The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Discourse · Chapter 34 – Chapter 36
The xxxiiii. Chapter. Of the meanes and engins whereby God rayſed this ſo great a frame of the worlde: and firſt of the woorde of God which was the meanes whereby this worlde was created.
S.
HEtherto you hauehave declared the cauſes of this worlde, nowe ſhewe the meanes and inſtrumentes wherby it was created. And when mention is made of the creation of the woorlde ſome do demaunde what wedges, what tooles and engins were occupied to the rearinge vp of ſo great a mole, and they thinke themſelues not ſatiſfied vnleſſe aunſwere bee made vntounto thoſe doubtes of their minde.
M.
Thei that ſeeke to know with what inſtruments this worlde was created, do verie foolyſhly, foraſmuch as this woorde, create, doth ſufficiently declare, that all this whole woorke is plainly miraculous, and ſupernaturall. For God vſed no tooles nor engins as carpenters vſe to doe, thereby to ſupplie the infirmitie of their ſtrength. But all his framing and buildinge, and the woorkemanſhip of thys worlde, doeth differ farre from all our meanes, and pollices.
S.
Tell mee then what it was.
M.
In declaringe the meanes by which this world was created, ther are foure things annexed, which we muſt not pretermit, and they perteine to the ſettinge foorth of Gods glory and omnipotencie: wherof the fyrſt is this, that the worlde was created at the woorde and commaundement of God.
S.
Howe prooue you that?
M.
Behold a moſt manifeſt place of the Scripture, in the 33. Pſalme. 9. verſe, For hee ſpake and it was doone, hee commaunded and it ſtoode faſt: and in the 148. Pſalme and 5. verſe: Hee commaunded and they were created. Moreouer Moſes in the firſt chapter of Geneſis beefore the creation of eueryevery thing, as they were made and created orderly in eueryevery daye, ſo doeth hee plainely ſhewe, that the woord and cōmaundement of God went alwayes before: And the Lorde ſayde, let it bee made, &c. Yea, the Stoikes hauehave ſaide that the woorde of God was the efficient cauſe of the whole nature of thinges, as Laertius writeth in his 7. booke in the life of Zeno.
S.
But there bee twoo impedementes that it can not bee ſo.
M.
Which bee they?
S.
The fyrſt is that which is written in the 45. Chapter and 12. verſe of Iſay: My handes hauehave ſtretched foorth the heauens. Ergo,God made not theſe things with his woord, but with his handes.
M.
Uerily, this ſaiyng conteineth a moſt manifeſt Metaphore, when hee attributeth handes vntounto God and when in reſpect of the weakeneſſe of our vnderſtanding. God is cōpared to an handie craftes man which woorketh with his owne hāds, the like wherof there are many authorities to be foūde in y• ſcriptures. And whereas this woorde of creating is vſed in the ſame place, it plainly calleth vsus backe vntounto that diuine and extraordinarie woorke of God, and to thinke vppon that meane onelyonly which Moſes hath recited.
M.
The ſeconde impediment is, that wheras in another place in like kind of thinges, and ſemblable argument mention is made of the woorde of God, notwithſtanding Gods ſecret will is ment thereby, whiche is not expreſſed in any woord, or commaundemēt, as in the 147. Pſalme 15. and 18. verſes, where he ſpeaketh of Ice: Hee ſendeth out his woorde, and melteth it.
M.
You ſay well. Howbeit in Geneſis, the verye text, & alſo Moſes minde teatheth vsus, that wee muſt ſay and thinke otherwiſe, where it is plainly writen that God ſpake and cōmaunded that to bee which was made. Wherfore the only bare and ſecrete will of God is not there to bee vnderſtood and taken, but that which is reuealed by the prolation and vtteringe of ſome woorde of his, and commaundement. Which opinion of mine is confirmed by an interpretation which the Scripture it ſelf maketh, noting yt this was doone by vttering of ſome woorde or voyce. For in the 33. Pſalme, and 6. verſe, after that it is declared that theſe things were made by the woorde of God, for true expoſition ſake it is added: & by the ſpirite of his mouth. For a voice is made by the breathing foorth of aire, which is doone by the mouth.
S.
But by this meanes, feigning that God hath a tōgue, roofe of the mouth, and teeth, with out whiche inſtruments no voyce can bee vttered, you ſeeme to reuoke againe out of Hell the abominable errour of the Antropomorphites.
M.
God forbid that I ſhould thinke ſo wickedly of the infinite and omnipotent maieſtie of God. But like as the Lorde ſpake ſo as he might bee heard and vnderſtoode when hee gaue the law in mount Sinai, which no man can deney: as likewiſe when hee ſpake to Moſes, & whē he gaue anſwere by Vrim & Thumim, y• Lord ſpake & vttered a voice in the hearing of the people, & yet not withſtāding we muſt not feigne y• god hath a tongue, a mouth, a palate of the mouth, & teeth. So, in the beginning & creation of the world, when it is ſayd that God ſpake, his diuine ſhape was not chaunged intoo an humane fourme: but it came to paſſe by a ſpeciall prouidence and pollicie. For the Lord tooke vponupon him for a tyme ſuche meanes as were neceſſarie for the bringing foorth a cleare and audible voice, wherof afterward hee left the vſe.
.S
Doe you thinke then that the Lord ſpake plainly and diſtinctly?.
M.
Yea verely. Howbeeit I am not ignorant what S. Auguſtine thinketh concerning this matter, in the 1. booke of Geneſis ad literam, and 9. chapter.
S.
But theſe things are referred to the Sunne, when it is ſayd that the Lord created all thing by his woord, ſo that Chriſte is ment by the woorde, for by him all thinges were made. Coloſſ. the 1. chapter, and 16. verſe.
M.
I will not much contende herein, ſo that they will graunt mee, that as the Sunne is called the woorde ſo likewiſe that woorde was a ſigne and token of his preſence, power, and perſon, and alſo of his woorking. Whiche doeth likewiſe diſtinguiſhe the Father from, the Sunne.
S.
Why did God ſpeake, & commaund them to be made?
M.
Hee commaunded, to the intent that the thinges that were afterward made, might be knowne not to hauehave bin made by the Water, or Earth out of whiche they came, or the heauens, or, to bee ſhort, by the vertue or power of any creature▪ but by the commaundement of the Lord onelyonly, and the power of his woord. Wherfore, let vsus giuegive prayſe vntounto hym for all thinges that are created. And he ſpake, not that hee could not hauehave fourmed all thinges by the vertue and decree of his alonely will, who hadde already made Heauen and Earth without ſpeaking of any word: but when as it pleaſed God to reueale & manifeſt himſelf outwardly by his works, hee vſed thoſe meanes wherby hee willeth and commaundeth himſelfe to bee moſt certeinly knowne, to wit, his woorde & voice. The ſumme and ſcope of this word, is Chriſt, y• euerlaſting Sūne of y• euerlaſtīg father, who was afterward manifeſted in y• fleſh: & therfore hereof they do rightly gather, y• Chriſt the Sunne of God, did woorke in the creation of the world. For ther is a threefold meane, & booke, wherby God reuealeth himſelf vntounto vsus, to wit, the booke of creatures, y• boke of ſcripture, & the boke of life. That which is called y• booke of ſcripture, is far more ſure, true, and plentifull thā the other two, & therfore God doth eſpecially propoſe and commende the ſame vntounto vsus. And finally, to confirme myne opinion, I alledge that whiche Ireneus ſayeth, That God created all thyng with his word, that is to ſaye, with his voice, in his ſeconde booke, and 5. chapter: and that alſo whiche is written by Tertullian in his 4. booke againſte the Marciomtes in theſe woordes: Is it altogether incredible, how the power of the creatour ſhould procure the remedie of one tranſgreſſion with his woord, who by his word hath brought foorth ſo great a mole of the world? In whiche ſaiyng, doubtleſſe the woord, is taken for the voice: and in the 1. chapter, and 3. verſe of the Epiſtle too the Hebrues, the Scripture vſeth the woord foreign.
The. xxxv. Chapter. Of the light, which was vſed at the creation of the world.
S.
WHat ſay you, is ſecondly to be obſerued and conſidered of in declaring the creation?
M.
The light. For God made that as a neceſſarie thyng for the creatyng of his other woorkes.
S.
Whyſo.
M.
Both that by appliyng, as it were, a Candle or other light, that confuſed mole might bee ſeen, and diuided into meete partes and members: and alſo bicauſe it was neceſſarie that ſome firie qualitie ſhould bee applied vntounto that moyſte matter, too warme it, and to make it frutefull. For all thinges that are in this inferiour world, are engendred by a firie heate, as it were by a warme and woorking father. And therefore that firſt light was created, to bee the continuall and common Nurſe, and moother, and fountaine of the externall and accidentall liuely heate, whiche God prepared as an inſtrument to bring foorth all other things withall. Not that God was not able to ſee all things that were in ye greate mole, who at this preſent beholdeth the moſt ſecret thinges, and obſcureſt darkeneſſe, and from whom there is nothing hid: not alſo that he needed that kind of meane, who of himſelf is Almightie: but to the intent we might vnderſtand how great wiſedome it was that created theſe viſible things, and what ſecond cauſes of them hee appointed firſt, which now wee doe behold to woorke in them. And finally, how in the making of theſe viſible thinges, hee vſed moſte conueniently other thinges of the ſame kinde, which at this day are the naturall, and inſtrumentall, and chief, and principall cauſes of the engendryng of all thinges. For there are three thinges of them, too wit, moiſt earth, and that ſhining, bright, and liuely heate, which is appliable and conuenient for all thinges, in that all thinges hauehave that naturall heate in them. This is therefore, the ſecond thing whiche I ſuppoſe needfull to bee conſidered in the meanes and maner of creating the world.
¶ The. xxxvi. Chapter. That God made this worlde without any payne or weariſomeneſſe vntounto him.
S.
WHat do you thirdly conſider?
M.
This forſooth, that GOD framed this ſo greate and huge a Mole of the worlde, without anye payne or wearyſomneſſe at all: that the Epicures neede not to feare leaſte wee aſcribe any greife and paine vntounto God, in that men are not able to finiſhe the leaſt woorke that they hauehave to doe, without ſome trauayle and wearineſſe of bodye. And therefore it plainely appeareth hereby, howe greate the omnipotencie of God is, aboue the ſtrēgth of man. This which I ſay, is cōfirmed by Iſay in the 40. chapt. and 28. verſe: and likewiſe by S. Auguſtine in hys 4. booke de Geneſi ad Literam, and 8. chapter. In ſomuch that it is ſayde, that all thinges that were created, were ſuddeinly brought foorthe, and appeared, as it were, in the twinckling of an eye, Pſalme 33. & 9. chap. and Eſdras the 4. booke the 6. chapter, and 48. verſe: for nothing coulde withſtande the pleaſure and cōmaundement of God.