The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Of the extent of Providence to the Earth: Of the form and figure of the Earth: Of the ſtability and ſituation of the Earth, how it ſtandeth in the water, and out of the water. … branches of comfort to Gods people, drawn from the Earths ſtability, to prove the ſtability of the Church of Chriſt.
I Shall in the next place ſpeak of the Providence of God with relation to the Earth, and to the things that are in it, grow out of it, and that live upon the face thereof.
foreign. Chryſoſt. in Gen. Serm. 1.I ſhall treat firſt of the Earth it ſelf; which, ſaith Chryſoſtome, is our Countrey, our Mother, our Nurſe, our Table, our Grave; which is the footſtool for the ſoles of Chriſt's feet, Mat. 5.35. the office-houſe of ſinne, Iſa. 24.5. Satan's walk, Job 2.2. the poor heritage of the ſons of men (The Heaven even the Heavens are the Lord's, but the Earth hath he given to the children of men, Pſal. 115.16.) The ſlaughter-houſe or ſhambles of the Saints; the bloud of the Martyrs, of the Prophets and of Saints was ſhed upon the earth,Rutherf. Chriſts dying. as a judicious Divine hath noted, Revel. 18.24. The firſt Dooms-day, ſaith he, fell upon the earth for man's ſinne, Geneſ. 3.17. Curſed ſhall the earth be for thy ſake; the laſt Dooms-day is approaching, when this clay-ſtage ſhall be removed; the earth and the works therein, the houſe and all the furniture of it ſhall be burnt with fire, 2 Pet. 3.10.
1. Now here let us conſider the figure of the Earth: the form and figure of the Earth is round or circular, as the Globe repreſenteth to us; for the Earth and the Sea make but one Globe, and is called the Center of the world: which proveth that there are Antipodes (which ſo poſed many of the Fathers) that is, a people that dwell on the other ſide of the Globe;Struth obſerv. Cent. 2. although Pope Zechary did excommunicate Biſhop Virgilius in the eighth Age, becauſe he maintained there were Antipodes; but when it was diſcovered, Pope Alexander the ſixt found it within St Peters juriſdiction, adjudging the right of it to him who had moſt ſtrength to conquer it; and the Pope's pretended omnipotency divided that which his omniſcience could not diſcover: the roundneſſe of the Earth, as alſo the parts thereof, ſhut up as it were in the boſom of the Heavens, and diſpoſed with a marvellous order, do expreſly declare a divine providence: When the Heavens are whirled about with a ſwift and perpetual motion, that the Earth ſhould hang like a round ball in the Air upon nothing, as is expreſſed, Job 26.7.Non quid, foreign. Belimah à Balam conſtringere. Chald. that is, having nothing to ſupport it, that during many thouſand years continuance this great frame of the Earth is not ſhaken out of joynt, notwithſtanding all the confuſions of the world in all Ages; this is a great argument of God's providence: God comprehendeth the duſt of the Earth in a meaſure, he weigheth the mountains in ſcales, Tribus digitis appendit. Hieron.and the hils in a balance, Iſa. 40.12. Hierome renders it; The Lord ſuſtaineth it with his three fingers; as we weigh the leaſt things in the balance: So the Lord taketh the weight of the Earth, and maketh this hill to counterpoiſe that, and from this equal distribution of the parts, ſetling one againſt another; he ſetled the Earth in the midſt that it is not moved; and leſt it ſhould fall no way but to the Center, he made it firm in the loweſt parts, and leſt one part ſhould fall on another, he provided that the hils ſhould be poiſed one againſt another, Weems obſervat. Natur. & Moral.as a Learned man hath noted. The Earth after many thouſand years continuance ſtandeth faſt fixed in the ſame place where God firſt ſeated it. One generation paſſeth, and another cometh, but the Earth abideth for ever, Eccleſ. 1.4.foreign Super ſedes ſuas. Symmach. Gnal. Mecunnath… ſuper baſes ſuas, Aquila. foreign vertit. The Earth hath worn out many Ages and generations of men, it ſelf remaining unmoveable, continuing where it was fixt, and though there have fallen out ſome particular earthquakes here and there, yet the whole Earth was never ſhaken with an earthquake, for the nature of the Center is to be immoveable. He hath laid the foundations of the Earth that it ſhould not be removed for ever, Pſal. 104.5. or he hath ſetled it upon its baſes. Thou haſt eſtabliſhed the Earth, and it abideth; they continue this day, that is, the Heavens and the Earth according to thine Ordinance, Pſalm 119.90, 91.
2. Now to ſpeak more particularly,Chryſoſt. in Geneſ. Homil. 12. Super maria & flumina ſignificat. Juxta ut Pſal 137.1. Super flumina Babylonis illic ſedimus. Caſſiodor. Lyranus. the Pſalmiſt tells us, The Earth is the Lords with the fullneſs thereof, the wo…ld and they that dwell therein. If you ask quo jure, by what right? The Prophet anſwereth, or giveth a reaſon of it; He hath founded it upon the Seas, and eſtabliſhed it upon the flouds, Pſal. 24.1, 2. What finite underſtanding, ſaith Chryſoſtome, can comprehend this? When men lay a foundation; they dig deep, and if they meet with water in their way they go yet deeper, till they ſee the ſpring dried up, elſe they will lay no foundation, for a foundation upon water makes a building unſtable, and tottering, it cannot be a fixt dwelling; it is againſt the nature of water to bear up ſo heavy a body; it is againſt the nature of the earth to have its baſis upon ſuch a foundation: Why doſt thou wonder, O man, ſaith the ſame Father, for into what creature ſoever thou wilt pry into, thou wilt find an unlimited and boundleſſe power, much more then in bearing up this maſſie body. The Apoſtle Peter tells us, That the Earth ſtandeth in the water, and out of the water, and yet remaineth firm and fixed, 2 Peter 3.5.
1. In the water; not floating and ſwimming in the water,Ut intelligatur, egere terram ad firmam quandam compactionem permixtione aquae, ſine qua in pulveres redigeretur, ſicut abſque ſanguinis per venas ſparſi humore corpus exareſceret ac diſſolvetur. Lorinter. Denſior his tellus elementaque grandia traxit. Et preſſa eſt gravitate ſui? circumfluus humor Ovid. Metam. 1. Ultima poſſedit, ſolidum que coercuit orbem. Terra pilae ſimilis, nullo fulcimine nixa. Aere ſublimi tam grave pendet onus. Cum te pendenti reputas inſiſtere terrae Nonne vel hìnc clarè conſpicis eſſe Deum? Heidfield. Sphynx Philoſ. cap. 7. de Terra. as ſome have dreamed, even as a Ship doth in the Sea; which opinion Thales Mileſius held, as Aristotle ſheweth; hence they collected, That there were none that lived in another Hemiſphere: but the Earth ſtandeth in the waters, and is incompaſſed round about with the Seas, and interlaced with abundance of Rivers, as ſo many veins running thorow it.
2. Out of the water; a great part of it being dry Land, which remaineth ſetled, though it be contrary to the natural place and ſituation of the earth and water; for the natural part of the Earth is to be loweſt of all the Elements, as it is the heavieſt of all, and the water to encompaſſe the Earth, and to cover the Earth every where, not to leave one inch of dry ground, as the Air doth to this day, cloſe the whole Earth and water, and compaſſe both: the firſt and ſecond dayes of the Creation, the Earth was all covered with the water; but the third day the Lord commanded the waters to retire, and the dry Land to appear, and the Earth to be made bare for the uſe of thoſe creatures the Lord would create and plant upon it.
Now here was a mighty work of God, and that the Earth remaineth ſtill ſtanding in the water and out of the water is a clear argument of God's Providence in governing the world: 'Twas a great work that God did in Noah's dayes in drowning the Earth with a floud; yet may we not imagine it to be a greater work of God to cauſe the waters to retire and uncover the Earth?Vain was the fancy of Archimedes who offered to move the whole earth if he had a place beſides it to ſtand upon. God doth a greater work every day in holding back the water from drowning the Earth, than he did once in drowning it with water; for it is the natural courſe of waters ſtill to be flowing. This daily work of God in keeping the waters from covering the Earth, is by a ſtrong hand keeping the waters under lock and key, abridging them of their natural liberty, keeping the water within its bounds, ſo that the Earth ſtandeth as it did, in the water, yet out of the water.
Now if the ſtability of the Earth be an argument of God's Providence (for the pillars of the Earth are nothing elſe but the ſtrength and power of God upholding and preſerving it) then may we aſſure our ſelves of the ſtability and firm foundation of the Church, and all the true members thereof; The righteous are an everlaſting foundation; they ſhall ſtand faſt like Mount Sion, which cannot be removed, Pſal. 125.1. For
1. The world is eſtabliſhed for a time by the power of that God that governeth the world by his Providence; but Mount Zion the Church abideth for ever.
2.Terra ipſa propriè per ſe ſtat, & fundata eſt ſuper nihilum, nec aliae columnae ejus, quas confirmavit Deus, quàm vis ac potentia Dei eam continens, conſervanſque. Damaſcen. Solius Chriſti eſt haec victoria, hic tuti conſiſtemus. Ferus in Mat. God eſtabliſheth the world for a time, becauſe he ſeeth his own workmanſhip in it, but he will uphold his Church for ever, becauſe he ſeeth his own Image in it.
3. The world ſhall be ſo farre from ruining the Church, that the Church ſhall be glorious, when the world ſhall be deſtroyed, and turned into aſhes.
4. The Earth of it ſelf hangs upon nothing, but the Church is built upon the Rock Jeſus Chriſt; therefore the gates of Hell (all infernal power and policy) ſhall not prevail againſt it; The foundation of the world is no better (at the beſt) than the foundation of the houſe that is built upon the ſand; for as the ſand is ſlippery, and will not be made hold together, cannot be conſolidated, ſo are all foundations beſide Chriſt, as Hierome ſaith, between the houſes built upon the ſand and the Rock, there can be no ſolid enduring mixture, no more than there could be in the feet of iron and clay in the feet of Nebuchadnezzar's Image.
5. In the Earth's eſtabliſhment, the wiſdom and power of God are manifeſted; but we have the Word, Promiſe and Oath of God for the eſtabliſhment of the Church, and therein alſo both his Wiſdome, Power and Mercy doe appear: Therefore the Church ſhall ſtand when the world ſhall fall: When we ſee violent ſtorms and tempeſts, we do not preſently fear the diſſolution of the world, and why ſhould the violent concuſſions that have been for many years paſt among us, make us to fear the Churches diſſolution, which hath a more firm foundation than the world?