The Beauty and Order of Creation, Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAP. III.
Use 3. AS the Creatures should make us remember God, s… should they make us admire and glorify Him. This wonderful work, viz. the whole World, and all the Creatures in it, should move us to esteem him wonderfull▪ even beyond astonishment. We cannot be sufficiently amazed at his excellent greatness, manifested in his wonderful works. 1 Kings 10.4, 5 6. When the Q…een of S…ha had seen all Solomon's wisdome▪ and th… House that he had built, and the Meat of his Table, and the sitting of his Servants▪ and the attendance of his Min…sters, and their Appar…l, and his Cup-bearers▪ and his ascent by wh…ch he went up into the House of the Lord; T…ere was no mo…e Spirit in Her. These things in this variety laid together did aston…sh Her for a time, and She was as one amazed, as if She had been left without a Soul. But alas! what was all Solomon's glory unto the Excellency of God, his glory and greatness shining in t…e Creation? not so much as a Glo…-worm is to the Sun. Our Saviour hath p…ferred▪ he beauty of a Lilly (one of the least of Gods Creatures) b fore the ri…h…st R…bes that ever Solomon wore in his gr…atest glo…y. If Solomon's wisdome were so admirable unto Her, how wonderful should the infinite wisdome of God appear to be unto us▪ as it shineth in the excellent composition of the whole Creation? If Solomon's House did so dazle Her Eyes with its stateliness, greatness, and magnificence: how should we with much admiration look upon this goodly frame of Heaven and Earth, which the Lord by his meer Word brought out of nothing, to which the House of Solomon was no more than a poor Cottage? If the consideration of divers things together, orderly disposed, and fitted, did thus overcome Her spirit; how should the exact order, and plasing of numberless Creatures of divers kinds, their several natures, tempers, qualities, vertues, enclinations some of them great, some lesser, ra…ish us▪ some of them giving support unto the …est, some contained within the rest; some moving about with restless motion, as the H…aven…, and in them the Sun, Moon and Stars, tu…ning ab…out with …hem the Wheel of Time c…rrying ab…u… with them Days▪ Weeks Moneths, Yea…s, Ages; altering Times and Seasons; raising the Earth to Life again in the Spring, and renewing its Face with you…h and beauty; ripening the Fruits of the Ea…h in Summer, scorching our Bodies wi…h heat, and even making us forget the cold breath of Winter; then stri…ping the World of thi… h…lf Years clothing at the f…ll of the Leaf or Autumn, and soon af…er leaving it for dead in the benummed Winter, until it obtain another r…surrection (as it were) at the Spring. This is the course of the H…vens, and these their eff…ct.
… …g…in… look on the Earth holding …, …nd not st…ri…g from its place, eve… … it C…eation: See some … of … big…ss yet neithe… sti…ring nor growing, as Rocks … M…untains: Some g…owing, but not moving from their …laces, as T…es and other Plants of …he Earth: some growing and stir…ing to and fro; some creeping, others going and running, s…me swimming, othe…s …l…ing; some of wonderful strength and swiftness, some weaker, …nd slow in their motions▪ Consider t…e unspeakab…e multitude of them even b…yond all im…gination no Man on Earth being able to number all the several kinds of Creatu…es, mu…h l…ss the particulars of those kinds: And then, if there were not m…ch dulness in our spirits and want of appreh…nsi…n, there would be (as it were) no spirit in u…; the powers of our Souls would even b… swallowed up with admiration, and we should with feeling hearts express our astonished thoughts and cry out with the Psalmist, O Lord our God, how wonderfull is thy Name in all the Wo…ld! Psal. 8.1. In some one of the least Creatures the Lord is to be seen in admirable Workmanship, how much more in the whole …reat…on, especially considering, how it is brought out of nothing? in which respect the least Worm is a witness of his Omnipotency beyond exception; and therefore we must take time for Meditation on the Creatures, that we may set forth the praise and glory of the Creator, and (as the Psalmist saith) May talk of all his wondrous works. That the Heavens may move us to declare the glory of God, and the Firmament may provoke us▪ and prevail with us to set forth his Handywo…k.
CHAP. IV.
Use 4. AS we should admire and bless the Lord for the whole Creation▪ so in special for any Creatu…es by which we receive any benefit. Remember, whatsoever hath any Beeing in the World, whereby thou receiv…st any comfort in any kind, it is part of his Creation; it is one of those things which he brought out of nothing. A due consideration of this would be an excellent means to lead our minds unto thankfulness and to make …s both love and praise the Lord, at whose hand we receive it▪ If we could but deal seriously, there is not the least thing that s…rveth to cover our nak…dn…ss, or to keep off the cold in Winter, not the least refr…shment to a drop of D…ink, or a cru… of Bread▪ which we take into our Bo…ies, not one draught of the Ayr which we suck in at any time▪ not Fire or Wa…er▪ which are so us…ful to us, but that every on… at any time, wh…n we partake of the benefit of them should be a motive unto thankfulness. Once this and that was meerly nothing, but God gave it Beeing, and these and these qualities, whereby it might do me good: yea, the Lord, to whom his works are all known in all Eternity, did shew his Almighty Power, in bringing these things out of nothing, for this ve…y pu…pose, that it might do me good, and supply my wants. In special… the Light which is …o common a blessing, how excellent is it in its nature, how needfull and useful unto us? how should we glorify the Lord for the use of this mercy every Day, that when the Earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, the Lord by his Almighty Word did bring forth this glorious Creature, whereby we have the use of that most excellent sense of seeing, which otherwise could not be useful to us; yea, whereby the Lord in a notable manner sheweth forth his glory: so that He that is not blind, may from this Creature especially, learn to see him that is Invisible. Yea, God himself hath pleased to c…ll himself by the name of this Creature; God is Light: So brightly doth his glory shine in this work of wonder. What plentiful matter of thanksgiving doth all the world offer us, if we could take it; yea we cannot look about us, but we see that which should enlarge our hearts and open our Mouths for the praises of the Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth, all our lives should be a course of thankfulness; and as all the Lords works do give us occasion of thankf…lness; so all our actions should be works▪ wherein our thankfulness should be expressed for the works of God.