The Glory of God in the Firmament of His Power, Sermon

The Glory of God in the Firmament of His Power · Sermon

p. 1The GLORY of GOD In the FIRMAMENT of his Power.

PSALM CL. 1.

Praiſe ye the LORD! Praiſe GOD in his Sanctuary, PRAISE HIM IN THE FIRMAMENT OF HIS POWER.

SO the Book of Pſalms ends; ſo the laſt of the great Hallelujah **The five laſt Pſalms are ſo called.begins. The Call to praiſe GOD is here loud and trebled; as Iſaiah and afterwards John the beloved Diſciple, ſaw and heard the Seraphims cry before the Throne three Times,—Holy, holy, holy—‖‖Iſa. vi. Rev. ….Isa 6

The Reaſon of my bringing you theſe Words this Morning is, becauſe we have again finiſhed the reading the Book of Pſalms to you in our Lord's-Day Morning Exerciſe: And another Reaſon is, becauſe the Providence of GOD order us this Afternoon to read to you the Order of the GOVERNMENT for a Day of PRAISE TO GOD, our yearly Thankſgiving-Day.—O might our Days and Years and Life … p. 2and Eternity go on in Acts of Adoration, Thankſgivings and Praiſes in the higheſt.

We ſhould be daily praiſing GOD in our Houſes, with our Families and in our Cloſets; but Praiſes to GOD muſt yet be more ſolemn, public and reverend in the Aſſemblies of Sion, in the ‖‖In Caelo, procul dubio; ſays Calvin, in the Celeſtial Sanctuary, Bp. Patrick.SANCTUARIES of GOD.

And becauſe it is in and by the FIRMAMENT which GOD has ſpread over and around us, that we behold his eternal Power in his Works and read it in his Word, and live, move and have our Being in GOD; and becauſe we could neither ſee or hear any Thing of GOD without this Firmament ſurrounding us; nor could Day and Night, Heat and Cold, Summer or Winter, Seed-Time and Harveſt be known to us without it; nor the LORD GOD in his Judgments of Blaſting and Mildew, Famine and Peſtilences, Lightning and Thunder, Earthquake and Inundation; therefore we are well directed and required in my Text more eſpecially to praiſe him for this, without which there could be neither Speech, Voice nor Hearing: "Praiſe Him in the Firmament of his Power.

The Firmament in made for Motion, Sight and Sound, Life and Breathing: "Let every Thing that has Breath praiſe GOD in it and for it; as is ſaid after my Text. And how could a Book of Pſalms for Man on Earth end more properly and comprehenſively? Let the Firment ring and reſound with Praiſes to our GOD and KING! This Univerſe is his, which our Eyes look thro; Sing ye Praiſes with Underſtanding: Praiſe him for his mighty Acts, praiſe him according to his excellent Greatneſs; praiſe him on the high ſounding Cymbals.

You ſee, my dear Brethren and Children, whither I am about to lead you! Into what immenſe Spaces and Circles whither the Eagles Wing or Eye can never reach!— But how ſhall a feeble Mind, in a Body broken with p. 3Age, bear you away into the Heights above? And down into the Depths below? thro' Syſtems ten thouſand Million Times wider than the Earth, and broader than the Sea! that I may not therefore, loſe my ſelf and you in this unſearchable and impaſſable Tract of Aether, wherein our Sun and Planets, Earth and Moon roll Day and Night, Summer and Winter; and thro' which the fix'd Stars twinkle and cloſe our Sight; I will keep to the ſure WORD OF GOD, the BIBLE in my Hand, and from that form my Diſcourſe of the DIVINE POWER in the FIRMAMENT of Heaven, and of the PRAISES due from us to the ALMIGHTY in the Contemplation hereof.

Give me therefore your patient and raiſed Attention while I, 1. Conſider the Firmament as the Work of GOD: 2. The Power of GOD it it: And 3. The Praiſes we ſhould render him on this Account.

I. I am to ſhow that the Firmament is GOD'S, his Work; his Creation, his Creature; for he made it; it did not expand it ſelf; GOD ſtretched it out, and holds it in its wondrous Being; with all the mighty Worlds within the vaſt Circumference. Some of theſe Globes our Eyes can reach, and Art can meaſure in an imperfect Manner; and what more and greater are beyond our Sight, we may imagine, but can never know in theſe mortal Bodies.—But whatever this Space be; which we call Firmament, or whatever Worlds like this Earth of ou be contained in it; Moſes has let us know from GOD, that the LORD himſelf and alone made it, on the ſecond Day, by the Word of his Power; as he did the Light before it, and the Seas and dry Land after it; For ſo we read, Gen. 1.6. And GOD ſaid, "let there be a Firmament, and GOD called the Firmament Heaven.

The Word which we tranſlate Firmament ſignifies Extenſion; and a vaſt Extenſion truly is the viſible Heaven; that Region of Air which appears to our Eyes as a Covering or Curtain ſtretched over us; which is the Pſalmiſts humble Repreſentation, in the 104. Pſalm.—It is properly divided by us into the lower and upper Region. The lower is out Atmoſphere, a Body of groſſer Air cleaving to our p. 4Earth as a Garment, and moving with it; in which we breathe and move, the Birds fly and ſing, the Vapours riſe and fall, the Clouds roll, the Dews and Rains deſcend, the Lightning and Thunder terrify us: And in the higher Regions of this Atmoſphere there are much more terrible Metcors (as the Learned **Probably that extraordinary Phaenominon, or Stream and Exploſion of Fire, ſeen and heard by ſo many Towns lately in Connecticut for near a hundred Miles Length, on the 24th of November; was one of theſe Meteors of the upper Region, whereof Mr. Whiſton I remember ſays,—"That if they ſhould deſcend into our Atmoſphere they would deſtory whole Provinces together.tells us) which it is happy for the Inhabitants of the Earth, that they are at ſuch Diſtance from them.

The Firmament of Aether riſes from the Bound of this our Atmoſphere unto the Sun and fixed Stars; ††Aether is that ſubtle Matter or Medium, much finer and rarer than Air, which commencing from the Limits of our Atmoſphere, poſſeſſes the whole heavenly Space.— The Learned cannot conceive the largeſt Part of the Creation ſhould be perfectly void and therefore fill it with a Species of Matter under this Denomination of Aether, or Aethereal.an unknown and inconceivable Space; of which David (inſpired from on High) has taught us to ſing, Pſalm viii. …, 4. When I conſider thy Heavens, the Work of thy Fingers, the Moon and Stars which thou haſt ordained; what is Man that thou art mindful of him? And the Son of Man that thou viſiteſt him? And again Pſalm xix. 1,—4. The Heavens declare the Glory of GOD, the Firmament ſheweth his handy Work: Day unto Day uttereth Speech, Night unto Night ſheweth Knowledge; there is no Speech nor Language where their Voice is not heard; their Line is gone out thro' all the Earth, and their Words to the End of the World.

The Height of theſe Heavens (ſays a devout Expoſitor) may mind us of GOD'S Supremacy; the Purity and Brightneſs of them of his Holineſs and Glory; the Vaſtneſs of them of his Immenſity, and their Influence of his univerſal Providence, and infinite Communications to us.

p. 5But it is the POWER of GOD more eſpecially that I am to conſider in this Expanſion of Aether and Air around us. Wherefore,

II. This POWER of GOD in his FIRMAMENT (which who can underſtand?) commands now our reverend Attention: —But how little a Portion have we heard of it. Job xxvi. 14.

And Firſt, The immeaſurable Extent and Comprehenſion of the Firmament, the Height and Depth, Length and Breadth of it, ſpeaks the infinite Power of GOD: Who with a Word's ſpeaking could ſpread abroad ſuch an Expanſe around ſo many Spheres and Worlds, which are themſelves of vaſt Dimenſions, and yet are all incircled and contain'd therein. Great is our LORD, and of great POWER, his Underſtanding is infinite, Pſal. cxlvii. 5.

When Moſes wrote of GOD'S Power in the Sea, he ſays—"And GOD created great Whales; they being in Bulk the greateſt of any moving Creature that hath Life: How much more may we admire the great Power of GOD in the Compaſs of the Sea it ſelf? And in that of the Firmament, in Compariſon whereof the Sea is but as a Hand-Breadth. Pſal. civ. 1, 2. O LORD my GOD thou art very great; who ſtretcheſt out the Heavens as a Curtain, who covereſt thy ſelf with Light as with a Garment! Job xxvi. 7. He ſtretcheth out the North over the empty Space; and hangeth the Earth upon nothing. And thus are the Sun, Moon, Planets and every Star hung in their various Diſtances: heavy Bodies, as they all are, yet they float in Air, and keep their Circles.

Very grand and noble are the Words of Elihu to Job; but according to the **The ancient Philoſophers fancied the Heavens to be a ſolid Body and that the Stars were faſtned therein; and this was perhaps the Notion that Elihu had thereof; the ſeventy Interpreters accordingly tranſlate the Hebrew Word, the Firm or Solid. Monſ. Saurin p. 3.—"Yet many of the Ancients allowed with the Moderns that the Firmament is a fluid Body; tho' they that gave it the Denomination of Firmament, muſt doubtleſs have taken it for a ſolid One. Chambers Cycloped.old Philoſophy of his Day and of p. 6many later Ages; Job xxxvii. 18. Haſt thou with him ſpread out the Sky, which is STRONG and as a Molten Looking-glaſs. This Simile brings to Mind a fine Thought of the Philoſopher Plato; That GOD made every Part of the Univerſe with the ſame Eaſe and Swiftneſs, as the Images of the Things are repreſented by a Looking-glaſs. —"He ſpake and it was done, he commanded and it ſtood firm.

Secondly, The Power of GOD is glorious in the Conſiſtency and Strength of this Fluid, which is ſo much rarer than Water, and yet bears about mighty Clouds with vaſt Burthens of Water in them; which they diſtill abundantly in the great and ſmall Rai… of his Strength: And altho' the Fires of GOD break thro' the midſt of theſe Rains with mighty Force and …ar, yet neither is the Atmoſphere nor the Cloud it ſelf rent; there being an **The Elaſticity of the Air is the Force wherewith it dilates it ſelf, upon the Removal of that which Compreſſes it, returning to its former Degree of Expanſion: Whence it follows that it is equal to the Weight of the whole incumbent Atmoſphere. Chambers.Elaſticity or Spring in the Air which inſenſibly yeilds to Bodies in their Motion, and yet ſtrongly cloſes round them and holds them in their Motion; which is the wondrous Power of GOD exerted in it thro' all Spaces; but to us moſt ſenſibly (and yet inſenſibly) in our own Atmoſphere, which cleaves to our Earth and moves with it, even as our Skin or Clothes with our Bodies; by which Means we are inſenſible of the diurnal and annual Motion of our Earth; notwithſtanding the Velocity and Force thereof.—The Pillars of it ſeem to tremble in the furious ſtormy Seaſon, and the Atmoſphere appears at Times to be rending aſunder; but GOD has faſtned the Foundations of both alike in his own Power, and they are preſerv'd. The fair Weather returns out of the North, and with GOD is terrible Majeſty. Job xxxvii. 22. All is calm, and bright, and ſoft and eaſy again, tho' but juſt now the Deep boiled, the Trees rent, and the very Houſes ſeem'd to reel before the great Wind, of God's Strength. Amos v. 8. Seek him that maketh the Stars and Orion, and turneth the Shadow p. 7of Death into the Morning, and makes the Day dark with Night! Who calls for the Waters of the Sea (calls 'em up into the Air by the gentle Beams of the Sun) and then pours 'em out on the Face of the Earth; the LORD is is his Name: He buildeth his Stories in the Heavens (or in the FIRMAMENT) and calls for the Waters of the Sea; the LORD is his Name. Amos ix. 6.

Thirdly, The Power of GOD is ſeen in this Firmament of Air about us, in that our Life and the Life of all Animals; "Beaſts and all Cattle, creeping Things and flying Fowl," is ſuſtained and upheld by this Proviſion for their common Breath. We and all the Creatures round about us live by Breathing; we breathe in and out the Air, which is therefore truly called the Breath of Life; breathed by GOD (as Moſes tells us) into the Noſtril of Man in the Day wherein he was created. Gen. ii. 7. And the more eaſily Life is continued by this conſtant Reſpiration, ſo much the more wonderful is the Power of GOD therein; who does the greateſt and moſt beneficial Things to and for his Creatures with the greateſt Eaſe.—We breathe without the leaſt Pains or Labour, with perfect Eaſe and Pleaſure from Day to Day in a State of Health; without thinking of the Breath we draw. The ſoft Air is ſweet and cool to us, The Breath of the ALMIGHTY which gives us Life, Job xxxiii. 4. i. e. The Power of the ALMIGHTY is in it, together with his Goodneſs; and when HE gathers to himſelf the Spirit and the Breath, all Fleſh expire.

O the Power and Goodneſs of GOD to us in that Air we breathe in! It is the Firmament of his Power about us, which holds our Souls in Life; for Breath and Spirit ſtay and go together; Pſal. civ. 29. Thou takeſt away their Breath, they die and return to their Duſt. cxlvi. 4. His Breath goes forth, he returns to his Earth.

Fourthly, The Firmament is the great Power of GOD, in reſpect of the eaſy and mighty Motion that Bodies have therein; the greater and the leſs, higher or heavier, animate or inanimate.

p. 81. MAN moves upon the Ground with Eaſe and Safety, and ſo the Creatures put under his Feet, by reaſon of the Equilibrium or Balance in the Air, without which he and they would fall and be cruſh'd to Pieces every Step they take.— So 'tis that GOD girds us with Strength and makes our Way perfect, as we read in the xviii. Pſalm: He makes our Feel like Hinds Feet, and hold us in our high Places: The Sailors climb the tall Maſts and run upon the Ropes; the Builders on the Tops of Houſes and on the naked Rafters, and are ſafe; Alſo he teaches our Hands to War, and a Bow of Steel is broken by our Arms; his Gentleneſs makes us great and his right Hand holds us up; he enlarges our Steps under us, and our Feet do not ſlip. It is all owing to the Force and Compreſſion of the Elaſtic Air aroung us, which is the Power of GOD in his Firmament.—The ſlow Ox treads firm by Reaſon of this, while it draws the Plough or Cart; the ſwift Race-Horſe treads ſtrong and ſure as he ſeems to fly thro' the Air: The Deer, Hare and Hound alike owe their Speed to this; and ſo do the Birds on their Wing, even all the Fowl of Heaven; and none more than the ſtrong Hawk and the Eagle.

2. In this Firmament of God's Power the Vapours and Clouds have their Motions; the Dews alſo and the Rains; "The ſmall and great Rains of GOD's Strength"; his Treaſures of Snow and Hail, his Lightnings and Thunders; his Tempeſt and Whirlwind which takes us as Stubble; the LORD has his Way in it.

The Thunder of his Power who can underſtand? And who is not at Times ſtruck into a ſacred Aſtoniſhment at it? When the Fire of his Lightning ſometimes ſtrikes and melts a Cannon in a Moment of Time! At this (as Elihu ſpeaks) Our Hearts may well tremble and be moved out of their Place! hear attentively the Noiſe of his Voice, and the Sound that goeth out of his Mouth! He directs it under the whole Heaven, and his Lightning to the Ends of the Earth! He thunders marvelouſly, with the Voice of his Excellency. Job xxxvii.

Thus was the Power of GOD ſeen and felt in the Fire and Brimſtone which he rained from Heaven on Sodom; p. 9and ſo in the Fire and Hail that poured down and ran along the Ground in the Day of Egypt.

3. Again, How terrible does the Firmament of GOD's Power appear to us in Storms at Sea, which toſs up the Waters to the Sky! Or in Storms at Land, which blow down our Houſes! As in the Day of the Sons and Daughters of Job, when met to rejoice together in the Bounties of their GOD. — How dreadful looks the Power of GOD in our Air in thoſe Deſcriptions which He himſelf has given us of it! Pſalm xviii. 8,—16. There went up a Smoke out of his Noſtrils, and Fire out of his Mouth devoured; Coals were kindled — it! He bowed the Heavens alſo and came down and Darkneſs was under his Feet! He rode upon a Cherub and did fly, yea he flow upon the Wings of the Wind! He made Darkneſs his ſecret Place, his Pavilion round about him were dark Waters and thick Clouds of the Sky! At the Brightneſs that was before him his thick Clouds paſſed; Hail-Stones and Coals of Fire! Then the Channels of the Waters were ſeen, and the Foundations of the World were diſcovered! At thy Rebuke O LORD, at the Blaſt of the Breath of thy Noſtrils! And Pſalm xcvii. 4, 5, 6. His Lightnings enlighten the World, the Earth ſees and trembles! the Hills melt like Wax at the Preſence of the LORD! the Heavens declare his Righteouſneſs, and all the People ſee his Glory!

4. In this Firmament of Power there are other Fires, which GOD kindles and conſumes us by: peſtilential Vapours float in our Air, which we breathe in, and they kindle Flames within us, which burn us to Death: — Drought, Blaſting and Mildew alſo come from too much Heat or Cold, Dryneſs or Moiſture in the Air, to famiſh us and the Creatures about us, as it pleaſes GOD to order it: Theſe are the Power of GOD in judging a People for their Sins.

5. Out of this WOMB alſo comes the Froſt and Ice, which ſealeth up the Hand of every Man: The Waters are as it were changed into Stone, and who can ſtand before GOD's Cold? Job. xxxviii. 33. Canſt thou looſe theſe Bands of Orion? Canſt thou ſet the Dominion of them in the Earth? Read the Power of GOD in his Firmament in the Vial of his Wrath; Rev. xvi. 17,—21. And the ſeventh Angel poured out p. 10his Vial into the Air, — and there were Voices and Thunders and Lightnings, and a great Earthquake! And great Babylon came into Remembrance before GOD, to give her the Cup of the Wine of the Fierceneſs of his Wrath! And every Iſland fled away, and the Mountains were not found; and there fell upon Men a great Hail out of Heaven, every Stone about the Weight of a Talent; and Men blaſphemed GOD becauſe of the Plague of the Hail; for the Plague thereof was exceeding great. — What a terrifying Power is this Vengeance of GOD in theſe lower Regions of our …? from the Commotion and Rage of Winds and Vapours! — And yet I muſt aſcend

6. Into the higher Regions of the Firmament, to and above the Moon and Planets in their regular and certain Courſes, fulfilling their Years about the Sun in Circles proper to themſelves, as our Earth obſerves its own! And to the Comets if we could, every now and then ſhowing themſelves unto us with their Blaze, in Courſes which we know little or nothing of! — What mighty Bodies are theſe, and how mighty Motions! for Swiftneſs, Conſtancy, Order and Uſe! And how powerful the Gravitation, Attraction, **The Attraction of Gravity, found in all Bodies, in Proportion to the Quantities of Matter, and the Squares of their Diſtances, is the Power whereby the Planets, primary and ſecondary, as well as the Comets, we ſuppoſe, are retained in their Orbits: Thus with utmoſt Eaſe, by the Wiſdom and Power of GOD, each heavenly Body performs all its great Motion: And without ſuch a Principle (given by GOD) our new Philoſophy teaches us that Motion had never been, and would ſoon periſh.Magnetiſm, or what ſhall we call their unknown mutual Influence on each other! which we have abundant Reaſon to believe, but can never explain. — Theſe Motions of the Celeſtial Orbs, and of our Earth in Harmony and Union with them, are the proper Muſic of the Spheres, (no Doubt the very Meaning of theſe Words in ancient Poets or Philoſophers) and it is the great Power of GOD.

p. 11So I have loſt my ſelf in leading you through the Firmament of GOD's Power, — and now that it may be wholly to the Glory of his GREAT NAME, and to the ſpiritual eternal Good of our Souls; I paſs on in the third and laſt Place, to ſay

III. How GOD is to be PRAISED BY US in and for this his Power and Glory in the Firmament.

And if it were not ſuch as it is, and there were not ſuch an Excellency of Power in it; we could not move our Tongue, nor open a Lip to praiſe Him! We could not form the leaſt Word we ſpeak or Note we ſing in his Sanctuary! It is becauſe we have ſuch an Air to breathe in, that we can lift our Voice on high, and make one Sound together, in the Praiſes of our GOD. — The Air is made for Sound; and to be ſure therefore firſt of all to make the high PRAISES of GOD to be heard among us and from us.

1. The Work it ſelf praiſes GOD; ſpeaks his Eternal Power and GODHEAD, and ſhows his excellent Greatneſs. Without it, none of the Works of GOD could be beheld by us; for it is made for a Medium of Viſion, for the Paſſage of Light to our Eyes; and ſo Day after Day utters this Speech, calling on us to awake up our Glory and not be ſilent. The Firmament ſheweth his handy-Work, (the daily Operations of his Hand) and new Matter of Praiſe breaks in upon us every Morning and paſſes before us every Moment. — We call in the Aſſiſtance of our Glaſſes, the wondrous Telieſcope, and through mighty Diſtances eſpy new Worlds, which give us new Calls to adore and lift up our Voices in new Songs; Pſal. cxlviii. 3, 4, 5. Praiſe ye Him Sun and Moon, praiſe him all ye Stars of Light! Praiſe Him ye Heaven of Heavens, and ye Waters that be above the Heavers! For he commanded and they were created; he hath alſo eſtabliſhed them for ever and ever, by a Decree which ſhall not paſs.

2. The dumb Creatures praiſe GOD in their Manner, for the Firmament which they breathe and feed in. "The wild Aſs ſnuffeth up the hind at large! Who has ſent p. 12him out free? Who has looſed his Bonds, and made the Wilderneſs his Houſe, the barren Land his choſen Dwelling? Job xxxix. GOD takes the Praiſe of it to Himſelf! A Praiſe which ſtupid Man would ſcarce have thought of. He ſcorneth the Multitude of the City, nor regards the Crying of the Driver: The Range of the Mountains is his Paſture, and he ſearcheth after every green Thing. He feeds upon a thouſand pleaſant Hills and rich Meadows; while in his Eyes the curious Botaniſt is poring dully, tho' in ours wiſely and diligently, into the Root and Stalk, Leaf and Flower of every Vegetable and all their Virtues; that he may render to his GOD the Praiſes of them all.

But leaving the wild Aſs to range on, let us look at home, on the generous Horſe at our Door. It is the Firmament of GOD's POWER that has given the Horſe his Strength, and clothed his Neck with Thunder: The Glory of his Noſtrils is terrible! He paws in the Valley, and mocks at Fear, nor turns back from the Sword: He ſwallows the Ground with Fierceneſs and Rage, ſmells the Battle afar off, and anſwers to the ſhouting and Thunder of the Captains. Job. xxxix. 24, 25.

So the "Hawk flies by the Wiſdom of GOD, who has prepared the Air for its ſtrong Wings, which ſhe ſtretcheth to the North and South; as if the whole Firmament were her own. The Eagle alſo mounts up, and makes her Neſt on high. GOD diſplays the Power of his Firmament in theſe Inſtances, ver. 26, 27. — And in the two next Chapters the LORD magnifies to Man, for his Abaſement before Him, his Behemoth on the Land, and his Leviathan in the Sea; which are among the chief of his Ways; for the one truſts that he can drink up the Rivers, and the other ſpouts up the Seas againſt the Skies. — Nor is there a ſtrong Beaſt on Land, or Fiſh in Water, that could ſtretch a Synew or a Fin, if the Element of Air did not cleave around and compreſs our Terraqueous Globe.**"The Compreſſion of the Air, by its own Weight, is exceeding great▪ As 1. is to 13000 (ſays our new Philoſophy) ſo is the common Air we breathe and move in compreſſed by the Weight of the ſuper-incumbent Atmoſphere; which is computed to be 17 French Leagues in Height.

p. 13So has GOD ſpoken to Man once out of the Whirlwind, and demanded the Praiſes of his inferior Creatures; and he has it: Pſalm cxlviii. 7, 8, 9. Praiſe the LORD from the Earth, ye Dragons and all Deeps, Mountains and all Hills, fruitful Trees and all Cedars, Beaſts and all Cattle, creeping Things and flying Fowl.

3. But MAN, MAN — he is the Creature here below, form'd for giving Praiſe to GOD. Man's Mind and Eye and Ear, his Mouth and Breath, his Tongue and Lips, his Hand and Knee, are made for Worſhip and Adoration, Praiſe and Thankſgiving.—His Eye fees thro' the Univerſe, his Mind ſhould contemplate every Divine Perfection in all he ſees Mind and he ſhould awake up his Glory, his Tongue, to give Praiſe and not be ſilent. His Hands alſo (ſays my Context) are made to praiſe upon the Pſaltery and Harp, the ſtringed Inſtruments and Organs: His Feet alſo in the Dance of old, as the King of Iſrael before the Ark of the LORD. — Man's Body is made to ſtand and bow, kneel and lie proſtrate before the THRONE. We have Eyes and Hands and Voice to lift up, with our Hearts, unto GOD in the Heavens.— And for our Sakes, Angels too are repreſented as having Tongues and Voices, and have been heard giving Glory to GOD on High. They paſs ſwiftly alſo from World to World when GOD ſends them, as he did Gabriel down to Daniel. The Dream of Jacob was a true Viſion, the Ladder which he ſaw from Earth to Heaven, and the Angels of GOD upon it, deſcending and aſcending. Yea they run and return through the Firmament as a Flaſh of Light, and are all the while praiſing GOD: They reſt not Day or Night from giving Glory and Honour and Thanks unto Him that ſitteth on the Throne, and liveth for ever and ever.

To ſhut up all, the THRONE OF THE MOST HIGH is repreſented to us as above the Firmament. There is p. 14his holy Habitation, his holy Dwelling-place; from whence he looks down on us, "his Eyes behold the Children of Men. And thither we lift up our Hearts, Eyes, Hands and Voice, to praiſe, extol and honour the King of Heaven. — There too is the high Throne of the ONE MEDIATOR between GOD and Man, JESUS CHRIST; in the Glory of the ONLY-BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER. Read the Viſion, Ezek. i. 26, 27, 28. And above the Firmament was the likeneſs of a Throne of Sapphire-Stone, and the Appearance of the likeneſs of a MAN upon it; with a Brightneſs round about, as the Appearance of the Bow that is in the Cloud in the Day of Rain. — The Viſion which Ezekiel had, and relates through that Chapter, is I think beſt explained by the FIRMAMENT in its ſenſible and literal Glory: He ſaw the many mighty Wheels (or rather Orbs and Globes) therein rolling on their four Sides; and rolling on, without returning (or any retrograde Motion) under the POWER of the Ever-living ETERNAL SPIRIT! Their Rings are high and dreadful and full of Eyes; the Perfection of Wiſdom and Knowledge gives 'em their Courſe and Force; and away they go whitherſoever the living SPIRIT commands them; for the Spirit of Life is in the Wheels; i. e. directs and ſuſtains the Globes of the Univerſe in all their Circles.

Would you then, my Hearers, before your bodily Eyes are cloſed in Death, look up for a Viſion of the Glory of CHRIST your Redeemer, to ſee all POWER in Heaven and Earth committed to Him! Would you wiſh to ſee his Imperial Seat already, before he comes in the Glory of the FATHER, in the Clouds of Heaven at the laſt Day? Look up then, with an Eye of Faith, into the open Firmament, and ſee your SAVIOUR in every ſhining Orb on high! HE it is that liveth and was dead, and is alive for evermore; and has all theſe Syſtems in his Hand and under his Feet! HE who in the Beginning was the WORD, was with GOD, and was GOD, and without Him was not any Thing made; nor is there any Thing yet upheld and guided in the perpetual Motions which we every where behold, without Him: In HIM Life was and is, and the Life is the Light of Men; and the Light ſhineth in Darkneſs, and the Darkneſs comprehendeth p. 15it not; ſave by Divine Revelation to us, and Illumination in us. John. i. 1,—5.

You would not have forgiven me, my Chriſtian Brethren, if I had preach'd to you from any of the Works of GOD, and not led you to JESUS. Glory was given Him in the higheſt, when He came down from Heaven to Earth, GOD MANIFEST IN FLESH! And when he aſcended on high, far above all Heavens, GOD went up with a Shout; the LORD with the Sound of the Trumpet! ſing Praiſes to GOD, ſing Praiſes. — And the Day is coming, (the dreadful Day to the wicked, unbelieving, diſobedient and impenitent; but the glad and triumphant Day to the Saints of the MOST HIGH) when our Firmament ſhall be in a Blaze of Glory, on the ſecond Coming of the LORD! When behold He cometh in Clouds, and every Eye ſhall ſee Him, and they alſo that pierced Him, and ſhall wail becauſe of Him! The LORD Himſelf ſhall then deſcend with a Shout, with the Voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trump of GOD; and thoſe that remain alive ſhall be caught up to meet the LORD in the Air; the Dead ſhall hear the Voice of the SON OF GOD and live. — O with what a Blaze of Glory (I ſay again) will our Firmament then be filled, when all that have liv'd or ſhall yet live on our Earth ſhall ſee the great white THRONE, and HIM that ſits on it, from whoſe Face the Earth and Heaven will appear to flee away; and the dead, ſmall and great, ſhall ſtand before Him, and the Books be opened, and all be judged by the Book of Conſcience and of Scripture!—O what a new Scene will it be, both to the Godly and to the Wicked, awaking from their long Sleep in the Duſt with their reſtored Eyes of Fleſh, in ſpiritual Bodies, to ſee their SAVIOUR and JUDGE enthroned, and ten thouſand Times ten thouſand ſhining Angels filling the Firmament! What a Firmament of POWER will it then appear! And they that are wiſe ſhall ſhine as the Brightneſs of it, and they that turn others to Righteouſneſs as the Stars for ever and ever. — But at theſe Words Daniel was bid to finiſh, and ſeal the Book till the Time come. The Day will reveal it ſelf, but no Words can repreſent what it will be.

p. 16Yet if your Patience can admit of it, I will add three or four Words of further devout Addreſs to the pure Minds of the religious, and to the evil Conſciences of Sinners, from Things ſeen and felt already by us.

And firſt, you ſee (my Brethren) that the Firmament is a ſacred open Book of GOD, wherein we ſhould be daily reading the Glories and Perfections of the eternal GODHEAD; that we may in a Meaſure become Chriſtian Philoſophers, and the more devout Worſhippers.

SPACE is ſo myſterious and inexplicable a Thing in Nature, that Men of Genius and Philoſophy have been ready to deify it and ſay it is GOD himſelf **See the firſt of Dr. WATTS's Philoſophical Eſſays; a fair Enquiry concerning SPACE, whether it be ſomething or nothing, GOD or a Creature., becauſe immenſe and never to be ſearched out. But for the ſame Reaſon every Thing about us might be deify'd; as many of the leaſt and loweſt have been, as well as the Hoſts of Heaven, by the brutiſh Sons of Men. The moſt ſimple Idea of SPACE ſeems the true and moſt intelligible, that it is the open Volume of Nature, in which we ſhould early begin to read the Name of GOD, and read on in it as long as we live, and more and more adore Him in his INCOMPREHENSIBLENESS.

After all the Revelation that GOD had made of HIMSELF unto Job and his pious Friends; after all the Work of GOD wrought in them, and their Life of Communion with Him; yet at laſt he led them together into his Firmament, as the high School for their further Improvement. GOD ſpake to them out of the Whirlwind, concerning his POWER and ſovereign Dominion, and they fell adoring in Silence and Self-abhorrence; Now my Eye ſeeth THEE, wherefore I abhor my ſelf, and repent in Duſt and Aſhes.

Your Bibles, my dear Hearers; and the SPIRIT OF GOD within you, you Children of the MOST HIGH; direct and teach you to be daily reading through the vaſt p. 17Roll of Nature, written within and without, the Glories of the DIVINE MAJESTY.

Never think therefore that your Miniſters wander from the WORD and SPIRIT of GOD in their preaching to you, nor from the Work of Grace within you, but are wiſely ſerving it, while they ſhow you the Praiſes of GOD, which his viſible Works demand from you.

HE who ſpake on Earth, ſo as never Man did, ſpake alſo of HIMSELF and of the FATHER by the Pen of Solomon, to the Church of his Firſt-Born in all Times to come, Prov. viii. 27. When he prepared the Heavens I was there; when he ſet a Compaſs on the Face of the Deep! When he eſtabliſhed the Clouds above, and gave to the Sea his Decree.

You ſee here, that the Firmament is the Book and School of JESUS CHRIST, and he ſends us to it to learn reſpecting himſelf; and to Him, who is aſcended above all Heavens, we muſt be looking thro' it.

Secondly, While GOD continues us in theſe animal dying Bodies, we muſt devoutly conſider GOD's Firmament as the great MEDIUM and Inſtrument of his conveying to our World (and to what other Worlds we know not, but have Reaſon to think the ſame reſpecting many others) his immenſe Benefits and Bounties of a temporal and earthly Kind, for the Preſervation of our Lives, and for our daily and yearly Supplies with all the Neceſſaries and Comforts of them. For in vain had Land and Sea been made without a Firmament; for there could have been neither ploughing or ſailing without it; nor Buſineſs, Food, Health, Strength and Pleaſure; no Seed-time or Harveſt, Day or Night, Summer or Winter; no Graſs for the Cattle nor Herb for Man; no Smell or Taſte or Appetite for Corn, Wine and Oil: in as much as the whole Suſtenance of every ſenſitive Creature depends upon this potent and beneficent Firmament; by which GOD holds our Soul in Life; by which alſo he judges the People: For (as has been ſaid before) neither could there be ſultry Heat or chilling Cold, ſtagnating Calms or furious Storms, Peſtilence and Famine, p. 18Whirlwinds or Earthquakes; no preſent Good or Evil come to us, without a Firmament ſurrounding us. Let Elihu firſt, and then David teach us how to adore and give Glory to GOD for this perpetual Profuſion of Beneficence to ſo many Worlds beſides ours. Job xxxvi. 24,—33. "Remember that thou magnify his Work which Men behold! Every Man may ſee it, Men may behold it afar off! Behold GOD is great and we know him not; neither can the Number of his Years be ſearched out! For he maketh ſmall the Drops of Water, they pour down Rain according to the Vapour thereof; which the Clouds do drop and diſtill upon Man abundantly! Alſo who can underſtand the Spreadings of the Clouds, or the Noiſe of his Tabernacle? Behold he ſpreadeth his Light upon it, it covers (reaches down to) the Bottom of the Sea! By the Clouds alſo he judgeth the People, and by them he gives Meat in Abundance; &c. Pſal. lxviii. ulz. "Sing unto GOD, ye Kingdoms of the Earth, O ſing Praiſes to the LORD, Selah! To HIM that rideth upon the Heavens of Heavens which were of old! Lo he doth ſend forth his Voice, and that a mighty Voice! Aſcribe ye STRENGTH unto GOD; his Excellency is over Iſrael, and his Strength is in the Clouds! O GOD, thou art terrible out of thy holy Places; the GOD of Iſrael is he who giveth Strength and Power to his People! bleſſed be GOD.

Thirdly, Let what has been ſaid of the viſible Firmament lead us into the Contemplation of GOD's ſpiritual Kingdom, both of Grace and Judgment, viſible and inviſible, preſent and future.

The Word and SPIRIT of GOD will juſtify us in this Tranſition; For 1. The viſible ſpiritual Kingdom of Grace, in the Church of GOD on Earth, is repreſented to us by a glorious Firmament of Power and Mercy. And 2. As to the inviſible World, if Hell be without a Firmament, a Firmament of Glory will be found in Heaven.

Firſt then, the viſible Kingdom of Grace, in the Church of GOD on Earth, is repreſented to us by a glorious Firmament of Power and Mercy. This has been in part ſhown before, but I have yet to add.

p. 19CHRIST in his Perſon, Offices and Benefits is in the holy Scriptures declared to be the Light of the World, the Sun of Righteouſneſs, ariſing over Souls with Healing under the Rays.

Then if we go on to contemplate the Church of the Sanctified, ſhe is repreſented by a Woman cloathed with the Sun, with the Moon and Stars under her Feet, and on her Head a Crown of twelve Stars. Revel. xii. 1.

And if we go on to conſider them that miniſter to the Heirs of Salvation, Angels or Men; there is a Ladder for the one from Heaven to Earth, whereon they deſcend unto and return from the Sons of Men; or they have Wings to fly down ſwiftly: — And as for the other, Men whom GOD has ſet in his Church from the Beginning, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoſtles, Evangeliſts, Paſtors and Teachers, — theſe are STARS in the right Hand of CHRIST: Revel. i.

Or if we go on to ſpeak of the WORD they preach, it is as a Light that ſhineth in a dark Place: or if we ſpeak of the Gifts and Graces of the SPIRIT in 'em, or exercis'd in their Miniſtry, theſe render 'em ſo many burning and ſhining Lights to and in the Churches to whom they miniſter: And finally, the Work of Grace begun and increaſing in the Soul of every private Chriſtian, and exhibited in their holy Life and Converſation, makes them LIGHT IN THE LORD; holding forth the Power and Efficacy of the Word of Life, and making them ſhine as Lights in the World; in Family-Order, in Church-Order, in Sabbath-Sanctification which belongs to both; and this "Path of the Juſt ſhines on unto the perfect Day.

On theſe Accounts it is that the SPIRIT ſays unto the Churches, "Ariſe, ſhine, for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the LORD is riſen upon thee! and the Nations ſhall come to thy Light, and Kings to the Brightneſs of thy Riſing. — And this is the Firmament of Glory in the viſible Church on Earth; "wherein with open Face beholding as in a Glaſs the Glory of the LORD, Souls p. 20are changed from Glory to Glory by the SPIRIT OF THE LORD.

Secondly, Let us now look into the future ETERNAL WORLD, and ſee what we find in Scripture, or in the Nature of the Things revealed, of a FIRMAMENT therein.

O what will Heaven and what Hell be hereafter, to ſaved or damned Souls! in what Aether of Light or Cavern of Smoke and Gloom ſhall we be, when we muſt breathe in this Air no longer! — As the contemplative, learned, philoſophical Mr. NORRIS, a Maſter among us of the Ideal World, while with us here below, **Norris his Miſcellanies. p. 24. 3. Edit.ſang to himſelf of dying and departing hence, —

It muſt be done my Soul, but 'tis a ſtrange,

A diſmal and myſterious Change,

When thou ſhalt leave this Tenement of Clay,

And to an unknown Somewhere wing away;

When Time ſhall be Eternity, and thou

Shall be thou know'ſt not what, and live thou know'ſt not how!

Amazing State, no Wonder that we dread

To think of Death, or view the Dead.

1. The Power, Wrath and Vengeance of GOD will caſt and drive away the Ungodly, the Impenitently Wicked into ſome Void or Chaos, ſome dark and diſmal deſolate Space, "never more to ſee Light! Some Cave of Horror, and Blackneſs of Darkneſs, ſome bottomleſs Pit! as in the Bowels of this Earth of ours, no more to ſee the Sun Moon or Stars; which the contemplative Mind has here it may be view'd with a raiſed Pleaſure and ſome tranſient Elevations of Devotion! but now no more to return to one Gleam of the deſired Light, nor p. 21to ſee Man any more with the INHABITANTS of the World ‖‖Iſai. xxxviii. 15. Iterum que ad tarda reverti Corpora; quae Lucis miſeris tam dira Cupido!Isa 38:15! and leaſt of all in worſhiping Aſſemblies.

O the dire Remembrance then of a paſt Day of Grace, and paſt Means of Salvation, and deſpiſed Sabbaths! O dire abiding Senſe of a loſt Heaven of Light and Glory, and returning Thoughts of Others in the Boſom of Abraham! A Dives in this Torment may well be repreſented (Luk. xvi. 24.) as raiſing a Shriek loud enough to pierce through many of our Firmaments; even to reach the Ears of the Bleſſed in their caeleſtial Reſt: But not one Drop of Mercy from thoſe Heavens of Love for Souls in the Gulph below.

O Sinner think in Time, what Kind of Firmament the Lake of Fire, the ſecond Death can admit of! where the Smoke of the Torment aſcendeth for ever! — We know that if a City or Town be on Fire here, and the Flames prevail but through a few Streets together, the very Firmament over us diſappears! The Sun it ſelf is darkned, and the Moon turns into Blood; the Stars ſeem to go out or fall, and the Powers of Heaven to ſhake! the Skies ſeem to diſſolve, and the Elements to melt with fervent Heat **Matth. xxiv. 29. 2 Pet. iii. 10, 12.Matt 24:292 Pet 3:102 Pet 3:12. Much leſs can the Oven or Pit of Flames below afford a Firmament to the Spirits there ſhut up! Tophet is ordained of old for King and Subject it is prepared: GOD has made it deep and large! the Pile thereof is Fire and much Wood; the Breath of the LORD like a Stream of Brimſtone kindles it. Iſai. xxx. ult. — But on the contrary,

2. GOD has revealed to us a Celeſtial and everlaſting FIRMAMENT of Glory and Bleſſedneſs for the Righteous; for renewed, penitent, believing and obedient Sinners; purified by his Grace to ſee his Face in Light unapprochable: Matth. v. 8.

The new Heavens and the new Earth, which we read of Revel. xxi. give us a new Idea of a World without p. 22Sea; and conſequently without a Cloud or Vapour to obſcure and darken it, or any turbulent Air or Wind to agitate it; for, whence ſhould there a Vapour, Cloud or Wind ariſe where there is no Sea? — And if this be good Philoſophy, no Wonder that the next Emblem of the caeleſtial State is, "a holy City, New-Jeruſalem, deſcending from GOD, with his Glory on it; its Walls of Jaſper, its Gates Pearls, its Streets Gold, all tranſparent! What Firmament now can this City of GOD admit of? There can be no Need of any Sun or Moon to ſhine on it; for the Glory of GOD doth lighten it, and the LAMB is the Light thereof! and the Saved of all Nations walk in his Light! The LORD GOD giveth them LIGHT, and they reign for ever and ever.

The Sun of Righteouſneſs is fix'd there in a perpetual Meridian. No Rainbow is there about the THRONE, for that would ſuppoſe an Hour of Cloud and Rain. So GOD is Light, and with Him is no Darkneſs at all. All is Light unapprochable and full of Glory; which Eye has not ſeen, nor Ear heard, nor can it enter into Man's Heart to conceive of.

We may however by Faith, in Contemplation, enter within the Vail, whither JESUS is for us entred by his own Blood, if we believe in Him, and ſee HIM that is Inviſible, as Moſes did; and then pray on with him the more earneſtly, the more we ſee and know, "I beſeech Thee to ſhew me thy Glory **Exod. xxxiii. 18. 2 Pet. 1. 19.Exod 33:182 Pet 1:19.—His Back-parts are ſhewn us already in the FIRMAMENT that now is; and yet far more in the written and preached WORD; unto which we do well to take Heed, as unto a Light that ſhineth in a dark Place, 'till the Day dawn, and the Day-Star ariſe in our Hearts; the Fore-runner of perfect Day.

FINIS.

ERRATA. P. 3. l. 5. r. Track. l. ult. r. our. p. 4. l. 34. for into, r. low in. p. 7. l. ult. …lighter. p. 8. l. 15. r. around.

End of the text · Benjamin Colman, The Glory of God in the Firmament of His Power (1743)