The Sum of Christian Religion, Catechism · Part 2 · creation of the world · Subsection 3
3. For what cauſe God created the world.
THe ends of the creation of all things are ſome generall, The ends of the creation of the world.ſome ſpeciall and ſubordinate. The glory of God.The firſt and chiefe end is the glory and praiſe of God, for which cauſe men and Angels were principally created: for he would have his goodneſſe, wiſdome, omnipotency, juſtice (which his properties hee ſheweth in the creation of all things) be known and magnified of us: The Lord made all things for himſelf. Prov. 16.4. Pſal. 103.22. Rom. 11.36.Praiſe the Lord, all yee his works. Of him, and through him, and for him are all things. The knowledge of God.The manifesting, knowledge, and contemplation of his divine wiſdome and goodneſſe, ſhining in the very creation of things: For, that he might be celebrated and magnified for his works, hee was to create thoſe things which ſhould know him, and ſhould praiſe and magnifie him, being known and manifeſted unto them in his works. And to this purpoſe created he natures both indued with reaſon, and without reaſon, that there might be both thoſe which ſhould praiſe him, and the matter of his praiſe: The heavens declare the glory of God, Pſal. 19.1.and the firmament ſheweth the works of his hands. His providence.The adminiſtration and governing of the world: For therefore he created the world, that he might by his providence ever govern, rule, preſerve it, and ſo might perpetually ſhew forth his marvellous works which hee hath done from the beginning of the world, and now doth, and will do; but chiefly that hee might adminiſter the Church and congregation of elect Angels and men:Iſa. 40.26. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created theſe things. This third end is ſubordinate, and ſerveth for the ſecond end. That he might gather a Church.To gather an everlaſting Church of Angels and men, who ſhould agnize and magnifie the Creatour. That all things might ſerve for man.That all other things might ſerve for the ſafety both of ſoule and body of man, as alſo for the life, neceſſity, and delight of men; but eſpecially, that they might profit the elect, each thing in their due place, and might be to them as miniſters and inſtruments whereby God, bleſſing and increaſing them, might be lauded and praiſed of them: Subdue the earth, Geneſ. 1.28.and rule over the fiſh of the ſea, and over the foule of the heaven, and over every beaſt that moveth upon the earth. Thou haſt made him to have dominion over the works of thine hands: Pſalm 8.6.thou haſt put all things under his feet. Whether the world, or life, or death, or things preſent, 1 Cor. 3.22.or to come; All are yours. Only man he created for himſelf; the reſt for man, that they might ſerve man, and by man might ſerve God: Wherefore, when we place creatures in the room of God, we caſt our ſelves out of that degree in which we were placed by God.
Why God would have this doctrine of the Creation to be delivered and held in the Church.This doctrine of the creation of the world, God would for theſe cauſes eſpecially have remain extant in the Church: 1. That the glory of the creation might be given wholly to God, and his wiſdome, power, and goodneſſe therein acknowledged. 2. That neither the Son nor the holy Ghoſt ſhould be excluded, but each ſhould have their owne parts yeelded them therein, according as it is ſaid, That all might honour the Son as they honour the Father. 3. That as the world was created by the Son and the holy Ghoſt, ſo alſo wee might know, that by them mankind is reſtored. For by him were all things made.Col. 1.16, 18, 19. And he is the head of the body of the Church: for it pleaſed the Father that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell. 4. That ſeeing God created all things of nothing, wee may think that hee is able to reſtore them, being corrupted and ruinated,1 Cor. 4.6. into their firſt ſtate againe: For God that commanded the light to ſhine out of darkneſſe, is he which hath ſhined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jeſus Christ. 5. That wee may not referre the originall of corruption to God, but know that it was purchaſed by the fault of divels and men:John 8.44. The divell is a lyar and a murtherer from the beginning: and when hee ſpeaketh a lye, Rom. 5.12.he ſpeaketh of his own. By one man ſin entred into the world, and death by ſin. 6. That knowing God, as in the creating, ſo alſo in the maintaining and governing of all things, not to be tied to ſecond cauſes, and to the order by him ſetled in nature, but that he may either keep or alter it, wee ſhould with confidence and full perſwaſion look for, and crave thoſe things which he hath promiſed; yea, thoſe things which,Rom. 4.17. in reſpect of ſecond cauſes, ſeem impoſſible: Hee calleth thoſe things which are not as if they were. 7. That we ſhould celebrate for ever the known goodneſſe of God, whereby he hath created all things, not for his own profit or happineſſe (for he wanted nothing) but for ours: and ſeeing all other things were created for mans uſe, wee above other creatures, eſpecially being reſtored from ſin and death, to righteouſneſſe and life, ſhould acknowledge that we owe thankfulneſſe unto God therefore:Pſal. 8.4. What is man, that thou art mindfull of him; and the ſon of man, that thou viſitest him? Thou madeſt him to have dominion over the works of thine hands. 8. That we knowing God (inaſmuch as of nothing, and through his meer goodneſſe hee created all things) to owe nothing to any: but all his creatures to owe themſelves and all that they have to him their Creatour; ſhould confeſſe that to be moſt juſt whatſoever hee ſhall do concerning us,Jerem. 45.4, 5. and all his creatures: Behold, that which I have built will I deſtroy, and that which I have planted will I pluck up, even this whole land: and ſeekeſt thou great things for thy ſelfe? ſeek them not. 9. That we ſhould referre the uſe of all things to the glory of God, ſince that wee have received all good things from him:Rom. 11.36. Of him, and through him, and for him are all things. 10. That ſeeing the works of God were therefore created and placed before our eyes, even for us to behold them, we do not idly, but earneſtly, and as much as every mans ability, occaſion, and vocation permitteth him, contemplate and conſider them; and learning out of them the wiſdome, power and goodneſſe of the Artificer, celebrate it both in this life,Acts 17.26, 27. and in the world to come. He hath made of one bloud all mankind to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath aſſigned the times which were ordained before, and the bounds of their habitation, that they ſhould ſeek the Lord, if ſo be they might have groped after him, and found him, though doubtleſſe he be not far off from every one of us.