God is not the auctour of order in the world, but of greate confuſion.
S.
But what is your opinion hereof?
M.
They iudge amiſſe, for God is the creatour and producyng cauſe of all thoſe thinges, and ſubſtaunces, wherof the world conſiſteth: and not of the confuſion and diſorder whiche now is, and afterward came vppon them: for that is the effect of mans tranſgreſſion, and a great part of that vanitie, wherunto in the beeginnyng through Adam, all thinges were ſubiect: Romanes the 8. chap. Therefore it is not cauſed by GOD, neither ingraffed by hym, nor proceedyng from hym. For hee created all thinges firſt, good, and in good order, and ſubiect to no diſorder, confuſion, or deformitie. So Romulus builded the Citie of Rome, & not thoſe ſeditions, which many hundred yeres after his death, ſprang vp at Rome through y• ambition of men. Wherfore, againſt the Marcionites and Manichees, we ought to diſtinguiſhe and deuide the thinges themſelues, their nature and ſubſtance, from the deformitie whiche afterward hapned and came vponupon them. For the Heathen Philoſophers themſelues, as Thales for example, hauehave called this worlde: a beutifull woorke, and counted it woorthy of God, agreate deale better than thoſe Heretikes hauehave doone.
S.
Proceede then with that which you began.
M.
It was God therfore, that created and fourmed this worlde: what GOD? Forſooth hee which is one in ſubſtance, and three in perſon, to wit, the Father, the Sunne, and the holy Ghoſt: and ſo is it to bee vnderſtoode that God made the world, to wit, that it is the woorke of them all three indifferently: and not either the Fathers, or the Sunnes, or the holy Ghoſts ſpecially or principally: the woorkes alſo of the whole Trinitie are vndiuided, althoughe the woorkemanſhip of either of the perſons, is diſtinct in the ſelf ſame woorke.
S.
Declare this which you ſpake, more plainely.
M.
Meſes teacheth in the 1. of the Geneſis, that the Father wrought in the creation of the worlde, and alſo the woord, that is to ſay, the Sunne, & like wiſe the holy ghoſt. The father createth by his wil: the woord, or y• Sunne createth by woorkinge and bringing foorth: and the holy Ghoſt treateth by implāting of ſtrength and nature, and by giuing of motion and life, whiche is in eueryevery thinge for the bringinge foorth and preſeruation therof. And therfore S. Ihon in the 1. chap. and 3. and 14. verſes, when hee had declared that all thinges were made by the woorde, hee ſaieth afterwarde, that the ſame was the Sunne of God. Wherfore, the Sunne is, and is alſo rightly called the creatour of the world. And ye holy Ghoſt giueth ſtrength to liue, and to mooue, and alſo ſuſteineth, both that they may exiſt and liue, & alſo continue & bee preſerued. Wherefore hee alſo in the creation of the world, woorthily challengeth vntounto himſelfe ſome parte of ſo woorthie a woorke, which alſo by Iſay in the 40. chap. and 7. verſe: and the 41. chapter, 29. verſe, are plainlyaſcribed and attributed vntounto him.
S.
There bee otherſome, that doe otherwiſe interprete this which you ſaye, and by this name, VVoorde, and alſo ye holy Ghoſt, do not vnderſtand certain ſubſtances, or any thinge exiſting of themſelues: but ſuppoſe rather that thereby the meane is taught, by which this worlde was made, to wit, not that by anye engin or frame, not by ironwoorkes, not by any handie crafte ſo hugie a mole was framed and brought foorth: but onelyonly by the commaundement and the word of Gods will, that is to ſaye, onelyonly by the declaring and publiſhing of Gods decree, which of it ſelfe is of ſufficient power and efficacie.
M.
I doe not deney, but that thoſe thinges which vntounto vsus of their owne nature are miſticall and incomprehenſible, are opened and declared by ſuche parables: set and ſet foorth in ſuch wordes & metaphores, as by vsus they may bee vnderſtoode. To wit, that the eternall Sunne of God, is called the woorde: and the holie Ghoſt which is that diuine perſon, & ſubſtancial vertue ſubſiſtinge by it ſelfe, and proceeding from the Father and the Sunne, and is diſtinct, notwithſtāding is called a ſpirite. But foraſmuch as the ſcripture in an other place teacheth, that, that woorde is not a certain ſound or declaratiō of Gods will, & a certeine common enuntiane or ſpoken woord, & that the ſpirite is not a power and vertue infuſed into thinges, but that hee is God, and the verie ſame that is called the dweller in our hartes, Iohn the 1. chap. the 3. verſe: and the 1. to the Corinth. the 6. Chapter, the 19. verſe, both which perſōs, ſince it is taught in the ſcriptures in ſundrie places, that they wrought with the Father in the creation of the worlde, howe can it bee doubted but that our opinion is right and true.
S.
Foorth then, declare whether God created all theſe thyngs alone?
M.
Yea, alone.
S.
How prooue you that?
M.
Out of the 44. Chapter. and 24. verſe of Iſay, I am the Lorde that made althinges, that ſpread out the heauens alone, and ſtretched out the earth by my ſelfe. And Iob, the 41. Chapter, the 2. and 3. verſe: and to bee ſhort, this is the generall doctrine of the ſcriptures. The ſame is alſo confirmed by reaſon. For hee is alone which calleth thoſe things that are not, and brought them foorth into the lyght, and finally hee alone is the aucthor and Father of all thinges.
S.
But with what and howe manie armies of gaynſaiers are you nowe compaſſed about?
M.
I am not ignorant of that. For I ſhall bee uexed almoſt with innumerable rables of Heretikes, & Heathen Philoſophers: but Gods woord ſhall ſufficiently defende mee, and his holy trueth ſhall ſtande for me againſt them all.
S.
Tell mee then, what were thoſe heretikes opinions, or rather errours in that point?
M.
I will gather them togither out of Ireneus, cheifly out of the 1. and 2. booke. Some of the Heretikes will hauehave it, that this worlde was firſt thought vponupon and conceiued in minde by one God, and procreated and made by another, as certaine of the Valentinians and Carpocratians do affirme. Otherſome, by a certain other nature and farre differinge vertue than which ought to bee called a God, and which gouerneth althing, by whom they ſuppoſe this worlde to hauehave beene made as Corinthus held opinion: whom at ſumtime they termed Hyſtera, a belly or a wombe: & at another Demiurgus, a pronouncer of lawes: & doe diſtinguiſh him from the ſame whome they will hauehave to bee the true God, & call Propator. Some again, thinke that the world was made by angels only, and not by God, as the Simonians, and Menandrians: ſo many are the wandrings awry, whē a man hath once departed out of the right way.
S.
What ſay the Philoſophers?
M.
They holde opinion, that the worlde was made by their deuils, whiche they call Angels, and make them to differ from the greate God in whole kinde, as doe the Platonikes. As for Epicurus, who ſayeth that thys world came by chaunce, I accoumpt hym not among the number of Philoſophers: and as for the opinions of the other, I hauehave no leaſure now to rehearſe them.
S.
What hauehave you nowe to alleage, againſt ſo greate a power of your aduerſaries?
M.
The woord of GOD, and the reaſon alſo whiche is confirmed by the ſame Philoſophers. The woord of God, that foraſmuch as it is the proper and peculiare attribute or title beelongyng to GOD onelyonly to bee a creatour, the ſame cannot agree with Angels, or any other thing: My glory will I not giuegive to another, ſaieth the Lord. &c. Iſay chap. 42. verſe 8. and chap. 45. verſe. 12. Moreouer we ſhould make ſo many ſeuerall Gods, as there bee Angels, creatours. For who ſo createth, the ſame alſo giueth and ſuſteineth life, and his woorke dependeth altogether of hym, and of hym it hath it only beeing. Wherefore, the Angels alſo ſhalbee life giuers, and ſuſteiners, & Goddes, and Iehouah, that is to ſaye, giuers of exiſtence. Whiche thing, how mutch it repugneth againſt Scripture, it may bee vnderſtoode out of the 45. chap. and 18. verſe of Iſay: Whereupon alſo S. Auguſtine in his 3. booke, and 8. chapter of the Trinitie, woorthily and truely denieth with vsus, that neither the diuels, nor Magicians are able to create one.
S.
Can you alleage any reaſon, or opinion to be liked of, that is defended by any of the Philoſophers?
M.
Yea, this one, to wit, The nature of beeginnings, loueth ſingularitie. And therfore Ariſtotle reciteth and commendeth the woorthie opinion of Homer:
It is not good that many rule, Let one our ruler bee.
who vſing likewiſe ye ſame argument in his 12. booke of Metaphyſikes, affirmeth that there is one chief & moſt excellent God among the reſidue, who is King & ſouereigne aboue them al. The ſame opinion hath S. Auguſtine alſo embraced in his firſt booke of marriage, the 9. chapter: and vndoubtedly experience it ſelf teacheth, that it is a moſt true ſaying. Thus can hee alſo make ſmall thinges, that made the greate: and the ſame God that made high thinges, bringeth foorthe and fourmeth the lowe things alſo, for hee is almightie, as Father Ireneus, ſaieth, in his 2. booke, and 44. chap. ſo that it is not onelyonly not neceſſarie that there ſhould bee many creatours of this world appointed, but it is alſo againſt the nature of beginninges, and the omnipotencie of God, that there ſhould bee more than one.