CH. IV.

Of the Creation.

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fuppofition the element or fubftance of light was created on the firft day, and the divine power alone might be the exciter, which made the light

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appear

"we do not mean that fenfation which we experience in ourselves, on the "prefence of any illuminated body, but that inconceivably fubtle matter, "which makes an impreffion on the organs of fight, and paints on the optic "nerve thofe objects from the furfaces of which it was reflected to us. Light "then, taken in this fenfe, is a body quite different from the fun, and independent on it, and might have existed before it, feeing now it does exift in "its abfence, as well as when prefent. It is diffufed from one end of the "Creation to the other, traverses the whole univerfe, forms a communi"cation between the most remote spheres, penetrates into the inmoft receffes "of the earth, and only waits to be put in a proper motion to make itself "vifible.-Light is to the eye what the air is to the ear: Air may not be "called the body of found, and it does equally exift all round us, though "there be no fonorous body to put it in motion; fo likewife the light does "equally extend at all times, from the most diftant fixed ftars, to us, though "it then only frikes our eyes, when impelled by the fun, or fome other "mafs of fire.

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"The difference betwixt the propagation of found and light confifts in "this, that the air, which is the vehicle of found, being, beyond all com"parison, more dense than the vehicle of light, its motion is much flower. "Hence we may account for that common phenomenon, why we do not "hear the found of the first stroke of a hammer, when at a diftance from it, "till it is at the point of giving the following blow; whereas light is pro"pagated with incredible swiftnefs, though at fome fmall diftance of time "between its receiving the impulfe, and its communicating it to us; feven "minutes, according to Sir ISAAC NEWTON's calculation, being fufficient for "its paffage from the fun down to us. This difference of velocity between "the progreflive motion of light, and that of found, is fenfibly demonftrated "by firing a gun in a large open plain, where the fpectator, at a great "diftance from it, will perceive the flash a confiderable time before he hears "the noise.

"The body of light therefore does either exift independently of the lumi"nous body, and only waits to receive a direct impulfe from it, in order to "act upon the organ of vifion; or we muft fuppofe that every luminous "body, whether it be the fun, a candle, or a spark, does produce this light " from itself, and project it to a great diftance from its own body. There ❝ is no medium between these two fuppofitions, and either the one or the "other must be true. But to affert the latter, is to affert a very great im"probability; for if a spark, which is feen in every part of a large room, fifty cubick feet in dimensions, emits from its own fubftance a quantity of light fufficient to fill the whole room, then there muft iffue from that "fpark, which is but a point, a body, the contents of which are fifty cu"bick feet. How incredible the fuppofition!

"Suppose the lantern on the light-house of Melfina, to be feen only eight cubick leagues, of which itfelf is the centre; it will follow, that an "eye placed in any point of thofe fix cubick leagues will difcern it, and confequently fo much space will be filled with the light of it. Now how "incredible that a little fire, fome few inches in diameter, fhould diffuse " around it a fubftance capable of filling eight cubick leagues! Suppose the " lantern concealed, and the light immediately difappears; let it be un" covered the moment after, and it will inftantly be feen as far as before, and "confe

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appear for the three first days of creation, until the fun, the inftrumental exciter, was produced.

Further, we muft remark, that although God is here faid to create the world, yet it may be true, that he employed a fubordinate agent in the formation of it; namely, the Son of God, who afterwards came into the world for the redemption of mankind. See John i. 2, 3. Col. i. 15, 16, 17. 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6, But though he was the inftrumental caufe, yet it is true, that God made all things, because our Lord acted by a power derived from him. He that bath built all things is God. Heb. iii. 4. So much for critical remarks. The fubject naturally leads to the following reflections.

"Thefe are thy glorious Works, Parent of Good!

Almighty, thine this univerfal Frame,

Thus wonderous fair; thyself how wonderous then!

How wonderous, how immenfe is the power, goodness, and wifdom, which gave existence to the ftupendous fabric and furniture of the universe!

I. POWER. How vaft and mighty is the arm which stretched out the beavens, and laid the foundations of the earth! which fuftains numberless worlds, of amazing bulk, fufpended in the unmeafurable and unconceivably diftant regions of empty space; and fteadily directs their various rapid and regular motions! Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created all these things. He bringeth out all their hofts by number, he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is ftrong in Power, not one of them faileth. Ifai. xl. 26. How powerful was the command, Let there be light, and there was light-Let there be a firmament, &c. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hoft of them by the breath of his mouth. For he spake, and it was done; he com

manded

"confequently fill eight cubick leagues of space with fresh light: then "how many times eight cubick leagues of luminous matter, will all the fucceffive infants of illumination produce in one night's time! Sure nothing was ever more inconceivable.

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"On the contrary, how fimple and natural is it to fuppofe, that as the air "exifted before the bell that put it in motion, and caufed it to vibrate into found, fo, in like manner, the light exifted round the fire of Messina, before "the lantern was illuminated, and only waited to be put in motion by the fire, in order to make an impreffion on the eyes of the mariners. The fun "and ftars do, by the fame means, make themselves vifible, without fuffering any diminution of their fubftance, by continual emanations of luminous "matter into thofe vaft regions of fpace through which we behold them; God having placed between thofe luminous globes and us, the body of "that light which we fee, and which is impreffed on the organs of vision,

by their action and influence; but does not proceed from them, nor owes "its existence to them.The account of Mofes therefore, as to this par"ticular, is agreeable to truth, as well as an ufeful leffon of caution, when he informs us, that God, and not the fun, was the author and parent of light, and that it was created by his almighty fiat before there was a fun to dart it on one part of the earth, and a moon to reflect it on the other."

manded, and it flood faft. Pfal. xxxiii. 6, 9. Thus the Scriptures fublimely exprefs the exertion of the divine Power in Creation; as if it were done inftantaneously, and with as little difficulty as speaking a word.

II. And as for GOODNESS, what an infinite fulness of life and being, what an immenfe, inexhauftible treasury of all Good, muft that be, from whence all this life and being was derived! How infinitely rich is the glorious and eternal God! Out of his own fulness he hath brought worlds and worlds, replenished with myriads and myriads of creatures, furnished with various powers and organs, capacities and inftincts; and out of his own fulness continually and plentifully fupplieth them with all the neceffaries of exiftence. And ftill his fulness remaineth the same, unemptied, unimpaired; and he can yet bring out of his fulnefs worlds and worlds without end. How immenfely full of all life and being is the glorious and eternal God! Thus he is good in himself. And he doth good. He is kind and beneficent, willing to communicate being and good. How profufe is his bounty! He might have kept, as I may fay, the whole of existence to himfelf; but he has liberally fhared it out among his creatures; and of all his creatures in this world, the moft liberally to us men. Survey the whole of what may be seen in and about this globe, and fay, if our Maker hath a fparing and niggardly hand; fay, if we have a churlish and unkind father. Certainly it is his pleasure to form creatures, and furnish them with enjoyment; and therefore his tender mercies must be over all his works.

III. His WISDOM appears illuftrious in the variety, beauty, exa&nefs, order, and harmony, in which God hath formed and fixed the univerfe; in the feveral capacities and degrees of excellence he has conferred upon his creatures; the proper ftations he hath affigned to them; the fubordination and fubferviency of one to another, which he hath eftablished, for the regularity and well-being of the whole. They are all, as they come out of his hands, juft what they fhould be, adjufted in the exacteft proportions to their feveral ends and connexions; all in every part and refpect fhewing the workmanship of the profoundest skill, and moft curious art. The utmoft ftretch of human understanding can reach but a small part of God's works; but they who study the wisdom of Creation, cannot but admire, and use the words of the facred penman, Pfal. civ. 24. (where he is furveying the feveral parts of our globe) O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In Wisdom haft thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches!

These reflections will (1) infpire the most elevated fentiments of the moft high and mighty Creator, who is exalted infinitely above the heavens, bis glory is above all the earth, Pfal. cviii. 5. The Lord our God is very great, he is clothed with honour and majesty; and we should study to magnify him in our hearts by the moft raifed conceptions of his tran fcending greatnefs. (2.) This fhould alfo fill our minds with joy, and our mouths with his high praifes. This God is our God, our maker, and therefore our father. The firft and moft proper notion we ought to entertain of the great God is, that of a Father; our Father, and the Father of the whole univerfe. And greatly fhould we be delighted with the difplays of our Father's infinite power, wifdom, and goodness. Tranf

ported with joy, by an elegant profopopcia, the Pfalmift, in the 148th Pfalm, calls upon all creatures to praise God; wifhing, in effect, that they had all of them understandings and tongues to declare how much fkill and kindnefs he has fhewn in their formation and establishment, Joy and praise are the Creator's due, and should be our conftant temper and practice. (3.) He who is the maker, is also the abfolute proprietor, Lord, and Sovereign of all things; and therefore hath the firft and higheft right to our reverence, fubmiffion, and obedience; in which he is infinitely able to fupport us in oppofition to all human power and authority. For all Power, not only his own inherent power, but also the Power of all created beings, belongs to God. From him it is originally derived, and the exercife of it depends entirely upon his will and pleasure; nor, in any inftance, can it poffibly act beyond the limits which he prefcribes. Therefore, in the way of duty, relying upon his all-fufficiency, we need not fear what man can do unto us. (4) In our prefent fituation we are liable to many difficulties and diftrefles, from which we are not able to guard or extricate ourselves; but the almighty Creator is infinitely able to deliver his fervants from any danger, and can clear a paffage through all embarraflments. He can make a way even in the fea, and a path in the mighty waters, (5.) He who from his own inexhauftible fulness hath brought forth all worlds and creatures, is our fhepherd; he careth for us, and can fully fupply all our wants. (6.) He can fully accomplish all the great and glorious things revealed in the Gofpel. He can raife us from the dead, change our vile bodies, and clothe us with immortal honour and glory, This fhould not feem to us incredible, because he hath already performed things as incredible, and we have conftantly expofed to our view effects of his Power no lefs wonderful,

CHA P. V.

Of the CREATION of MAN.

Gen. i. 26, to the End.

NOW we are come to the formation of Man. Here, obferve, the language of the Creator is altered. Inftead of, Let there be Men, God faid, (Ver. 26.) Let us make Man, or, we will make Man, in our image, after our likeness, Q. d. "Now we have formed and furnished

the earth, let us make Man, the nobleft of our works, to inhabit, "cultivate, and enjoy it." The fuperior excellency of the human nature is fignified by the distinguished manner in which God is reprefented as addreffing himself to the formation of Man.

The plural number is ufed [And God faid, let us make Man]; but according to the genius of the Hebrew language, this is only a magnificent way of expreffing the majefty of God; and amounts to no more than this, And God jaid, I will make Man. So Gen. xi. 7. Go to, let us go down, i. c.

I will go down. Thus God is called our Makers, Job xxxv. 10. Pfal. cxlix. 2. Thy Creators, Eccl. xii. 1. Thy makers is thy husbands, Ifai. liv. 5. which are all to be understood, and are rendered in the fingular number. "Nouns appellative denoting dominion, according to the He "brew idiom, are put in the plural inftead of the fingular." Should it be fuppofed, that the great God here fpeaks to fome other being or be ings befides himself, it must be to fome fubordinate beings; for neither this, nor any other paffage of fcripture, can juftly be explained incon❤ fiftently with the unity, fimplicity, or fingleness of the divine nature. Ver. 26. Let us make Man in our own Image, [Heb. in the sketch or fhadow of us after, or like, our Likeness. These words, with respec to God, are diminutive, and denote that the most perfect endowments of the human nature are but a sketch, a fhadow, or fomething refembling the Likeness of God. And yet, with refpect to other creatures on earth, it fpeaks high diftinction, and fuperiority. For this fketch of the Image of God in Man must include, 1. The noble faculties of his mind; understanding and will, or freedom of choice, for the government of all his actions and paffions, and his continual improvement in wisdom, purity, and happiness. 2. His dominion over the inferior creatures, exprefsly mentioned, ver. 26, 28. By which he is God's Reprefentative, or Viceroy upon earth.

But divines have understood this Image of God, as confifting in righteousness and true holiness; which they affirm, were created with Adam. Meaning, not that Adam was created with fuch powers as rendered him capable of acquiring righteoufnefs and holiness, but that he was made in this Image of God; it was concreated with him, or wrought into his nature, at the fame time that it was created; and fo belonged to it as a natural faculty or inftinct. This they call original righteoufnefs, which they ground principally upon the two following paffages. Col. iii. 9, 10. Lye not one to another, feeing that you have [by your Chriftian profeffion] put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him. Ephef. iv. 22, 23, 24. That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lufts and be renewed in the fpirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. All this is fuppofed to relate to Adam's being originally created in the Image of God.

The old man, fay they, is a corrupt nature derived from Adam; and the new man, is fallen man reftored to the primitive temper, or to that righteousness and holiness in which they fuppofe Adam was created. But this is wide of the Apoftle's fenfe. It is not uncommon with him to compare the Chriftian church to a man, or the human body, of which Chrift is the head, and we are all of us members in particular. The new man was created, when God erected the Gofpel Difpenfation, and broke down the middle Wall of Partition between us Jews and Gentiles, (Ephef. ii. 13, 14, 15, 16.) for to make to himself, in the Gospel, of twain, or of the two parties, believing Jews and Gentiles, one new man, or the new conftitution and community, under the Gofpel. To this new man, the old man is directly oppofed; and therefore muft fignify the Gentile itate or community, headed by Satan, to which, before their con

verfion,