A Treatise of Christian Religion, Chapter 6
CHAP. 6.
Of the Execution of Gods Decree; where, of the Creation in generall, and ſpeciall.
The Execution of the Decree is, the
Creation of things
Spirituall,
Angels.
Men.
Corporal,
whole maſſe, or Chaos.
furniture, Bodies
Simple.
Compound
without ſenſe
Earthly.
Heauē ly.
with ſenſe,
Brutiſh. Reaſonable.
Man. Chap. 7.
Gouernment, Chap. 8.
GENES. Chap. 1. verſ. 1. 2. 3. &c. to the 26.
1. In the beginning God created the heauen, and the earth.
2. And the earth was without forme, and void; and darkeneſſe was vponupon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God moued vponupon the face of the waters.
3. And God ſaid, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God ſaw the light, that it was good: and God diuided the light from the darkneſſe.
5. And God called the light, Day; and the darkeneſſe he called Night: and the euening, and the morning were the firſt day.
6. And God ſaid, Let there be a firmament in the middeſt of the waters: and let it diuide the waters from the waters.
7. And God made the firmament; and diuided the waters, which were vnderunder the firmament, from the waters which were aboue the firmament: and it was ſo.
8. And God called the firmament, Heauen: and the euening and the morning were the ſecond day.
9. And God ſaid, Let the waters vnderunder the heauen bee gathered together vntounto one place, and let the dry land appeare: and it was ſo.
10. And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he, Seas: and God ſaw that it was good.
11. And God ſaid, Let the Earth bring forth graſſe, the herbe yeelding ſeed, and the fruit tree yeelding fruit after his kind, whoſe ſeed is in it ſelfe, vponupon the earth: and it was ſo.
12. And the earth brought forth graſſe, and herbe yeelding ſeed after his kind, and the tree yeelding fruit, whoſe ſeed was in it ſelfe, after his kind: and God ſaw that it was good.
13. And the euening and the morning were the third day.
14. And God ſaid, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heauen, to diuide the day from the night: and let them bee for ſignes, and for ſeaſons, and for daies and yeeres.
15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heauen, to giuegive light vponupon the earth: and it was ſo.
16. And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the leſſer light to rule the night: hee made the ſtarres alſo.
17. And God ſet them in the firmament of the heauen, to giuegive light vponupon the earth:
18. And to rule ouer the day, and ouer the night, and to diuide the light from the darkneſſe: and God ſaw that it was good.
19. And the euening and the morning were the fourth day.
20. And God ſaid, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the mouing creature that hath life, and foule that may flie aboue the earth in the open firmament of heauen.
21. And God created great whales, and eueryevery liuing creature that moueth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and eueryevery winged foule after his kind: and God ſaw that it was good.
22. And God bleſſed them, ſaying, Be fruitfull, and multiply, and fill the waters in the Seas, and let the foule multiply in the earth.
23. And the euening and the morning were the fifth day.
24. And God ſaid, Let the earth bring forth the liuing creature after his kind, cattell, and creeping thing, and beaſt of the earth after his kind: and it was ſo.
25. And God made the beaſt of the earth after his kind, and cattell after their kinde, and eueryevery thing that creepeth vponupon the earth, after his kinde: and God ſaw that it was good.
Q. HItherto of the Decree of God. What is the execution of it?
A. It is an Action of God working all things effectually according to his decree.
Q. What are the parts of the Execution?
A. Two: the Creation of the world: And the Gouernment thereof.
Q. VVhat is Creation?
A. It is the execution of the Decree, of nothing, making all things very good.
Q. Where is this taught?
A. In ſundry places of the Scripture, but eſpecially in Geneſis, 1. and 2. chap.
Q. VVhat are the generall things conſidered in all this matter of the Creation?
A. Firſt, the Creator of all theſe things, which is God the Father, the Sonne, and the holy Ghoſt.
Secondly, his omnipotencie, that he made all by his word, that is, by his onelyonly will, who calleth things that Rom. 4. 17.are not, as though they were.
Thirdly, that he made not all at once, and in a moment, but in ſix daies.
Q. VVhy did hee make them in ſix daies, which could hauehave perfected all in a moment?
A. Firſt, that wee might thereby more eaſily conceiue, that the world was not made confuſedly, or by chance, but orderly, and by counſell.
Secondly, that all men from the beginning of the world, to the end thereof, might hauehave, in God himſelfe, an example of labouring in their vocations, ſixe daies in this life, and reſting the ſeuenth.
Q. How many ſorts of creatures are there?
A. Two: Spirituall and inuiſible. Corporall and viſible.
Q. What are the things Spirituall and inuiſible?
A. The Angels, and Soules of men.
Q. Why is not mention made of the Creation of the Angels more expreſly, eſpecially being creatures in glory paſsing all others?
A. They are not expreſſely mentioned, becauſe Moſes propoundeth heere to ſet forth the things that are viſible, and corporall. But that they were in one of the ſix daies created, it is euident enough.Pſal. 103. 20. 22. & 148. 2. 5. Coloſſ. 1. 16.
Q. What are the viſible and corporall things?
A. Two, firſt the maſſe or matter of the world, made (as is probable) the firſt night, wherin all things were contained, and mingled one in another. And ſecondly, the beautifull frame thereof, which he made the reſt of the ſix daies and nights.
Q. What are the parts of that maſſe?
A. Heauen and earth (as it were) the center and circumference: for as the Arch-builders firſt ſhadow out (in a plot) the building they intend; and as the Painters draw certaine groſſe lineaments of that picture, which they will after ſet forth, and fill vp with orient colours: ſo the Lord our God (in this ſtately building, and cunning painting of the frame of the world) hath, before the moſt beautifull frame, ſet out (as it were) a ſhadow, and a common draught thereof.
Q. Whereof was that lumpe or maſſe created, of which, after, other things were made?
A. Of nothing] that is to ſay, when as yet there was not any thing whereof it might be made, God, by his Almighty power cauſed it to be; as appeareth both by the word of Creatiō, which Moſes vſeth, ſignifying, the foreignmaking of a thing of nothing: and that hee made this in the beginning, that is, when before there was not any thing but God the Creator, and before which there was no meaſure of time, by man or Angels.
Q. It being without forme, and void, how was it kept?
A. By the holy Ghoſt, which (*foreign Gen. 1. 2. as a bird ſitting ouer her egges) kept and preſerued it.
Q. What were the things that were made of this maſſe?
A. The beautifull frame and faſhion of this world, with the furniture thereof.
Q. What doe you conſider in the Creatures of the world?
A. Two things: the Elements, which are the moſt ſimple ſubſtances, by the vneuen mixture whereof all bodies are compounded; and the bodies themſelues that are compounded of them.
Q. What doe you generally obſerue in them all?
A. Firſt, that they are all ſaid to bee good; which ſhould ſtop all the mouthes of thoſe that ſpeak againſt any of them.
Q. How did hee make all things good, when we ſee there be diuers kinds of Serpents, and noiſome or hurtfull beasts?
A. That they are hurtfull, it commeth not by the nature of their Creation, in regard wherof they at the firſt ſhould only hauehave ſerued for the good of man.
Q. What other things doe you obſerue generally?
A. Secondly, that their names are giuen them. Thirdly, that their vſes and ends are noted.
Q. What is the highest of the Elements?
A. The fire: for when it is ſaid, he ſet light in heauen A probable opinion.(which is a quality of the fire) it is to bee vnderſtood of fire alſo, which hath that quality.
Q. What note you hereof?
A. The wonderfull worke of God, not onelyonly making 2. Cor. 4. 6.ſomething of nothing, but bringing light out of darkeneſſe, which is contrary.
Q. What is the next Element?
A. The Aire, betweene the clouds and the earth, diſtinguiſhing betweene water and water: in which, and by meanes of which, all things that hauehave life doe breathe, and thereby continue in life.
Q. What is the third Element?
A. The waters ſeuered from the maſſe, called the earth, the ſeas, the flouds, the ſprings, the lakes, &c.
Q. What is the fourth Element?
A. The earth, called the drie land, which remaineth, al other being ſeparated of God to their proper places.
Hitherto of the ſimple bodies, called the foure Elements: now followeth to ſpeake of the mixt and compounded bodies, made of the foure Elements, vnequally mingled together.
Q. What is generall in the Creation of the compound and earthly bodies?
A. Firſt, that prouiſion is made for the inhabitants of the earth, before they bee made, as graſſe for the beaſts, and light for all liuing and mouing creatures; and all for man.
Q. What learne you from hence?
A. Not to bee carking for the things of this life; Mat. 6. 26. Luk. 12. 24.nor to be diſtracted with the cares thereof, ſeeing God prouided for the neceſſity and comfort of the beaſts, before hee brought them into the world; and therefore will much more hauehave care of them (eſpecially of man) ſeeing now they are.
Q. What is generall in all the earthly Creatures?
A. That God proceedeth frō the things yt be leſſe perfect, to thoſe that are perfecter, vntill he come to ye perfecteſt; as from the trees, corne, herbes, &c. which hauehave but one life, that is, whereby they nouriſh and grow; vntounto the beaſts, which hauehave both an encreaſing, and feeling, or ſenſitiue life, as fiſhes, fowles, beaſts, &c. and from them to man, which hath (beſides both them) a reaſonable ſoule.
Q. What learne you from thence?
A. That wee ſhould therein follow the example of the Lord, to go from good to better, vntill we come to be perfect.
Q. What elſe is generall?
A. That they hauehave power and vertue giuen them, to bring forth the like vntounto themſelues for the continuance of their kind, which is generally giuen to all thoſe that are expreſſed in the creation here. And this bleſſing of multiplication is principall, in the things that hauehave the life of ſenſe, beſide the life of encreaſe. And therfore the Lord is brought in, ſpeaking to them in the ſecond perſon, which he did not to the Plants.Gen. 1. 2….
Q. What learne you from hence?
A. That the chiefe and ſpeciall cauſe of the continuance of eueryevery kinde of creatures, to the worlds end, Heb. 1. 3.is this will and word of God: without which, they, or ſundry of them, would hauehave periſhed ere this, by ſo many meanes as are to conſume them.
Q. VVhat is the firſt Creation of the compound bodies?
A. God (hauing cauſed the waters to retire into their veſſels the third night) in the third day, which followed that night, clad the earth with graſſe, corne, and trees, for the vſe of man, and beaſt, but chiefly of man.
Q. Seeing that the growth of theſe is from the influence of the heauenly bodies, how commeth it to paſſe, that hee firſt maketh the graſſe, corne, and trees, before he made the heauenly bodies of the Sunne, Moone, and Starres?
A. To correct an errour in vsus, who vſe ſo to tie the the encreaſe of theſe, to the influence of the heauenly bodies, that we doe (after a ſort) euen worſhip them, therein forgetting the Lord, who hereby ſheweth, that all hangeth vponupon him, and not on them: for as much as he made them, whē the heauenly bodies were not.
Q. VVhat elſe?
A. That the fruitfulneſſe of the earth ſtandeth, not ſo much in the labour of the Husband-man, as in the power which God hath giuen to the earth to bring forth fruit.
Q. VVhat was made the fourth day?
A. The Lights: all which, although they bee great in themſelues, to the end they might giuegive light to the darke earth, that is farre remoued from them; yet are they diſtinguiſhed into great ones, as the Sun, and Moone; and ſmall, as the Stars, all which are (as it were) certaine veſſels, whereinto the Lord did gather the light, which before was ſcattered in the whole body of the heauens.
Q. VVhy doth Moſes call the Sunne and Moone the greateſt lights?
A. Firſt, becauſe they are greateſt in their vſe, giuing vsus more light then all the Starres beſides, and exerciſing more vertue vponupon theſe terreſtriall bodies. Secondly, for that they ſeeme ſo to vsus: it being the purpoſe of the holy Ghoſt, by Moſes, to apply himſelfe to the capacity of the vnlearned.
Q. VVhat is the vſe of them?
A. Firſt, to diſtinguiſh the times, as Spring, Summer, Gen. 1. 14.—18. & 9. 1. Pſal. 136. 8. 9.Autumne, and Winter, from whence their work and naturall effect vponupon the earthly creatures is gathered: alſo to diſtinguiſh the night from the day, the day from the monethmonth, the monethmonth from the yeere: laſt of all, to giuegive light to the inhabitants of the earth.
Q. HaueHave they not operation alſo in the extraordinarie euents of ſingular things, and perſons, for their good and euill eſtate?
A. No verily, there is no ſuch vſe taught of them in Eſay 47. 12. 13. Ierem. 10. 2.the Scriptures.
Q. VVhat was the worke of the fifth day and night?
A. The creation of the Fiſhes and Birds.
Q. What were the fiſhes made of?
A. Of all foure Elements, but more (as ſeemeth) of the waters, then other liuing things.
Q. What were the birds made of?
A. Of all foure Elements, yet hauehave more of the Gen. 2. 19.earth; and therefore that they are ſo light, and that their delight is in the aire, it is ſo much the more maruellous.
Q. What is the worke of the ſixth night and day?
A. In the night thereof (as is probable) hee made the beaſts of the earth, both tame and wild, going and creeping.