Several Discourses Considering the Providence of God, Discourse · Part 1 · Sermon 2
SERMON II.
Heb. XI. 3.
Through faith we underſtand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God: ſo that things which are ſeen, were not made of things which do appear.
THE laſt time I ſhewed you, That God hath from eternity ſetled all events by an eternal purpoſe, according to the Counſel of his Will; nothing cometh to paſs in time, but what was determined before time. I told you my deſign was to diſcourſe concerning Gods Acts of Providence, which are acts in time; and particularly to diſcourſe ſome things relating to actual Providence, which do not fall into ordinary diſcourſe, and often give occaſion of trouble to the ſpirits of Chriſtians: but in order to that, I thought it reaſonable, Firſt, to diſcourſe a little of Gods Settlement of all futurities (things which were to be fulfilled in their ſeaſon), by an act of his eternal Counſel. Nor can I yet come fairly at my intended ſubject, without ſpeaking to Gods firſt Act in time (that was Creation); concerning which we muſt ſuppoſe a Decree of God, according to that known Rule in Divinity, Decretum Dei, & ejus executio exquiſitiſſime conveniunt; nihil eſt in Dei opere, quod non fuit in decreto, & nihil fuit in decreto quod non ſequitur in opere. That is, the Decree of God, and the execution of that Decree, moſt exquiſitely agree: God worketh nothing but what he firſt decreed, and he decreed nothing but hath had, or ſhall have its iſſue in his working: and when we ſay God doth any thing, we by it do underſtand no more than a new effect of his eternal Will. According therefore to the Counſel of his Will, God firſt made of nothing, the world, and all that is therein. And indeed, according to ſome notion of Providence amongſt Divines, this is a part of it. Now for a foundation of a ſhort Diſcourſe upon this ſubject, I have choſen this Text.
The Apoſtle ſubjoyneth the words of my Text, to a deſcription of Faith, which he had given, verſ. 1. Where he had told us, That faith is the ſubſtance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not ſeen. In the ſecond verſe he had told us, That by this the Elders had obtained a good report. Here he ſaith, By faith we underſtand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, &c. In the Text you have,
1. A Divine aſſertion. The worlds were framed by God: things which are ſeen, were not made of things which do appear. You have the work of Creation deſcribed in its Cauſes: Negatively, the world did not make it ſelf, one part of it did not make another; then Poſitively, it was framed by God; foreign, is the word uſed.
2. You have the way deſcribed, how we come to comprehend this in our underſtanding: By faith. The Propoſition of the Text is this:
Prop. That by faith we underſtand that the worlds were framed by God: and the things which are ſeen, were not made by thoſe things which do appear. Here are two things:
1. The worlds were framed by the Word of God: the things ſeen, were not made of thoſe things which do appear.
2. We underſtand this, Through faith.
In the opening of theſe I muſt enquire,
1. What is here meant by the Worlds? foreign.
2 What is the meaning of this, That the worlds were made by the Word of God.
3. What is the meaning of this? That the things which are ſeen, are not made of thoſe things which do appear.
4. What is here meant by faith, or through faith?
5. How do we underſtand it by faith, that the worlds were framed by God? After this, I ſhall come to the Application.
Queſt. 1. What is here meant by the Worlds?
The word here uſed [foreign] doth often ſignifie an age, ſometimes (and ſo generally in St. John's Goſpel, Eternity), but is ſometimes in Scripture tranſlated, World, Matth. 12.32. The blaſphemy againſt the Holy Ghoſt ſhall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, foreign. So Matth. 13.32, 39, 40, 49. The harveſt is the end of the world, Heb. 1.2. By whom he made foreign, the worlds. The term properly ſignifieth, The duration of the world; but in Heb. 1.2. and here it muſt ſignifie the Maſs, the things of it. It carries here its own Interpreter with it in the other part of the Text, foreign, The things which are ſeen; but neither is that term adequate to it: the object of Creation is larger than the objects of Senſe; Spirits are not ſeen, but yet they are created. Let Moſes expound it, Gen. 1.1. In the beginning God created the heaven and earth. In ſhort, all the Creatures, whatſoever is not the Creator, muſt here fall under the notion of foreign, the world, and all that is therein (excepting him who as the Creator made all, and filleth heaven and earth), the world, and the things thereof: the world, and the perſons therein; heaven and earth, the world of things, and the world of perſons: this world was made, foreign.
1. The word in the Greek ſignifies, to make, to joynt, or fit together, to reſtore: it ſignifieth, to make, or rather to make up (according to our Engliſh Idiom), to perfect. It is uſed Matth. 21.16. Thou haſt perfected praiſe: we tranſlate it perfect, or perfected, Luk. 6.40. And be you perfect, 2 Cor. 13.11. 1 Theſ. 3.10. That we might perfect that which is lacking in your faith, Heb. 10.5. A body haſt thou prepared [or made me]. So Heb. 13.21. The world was made, eſtabliſhed, made perfect by God: Ʋt totum quidpiam quod ſuis omnibus partibus apte inter ſe cohaerentibus componitur: The worlds gave not a being to themſelves, they were not eternal, and of an original from themſelves, nor made of any caſual concurrence of Atoms, according to the Heathens Philoſophy; but they had their Original, their perfection, their eſtabliſhment from God.
2. The word ſignifieth to be made perfect, to joynt; to be put together. The world is a beautiful compoſition, it hath not only a Being, but a beautiful Being, all the parts of it being fitted and joynted together; this is alſo from God: it oweth not only its Being and Original unto God, but whatſoever it hath of Beauty and Ornaments; that one part of it is fitted to another, the beautiful compoſition of it, the ſubordination of the parts of it one to another, all this is owing unto God. This is part of the ſenſe of it, 1 Cor. 1.10. That you may be perfectly joyned together. Whoſo looketh upon the Creation wiſtly, muſt ſee it conſiſt of a great variety of things; but all fitted together, ſo as there is no diſcord, but a beautiful ſubordination of things in that vaſt compoſition: ſo as they ſerve one another, and notwithſtanding all their different affections and qualities; yet they deſtroy not, nor invade each other: this alſo is from the Lord. The world was not only by God made, and produced out of a not-being, into a being; but it was fitted, ordered, joynted together by God.
3. The word ſignifieth alſo to reſtore, and bring again into order, what is diſordered; and ſo it is uſed ſometimes to mend nets: Rem lacer am aliquam reſarcire & collapſam reparare. And this ſeemeth to be the primary and moſt proper ſignification of the word. Thus it is tranſlated, reſtore, Gal. 6.1. If a brother be fallen, reſtore ſuch a one. A Metaphor, ſay ſome, taken from Chyrurgions, putting a bone out of order into its place again. The world at firſt made, perfected, eſtabliſhed, and joynted by God, in the Fall of Adam was diſordered, and put out of joynt: God by ſending his Son, put the world in joynt again; ſet its broken bones, created a new heaven, and a new earth. Thus alſo the worlds were made, as it were made again, and reſtored by God. But I take the two former ſenſes rather to agree to this place; where the Apoſtle rather ſpeaks of the firſt Creation of the world by God, than of the Redemption of it by Jeſus Chriſt. The world then was made, that is, it had its firſt Original, its Order, Ornaments, beautiful compoſure, from a Divine creating Power; it did not give a Being, nor a Beauty and Perfection to it ſelf. The Verb is paſſive, it had its Original from another, and this other was he whom we call God. But,
Queſt. 2. What is the meaning of this, that the worlds were made by the Word of God?
None can underſtand here by the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, which are called the Word, that is, the revealed will of God, ſpoken by holy men, as they were inſpired by God. Nor do I think that the ſame is meant here by the Word of God, that is underſtood, John 1.1. In the beginning was the word: of that word it is ſaid, That it was with God in the beginning: that it was God; all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made: that is to be underſtood of Chriſt. Of him our Apoſtle ſaith, Heb. 1.2. By whom alſo he made the worlds: but beſides that, the Goſpel of John ſeemeth to be the only Scripture in which the ſecond perſon in the Trinity is ſtiled the Word; neither is he there call'd the Word of God; it is there ſaid, The word was God, and in the beginning with God, but he is no-where call'd the word of God. I chuſe therefore rather to interpret it of that word of Power and Command which Moſes Gen. 1. telleth us, God uſed in the making of the world, and the fitting and joynting of it together. He ſaid, Let there be light, and there was light, &c. Thus the Worlds were made by the Word of God, ſo as the term is both excluſive of any other inſtrumental cauſe in the Creation of the world, and expreſſive of the true inſtrumentally efficient cauſe, which was the mighty, powerful, commanding virtue of the Word of God. And this is enough for the explication of this term. But,
Queſt. 3. What is the meaning of this, that the things which are ſeen, are not made of thoſe things which do appear.
The Vulgar Latin Verſion reads, Ʋt ex inviſibilibus viſibilia fierent, that viſible things ſhould be made of thoſe which are inviſible, by a tranſpoſition of foreign, as if it were not, foreign, but foreign; but our Copies are otherwiſe. If by the inviſible things be meant, thoſe inviſible things of God the Apoſtle ſpeaks of, Rom. 1.20. His eternal power and godhead: So it is true, and the ſenſe much the ſame with what went before; but elſe it is as Beza ſaith, Perperam, immo falſe. Some would make the ſenſe of the words this, That the world was not made of thoſe things which now do appear to us, and are the objects of our ſenſes; but of inviſible principles and elements, which are not now the objects of our ſenſes. Others thus, That it was made according to an inviſible Platform and Idea (which was Plato's notion). Others ſay, That by inviſible things, or things which do not appear, is to be meant nothing; that muſt be an inviſible thing, and the world was not made of any pre-exiſtent matter; but it was created, that is, produced out of a meer and total not being, into a being. Which ſenſe, if we allow, the Apoſtle by it, as to the Creation of the world, aſſerteth the Truth of God againſt the Heathen Philoſophers, who could not by reaſon comprehend how ſomething (eſpecially ſuch a ſomething as the world is) ſhould come out of nothing; and therefore grew very vain in their imaginations, about the pre-exiſting matter of which the world ſhould be made. Eſtius and Calvin alſo take notice of a much differing ſenſe, as if foreign, ſignified foreign, and it were to be read thus, We by faith underſtand that the worlds were made by the Word of God, that they might be the looking-glaſſes of thoſe things which do not appear. The thing indeed is true, for the Apoſtle telleth us, Rom. 1.20. That the inviſible things of God are known by the things that are made: But I cannot agree it the ſenſe of this Text, not only for that (which Beza noteth) that it is a very harſh interpretation to interpret foreign, by foreign; but becauſe (as Pareus obſerveth) it ſeemeth not to be any thing of the Apoſtle's deſign to expreſs the end here, why the World's were made by God. I do therefore take the Text to be a Divine aſſertion of the Creation of the World, againſt the vain imaginations of the Heathens; who either dream't that it was eternal, or made of a caſual concourſe of Atoms, or from ſome Idea's. It was, ſaith the Apoſtle, made of nothing by the Word of God, of nothing that doth appear. And ſo I have done with the firſt Member of the Propoſition, That the worlds were framed by the Word of God: the things which are ſeen, were not made of thoſe things which do appear. I proceed to the ſecond.
Mem. 2. That we underſtand this by faith. Here I ſhall ſpeak to two things: 1. What is here meant by faith? 2. How do we by faith underſtand this?
Faith in Scripture ſometimes ſignifieth the object of faith, the Word of God. Thus Gal. 1.23. He which perſecuted us in times paſt, now preacheth the faith which he once deſtroyed. Thus you read of the hearing of faith, Gal. 3.2. Received you the ſpirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith; that is, of the Word of God, particularly the Goſpel? ſometimes it ſignifieth the act of faith, which as it reſpecteth the Propoſition of the word for its object, is a firm and ſteady aſſent, the agreement of the mind to the truth of the Propoſition; as it reſpecteth the perſon of the Mediator, is a reſting, relying, and recumbency upon him, which is what we call the juſtifying act of faith: you may underſtand the term Faith in either ſenſe. By the word of faith revealing it, and by our ſouls acting faith, in agreeing and aſſenting to the truth of that word; we underſtand that the world, heaven and earth, was at firſt brought into being, fitted and joynted together by the powerful Word of God, commanding the production of all thoſe Beings which are in the world, and that beauty and order in which we ſee them placed.
But ſecondly, How doth the Apoſtle ſay we underſtand it by faith? May not this be underſtood by Reaſon? if it may, what need Faith in the caſe? or why, or how doth the Apoſtle ſay, by faith we underſtand this? Wherein doth Faith give us a further knowledg of this, than Reaſon hath given the Philoſopher?
To which I anſwer; Undoubtedly reaſon hath gone a great way, and may go a great way to make men underſtand, that the world was made by God. That the world was eternal, was indeed the opinion of a great Pagan Philoſopher; but his maſter Plato was of another mind, and he is ſaid to have learned it from Heſiod: and the moſt and wiſeſt amongſt the Heathens, acknowledged that the world was at firſt by a Divine power produced out of a not-being into a being. Nor indeed would their Reaſon allow them to judg otherwiſe; the infinite motions (the meaſures of things in the world), their order and ſucceſſion, their alterations and corruptions duly conſidered, forbiddeth reaſonable ſouls, with any conſiſtency to themſelves, to affirm the world to have had an eternal exiſtence. All motions muſt be in time, and have had a being; all ſucceſſions and corruptions of things plainly ſpeak, that they had a beginning; if we had no aſſiſtance in the proof of it from the word of faith.
2. The ſame Reaſon will agree that it gave not a firſt being to it ſelf, nothing is the efficient cauſe of it ſelf: experience tells us, that it is not in the power of a man to make the leaſt hair of his head white or black, much leſs to make an hair. Man is the nobleſt ſublunary Creature, but cannot make the meaneſt vegetable; all that his art can do, is but to counterfeit and diſſemble nature; if it be but as to a ſpire of graſs, or to the meaneſt flower of the field.
Now if it were not eternal: if it did not make it ſelf: if one part of it did not make another; it muſt be made by God. The worlds comprehending Angels and Men, ſenſitive and vegetative creatures; theſe all having had a beginning, and none of them being able to give being to another: we muſt in reaſon find out a more powerful and excellent firſt being, that muſt give being to all the beings in the world. This firſt being is that glorious infinite being, whom we call God. In ſhort, he that further conſidereth the world in its ſtructure and compoſition, as one part is knit and united to another: he that conſidereth the multitude of the creatures, their magnitude; the great and excellent powers, vertues, and qualities of ſome of them; the Symmetry of the ſeveral parts of the world, their ſubordinations each to other; muſt needs in reaſon, and by the force of that conclude, That the worlds were made by God.
So that the Apoſtle's words muſt not be underſtood excluſively; not as if we could no way but by faith underſtand this: It may be underſtood by Reaſon; and many that knew nothing of Faith, yet confeſſed it, and agreed it from the evidence of their Reaſon. Yet is not Faith and Reaſon to be confounded: Reaſon concludeth from connate, natural principles; Faith from acquired, revealed principles: neither evidence contradicteth each other. We underſtand it by reaſon more darkly, confuſedly, imperfectly, faintly; by faith we underſtand it more clearly, diſtinctly, more perfectly, and fixedly. By Reaſon we underſtand a little thereof: by the Revelation of faith we underſtand it fully. Let me a little further open this to you in three or four particulars.
1. Reaſon rather ſheweth us, that the world, then, that the worlds are made by Gods. It rather evidenceth to us the Creation of ſublunary things, which are ſubject to our ſenſes, whoſe natures and accidents we underſtand; than of thoſe things which are above the air. Reaſon will evidence to us, that the men of the world, the beaſts and plants are made by God; but we ſee the wits of the world diſputing whether there be any ſpirits or no: Reaſon layeth hold upon the alterations and corruptions of ſenſible beings, that have quantity, and concludeth their Original from their corruptibility; but when we come to ſpeak of thoſe Beings, that have no quantity, but are meerly ſpiritual, and not ſubject to thoſe changes and corruptions, Reaſon is at a loſs in a great meaſure: here Faith (Revelation which is the object of Faith) muſt help us. That teacheth us, the worlds were made by God: the world of inviſibles, and things not ſubjected to ſenſe, as well as the world of ſenſibles. Reaſon will help us to conclude God the Father of all fleſh; but not that he is the Father of all ſpirits, while it prompteth us to diſpute whether there be any ſuch Beings as Spirits, yea or no. Reaſon would hardly have agreed ſuch Beings as Angels, if Revelation had not come in to make it a foundation to ſtand upon; but by faith we underſtand it. Suppoſing the holy Scriptures to be the Word of God, it is clear enough there; and we cannot agree to the Scriptures, but we muſt agree to it; both that there are ſuch Beings as Spirits (ſubſtances without ſenſible matter), and that they were alſo made by God: being ſome of thoſe things in the Heavens, of which God was the Creator.
2. Suppoſing that Reaſon will tell us, That the worlds were made by God; yet it will not tell us, That they were made by the Word of God. Reaſon (as I have before hinted) will go a great way to perſwade, even an Ariſtotelian, that the World was not from eternity; but that it was made by a Divine omnipotent Being, pre-exiſtent to it: inſomuch that ſome of Ariſtotle's Diſciples in other things here deſerted him, and took themſelves ſo much concerned for their maſters Reputation, as to diſpute whether he ever meant it, yea or no. And the great Philoſopher himſelf, though he ſeemeth to have been fixed in his notion about the worlds Eternity in many places: yet in ſome particular paſſages of his writings, particularly in his Book De Generatione, ſeems to have wavered, diſputing which way God went to work in making of the world. And the fancies of the great Philoſophers ran very wild in this point: ſome will have it, that he firſt made a Chaos, or heap of confuſed matter; and out of that heap all particular things: as the Glaſs-man or Potter maketh his Veſſels; or the Brick-maker maketh his Brick and Tile: as if it had not been as eaſie by one work for God to have made out of nothing, all particular things, as to have made a Chaos out of nothing, that ſhould in it potentially contain all the ſpecies of particular Beings. Others would have that Heap or Maſs, call'd the Chaos, to have been eternal, out of which God produced all things: ſo it ſhould have been an improper Creation; not ex nihilo materiae, from a nothing of pre-exiſtent matter; but ex nihilo ſubjecti capacis, from a nothing of a ſubject capable to receive ſuch forms. But that God produced all things out of a meer nothing, or not-being of matter; and by the word of his power gave a being, not only to all particular forms of beings, but to all matter, and particular beings; ſaying, Let there be light, and there was light: let there be a firmament, and it was ſo. This is a thing Reaſon could never dream of, never from any connate principles conclude it. This faith tells us, the Word of God revealeth to us: Reaſon could never diſcern, never conclude: though it might conclude the thing, that the worlds were made by God; yet it could not conclude the modus, or manner of the thing, how God ſhould do it; or that he did it by the word of his power. This we could not by reaſon comprehend or underſtand.
3. Reaſon giveth us a confuſed general notion, that the worlds were made by God: but faith giveth us a diſtinct account of particulars, the order, manner, and method of them. Reaſon will tell us, the world could not be eternal, that it could not give an Original to it ſelf; that it muſt be produced by a more noble and excellent being. But now for the circumſtances of the Creation, the order, the time, the manner, that the world was created in ſix days; that light was firſt created, then the celeſtial bodies, and then the terreſtrial, &c. What was done the firſt day, what the ſecond, what the third, &c. Reaſon tells us not. Reaſon will tell us, that the firſt man was Gods Creation, for he could not be eternal; he could not give being to himſelf, he muſt be produced by a more excellent being: but that the woman ſhould be made of the rib of man, That man ſhould be made according to the Image of God; That he was made the ſixth day, after the reſt of Gods Works, and had a Dominion given him over them: This Faith learns us, Reaſon telleth us nothing of it.
4. Laſtly, Reaſon creates in the ſoul, at beſt, but a faint aſſent to this Propoſition, That the worlds are made by God, and ſtill leaveth the mind under incertain fluctuations and doubts about it. By faith we underſtand, ſaith the Text; we are not properly ſaid to underſtand thoſe things, of which we have only a general, confuſed, indiſtinct knowledg, and to which we only give an incertain languid aſſent. The great Philoſopher in the world (as you have heard) hath doubted, whether the world were made at all, or had an eternal exiſtence. Others, whether it had not its Original from a caſual concourſe of Atoms: infinitely vain have been unſanctified mens imaginations, as in other things, ſo concerning the Original of the world; and optimus Philoſophus (we ſay) non naſcitur. We are diſputing ſtill the moſt confeſſed concluſions, which are no more than the ſtructures of Reaſon. So that indeed we are beholden to Faith, to the Revelation of the word (which is the object of Faith), and to the habits of Grace (habits of faith), for the ſettlement of our minds in Propoſitions of truth. It is but an auxiliary advantage as to Divine Propoſitions, which Reaſon gives us; our mind is not ſet at reſt, and ſettled by them. A luxuriant wit and fancy maketh all the perſwaſion and confirmation of them from Reaſon very incertain. Faith only brings the Soul to a reſt about them, and gives the ſoul a clear, diſtinct, certain notion, and underſtanding of them. By Reaſon we rather think, and opine, than underſtand, and certainly know, that the worlds were made by God. But this is enough for the Explication. I come to the Application of the Doctrine.
This in the firſt place may help to confirm our Faith concerning the Divine Being, the Ʋnity of it, Ʋſe 1 and the Trinity of perſons in it: the worlds were made by God: Then there muſt be a God, whoſe being was pre-exiſtent to the world; and this God muſt be infinite in Power, and in Wiſdom. The producing of things out of a not-being into a being, required an infinite power: the producing of ſuch a variety of Beings, many of which were furniſhed, and adorned with ſuch excellent perfections and qualities; the kniting and joynting of all together, and putting them in ſuch an excellent ſubjection, and ſubordination each to other, required an infinite wiſdom, a wiſdom paramount to any created wiſdom; yea above all the wiſdom of the Creatures, had all their wiſdoms been united. This being infinite in Power, and Wiſdom, muſt be God: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, Gen. 1.1. God alone ſpread out the heavens, Job 9.8. He made the heavens, and the earth, the ſea, and all that therein is. Yea, thus the Lord proveth himſelf to be God, I am the Lord, and there is none other; forming the light, and making the darkneſs, verſ. 7. And thus the true and living God ſtandeth diſtinguiſhed from Idols, Jer. 10.11. The Gods that have not made the heavens and the earth: even they ſhall periſh from the earth, and from under theſe heavens: He hath made the earth by his power, he hath eſtabliſhed the world by his wiſdom, and hath ſtretched out the heavens by his diſcretion. Thus the Apoſtle argues, Heb. 3.4. Every houſe is builded by ſome: but he that made all things is God; yea, and this God is one. The uniformity of this great ſtructure, the beauty, and order, and ſubordination of all things in it do abundantly prove this by Reaſon. But Faith yet more confirmeth it, Mal. 2.10. Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? Indeed (as I before ſaid,) the ſtructure and fabrick of it ſheweth that one will willed it, one wiſdom contrived and directed it, and that one hand framed it. And this one God is three perſons, the Father of whom are all things, 1 Cor. 8.6. The Son, by whom are all things; for without him was nothing made that is made, Joh. 1.3. By him he made the worlds, Heb. 1.3. The Holy Spirit, that moved at the firſt upon the face of the waters, Gen. 1.1. Thou ſendeſt forth thy ſpirit, and they were created, Pſal. 104.30. Job 33.4. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life, foreign. In the Hebrew, Gods created. I think it is well ſaid of a grave Author, Conſtans aliqua & certa ratio pluralis numeri de Deo uſurpati reddi alia nequit quam perſonarum pluralitas. There can be no other ſteady certain reaſon given, why the Hebrew word ſo ordinarily tranſlated God, ſhould be in the plural number, but to notifie to us the plurality of perſons in the Divine Being: all three are but that one God, who made heaven and the earth. The School-men determine right, that there is an infinite ſpace from nothing to ſomething; and therefore nothing but the infinite power of an infinite God, could bring any thing out of a not-being into a being.
From hence we may eaſily conclude what a God we ſerve: Ʋſe 2 we ſerve him that made heaven and earth, and conſequently one, who is, 1. Infinite in power. 2. Excellent in wiſdom. 3. Admirable in goodneſs and mercy. 1. Infinite in Power and Greatneſs. To produce the leaſt thing, and bring it out of a not-being into being (as I argued before), ſpeaketh an unmeaſurable infinite power: What power doth it then require, to produce all the various kinds and ſpecies of Creatures, the great bodies of the Heavens and the Earth; and all thoſe great bodies in them both, out of a meer nothing, and not-being, into an exiſtence and being? Ex magnitudine creaturarum Deus magnus intelligitur, &c. From the greatneſs of the Creatures, ſaith Auguſtine, we may underſtand the greatneſs of God: What an infinite and immenſe God do we ſerve? What nothings of being, and of power muſt we be compared with him? All the nations of the earth are to him as the drop of a bucket, as the ſmall duſt of the ballance. 2. Excellent in wiſdom. The contrivance of the fabrick and ſtructure of the world ſpeaketh this: But what an abundance of wiſdom hath the great Creator ſcattered up and down the Creation? What a natural ſagacity is, not in man only, but in many brute Creatures? What abundance of moral prudence and diſcretion is obſerved, and to be found in many earthly Princes? Their Miniſters of State and Counſellers, and in others of an inferior order? What infinite wiſdom appears in joynting the world, and making the ſeveral parts of it to fit, and to ſerve one another, and to compound the different qualities of creatures to the ſervice each of other, and of the Univerſe? Oh the infinite wiſdom of the only wiſe God! yet how little do we ſee of it? 3. Yea, and his infinite goodneſs alſo is apparent in the Creation of all things. Whoſo looketh upon the uſefulneſs of the Creatures to each other; their joynt ſubſerviency to their end, and particularly their uſefulneſs and ſubſerviency to man, who hath by the Law of Creation a Dominion and Rule over all; muſt cry out, Who is like unto thee, O Lord? who is like unto thee, glorious in holineſs, fearful in praiſes, working wonders?
We may from hence obſerve the vanity of thoſe Philoſophers of this world, who would either make the world, Ʋſe 3 as fitted and joynted together, to be eternal, and without a beginning; or at leaſt ſome Chaos, or heap of confuſed matter to have been ſo: as alſo of thoſe, who as to the Creation of the world, will have God at firſt to have made ſuch a confuſed Chaos or Maſs, and then out of that to have made all things. The Potter indeed muſt have ſuch an heap of Clay, before he can make his Pots of ſeveral ſizes and faſhions; but if he were to create this Clay, certainly he would go the furtheſt way about; for by the ſame power that he muſt firſt have to give being to his Clay, he might make his ſeveral ſorts and ſizes of Veſſels, and ſave himſelf that double labour. I conclude, by Faith we underſtand that the worlds were made by the Power, or by the Word of God. His Power was the efficient cauſe of it; his Goodneſs the final cauſe of its Creation; his Wiſdom the exemplary cauſe.
4. Ʋſe 4 We may from hence learn, the uſefulneſs, neceſſity and excellency of faith: Faith taken for the object of it, Faith taken for the habit and act of it. The Word of God, the habit of Faith, the exerciſe of it, they are all uſeful. We have great magnifyings of Reaſon, and indeed Reaſon is a noble faculty: it is that to the ſoul, which the eye is to the body, which light is to the eye; but Faith is not uſeleſs, becauſe Reaſon is uſeful; yea Reaſon muſt ride but in the ſecond Chariot: Reaſon would have taught us little of Spirits, indeed we by Faith know little of them; but we know ſo much as God will pleaſe to reveal; we had known much leſs, if left only to what concluſions we could have raiſed from natural principles. Reaſon would have taught us nothing in particular, how, and in what order, or in what time the world was made. Nay, 2ly, There is not an uſe of Faith only, but a neceſſity of it. The Creation of the world is an object of our Faith, and to be received upon the credit of the Word of God; we muſt ſo aſſent to it, as by our aſſent to give an homage to Gods Authority in revealing it: this we cannot do but by Faith. Finally, from this diſcourſe appeareth the Excellency of Faith; it maketh us to underſtand, that the worlds were framed by the Word of God; it puts our mind beyond doubts, and endleſs diſputes, and incertain fluctuations; it leaveth us not to the endleſs inquiries of Philoſophy, how theſe things could be, &c.
Laſtly, Ʋſe 5 Learn hence how every inanimate and brute creature praiſeth God, and how infinitely all rational creatures are obliged to the ſervice and obedience of God. 1. How every inanimate and brute creature praiſeth God: The heavens (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) declare the glory of God, and the firmament ſheweth his handy-work: Day unto day uttereth ſpeech, and night unto night declareth knowledg: there is no ſpeech nor language, where their voice is not heard: their line is gone out to the end of the earth, and their words to the end of the world: In them hath he ſet a tabernacle for the Sun, &c. Pſal. 19.1, 2, 3, 4. There is no Creature but giveth a mute praiſe to God, they ſhew the Lords Glory, and praiſe him; as the picture finely drawn doth praiſe the Limner, or the building praiſeth the Maſon or Carpenter; as any great effect praiſeth its efficient cauſe. And this is a thing we ought to attend, and obſerve in our Contemplation and uſe of the Creatures; we ſhould view God in them: ſee how God is glorified in their brave and uſeful ſtructure and compoſition; Oh how ſweet a Contemplation would this be, if we could view the Glory, Power, Wiſdom, infinite Goodneſs of the Creator in them all! But ſecondly, How particularly is man concerned, to praiſe, love, and ſerve God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth! to man he hath alone given Reaſon to make concluſions; to man hath he given the word of Faith; for man he hath made all theſe things, and given him a Dominion over the work of his hands. Now who planteth a vineyard (ſaith the Apoſtle), 1 Cor. 9.7. and eateth not of the fruit thereof? The world is a great Vineyard, God hath planted it, he hath let it out to the Sons of men as his husband-men; Should he not eat of the fruit thereof? The inanimate Creatures, they declare the glory of God: the Heavens declare his Glory, the Earth ſheweth his handy-work, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, carry the high Praiſes and Glory of God to the utmoſt ends of the Earth. Do not you that are Fathers think your Sons obliged to ſerve, and to honour you? Yet you were but partial cauſes of their being; God did much more than you to their production. Doth not the Maſter think his ſervant is obliged to ſerve, and to honour him, becauſe he hath made him, he hath raiſed him up to ſome capacity of living in the world, to ſome dignity? The Potter thinketh that he may command the Pots which he hath made, and ſhall not man be the ſervant of the moſt high God, who made him, and who made the world for him?
1. In Reaſon he ought to be ſo, he oweth his being, his well-being, all that he hath, all the accommodations of his life unto God.
2. God expecteth it from him. Nulla neceſſitate coactus, (ſaith Holy Auguſtine) nulla ſua cujuſdam utilitatis indigentia permotus, ſed ſola bonitate ac liberrima voluntate fecit Deus quicquid fecit. God was not compelled to make the world, he needed it not, he made it meerly of his own goodneſs, and for the uſe of man. Can any one think that God doth not expect homage and ſervice from man? And from hence three things muſt follow,
1. That the preſumptuous ſinner muſt neceſſarily be the moſt unnatural creature; he ſerveth not the end of his Creation. The graſs was made for the food of the beaſt, that ſerveth its end, it grows, is cut down, &c. The beaſts ſerve their end, they were made for the uſe of man, for his food, his covering; they dye daily, are clipped, ſhorn, flea'd, and all for man, only the ſinner ſerveth not his end. He was made for the Honour and Glory of God, he doth nothing leſs; yea his whole life is a diſhonouring God, an abuſing of his holy name and things.
2. That this ſinner is the moſt ingrateful creature in the world: he acts from his will and choice, with the uſe of Reaſon. Now doing ſo, conſidering that not only he is born in the Lords houſe, and is his Creation; but all the Creatures upon which he lives, by the uſe of which his life is made ſweet to him, are the Lords, his Wheat, his Oyl, his Wool, Silk, Flax, &c. This ſpeaketh him the moſt ingrateful creature in the whole Creation.
3. Nay laſtly, It ſpeaks him the moſt ſelf-condemned creature. If he would but ask his own conſcience, whoſe image and ſuperſcription he bears, it would certainly reply unto him, God's: then certainly that of our Saviour would follow, Render therefore unto God, the things that are Gods; and in not doing ſo, he cannot but be condemned by his own Conſcience, whenever he will give it liberty to ſpeak freely to him.