The History of the Creation, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
The second dayes worke. Of the skie and things now created. All made by the power of God in Christ. The use of the firmament. How called heaven. All was created wisely and orderly: Vse.
ANd God said, Let there bee a Firmament in the midst of the Verse 6, 7, 8.waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7. And God made the Firmament, and divided the waters which were under the Firmament, from the waters which were above the Firmament; and it was so. 8. And God called the Firmament heaven: and the evening and the morning were the second day.
In these words wee have abriefe historie of the second dayes worke in the creation of the World: wherein wee are to consider these five things: 1. The thing created. 2. The creation and bringing of it into being. 3. The use of it. 4. The name which God gave unto it. 5. How by this worke there came in an evening and a morning, which where the second day
First, for the thing created, it is in the originall text called by Of the things now created.a generall name foreign, which may signifie any thing which is spread abroad, or stretched farre and wide, according to the etymologie of it. For the Hebrew verb foreign, of which it is derived, in all Scriptures wheresoever it is used, doth signifie the act of spreading any thing abroad, & stretching it out, and laying it wideopen to view, as Exod. 39. 3. Numb. 16 38. and Ier. 10. 9, it signifies beating out of gold, silver, or brasse into thinne broad plates, that is, spreading them broad by violent beating, Exod. 40. 19 It is used to signifie the spreading abroad of the tent over the Tabernacle, Psalme 139. 6. and Isa. 42. 5. and 44. 24. It is used to signifie the stretching out of the earth above the waters farre and wide, Iob 37. 18. it signifies the spreading out of the skie and of the thinne cloudes; and 2 Sam. 22. 43. it is used to signifie spreading abroad as a man spreads clay by stamping it with his feet; and, by a Metonymic of the effect, it is used to signifie stamping with the feet as men stamp clay and spread it abroad, Ezech. 6. 11. and 25. 6.
These are the places of Scriptures, in which onelyonly that word is used. So then this word foreign, being derived of it, must needs signifie a thing which is stretched out like a tent or canopie, or spread abroad as plates of gold and silver are by beating, and clay by stamping. The Greeke Septuagints transiate this Word every where foreign, that is, a thing which though it bee farre stretched out, yet it is so surely established, that it abides still in the place which God hath appointed for it. And the vulgar Latine, with divers later translaters, following the Greeke Septuagints, translate it Firmamentum, the firmament, that is, a thing firmely set and established in a place, which cannot from thence bee driven out, and leave the place empty. And although this word may, according to the notation of it, signifie any thing stretched out or spread abroad, or laid wide open, and is once onelyonly used to signifie broad plates of brasse beaten out for a covering, and that in the plurall number, Num. 16. 38. yet in all other places of Scripture it is used in the singular number for the skie, which God hath from the beginning stretched out over the globe of the Earth and the Sea, as here in this Chapter, and Psalme 19. 1. and 150. 1. and Dan. 12. 3. and Ezech. 1. 22. and 10. 1. Now what this skie or firmament is, that is a great question among the learned. Divers of the Ancients, as Basil, Ambrose, Beda, and others, doe by this firmament understand the starry heavens. First, because it is said in the 8. verse that God called this firmament heaven. Secondly, because it is said that, when God made the Sun, Moone, & Starres, hee set them in the firmament of heaven, vers. 17. Thirdly, because they doe imagine that there is a watery heaven above the starry heaven, which consists of water congealed like to Cristall, and doth temper the heat of the Sun, Moone, and Stars; and out of this heaven they conceive that God poured the waters which drowned the old World, because it is said, Gen. 7. 11. that the windowes of heaven were opened, and God rained on the earth.
But others doe hold, that by the firmament here is meant the whole heavens; that is, both the first heavens, the spacious regions of the aire; and also the middle, that is, the firie and starry heavens; and the third, that is, the highest heavens. First, because it is said that God called the firmament foreign, Heaven; and this word is used in the Scriptures to signifie all these three heavens. And as the highest heaven is called by this name, Psalme 11. 4. the Lords throne is in heaven, and Psalme 148. where it is said, Praise Him, O heaven of heavens: So the middle and starry heavens, as Gen. 22. 17. where wee read of the Starres of heaven, and also the airy or lowest heaven is thus called, Verse 20. and 26. where it is said, Let the fowles flie in the open firmament of heaven, and Psalme 79. 2. and Hos. 2. 18. and many other places, where wee read of the fowles of heaven.
But the best learned of later times have for the most part The skie meant by the firmament,held, that by the firmament is here meant that vast and spacious element and region of the aire, which is extended and stretched out, not onelyonly round about all the Earth and the Sea; but also reacheth from this globe of the Earth and the Sea, to the starry heavens even to the spheare of the Moone: and this is without doubt the true sense and meaning of the word in this place, as appears by divers reasons. First, the Hebrew name foreign, Reas. 1.(by which God called this firmament or large region, being compounded of foreign, which signifies there, or in that place, and foreign, which signifies waters) notes out unto us, that this firmament is the place where waters are engendered in the clouds, and which from thence descend and water the earth, and that is the fluid and waterish element the aire. Secondly, 2.there is no other firmament besides the aire stretched out between the waters of the Sea, which are below and the undermost, and the waters above in the clouds heaven-ward, and from thence distill and water the earth, and did descend in great aboundance, and drowned the old World, when God dissolved the clouds, & so opened the floud-gates and windowes of heaven: The aire is the onelyonly element which divides between these two waters of the clouds above, and of the Sea and Rivers below, Thirdly, the airy region is that in which the Sun, Moone, and Starres doe shine and give Light to the 3.Earth, and in which their beames and light appeare to us on earth. The light of the starry heavens, and of the Sun, which alwayes shines in them, even at midnight as well as at noone day, is not seene of us as it is in the heavens, but as it is in the aire; for, by multiplying their beames in the aire, the Sun, Moone, and Starres are seen of us, and give light upon the earth. And therefore it is not said, that God made the Sun, Moone, and Starres in the firmament, or set them to have their place and being in it; but gave them to bee lights in it, that is, set them above to shine through it, and, by multiplying their beames in this firmament the aire, to give light to the earth, Verse 15.
Fourthly, the fowles which flie in the open face of the aire, are said to flie in the firmament, which God called heaven, 4.Verse 20.
Fifthly, the highest heaven was created in the beginning in the first moment of time together with the Angels. And the 5.starry heaven is the light created in the first day; therefore this heaven here called firmament is the airie region or lowest heaven.
Sixthly, in all places of Scripture wherein wee finde this 6.word foreign, which is here translated firmament, wee may very well and with good reason understand by firmament, the large extended region of the aire; and it cannot be proved by any one place that the word signifies any other then the airie heaven enlightned with the beames of the Sun and the starry heavens.
Seventhly, they who here by firmament do understand the starry heavens, are forced by the words of the text (which say, 7.that the firmament is in the midst of the waters, and divides the waters above from the waters below) to imagine that there are waters above the starry heavens, there placed to mitigate the heat of the Sun, and the Starres, and that these waters drowned the old World; which is a ridiculous conceipt, grounded on palpable mistaking of divers Scriptures, and contrary to all reason. For the places of Scripture which speake of waters above the heavens, intend no other waters but such as are in the clouds in the middle region of the aire, and above the lowest region of the firmament or airy heaven. First, the Hebrew phrase (foreign and foreign,) that is, above the firmament, or above the heavens; signifies no more but waters that are above, heavenward. Secondly, the Scriptures doe plainely expound this phrase, and in many places shew, that by waters above the heavens, they doe not meane either the multitude of heavenly Angels, as Origen dreamed; or any Crystall orbe or naturall waters above the starry heavens, as Basil, Ambrose, Beda, and others imagined; or the matter of spirituall and supercelestiall substances different from the matter of earthly creatures, as Austen thought; but that these waters above, are the waters in the clouds above in the middle region of the aire, even raine, and haile, and snow, and such waters as flow from thence in great aboundance when it pleaseth God to open the bottles, windowes, fountaines, and floodgates of heaven, that is, the clouds; for the clouds are called the bottles of heaven, Iob 38. 37. and the fountaines of the deep, Prov. 8. 28. and the watery roofe of Gods chambers, Psalme 104. 3. and God is said to bind up his waters in the thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them, Iob 26. 8. and when God openeth the clouds and sends downe raine to water the earth, & to give to it the blessing of fruitfulnesse, hee is said to open the windowes and floodgates of heaven, Gen. 7. 11. and Mal. 3. 10. And the lowest region of the aire, in which the dew is engendered of vapours and mists dissolved into small drops, is called heaven; and the dew from thence distilling is called the Dew of heaven, Gen. 27. 28. Psalme 133. 3. and Zach. 12. 8.
So then wee see that the firmament here called heaven, is the wide and broad spread aire reaching from earth to the starry heaven, and compassing the globe of Sea and land round about; and by the waters above the firmament, the waters in the clouds are meant, which are above the lowest region of the airy heaven or firmament. And thus much for the opening of the first thing in my text, to wit, the thing created.
The second thing is the creation of this firmament, and the manner of it. It is said, God made the firmament, that is, framed it, as hee had done the light the starry heavens, out of the rude matter before named, which was without forme and void, Verse 2. and this hee did by the same power and after the same manner, as he did the light, saying, Let there be a Firmament, that is, by his eternall Word the Son, by whom he doth exercise all his power, and performe all his works according to his eternall Counsell, and by whom hee sheweth outwardly his eternall purpose and will, as a man by his word doth openly professe and declare his mind and purpose. And thus wee see the Son… still worketh with the Father and the Spirit in the creation of every thing in the World, and without him nothing is made and created.
The third thing is a maine use for which this firmament was made to serve; namely to divide the waters from the waters, that is, the waters which are below in the Sea, and Rivers, and are mingled with the earth, from the waters which are above in the clouds; for wee finde by experience, that there is no other thing, which divides between those waters, but onelyonly the lowest heaven, the airie firmament. There is also another use hereafter mentioned, Verse 20. that is to convey the light from the Sun, Moone, and Starry heavens to the earth.
The fourth thing is the name by which God called the firmament, that is, foreign, heaven. Indeed, according to the common etymologie and notation approved of all the learned, this name most properly expresseth the nature of the aire, the place of waters and waterish clouds; and the starry and highest heavens are so called by reason that they appeare to us, in our fight, to be one, and the same common body; or else by a metaphore, because there is a great similitude between them and the aire, in respect of their purity and brightnesse; or (as I have formerly noted) this word foreign, when it is the proper name of the highst heaven, may have another derivation of foreign, which signifieth there doubled, or made in the forme of the duall number; and so it is as much as if one should say there, there, that is, there is the place of all places, there is the best being in the heaven of heavens: and here wee may observe, what manifold and wonderfull wisedome there is in the names which God hath given to creatures which hee himselfe named.
The fifth and last thing to bee considered in this text, which How a day without the Sun.is a point of greatest difficultie, is, How by the framing and continuance of this worke, there came in an evening and a morning, which are the second day. The Sun was not yet created to shine and to give clear day light, such as wee now have, and therefore how could there bee a day or a morning? And the light, that is, the bright frame of the firie heavens being extended over all the inferiour masse of the inferiour elements, not yet formed, how could there bee an evening or night, and so a whole civill day, as the text here speakes? All that the learned have devised and written for the removing of these doubts, is this: Some hold, that the light which God created subsisting without a subject, did, for the space of 12. houres, shine and send forth beames, and make the morning; and againe, for the space of 12. houres, was contracted and withdrew it selfe, and so made the night or evening. This is the opinion of Basil, and Damascene. Others think that light created the first day, being a bright cloud which moved about as the Sun doth, did shine like fire one while, and so made the day; and was like a thick cloud of darknesse for another while, and so made the night; as the pillar of cloud which lead Israel; so Beda holds. Others thinke it was the light of the Sun created imperfect at the first, and moving about with the heavens, did make a difference between day and night equally. But certainly the light which God created being good, that is, a perfect creature in his kind, and so approved of God, as the words of the text shew; cannot with any reason bee held to bee any imperfect thing, which afterwards was altered, or any such mutable and corruptible light as was kindled and quenched; for God, seeing, and approving it for good, would not so quickly alter it.
Wherefore I take the evening or night time of the second day, to bee the time wherein God by his word and power was separating the aire and purging it, by causing the thick waterish and earthy part to descend and settle downewards towards the center. For all that time, the vast and spacious wide region of the aire, being not purified, remained dark and duskish, because the light of the firie heaven did not shine thorough it, and that was the evening or night of the second day: but the aire being made pure & perfect, and settled in his naturall place, received the light of the heavens into it for the space of 12. houres, before God began to create the other elements, which were the first works of the third day. And this was a day of light cleare enough for the creatures then made, though not so light as when the Sun was made; and this evening and morning made the second day, as the text saith. And thus we see the true sense and meaning of the text, and what is the second day and the work thereof: from whence wee may observe some points of Doctrine.
First wee hence learne, that God proceeds most wisely and Doctr. 1. All created wisely & orderly.orderly in the creation of the World, declaring manifestly that hee doth nothing in vaine, nor makes any thing before it is usefull and necessarily for the communicating of his goodnesse to his creatures; but doth all for the benefit of others, and addes nothing to himselfe, neither hath need to receive glory from any creature. If God had made the Sun and Starres before hee made the aire or the earth, men might have imagined that hee had made the Sun and lights of heaven not for the use of men and other earthly creatures; but either because hee had need of them in the heavens to adde glory to himselfe; or else to remaine for a time without use and in vaine. But in that hee made not the glorious lights at the first before the aire, through which they might shine and give light to the earth, Hereby hee sheweth that hee created, all things wisely and orderly; the most needfull things in the first place; and nothing before there was use of it; nothing which remained unprofitable for one houre; and that in creating the World, hee neither sought nor needed any addition of glory to himselfe; but made the glorious Sun and lights for to shew and to impart his glory to men, and his goodnesse to other creatures.
Let us all see Gods wisedome and goodnesse, and labour to Vse.imitate him in them; and as he doth all for our use, not his owne profit, so let us not seek any thing in the World for our owne vaine ends: but make the setting forth of his glory, the end of all our labours; and strive to doe his will and pleasure, not our owne; nor the will and commandement of any man, when wee perceive it to bee contrary and not according to the will and word of God.
Secondly, in that the light of the second day which shined Doctr. 2.onelyonly in the aire, and through it to the earth and deep, was not a cleare but obscure light in comparison of the first day, and the dayes after the Sun, Moone, and Starres were made, not much brighter then the night of the three last dayes; Hereby God did foreshew, that the aire and this lowest World is the place of Satans Kingdome, wherein hee doth rage and tyrannize with great power after his fall, untill hee be cast into Hell at the last day; which also other Scripture… shew, as Eph. 22. where Satan is called the Prince of the aire, and Revel. 16. 17. the Kingdome of Satan is called the aire, and Ioh. 14. 30. our Saviour calls him the Prince of this World.
Wherefore let us not place our felicity here in the things Vse.of this World, nor hope for peace and rest in this lowest airy heaven where Satan ruleth and rageth. Hee who preacheth for things here, hee speakes into the aire, 1 Cor. 14. 9. Hee who wrastleth for a prize here, hee beateth the aire, and strives for uncertainties, 1 Cor. 9. 26. Let us looke up higher to the Heaven of heavens, to the Country and City, which is above, and where Christ is, there let our heart bee, Verse 9.