The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Discourse · Chapter 23
¶ The .xxiii. Chapter. Why the deapthes of waters couered this matter, and yearth.
S.
WHy ſo?
M.
Bicauſe it is ſaied, that at that tyme the deapthes and Pooles of waters were mingled with the ſame earth.
S.
This encreaſeth the horrible ſhewe of that ſo greate a confuſion.
M.
You ſaie true: but Gods power thereby is the more declared. Howbeit, this co…unixtion of the water and earth togither, was verie neceſſarie vntounto this that wee ſpeake of, to wit, that the earth ſhould bee a good, commodious, and well prepared matter for all earthly thinges, whiche it pleaſed God ſhould riſe out of it.
S.
Expounde your owne woordes more plainly.
M.
It behooued, that the ſeede and matter of all thinges ſhould bee apte to bee fourmed, pliant, and tractable, whiche in the earth could not bee without moiſture. Wherefore, the earth whiche of it owne nature is a drie and hard thing, not cleauyng togither, and not apt to bee drawne forthe in length or breadth, vnleſſe it bee made ſuche, and tempered with ſome moiſture that maie molliſie it and binde it togither: had water ioyned with it. And therefore that huge multitude of waters, whiche is called the deapthes, was created, and comprehended in the ſame body, vnderunder whiche the earth vnſhapen was concluded, and laye hid. Wherby it appeareth that this whole maſſe was a greater Chaos, & more difficult to bee manifeſted: out of whiche notwithſtandyng God hath brought forthe ſo greate beautie, order, brightneſſe, comelineſſe, yea and that moſte comely. All whiche thinges I would in long diſcourſe prooue too hauehave been of neceſſitie in the firſte matter, yea, and that by the auctoritie of the Prophane Philiſophers them ſelues, vnleſſe the place of ſcripture did confirme it plainly enough.
S.
How?
M.
Moſes ſaieth, and darkneſſe was vppon the deapthes, and the Spirite of God mooued vppon the waters, Geneſis the firſt chapter, and 2. verſe: ſo that wee are enforced to defende twoo poinctes, whiche make for my ſide, againſte the opinions of all the Philoſophers. The firſte is, that the matter of all the woorkes whiche God made afterwarde, was not any ſmall thyng, or imagination in mynde, rather than in mole of bodie comprehenſible: but that it was that huge mole and globe, whiche beyng afterwarde diuided into partes, conteined this earth whiche wee goe vppon, and the great ſea whiche wee ſayle vponupon. They imagine of the firſt matter, as if it were ſome thin and flittring ſhadow, and altogither without forme, which can not bee. For a thing that exiſteth can not bee without all forme: and what ſoeuer is without fourme, is nothing, and therefore is not at all. Of whiche it is thus written in the boke againſt the foundations and groundes of the Manichees Epiſtles, the 29. chapter: A certeine vnſhapen matter without fourme, without qualitie, without meaſure, without number, without weight, without order and diſtinction, a certaine confuſed thinge, I wote not what, and wholy without all qualitie: Whereof it commeth, that certaine Greeke Doctours doe call it foreign, that is to ſaye, without qualitie. But Sainct Auguſtine mocketh at this opinion. The ſecond is, that there cannot be one firſt matter cōmune vntounto all thinges viſible, held and eſtabliſhed, but there muſte bee diuerſe, to wit, one of heauenly things, which is heauen: the other of earthly thinges, which are the earth and the water, whiche is both comprehended with it in one body, and created alſo at the ſame time to ſoften the earth: which three thinges were firſt made of nothinge.
S.
But what are thoſe deapthes, and pooles?
M.
Euen the ſame plainly which afterward is called the ſea but y• Grecians terme it Abyssus, & the Hebrues Tehom. And it is called Abyssus, the deapthes, bycauſe ſo great Pooles & collections togither of waters, are without bottome ſo farre as may bee knowne, felte, or vnderſtoode, ſo wide and deepe they are. But it is called Tehom bycauſe it is mooued with an horrible noyſe, and terrible roaring, inſomuch as it ſwelleth and ebbeth, and floweth of it owne nature, and neuer ſtandeth ſtill.
S.
But this is the queſtion, whether thoſe deapthes and moles of water, were mingled with the earth within, in the veines and hollowe paſſeges there of, or onelyonly abidinge vponupon the vppermoſt face of the earth: if you ſay that it couered onelyonly the vppermoſt face, the mole of the earth beeing ſo big as it is, could not by meanes thereof wax ſoft: but if it were mingled with the earth, you ſhall both make the Chaos more horrible, and better conceiue the melting and ſofteninge of that harde nature, and element. For as I ſuppoſe, you doe not agree with thoſe who are of opinion, that thoſe deapthes of waters were only a thinand rare cloud whiche couered the earth, whereof Sainct Auguſtine maketh reporte.
M.
Indeede I doe not agree with them: neither doe I doubt but that by anye of both thoſe meanes whiche you hauehave declared, the Chaos maye bee ſhowed and thought to bee great and horrible, whether the deapthes of water bee mingled with the earth, or onelye abiding vponupon the vppermoſt part of it. Neither can it bee doubted, but that y• body of the earth being ouerflowen and compaſſed with ſo many, & ſo great waters, was then ſufficiently infuſed and ſoked. Notwithſtanding, to the ende I maye declare, what ſeemeth to mee may bee determined in this queſtion out of the woorde of God, I will alleage that whiche is written in the 104. Pſal. and 6. verſe, where ſpeaking of the earth, it ſaith thus: Thou coueredſt it with the pooles, like as with a garment: ſo that eueryevery part of the deapthes and waters, were not mingled with eueryevery part of the earth, as they ſupoſe, but the whole mole of waters compaſſed the whole body of the earth, and flected vponupon the vppermoſt face therof. As afterward it came to paſſe in the diluge in the tyme of Noe. Of which opinion this is alſo a reaſon, that when the Spirite of God, and the darkeneſſe lay vponupon that vnſhapē mole, it is not written that they laye vponupon the earth it ſelfe but vppon the vpper parte of the waters and pooles, ſo that it plainely apeareth that the earth was included & couered with thoſe deapthes & pooles. Moreouer, when as the thirde daye the deapthes were ſeparated from the earth, the waters were onelyonly gathered togither frō that compaſſyng & ſpreading abroad vponupon the earth, but is not ſaide that the waters were wron̄g out of the earth, as out of a ſpunge, which thē was alſo needefull to hauehave beene done.