The History of the Creation, Treatise · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
The fourth dayes worke. Of the lights, substantiall bodies: The place of them: Their Vse; For signes, seasons, dayes, and yeares. Of the Sun, Moone, and Starres. No instruments used in the creation. Note the great wisedome of God in the order of creation. This World not made to bee the place of our immutable perfection. Vses of each of these.
ANd God said, Let there bee Lights in the firmament of the Verse 14.heaven, to divide the day from the night: and let them bee for signes, and for seasons, and for dayes, and for yeares. 15. And lot them bee for lights in the firmament of heaven, to give light upon the Earth; and it was so. 16. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesse light to rule the night; he made also the Starres. 17. And God set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light upon the Earth. 18. And to rule over the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darknesse; and God saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
These words containe a briefe Historie of the fourth dayes worke in the creation: in which wee may observe; First, Gods powerfull commanding the worke to bee done by his eternall Word, in the 14. and 15. Verses. Secondly, his bringing of the worke to passe by that eternall Word, in the 16, 17, 18. Verses. Thirdly, Gods approbation of the worke, and so perfecting that day.
First, wee see God still proceeds in the worke of creation by his powerfull Word, and saith, Let there be Lights. The things which hee commands to bee done are two.
First, that there shall bee lights in the firmament of heaven, that is, the Sun, Moone, and Starres, which are the lights created out of the first element, even that light which was made the first day, that is, the body of the visible firie heavens.
The second, that they shall bee for speciall use: 1. To divide the day from the night. 2. To bee for signes, seasons, dayes, and yeares. 3. To bee for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the Earth.
That these lights are not bare lights without a subject, but Of these lights, that they are substantial bodies.bright shining substantiall bodies, which have light in themselves, and send forth beames of light into other pure elements and cleare transparent bodies, no man can deny; for the Hebrew word here in my text is, foreign, which signifies lamps, torches, or other things which shine forth and give light; and the words following, Verse 16. shew plainely, that these lights are the Sun, Moone, and Starres, which rule the day and the night by the light which they give to the earth.
The greatest doubt here is about the place where God commanded them to bee, to wit, the firmament of heaven. For if Quest.wee take the word firmament of heaven for the spacious region of the aire, as wee have expounded it before, Verse 6, 7, 8. then men will conceive that the Sun, Moone, and Starres, have The place of them.their place in the airie region, and not in the firie region of the visible heavens; which is a thing contrary to reason and experience, and to the common judgement of all the learned, and to the holy Scriptures.
For clearing of this doubt wee have two answers ready at Answ. 1.hand, either of which may satisfie. The first, that as the word foreign, heaven, signifies not onelyonly the airy region, wherein the fowles doe flie, Verse 20. and above which there are waters in the clouds, as appeares Verse 7. but also the highest heaven, Verse 1. and the firie heavens, which are called the starry heaven. Gen. 15. 5. and the garnished heaven, Iob 26. 13. and which are the heavens next unto the highest, and in comparison of which the highest is called the heaven of heavens, 1 Kings 8. 27. and the third heaven, 2 Cor. 12. 2. So also the Hebrew word foreign, which is here translated firmament, and signifies a broad spreading, or a thing which is broad spread and stretched out farre and wide may very well here in this place bee used to signifie the firie region of the starry heaven, spread abroad farré more large and wide, then the airy region, and then this is the meaning, that God commanded lights to bee, and made lights, and set them in the firie region or firmament which is above the airy firmament; in which sense the word firmament is used, Psalme 19. 1. and Dan. 12. 3.
Secondly, if any should not bee satisfied with this first answere, Arsw. 2.which is cleare and sufficient, but should still hold, that the word firmament is here used to signifie the airy heaven, as in the 7. and 20. Verses: Then this may serve for a second answere, that God commanded lights to be, that is, the Sun, Moone, and Starres, to have a being, and created them out of the firie heavens, in which they have their place of being: but hee gave them bright light for this end and purpose, that they might shine through the region of the aire, and might multiplie their beames in it, and so bee therein for lights to the earth. The words of the text in the originall doe not expressely affirme, that God made them of the matter of the airy region the firmament, or that hee there placed them: but onelyonly that he gave them to be lights, and to shine through the aire upon the earth: & though the bodie & substance of Sun, Moone, and Stars be set and placed in the starry heaven or firmament; yet they are lights in the airy firmament, and through it give light to the earth. And this I prove by a demonstration gathered from the text it selfe: For where the Sun, and Moone, and Starres, are given to divide betweene day and night, and to bee for seasons, dayes and yeares, and to rule over the day and over the night; there God gave them to bee for lights. This is most certaine and manifest; for the Sun doth no other way rule the day, nor the Moone the night, but onelyonly by their light & by appearing one while & not another in the severall hemisphaeres of heaven to the earth below: Now they divide the day from the night, and make difference of seasons, dayes and yeares onelyonly in the lowest heavens and in the earth: for above, in the starry heaven, the Sun, Moone, and Starres doe shine all alike continually: there is one perpetuall day of light and no night or darkenesse from the beginning to the end of the World: It is the suns appearing to one side of the earth for a time, once in 24. houres, which makes the day; and the absence and not appearing of it for the rest of the 24. houres to that side of the earth, which makes the night there; and both day and night make a civill day, and seven such dayes a Week, and four weekes a MonethMonth, had 12 moneths a Year, and the seasons of Summer, Winter, Spring, and Autumne, have place onelyonly on earth, and in the lowest airie heaven, not in the starry heaven. Therefore God gave them; and set them to be lights, that is, to give light in the aire and to the earth.
And thus the doubt is fully cleared; and the first thing opened, to wit, Gods commanding lights to bee in the firmament of heaven.
The second thing commanded is the use of those Lights.The use of them.
The first use is, to divide the day from the night, that is, the time of light from the time of darknesse. For clearing or which point wee are to consider, First, what is here properly meant by day and night, and how the lights divide them one from another. Secondly, how there could be a division betweene day and night, before these Lights, the Sun, Moone, and Starres were made. First by day we are here to understand not the space of the Sun, Moone, and Starres, compassing the earth, which is the space of 24. houres; for that day consists of an evening and a morning, and comprehends in it one night; and some call it a naturall, and some a civill, and some an astronomicall day: but here by day wee are to understand the time while the Sun, the greatest light, shines and gives light upon the face of the earth: And by night the time while the Moone and Starres doe onelyonly appeare and give their dimme light upon the earth, which some call an artificiall and civill day and night, but others doe more proper… call it a naturall day, and a naturall night. The day in this sense hath no night in it, and the night in this sense is no part of the day; but these two, being the one the time of darknesse or dimme light, & the other the time of cleare light, are so opposite, that they cannot both bee at once in one and the same part of the World. Now as the visible World consists of divers maine parts or elements; and the motions of the Sun, Moone, and Starres are most variable among themselves; so the day and night taken in this proper sense are most variable.
First, the day, as it is a time of light, doth in respect of some parts of the World comprehend in it the whole time from the first creation of the Sun and of the starry heavens, the making of which brought in the first morning or day-light; as for example, Ever since the firie heavens were made and created a bright shining substance, they have retained their light continually, and so there hath beene a continuall day in them, and no night nor darknesse; although the light of them, by reason of the vast distance, doth not make day here on earth. Also ever since the Sun was created, it shineth most cleare in the firie or starry heaven from East to West, and from the North to the South-Pole; when the Sun sets in the West from our sight, it shineth bright in the face of the full Moone, which is then rising in the East part of heaven, or else the Moone would bee darke and enclypsed: All the shadow which the earth makes in the heavens, by comming betweene the Sun and that part of the heaven which is most opposite, is very little, neare about the compasse of the body of the Moone, as in every great eclypse of the Moone may easily bee seene and discerned. Likewise that light which was the day light of the second day, continueth still in the superiour region of the aire, and in the lowest regions also when there are no clouds, mists, or vapours: And the light of the Sun also appeares continually in the most part of the highest regions of the aire, even under our Hemisphare, and in our Horizon, when the Sun is furthest from our sight. And as there is alwayes day light in the middle heavens, so there is alwayes night and darknesse in the midst of the earth, and through all the body of it from the upper face to the center, which is the very middle and heart of it.
Secondly, in those places of the World which are directly under the North and South poles, the day, that is, the time of the Sons being in theirsight, is just halfe a year; and the night also, that is, the time of the Suns absence from their sight, is another halfe year.
Thirdly, under the equinoctiall line, which cuts the heavens equally in the middle betweene the North and South poles, the day and night are alwayes equall each one 12. houres, because the Sun, and Moone, and Starres doe appeare so long, and are hid just so long againe. And thus dayes and nights varie according to the severall parts of the World, and divers climats of the earth. And ever since that God did make the lights in heaven, the Sun, Moone, and Starres; they have made the division betweene the darknesse which wee call night, and the light which wee call day, as God here appointed. For the time while the Sun shines and rules, by giving greatest light in any part of the World, that is called the day light; and the time while the Sun is out of sight, and the Moone and Starres onelyonly shine and rule, that is called the night, because it is a time of dimme light, which is darknesse in comparison of the Sun light, as appeares in the words of the 16. Verse.
The second thing, which comes to bee considered in the first 2.use of these lights, is the division and distinction betweene day and night before this fourth dayes worke, when these lights were made for this use.
For clearing of this point, wee are to call to minde somethings which I have opened before, and withall adde some few things more, which will make the truth manifest. First we are to know and perswade our selves, that there is no difference or division betweene day and night, but onelyonly in this inferiour visible World, which wee see with bodily eyes: For in the heaven of heavens, which is above the visible World, there is no darknesse, neither can bee at any time; but there is the inheritance of the Saints in light, and the light thereof is spirituall and to us supernaturall. And in Hell, wheresoever that is, there is nothing but blacknesse of darknesse for ever, 2 Pet. 2. 17. Iude 13. Secondly, the time of day-light, which is called the morning, and the time of night and of darknesse, which is called the evening, in the three first dayes did much differ from the evening and morning, that is, the time of darknesse and light, in the rest of the dayes after that the Sun, Moone, and Starres were made. For the evening, that is, the time of darknesse or night, in the first day was onelyonly the time while all this inferiour World remained in that rude informed masse, without forme and void, which was all over-spread with darknesse, and had no light in it: And the morning, that is, the time of light and of day, was the time after that God formed the light, that is the firie or starry heavens; for they were in themselves full of light, and had cleare day in them without the Sun, before the light of them was united in the Sun, Moone, and Starres: I say from the forming of them, untill God began to create the spacious airie firmament, it was cleare day in so much of the visible World as was perfectly formed, that is, in the firie heavens, which are called light; and that was twelve houres at the least. But when God began to create out of the rude masse full of darknesse the lowest heavens, the aire, which is a spacious region, while the earthy and waterish parts were setling downward, and the aire was a purging and growing into purity; untill it became pure and cleare, there was a time of darknesse and dimnesse in it; which I conceive to bee the space of a night about twelve houres: And the time after that it was made pure and received into it the light of the heavens shining clearly in it, was the morning or time of day-light sufficient for so much of the World as was then created, which was twelve houres more, and made up the second day.
Then God began to create the water, and the drie land, and while the earth was setling downward to the center, and the waters, being made of the thinner and lighter part of the masse which remained, did cover the face of the earth which was created round in the middle of them, this was the space of twelve houres, and it was a time of darknesse upon the earth which lay hid and covered with all the waters which are now in the Seas and Rivers, and this was the night of the third day upon earth. But after that God made the great and hollow vallies, which are now the receptacles of the waters, and made the hils and drie land stand up and appeare above the waters, being gathered into that hollow place; there was a time of day-light for the light of the heavens, which then had in them all that light which is now gathered and united in the bodies of the Sun, Moone, and Starres, did shine upon the face of the earth for the space of twelve houres; in which God made the grasse, and the herbes bearing seced, and the trees of all kinds bearing fruits; and this was the third day.
Now after this day ended, God created clouds, and mists, and vapours; which, ascending up into the middle region of the aire, did make a time of darknesse, and a night upon the face of the Earth and the Sea; and this was the evening or night of the fourth day. But when after twelve houres God had made the lights in the firmament, the Sun, Moone, and Starres, then came in the morning, that is, the time of light; in which the Sun shining bright upon the earth made the fourth day; and ever since that fourth day, the division betweene the day and night is by means of the Sun, Moone, and Starres. For all the while that the Sun appeares and shines upon the upper face of the earth, that is the day-time in that place; and while the Sun is absent, and the light thereof is not seen, and there is no light except of the Moone and the Starres, that is the time of darknesse and of the night.
This is the first use of these lights expressed in my text, even to divide betweene the day and betweene the night.
The second use for which God made these lights and appointed them, is to bee for signes, and for seasons, and for dayes, and for yeares.
First, they are for signes to men, both of things supernaturall, that is, to shew the glory, the wisedome and the power of God and his admirable love to man, in making such great, and glorious shining lights for his use; and also they are signes of things naturall, as of faire, foule, and seasonable weather, and such like; for the Pleindes arising, are signes of sweet showers, which make the earth to spring, Iob 38. 31. The dogge-Starre arising, is a signe of scorching heat; the Moone also by her change, and full, and middle quarters, is a signe of high and low tydes, and flowings of the Sea; and the divers colours of it, shew divers changes of weather.
Secondly, they are for seasons. For the Suns declining to the 2.South line, makes the shortest dayes to them who live Northward from the equinoctiall, and the Autumne and Winter season; but when it cometh back to the equinoctiall, it makes the spring season; and when it cometh to the northerne Tropick, it brings in the hot Summer, and declining againe to the equinoctiall, it brings in Autumne and the harvest season.
Thirdly, they serve for dayes and yeares. For the motion of the 3.Sun, Moone, and Starres, round about the heavens in 24. houres, maketh a day in the large sense, that is, a civill day; And the appearance and shining of the Sun upon the face of the earth, makes a day of light, that is, a naturall day; and the setting and absence of the Sun make the night.
The motion of the Moone in her proper course thorough the twelve signes of the Zodiak, from change to change, and from full to full, makes a monethmonth of foure weeks; And the proper motion of the Sun thorough the same twelve signes, makes a yeare of twelve distinct solary moneths; And the Moone by her foure quarters, makes four weeks every one of seven dayes: And the concurrence of the Sun, Moone, and Starres, returning to their severall places, make set times for civill and Ecclesiasticall use, as for feasts of Easter, Pentecost, and the like, which are appointed by God and his Church to bee observed yearly for Gods honour and for remembrances of some great works of mercy performed by God and by Christ, for mans deliverance and salvation.
The last and maine use of all is, to give light upon Earth; for, by giving of light and shining in, and thorough the aire, they cause heat, and moysture, and drienesse; and by their severall degrees, aspects, and reflexions of beames and light, they yeeld their influence and cherish and worke upon things below; they also make all things visible to men and other creatures, and by their light wee come to see and discerne all things here visible; without which sight and visibility, no man can performe the works for which God created and placed him on earth.
And so much for opening the first maine thing in my text, to wit, Gods commanding lights to bee in the firmament of heaven for the speciall uses here named, laid downe in the 14. and 15. Verses.
The second maine thing, is his bringing of the worke to …se by his powerfull Word, and making it to bee in all respects according to his counsell, will and word. This is laid downe, first summarily, in the last clause of the 15. Verse, in these words, audit was so; that is, as God said and commanded, so it was done presently. Secondly, it is more largely described in the next words, Verse 16, 17, 18. And God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day, the lesse to rule the night; hee made also the Starres. And God set them in the firmament to give light upon the Earth, and to divide light and darknesse.
First, of whatsoever God sad, Let it be, it was made, & for the same use as here we read: For as he said, Let there be lights, and let them be to divide the day from the night; so he made lights, and gave them in the firmament of heaven to divide day from night and to serve for the uses which hee appointed.
Secondly, it is here said, that God himselfe made those lights; no Angels, or others besides himselfe were commanded to make them, nor had any hand in creating them.
Thirdly, the lights, which were before generally mentioned, are here more specially and particularly rehearsed and expressed, and the severall offices of them all. Two of them are said to bee great lights, one greater, that is, the Sun to rule the day; the other lesser, that is, the Moone to have dominion in the night; the rest of the lights are said to bee the Starres:
First, for the Sun, that is called the greatest light, and that most Of the Sun.truly and properly; both for the body and substance of it; and also for the brightnesse and aboundance of the light which is in it: For the most skilfull Mathematicians have observed and demonstrated, that the very body of the Sun doth exceed the whole earth in bignesse 166. times; and our owne eyes are witnesses of the greatnesse of the light in it, farre exceeding all bodily lights, and dazling our weake sight.
Secondly, the Moone is also called a great light (though lesser Of the Moone.then the Sun;) not for the bignesse of the bodie of it, but because it is the lowest of all the Planets, and nearest unto the earth, and therefore appeares biggest of all next unto the Sun, and gives to the earth a greater light then any of the Starres, which are farre greater in substance, and brighter in light. For the most skilfull Mathematicians have found by their art, that it is 39. times lesser then the earth, and the least of all the Starres except Mercury, which is the Planet next above it: And those Starres which are said to bee of the first Magnitude, are some of them observed to bee 18. times bigger then the earth. And although the Moone, being the lowest and nearest of all the heavenly lights unto the earth, and therefore more dimme in it selfe, and of a more impure bodie and substance, as appeares by the cloudy specks in it, shining very little of it selfe, may in that respect bee called one of the least lights: yet because it borrowes light from the Sun, shining in the face of it as in a looking glasse, and because it is 18. times lower then the Sun, and nearer to us then the earth is; lower then it, as Mathematicians have observed, and so it is nearer to the earth then the Sun almost 18. hundred thousand miles; therefore in our eyes it appeares the greatest of all the lights next to the Sun: And Moses here speaking according to the capacity of the vulgar, and our outward senses, and the sensible effects of light which the Moone gives to the earth, cals it one of the two great lights. And as hee gives to the Sun the office and prerogative of ruling the day, because the sight and presence of the Sun makes the day light, and smoothers and obscures all other lights in the day time: so hee gives to the Moone the office of ruling the night; because when it appeares in the night, it giveth more light to us here on earth then all the other Starres.
Thus wee see, that as God said, so every thing which was made in the fourth day came to passe; God himselfe made every thing by his eternall Word, according to his owne eternall Counsell, minde, and will. And therefore no marvell though hee gives approbation to this dayes worke also, which is the third maine thing in the text, expressed in these words, And God saw that it was good. And so the Sun, having shined for the space of twelve houres, till it had passed through one Hemisphaere or halfe of heaven; that time or morning of light, together with the evening or time of darknesse going before it, and caused by clouds, mists and vapours over-shadowing the Earth, is called the fourth day.
Now this History of the fourth dayes worke, as I have expounded it, affords us some points of instruction.
First, in that herbes, grasse, plants, and trees, were made perfect in their kinde before any Raine, or Dew, or Sun, Moone, Doctr. …. No instruments used in the creation.and Starres were created; Hence wee may learne, that God used no instruments, nor helpe of any creatures in the creation of any thing; but made and formed every creature himselfe by his eternall Word and Spirit, who are with him one and the same Iehovah, infinite, almighty and omnipotent. For further proofe whereof, there are many testimonies in the holy Scriptures, as Isa. 40. 21. 22. and 66. 2. where the Lord appropriateth to himselfe, and to his owne hand, the creating and making of heaven and earth, and Ioh. 1. 3. and Colos. 1. 16. where all things are said to bee created by the eternall Word the Son; and also by the Spirit, Psalme 33. 6.
This Doctrine admonisheth us to give all the glory of the wisedome, power, and goodnesse, shewed in the creation, to VseGod alone; and to acknowledge that all things created, even the whole World and all things therein, are the Lords; also to make us admire his rich bountie, & to render all thanks to his holy Majesty for all the profit, benefit, and comforts, which wee receive from any of Gods creatures.
Secondly, wee may hence learne and observe, the wisedome and wise providence of God, in making every thing in due season, Doctr. 2. Great wisedome of God in the Creation.and nothing before there was need of it for the creatures, which were next in order to bee made; for hee did not create the lights of Sun, Moone, and Starres, together with the starry heavens, which is the place of them, untill hee was about to create living things which could not well bee, nor move according to their kinde, without such lights shining in the earth and in the waters.
Which wise providence of God, is a patterne and direction Vse.to us to doe all things in order: in the first place, things necessarie and usefull for the well-being, and bringing to passe of things which are afterwards to bee done; and nothing which may bee and remaine without use and profit. As God would not make the Sun, Moone, and Starres, together with the first light, the firie heavens, on the first day, because then there was no use nor necessitie of them; but deferred the creation of them untill the fourth day, when there was use and necessity to make a cleare day-light; and living creatures endued with life, sense, and sight were to bee made in the two next dayes following, whose life without such cleare day light would have beene but like the shadow of death; So let us bee carefull then to provide things necessary and usefull, when wee see and perceive that wee shall have present use of them, and not bee like foolish prodigall and fantasticall builders, who build stately houses like palaces with large barnes, stables, and stals, when neither they nor theirs are in any way or possibility to furnish them with corne, horses or cattell, or to make use of them for fit and necessary habitation.
Thirdly, though the glory of God doth more appeare in Doctr. 3.light of day then, in darknesse of night; and it was and is in Gods power, to make more great lights and divers Sunnes in severall places of the heaven, to shine in all the World at once, and to make a perpetuall day on earth: yet hee made them so, that on the earth, in this lower and inferiour World, there should bee as much night as day, and darknesse as light; whereby hee teacheth us even from the creation, that this earthly World was not made to bee the place of mans immutable perfection and blessednesse; but a place of changes and alterations; wherein, by reason of darknesse, the Prince of darknesse may rule, rage and tyrannise by himselfe and his wicked instruments; and drive us to seeke a better rest, and an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance reserved in 1 Pet. 1. 4.heaven, in the place of perpetuall light. The whole booke of the wise Preacher is an ample testimony of this truth, and a large commentary upon this Doctrine; for it wholy tends to make men loath this inferiour World under the Sun, wherein there is nothing but changes, and vanity of vanities, and all is vanitie.
Wherefore let us not seeke for immutability nor unchangable peace and prosperity here on earth, lest wee bee found as foolish Vse.as those builders who build and set up goodly houses on a sandy foundation, which may easily bee beaten downe, and ruined with every wind, wave, and tempest. They who settle their rest on earth, and here seeke perfect felicity and immutable blessednesse; they trust under the shadow and shelter of a gourd, Jon. 4.which may grow up in one night, and in the next night wither away, and perish, and bring much griefe and sorrow to them, which will vex them, and drive them like Ionah to impatiency and anger against God their Creatour. Let us looke up to heaven where is light without darknesse, and an everlasting day without any night; and bend all our course to that countrie above, and long for everlasting light and glory, which the blessed Saints and Angels there enjoy in the presence of God, and at his right hand, where are pleasures for evermore.