Of the Creation
Question 7. What are the decrees of God?
The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his own will, whereby for his own glory he has foreordained whatever shall come to pass.
I should come now to speak concerning the decrees of God, but I have already spoken something to this under the attribute of God's immutability. God is unchangeable in his essence, and he is unchangeable in his decrees, his counsel shall stand, he has decreed the issue of all things, and carries them on to their period by his providence; and therefore I shall proceed to the execution of his decrees.
Question 8. The next question is, What is the work of creation?
Answer. It is God's making all things of nothing by the word of his power, etc. (Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The creation is glorious to behold; it is a pleasant and fruitful study. Some think that Isaac, when he went abroad into the fields to meditate, it was in the book of the creatures. The creation is the heathen man's bible, the ploughman's primer, the traveler's perspective glass, through which he receives the species and representation of those infinite excellencies which are in God. The creation is a large volume, in which God's works are bound up; and this volume has three great leaves in it, heaven, earth, sea.
The author of the creation is God, so it is in the text, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 God created. The world was created in time, and could not be from eternity, as Aristotle thought. The world must have a maker, it could not make itself. If one should go into a far country, and see stately edifices there, he would never imagine that these could build themselves, but that there had been some artificer there to raise such goodly structures; so this great fabric of the world could not create itself, it must have some builder and maker, and that is God. In the beginning God created: to imagine that the work of the creation was not framed by the Lord Jehovah, is as if we should conceive a curious landscape to be drawn without the hand of a painter (Acts 17:24). God that made the world, and all things therein.
In the work of the creation there are two things to be considered: the making of it, and the adorning of it.
1. The making of the world. Here consider, 1. God made the world without any pre-existent matter. This is the difference between generation and creation. In generation there is materia habilis & disposita, some matter to work upon. But in creation there is no pre-existent matter. God brought all this glorious fabric of the world out of the womb of nothing. We see our beginning, it was of nothing. Some brag of their birth and ancestry, you see how little cause they have to boast, they came of nothing.
2. God made the world with a word. When Solomon was to build a temple he needed many workmen, and they all had tools to work with, but God worked without tools (Psalm 33:6). By the word of the Lord were the heavens made. The disciples wondered that Christ could with a word calm the sea (Matthew 8:26-27). But it was more with a word to make the sea.
3. God made all things at first very good (Genesis 1:31). No defect or deformity. The creation came out of God's hands a curious piece; it was a fair copy, without any blot, written with God's own fingers (Psalm 8:3). So perfect was God's work.
2. The adorning of the world. First God made this great lump and mass, Rudis indigestaque moles, and then beautified it, and put it into a dress. He divided the sea and the earth, he decked the earth with flowers, the trees with fruit, but what is beauty when it is masked over? Therefore that we might behold this glory, God made the light. The heavens were bespangled with sun, moon, and stars, that so the world's beauty might be beheld and admired. God in the creation began with things less noble and excellent, vegetables and sensitives, and then the rational creatures, angels and men. Man was the most exquisite piece in the creation: he is a microcosm, or little world. Man was made with deliberation and counsel (Genesis 1:26). Let us make man. It is the manner of artificers to be more than ordinary accurate, when they are about their masterpieces. Man was to be a masterpiece of this visible world, therefore God did consult about the making of so rare a piece. A solemn council of the sacred persons in the Trinity was called, Let us make man; and let us make him in our own image. On the king's coin his image or effigy is stamped, so God stamped his image on man, and made him partake of many divine qualities.
I shall speak 1. of the parts of man's body: 1. The head, the most excellent architectural part, it is the fountain of spirits, and the seat of reason. In nature the head is the best piece, but in grace the heart excels. 2. The eye. It is the beauty of the face; it shines and sparkles like a lesser sun in the body. The eye occasions much sin, and therefore well may it have tears in it. 3. The ear; which is the conduit pipe through which knowledge is conveyed. Better lose our seeing than our hearing, for faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). To have an ear open to God, is the best jewel on the ear. 4. The tongue. David calls the tongue his glory (Psalm 16:9). because it is an instrument to set forth the glory of God: the soul at first was a viol in tune to praise God, and the tongue did make the music. God has given us two ears, but one tongue, to show that we should be swift to hear, but slow to speak. God has set a double fence before the tongue, the teeth and the lips, to teach us to be wary that we offend not with our tongue. 5. The heart. This is a noble part and seat of life:
2. The soul of man: this is the man of the man. Man, in regard of his soul, partakes with the angels; nay, as Plato says, the understanding, will, and conscience are a glass that resemble the Trinity. The soul is the diamond in the ring, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the soul is a vessel of honor; God himself is served in this vessel. It is a spark of celestial brightness, says Damascene. If David did so admire the rare contexture and workmanship of his body (Psalm 139:13). I am wonderfully made, I was curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. If the cabinet be so curiously wrought, what is the jewel? How richly is the soul embroidered! Thus you see how glorious a work the creation is, and man especially, who is the epitome of the world.
Quest. But why did God make the world?
Resp. 1. Negatively; not for himself; he did not need it, being infinite. He was happy before the world was, in reflecting upon his own sublime excellencies and perfections. 2. God did not make the world to be a place of mansion for us, we are not to abide here for ever. Heaven is the mansion-house (John 14:2), the world is only a passage-room to eternity; the world is to us as the wilderness was to Israel, not to rest in, but to travel through to the glorious Canaan. The world is a tyring-room to dress our souls in, not a place where we are to stay for ever. The Apostle tells us of the world's funerals (2 Peter 3:10): The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up.
2. Positively; God made the world to demonstrate his own glory. The world is a looking-glass, in which we may see the power and goodness of God shine forth: The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). The world is like a curious piece of arras or tapestry, in which we may see the skill and wisdom of him that made it.
Use 1. Did God create the world? This convinces us of the truth of his Godhead: to create is proper to a deity (Acts 17:24). This convinced Plato of a deity, when he saw all the world could not make a fly. Thus God proves himself to be the true God, and distinguishes himself from idols (Jeremiah 10:11). It is written in Chaldean, Thus shall you say to them, the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish. Who but God can create? The creation is enough to convince the heathen that there is a God. There are two books, out of which God will judge and condemn the heathen, namely the book of conscience (Romans 2:15), who have the law written in their heart: and the book of the creation (Romans 1:20), the invisible things of him are clearly seen by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. The world is full of emblems and hieroglyphics; every star in the sky, every bird that flies in the air, is a witness against the heathen. A creature could not make itself.
2. Here is a mighty support for faith, God creates. He that made all things with a word, what cannot he do? He can create strength in weakness; he can create a supply of our wants. What a foolish question was that (Psalm 78:19): Can he prepare a table in the wilderness? Cannot he that made the world do much more? Our help stands in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8). Rest on this God for help, who made heaven and earth. The work of creation, as it is a monument of God's power, so it is a stay to faith. Is your heart hard, he can with a word create softness. Is it unclean, he can create purity; Create in me a clean heart, O God (Psalm 51:10). Is the church of God low, he can create Jerusalem a praise (Isaiah 65:18). No such golden pillar for faith to stay upon as a creating power.
3. Did God make this world full of beauty and glory, every thing very good, then what an evil thing is sin, that has put out of frame the whole creation. Sin has much eclipsed the beauty, soured the sweetness, and marred the harmony of the world. How bitter is that gall, a drop whereof can embitter a whole sea. Sin has brought vanity and vexation into the world, indeed, a curse. God cursed the ground for man's sake (Genesis 3). There were several fruits of the curse:
1. In sorrow shall you eat of it (verse 17). By that word sorrow, is to be understood all the troubles and cares of this life. 2. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread (verse 19). In innocency Adam did till the ground (he must not live idly) but it was rather a delight than a labour; that tilling was without toiling. The eating in sorrow, and the sweat of the brow, came in after sin. 3. Thorns also and thistles shall the ground bring forth (verse 18).
Quest. Whether in innocency did not the earth bear thorns, because it is threatened as a punishment?
Answ. It is likely it did bear thorns; for when God had done creating, he made no new species, or kinds of things: but the meaning is, now after sin the earth should bring forth more plenty of thorns, and now those thorns should be hurtful, and choke the corn, which hurtful quality was not in them before. Ever since the fall, all the comforts of this life have a thorn and a thistle in them. 4. The fourth fruit of the curse was the driving man out of paradise (verse 24): So he drove out the man. God at first brought Adam into paradise, as into a house ready furnished, or as a king into his throne (Genesis 1:28): have dominion over every living thing that moves. Now God's driving Adam out of paradise, signified his dethroning and banishing him, that he might look after a heavenly and a better paradise. 5. A fifth fruit of the curse was death (verse 19): To dust you shall return. Death was not natural to Adam, it came in after sin. Josephus is of opinion, man should have died though he had continued in innocency, only he should have had a longer term of years added to his life; but out of question, death grew out of the root of sin: the Apostle says (Romans 5:12), By sin came death. See then how cursed a thing sin is, that has brought so many curses upon the creation. If we will not hate sin for its deformity, let us hate it for the curse it brings.
4. Did God make this glorious world, did he make every thing good, was there in the creature so much beauty and sweetness? Oh! then what sweetness is there in God? Quicquid efficit tale, illud est magis tale, the cause is always more noble than the effect. Think with yourselves, is there so much excellence in house and lands, then how much more is there in God that made these? Is there beauty in a rose? what beauty then is there in Christ the Rose of Sharon? Does oil make the face shine? (Psalms 104:15). How will the light of God's countenance make it shine? Does wine cheer the heart? O what virtue is in the true Vine! How does the blood of this grape cheer the heart? Is the fruit of the garden sweet? how delicious are the fruits of the Spirit? Is a gold mine so precious? how precious is he who founded this mine? What is Christ in whom are hid all treasures? (Colossians 2:3). We should ascend from the creature to the Creator. If there be any comfort here below, how much more is there in God, who made all these things? How unreasonable is it that we should delight in the world, and not much more in him that made it? How should our hearts be set on God, and how should we long to be with God, who has infinitely more sweetness in him than any creature?
Use 2. of Exhortation. 1. Did God create the world, let us wisely observe these works of creation? God has given us, not only the book of the Scriptures to read in, but the book of the creation: Look up to the heavens, they show much of God's glory; the sun gilds the world with its bright beams: behold the stars, their regular motion in their orbs, their magnitude, their light, their influence. We may see God's glory blazing in the sun, twinkling in the stars. Look into the sea, and see the wonders of God in the deep (Psalms 107:24). Look into the air, there the birds make melody, and sing forth the praises of their Creator. Look into the earth, there we may wonder at the nature of minerals, the power of the loadstone, the virtue of herbs. See the earth decked as a bride with flowers, all these are the glorious effects of God's power. God has wrought the creation as with curious needle-work, that we may observe his wisdom and goodness, and give him the praise due to him (Psalms 104:24). O Lord, how manifold are your works, in wisdom have you made them all.
2. Did God create all things, let us obey our Maker. We are his Iure Creationis, we owe ourselves to him: If another gives us our maintenance, we think ourselves bound to serve him, much more should we serve and obey God, who gives us our life (Acts 17:28). In him we live and move. God has made every thing for man's service, the corn for nourishment, the beasts for usefulness, the birds for music, that man should be for God's service. The rivers come from the sea, and they run into the sea again. All we have is from God, let us honor our Creator, and live to him that made us.
3. Did God make our bodies out of the dust, and that dust out of nothing? let this keep down pride. When God would humble Adam, he uses this expression, Out of the dust were you taken (Genesis 3:19). Why are you proud, O dust and ashes! you are made but of coarse metal; cum sis humi limus, cur non humilimus. Bernard. David says, I was curiously wrought (Psalms 139). Your being curiously wrought may make you thankful, but being made of the dust, may keep you humble. If you have beauty, it is but well-colored earth. Your body is but air and dust mingled together, and this dust will drop into the dust. When the Lord had said of the judges they were gods (Psalms 82:6) lest they should grow proud, he tells them, they were dying gods, verse 7. You shall die like men.
4. Did God create our souls after his image, but we lost it, let us never leave till we are restored to God's image again. We have now got the devil's image in pride, malice, envy; let us get God's image restored, which consists in knowledge and righteousness (Colossians 3:10). Grace is our best beauty, it makes us like God and angels: As the sun to the world, so is holiness to the soul. Let us go to God to repair his image in us: Lord! you have once made me, make me anew, sin has defaced your image in me, O draw it again by the pencil of the Holy Ghost.
