A Bright Star which Leadeth Wise Men to our Lord Jesus Christ, Commandment 4 · Part 9
In ſixe dayes the Lord created the heauen and earth.
IN this example which God hath propoſed, we may conſider ſomething of the power of God in the creation, and in that he ſpent no longer time then ſixe dayes in creating the whole world; we muſt vnderſtand by this doctrine, that God is able to bring to paſſe great matters in a ſhort time, and by ſmall meanes. The making of the world, one would think needed ſome good time for the thing it ſelfe, and ſome thing alſo, for the preparation of ſo long a building, but when God would be the workman, and take in hand ſo great a matter, what time tooke he to finiſh it? he began and ended it and all within the compaſſe of ſixe dayes, and left not the leaſt creature vnmade, till the ſeauenth; & he tooke ſo long time, not becauſe he needed ſuch a ſpace, for he could hauehave done it with as much eaſe in an houre, yea, in a minute, as in theſe ſixe dayes, but he hath deuided the whole into ſixe dayes work, becauſe we might hauehave a fitter occaſion, and be better moued to conſider of eueryevery one, for if he had folded vp altogether as it were in the compaſſe of an houre, then it had not bene ſo fit and eaſie for our meditation. In this then we generally ſee what wonderfull works, & great things God can bring to paſſe in a verie ſmall time, and with very ſmall meanes, if the power of them bee judged according to humane reaſon, for he ſpake, as the Pſal. ſaith, and it was done, he willed it, and without any more adoe it was effected. This we ſee likewiſe by other examples in ſcriptures, as Nebucadnezar the mightie prince and monarch of the world, when he was walking in his princely pallace, in that great cittie of Babell, which was the ſeate of his kingdome, yet how quickly was ſtript from all, how ſoone depriued of his kingdome, ſo that he had not ſo much as an houſe, yea, a poore cottage to put his head into, nay, not one rag to couer his nakedneſſe, not a diſh to drink in, not a morſell of the courceſt bread to eate, but of a King became more miſerable then the baſeſt beggar vnderunder the Skye; yea, as miſerable as a beaſt: ſo that from the higheſt top of proſperitie, he was caſt downe to the extremitie of miſerie. And then when he was at worſt, his wit and reaſon gon, his forme and beautie departed, and he a miſhapen creature, his haire being growne like Eagles feathers and his nayles like birds clawes, altogether deformed, not like a man now, and his kingdome poſſeſſed by an other, for ſeauen yeares ſpace; yet, ſo ſoone as he looked vp into heauen, his wit and diſcretion was reſtored, his beautie and faſhion renewed, and he plaſt in his kingdome, with as full power and authoritie as euer before.
Both theſe wonderfull alterations, in how little a time were they wrought, when God tooke in hand to work them. So in Aegipt, God tooke in hand to deliuer his people from cruell Pharaohs tyranny, what army had he, for that conqueſt, and who ſhould be the captaine? Moſes and Aron, two old men, the one eightie, the other eightie three, theſe muſt goe, themſelues alone. But how were they furniſht againſt Pharaohs reſiſtance, and to take the Iſraelits perforce from his ſeruitude; Aron muſt hauehave nothing, but hee muſt ſpeake what Moſes bad him; And Moſes he muſt carry his ſhepherds ſtaffe; weake men, and weake meanes one would think, to make an encounter vponupon ſo great a King; If a carnall man had ſeene theſe two going againſt Pharaoh, and thinking to ſet the Iſraelites at libertie perforce, whether he would or no, he would hauehave judged that they ſhould hauehave bene ſlaues till this day, vnleſſe they had ſeene ſome b…tter ſtore of prouiſion, then an old man with a ſhepheards ſtaffe in his hand. But God taking in hand to work by theſe meanes, we ſee of what force and power that ſtaffe was, that when Moſes but held it vp, it brought ſuch plagues vponupon Pharaoh and all Egipt, that all the kings in the world could not hauehave vexed and troubled him more with all their power; he neuer ſhooke his ſtaffe in vaine, but ſtill ſome notable plague followed, that deuoured the whole land. With this ſtaffe he ſtroke the waters, & they were turned into bloud. He ſtroke the duſt with this ſtaffe, and it turned into lice; He held vp his ſtaffe towards heauen, there came graſſehoppers, flies, thunder, ſcabs, & when he had made any of theſe wounds, he could cure them in as litte ſpace. One word vntounto God by Moſes made all whole againe. So for our redemption, a poore maydens ſonne, that himſelfe ſeemed a poore baſe fellow of no reckoning or note, that had no wealth nor authoritie in the world, nay had not ſo much as an houſe to put his head in; hee muſt come & be brought before a judge, & ther be cōdemned, ſcourged, mocked, ſpitted on, crowned with thornes; at length muſt be carried and hanged vponupon a croſſe, and beare the paines and anguiſh of Gods curſe in his ſoule on the croſſe, and by theſe meanes, God muſt be ſet at peace with man, a perfect reconciliation was made, and all former ſinnes and jarres twixt God and man, put away. This greateſt work that was done, when heauen was purchaſed for man, ſinners made juſt before god, & miſerable men of the earth, had the right of an immortall kingdome in heauen, beſtowed vponupon them; all theſe things were brought to paſſe, and fully effected by theſe meanes, that to mans reaſon ſeemed of all things the moſt vnlikely to bring to paſſe, a matter of ſuch wonder and difficultie. And ſo at the reſurrection in the twinkling of an eye, what great chaunges ſhalbe, thoſe that lay in the duſt rotten, ſome thouſands of yeares, ſhalbe rayſed from their graue, made aliue, and to ſtand on their feet, and that bodie that was at the beſt before ſubject to death, to paine, and all miſerie, but now turned into earth, deuoured of wormes and corruption, and as it ſeemd, vaniſht to nothing, ſhalbe in a moment, if it be Gods childe, freed from mortalitie, from being ſubiect to diſeaſes, or any affliction, and ſhalbe made immortall and incorruptible, and like to Chriſt Ieſus, in glory. So wonderfull we ſee be the works of God, ſo mightie he is, and ſo full of power, that in the ſhorteſt time, & by thoſe that ſeeme the weakeſt meanes, he can bring to paſſe the moſt ſtrange and glorious effects that can bee.
This then if we often meditate vponupon it, will ſerue wonderfully for the comfort of all thoſe children of God, whoſe caſe is ſo grieuous, intangled with ſuch perplexities, oppreſſed with ſuch ruines both of bodie and eſtate, as they think it is impoſsible to get out, and to be repayred againe, or if it might be, yet it will be a long time firſt. Oh but if we could beleeue Gods almightie power, all things are poſsible to God, & all things are poſsible to the beleeuer, it makes no matter what the diſeaſe be, ſo God be the Phiſition, it skils not what diſtreſſe a man be in, ſo God take in hand to help him, he can as ſoone and as eaſily cure the deadlieſt wound, as the lighteſt ſcarre, & bring one out of the greateſt miſery with no meanes, as out of the leaſt miſerie with all meanes; Oh but I am poore, owe much, and hauehave nothing to pay it. No matter. So was the prophets wife, yet the little oyle in the cruſe held out to fill ſo many great emptie veſſells, that ſhe was reſtored & made in a better eſtate thē euer before; it is not to the purpoſe, how weake the meanes be, and how great the ruins be, ſo the great and ſtrong God put to his hand to help. No man was euer more dejected then Nebuchadnezar, from a King to be worſe then a beggar, from a pallace to the briars and buſhes; from princely robes, to plain nakedneſſe; from a man to a beaſt, from among men, to be among beaſts; and yet none in leſſe time and leſſe meanes, aduanced to an higher outward eſtate then he. And for the ſoule, ſo great ſinnes, ſuch hideous darkeneſſe in minde, and hardneſſe of hart, ſuch peruerſeneſſe in will, ſuch diſorder and rebellion in affections? and what of all theſe? how ſhall one get out of ſo many ſinnes? can one cry to God? can one lift vp his hart to heauen, though he cryed out of the bottome of the ſea, and out of the fiſhes belly with Ionas, God will heare him and let him ſee the Sunne; if hee were in the dungeon tyed with as many chaines, and burdened with as many ſinnes as he, yet God can and will, if he call in truth, bring him out of all, and ſet him in a better eſtate then euer he was before.
Theres not the leaſt ſinne or miſerie but would be to hard for vsus, if we hauehave nothing but our owne ſtrength to help vsus; there is not the greateſt ſinne nor the greateſt miſerie that ſhall hurt vsus or preuaile ouer vsus, if we hauehave the ſtrength and power of God to hold vsus vp. Therefore chriſtians ſhould take comfort in their afflictions. Can God rayſe vp his bodie when it is dead in the earth, and glorifie it when it is rotten in the graue, & can he not raiſe him out of ſome debt or miſerie of his eſtate? Oh but then he loues the bodie? and doth he not louelove it as well now? Then he will vſe his power, and is it curbed in, & ſhortned now? Nay, God vſeth his infinite power now, for the help and preſeruation of his children, as he will vſe it then for their glorification. If we cannot beleeue God can help vsus now, how will we ſay we can beleeue he will raiſe our rotten bodies out of the graue, ſith we hauehave the ſame power and promiſe for the one as the other. Therefore it is a great fault and ſhame for chriſtians to ſit down diſcouraged; why, is gods power leſſened? is his hand ſhortned? hath not he ſayd that a little that the righteous hath, is better then all the great riches of the wicked? Gods bleſsing can doe more then wealth, and he alone is better to vsus then if wee had all the world without him.
This ſerues likewiſe for the terror of the wicked men of the world, God can as eaſelie ſet heauen and earth on fire, and bring them to nothing, and in as little ſpace as hee made them of nothing: then much more can hee bring to deſtruction a baſe ſinner, notwithſtanding all his worldly helpes, if hee bee their aduerſarie, as hee is a profeſt enemie to all vnrepentant ſinners.
They flatter themſelues, and thinke it ſhall bee well with them, why? they bee vnderlaid with wealth, ſupported with friendes, mounded and fenced with pollicie: but how ſtands the matter betwixt God and them, are they his inheritance or not? is hee reconciled vntounto them or no? nay for that, though they will not in word ſay ſo, yet their life proclaimes it, that they do not greatly reſpect his fauour, for they care not to break his law vponupon any ſmall occaſion, ſurely then let them know that they are in no ſafetie, god can pull vp their defence, and pull away their props and ſupports, he can as eaſily bring a rich mans ſoule to hell, as a poore mans, and as ſoone damne the ſoule of the richeſt king, if hee bee naught, as of the baſeſt beggar.
Therefore thoſe that leauing God leane to worldly props, ſhew that they litle beleeue the power of God, and little think of the creation of the world. Thus much for the example of God: now the laſt reaſon is drawne from the end of the ſabboth, namely that God hath conſecrated it, to bring a bleſsing on the keepers of it, in theſe words.