The Beauty and Order of Creation, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Genesis 1.1. In the beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth.
BEing about to speak of the Works of Creation, I have chosen the first Words of Holy Scripture as a ground of my Discourse, which in brief containeth in it the Story of the Creation. In the Words we may take occasion to consider:
1. When all things were made] In the beginning of time.
2. Who made them?] God.
3. The matter whereof they were made] Nothing.
4. The Forme or Order of the Creation] A comely and orderly disposing of the Creatures; the Heaven being placed above the Earth in the highes… rank, the Earth being seat…d under it.
5. The end for which God did create them.
6. The effect or thing… created.
I. When] viz. In the beginning of Time; God is Eternal, before all …, wi…hout all beginning, enjoying Himself in infinite All-sufficiency of blessedness and perfection. Now before the Creation there could be no time, there being nothing but God himself, the eternal Iehovah, who is not subject to the measure of Time: but Time began with the Creation, it being the duration or continuance of the Creature; so that the beginning of the Creation was the beginning of Time. Now as we may consider the Creation conf…s…ly, before there was a distinction of Creatures so also may we consider time it s…lf. It is said Verse 2. The Ea…th was with…ut Form, and …id, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, &c. So that …i…st there was Created one huge deep confused Mass, as a common mat…er, out of which all things (at least all b…dily substances) were afterwards distinctly created: So also in the beginning of this confused lump of Creatures, there was a beginning of Time, but so that Time was in a sort confused too, like th…t which was created, to which it was coexistent But as the distinction of Creatures began, so did the distinction of Time: so the Light being the fi…st distinct Creature, made the first distinct Day, or measure of Time. God said, let there be Light, &c. Verse 3, 4. And presently it is said, Verse 5. The Evening and the Morning were the first Day: So that in both respects it may be said, that the Creation was in the beginning of Tim…— In the beginning of Time confused, and not distinctly measured, was the Creation of that confused Mass, and lump of things not distinctly ordered: In the beginning of Time distinctly measured, viz. on the first Day of Time, was the beginning of the distinct and orderly Creation of things; the Light which was the first distinct Creature, and the first Day of Time beginning together. So we have it, Hebr. 1.10. Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth.
II. Who made all things?] The Text saith, God. Here two things are to be considered. 1, The Persons in the God-head which did Create. 2. The manner of working.
1. For the fi…st, we must note that all the Persons in the Holy Trinity did create: there is no doubt of the Father, who as he is the first Person in order of subsisting, so is he always the first in order of working. The second Person is plainly mentioned. Ioh. 1.1. In the begi…ning was the Word, &c. By him all things were made, and without him nothing was made that was made, Verse 3. Of the Holy Ghost Moses speaketh in the second Verse of this first Chapter of Genesis. And the spirit of God moved upon the Waters; or hovered and sate upon them▪ as a Bird upon her Egges; by his divine vertue, framing the several distinct Creatures out of the common Mass, as she by her natural warmth bringeth forth her young ones after her kind, with all the distinct parts of their bodies, out of the shapeless lump of matter in the Egge; according to this sense do the best Expositors take that metaphor: so saith the Psalmist, in Psal. 104.30. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created. So that the Father createth by the Son, through the vertue of the Holy Ghost. And therefore, albeit we use to call God the Father the Maker of Heaven and Earth, as is expressed in our Creed▪ yet must we not exclude the Son and the Holy Ghost, although the Father be first in order of working. Thus you see that God made all things▪ as Solomon saith, Proverbs 16.4.
2. Now we must consider in what manner all things were thus wrought by him. 1. Voluntarily, of his own free will. 2. Without the help or use of any Instruments. The Psalmist saith, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in Heaven and in Earth, in the Seas, and all deep places. Psal. 135.6 Now we see, the more excellent any Creature is, the more free in its works. The Trees and Plants grow up without all liberty, by a natural necessity, having no sense of that which they do, and without any freedome of choice or voluntary manner of doing. The sensible creatures, Beasts, Birds▪ &c. As they are of a more excellent nature than the former; so they have some shadow of liberty, doing that which is pleasing to them, and refusing things distastfull: yet this is no true and perfect liberty, because they have not the light of reason to guide them to liberty or freedome of will in choosing things, or refusing. But Man at his Creation, and the blessed Angels that kep… their first estate, have a perfect liberty in their kinds, though subordinate to him that gave it, yet vo…untarily choosing or refusing, according to the Light of their understandings▪ Now then it must needs f…llow, that God who is infinite perfection, is perfectly and absolutely free in all his works, and so in this work of Creation: he cannot be imagined to have any to command him, he being the supream Commander, and absolute Soveraign over all: he cannot be conceived to have any need of any thing created, and by it to be compelled to make them, (as some are constrained to work for need▪ who otherwise would be idle) sith he is infinitely and absolutely All-sufficient, to whose eternal happiness and perfection nothing can be added, no not by ten thousand Worlds. And as he made all things voluntarily; so likewise without the use or help of any Instruments: only by his immediate Word. So you see all …long in this Chapter; He said, let there be light, and there was light, &c. So Psalm. 148.5, He commanded, and they mere created. So that by his spirit, the eternal Word, he made the World, without the use or help of any Instrumen…s.
III. Of what matter they were made] Of nothing. In all the artificial works of Men, we look to the stuff or matter, out of which they were made: but here was none; God made all things meerly of nothing; there was no matter preceding his work. It is true! there was a common, rude, unwrought lump of things, before the distinct and orderly Creation of things, out of which distinct and several Creatures were framed: but this also was created by God; so that originally all things were created of nothing. Iob. 1.3. All things were made by …im. And therefore that thing, out of which all other things were made, was made of nothing by him: for it is impossible that any thing can be of it self, but God who is the Beeing of Beeings, and the Fountain of all things else.
IV The form or order of the Creation is seen in the orderly placing of all things created; the Heaven in the highest place, as the roof of this glorious building, decked with the Sun, Moon, and Stars: under these (as some say) an Element of Fire [we are sure] an Element of Ayr, being of a pure invisible substance, coming n…erer the nature of Heaven, than th…se grosser Bodies which are placed below: next that are the Waters more gross than the Ayr, yet more pure and light than the Earth, being naturally above the Earth, containing it on every side, and that is the proper place of the Waters: but the Almighty Creator did shut it up in narrower limits, commanding the Waters which covered the whole Earth, to gather themselves together into one place of the Earth, for this purpose, that the dry Land might appear for the use of Men and Beasts, &c. which he had appointed to live upon the Earth, Genes. 1.9. yet so, that he giveth it leave now to overlook the Earth, (as it were) in lieu of that right which it hath to stand above by its Creation; as you may see, if you look on the Sea where the Shore is level, and not mountainous: yet hath the Lord by his decree (as it were) barred and bolted it up, Iob 38.10, 11. saying, Hitherto shall you come, but no farther; and here shall thy proud Waves be stayed. Psal. 33.7. He gathereth the Waters of the Sea together as an heap, he layeth up the depth in Store▪ hous…s; kept as it were under Lock and Key: So the Apostle saith, 2 Pet. 3.5. The Earth was standing out of the Water, and in the Water. In the lowest place, is the Earth by the mighty hand of God fixed unmoveably in the midst of the great Creation, resting upon no Foundation, but the Almighty arm of its Creator, having the Heavens round about it. The more particular survey of the comeliness of several Creatures, we may consider of afterwards: thus briefly of the main Frame.
V. The end why God created all, could not be his own encrease of happiness and contentment; for he was All-sufficient of Himself; and sith the Creatures were mee…ly nothing, having no beeing at all without Him; they could give nothing to him, which he had not without them in himself; for all that they are, or have, is wholly of him and from him: and therefore the ends we conceive the Lord to aim at, are two: viz.
To communicate his goodness.
To manifest his glory.
1. He did it to communicate his goodness▪ He made all things, that he might give unto them Beeing, and perfection of Beeing, according to their kinds; Himself being the Beeing of Beeings, infinitely perfect; not to receive from them who are nothing without Him.
2. The second and main end, is the manifestation of his glory; which doth not add any thing to him, but sheweth what is in …im, though incomparably short of …hat he is: so by the Creation he sheweth forth the glory of his Eternity, in that bringing fo…th the World, in the beginning of time he is manifested to be before all time: The glory of his infinite presence, in that he hath raised and supported this huge f…ame of Heaven and Earth: The glory of his infinite wisdome, in the most excellent composition of this goodly building: The glory of his All-mighty power, in bringing so great a work out of nothing: The glory of his infinite goodness, in communicating Beeing unto that which was nothing: Of his holiness, in making all things good, not one spot defacing any part of his work: Of his infinite mercy, in delivering the Creatures out of misery, which had not been manifested without a Creation: Of his infinite justice, in punishing the rebellion of his Creatures, which had not been evidenced but by a Creation: Of his perfect tr…th in his dealings wi…h the Creatures; which, how had it been made known, had there not been Creatures made? Of his glorious providence, in governing and disposing things Created.
VI. T…e effect is the last thing to be considered, which is the whole Creation, the whole body and frame of the Creatures; which may be generally considered in the whole, as the Lord looked upon all together, and saw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good; which you must understand is meant, 1. Of a natural goodness or perfection in every Creature, whereby every one was made perfect and compleat in its kinde, without all natural defects. 2. Of a special goodness or holiness in the reasonable Creatures, Angels and Men. Thus of the Creation in general; of the several kinds of Creatures in special, I shall speak more hereafter.