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01 - Commentary on The Book of Genesis · Commentary on The Book of Genesis

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Chapter one, Part one. The foundation of all religion being laid in our
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relation to God as our creator. It was fit that the Book of Divine
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Revelations, which was intended to be the guide, support, and rule of
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religion in the world, should begin, as it does, with the plain
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and full account of the creation of the world, in answer to that first
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inquiry of a good conscience, where is God my Maker? Job thirty five,
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verse ten. Concerning this, the pagan philosophers wretchedly blundered and became vain
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in their imaginations, some asserting the world's eternity and self existence, others ascribing
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it to a fortuitous concourse of atoms. Thus the world, by wisdom knew
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not God, but took a great deal of pains to lose him. The
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Holy Scripture therefore designing by revealed religion to maintain and improve, prove natural religion,
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to repair the decays of it, and supply the defects of it.
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Since the Fall for the reviving of the precepts of the Laws of Nature lays
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down at first this principle of the unclouded light of nature, that this world
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was, in the beginning of time, created by a being of infinite wisdom,
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power, who is himself before all time and all worlds. The entrance
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into God's Word gives this light Psalms one hundred nine, verse one hundred thirty.
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The first verse of the Bible gives us a surer and better, a
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more satisfying and useful knowledge of the origin of the universe than all the volumes
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of the philosophers. The lively faith of humble Christians understands this matter better than
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the elevated fancy of the greatest wits Hebrews eleven, verse three. We have
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three things in this chapter. One a general idea given us of the work
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of creation verses one two two. A particular account of the several days work
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registered as in a journal, distinctly and in order, the creation of the
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light the first day verses three and five of the Furnament, the second day
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verses six and eight, of the Sea, the Earth and its fruits,
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the third day verses nine and thirteen of the lights of Heaven, the fourth
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day verses fourteen through nineteen, of the Fish and Foul, the fifth day
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verses twenty through twenty three of the Beast, verses twenty four and twenty five
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of Man verses twenty six through twenty eight, and of food for both the
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sixth Day Verses twenty nine and thirty number three, the review and a propabation
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of the whole work verse thirty one, the Creation b. C. Four
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thousand and four. In the beginning, God craved the heaven and the earth,
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and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the
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face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of
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the waters. In these verses we have the work of creation in its epitome
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and in its embryo one in its epitome verse one, where we find to
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our comfort the first article of our creed, that God, the Father Almighty,
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is a maker of heaven and earth, and as such we believe in
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him. One observe in this verse four things one the effect produced the heaven
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and the earth, that is the world, including the whole frame and furniture
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of the universe, the world in all things therein Acts seventeen, verse twenty
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four. The world is a great house, consisting of upper and lower stories,
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the structure stately and magnificent, uniform and convenient, and every room well
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and wisely furnished. It is the visible part of the creation that Moses here
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designs to account for. Therefore he mentions not the creation of angels, but
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as the Earth has not only its surface adorned with grass and flowers, but
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also its bowels, enriched with metals and precious stones, which partake more of
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its solid nature and more valuable, though the creation of them is not mentioned
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here. So the heavens are not only beautified to our eyes with glorious lamps
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which garnish its outside, of whose creation we here read, but they are
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within replenished with glorious beings out of our sight, more celestial and more surpassing
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them in worth and excellency than the gold or sapphires surpass the lilies of the
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field. In the visible world, it is easy to observe one great variety
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several sorts of beings, vastly differing in their nature and constitution from each other.
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Lord, how manifold are thy works and all good? Two great beauty,
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the azure sky and verdant and earth are charming to the eye of the
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curious spectator, much more the ornaments of both. How transcendent, then must
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the beauty of the creator be three great exactness and accuracy to those that,
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with the help of microscopes narrowly look into the works of nature, they appear
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far more fine than any of the works of art. Four Great power.
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It is not a lump of dead and inactive matter, but there is virtue
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more or less in every creature. The earth itself has a magnetic power.
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Five great order, a mutual dependence of beings, an exact harmony of motions,
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and an admirable chain and connection of causes. Six great mystery. There
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are phenomena in nature which cannot be solved, secrets which cannot be fathomed nor
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accounted. Four. But from what we see of heaven and earth, we
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may easily enough infer the internal power and Godhead of the Great Creator, and
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may furnish ourselves with abundant matter for His praises. And let our make in
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place as men. Remind us of our duty as Christians, which is always
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to keep Heaven in our eye and the earth under our feet. Two.
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The author and cause of this great work God. The Hebrew word is Elohem,
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which bespeaks one the power of God, the Creator l signifies the strong
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God. And what less than almighty strength could bring all things out nothing.
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Two The plurality of persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy
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Ghost. This plural name of God in Hebrew, which speaks of him as
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many, though he is one, was to the Gentiles perhaps a savor of
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death unto death, hardening them in their idolatry. But it is to us
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a savor of life under life, confirming our faith in the doctrine of the
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Trinity, which, though but darkly intimated in the Old Testament, is clearly
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revealed in the New. The Son of God, the internal word and wisdom
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of the Father, was with him when he made the world Proverbs eight,
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verse thirty. Nay, we are often told that the world was made by
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him, and nothing made without him. John one, verses three and ten,
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Ephesians three, verse nine, Colossians one sixteen, Hebrews one, verse
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two. Oh, what high thought should this form in our minds of that
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great God whom we draw nigh to in religious worship, and that great Mediator
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in whose name we draw nigh three. The manner in which this work was
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affected, God created it, that is, made it out of nothing.
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There was not any pre existent matter out of which the world was produced.
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The fish and fowl were indeed produced out of the waters, and the beasts
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and man out of the earth. But what earth and those waters were made
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out of nothing? By the ordinary power of nature is impossible that anything should
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be made out nothing. No artificer can work unless he has something to work
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on. But by the almighty power of God, it is not only possible
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that something should be made out of nothing. The God of Nature is not
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subject to the laws of nature. But in the creation it is impossible.
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It should be otherwise, for nothing is more injurious to the honor of the
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internal mind than the supposition of eternal matter. Thus, the excellency of the
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power is of God, and all the glory is to him. Four.
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When this work was produced in the beginning, that is, in the beginning
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of time, when that clock was first set, agoing time began with the
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production of those things that are measured by time. Before the beginning of time,
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there is none but that infinite being that inhabits eternity. Should we add
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ask why God made the world no sooner? We should but darken counsel by
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words without knowledge, For how could there be sooner or later in eternity?
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And He did make it in the beginning of time, According to his eternal
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counsels before all time. The Jewish rabbis have a saying that there were seven
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things which God created before the world, by which they only mean to express
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the excellency of these things. The law, repentance, paradise, hell,
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the throne of Glory, the House of the Sanctuary, and the name of
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the Messiah. But to us it is enough to say in the beginning was
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the word John one, verse one. Two. Let us learn hence one
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that atheism is folly, and atheists are the greatest fools in nature. For
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they see there is a world that could not make itself, and yet they
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will not own there is a God that made it. Doubtless, they are
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without excuse, but the God of this w world has blinded their minds.
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Two That God is sovereign lord of all by an incontestable right. If he
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is the creator, no doubt, he is the owner and possessor of heaven
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and earth. Three That with God all things are possible. And therefore happy
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are the people that have Him for their God, and whose help and hope
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stand in His name. Psalms one hundred and twenty one, verse two and
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one hundred and twenty four, Verse eight four, that the God we serve
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is worthy of and yet is exalted far above all blessing and praise. Neomiah
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nine, Verses five and six. If he made the world, he needs
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not our services, nor can be benefited by them. Acts twenty seven,
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Verses twenty four and twenty five. And yet he justly requires them and deserves
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our praise. Revelations four, verse eleven. If all is of him,
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all must be to him. Two. Here is the work of creation in
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its embryo verse two, where we have an account of the first matter and
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the first mover. One A chaos was the first matter. It is here
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called the earth, though the earth properly taken was not made till the third
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day verse ten. Because it did most resemble that which afterward was called earth,
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mere earth, destitute of its ornaments. Such a heavy, unwieldy mass
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was it is also called the deep, both were its vastness, and because
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of waters, which were afterwards separated from the earth, were now mixed with
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it. This immense mass of matter was it, out of which all bodies,
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even the firmament and visible heavens themselves, were afterwards produced by the power
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of the eternal word. The Creator could have made his work perfect at first,
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but by this gradual proceeding he would show what is ordinarily the method of
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his providence and grace. Observed the description of this chaos one, there was
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nothing in it desirable to be seen, for it was without form and void
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tohu and bohu confusion, emptiness. So these words are rendered Isaiah thirty four,
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verse eleven. It was shapeless, it was useless. It was without
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inhabitants, without ornaments, the shadow or rough draft of things to come,
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and not the image of the things Hebrews ten, verse one. The earth
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is almost reduced to the same condition again by the sin of man, under
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which the creation groans. See Jeremiah fod Verse twenty three. I beheld the
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earth, and lo is without form and void. To those who have their
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hearts in heaven. This low world, in comparison with that upper still appears
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to be nothing but confusion, emptiness. There is no true beauty to be
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seen, no satisfying fullness to be enjoyed in this earth, but in God
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only. Two. If there had been anything desirable to be seen, yet
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there was no light to see it by. For darkness, thick darkness was
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upon the face of the deep. God did not create this darkness, as
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he is said to create the darkness of affliction Isaiah forty five, verse seven.
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For it was only the want of light, which yet could not be
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said to be wanted till something was made that might be seen by it.
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Nor needs the want of it be much complained of when there is nothing be
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seen but confusion emptiness. If the work of Grace and the soul is a
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new creation, this chaos represents the state of an unregenerate, graceless soul.
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There is disorder, confusion in every evil work. It is empty of all
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good, for it is without God. It is dark. It is darkness
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itself. This is our condition by nature till almighty grace affects a blessed change.
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Two. The spirit of God was the first mover. He moved upon
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the face to the waters. When we consider the earth without form and void,
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methinks it islike the valley full of dead and dry bones. Can these
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live? Can this confused mass of matter be formed into a beautiful world?
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Yes? If a spirit of life from God enter into it Ezekiel thirty seven,
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verse nine. Now there is hope concerning this thing, for the spirit
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of God begins to work. And if he work, who or what shall
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hinder? God is said to make the world by his spirit Psalms thirty three,
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verse six, Job twenty six, verse thirteen. And by the same
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mighty worker the new creation is affected. He moved upon the face of the
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deep, as Elijah wretch himself upon the dead child, as the hen gathers
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her chickens under her wings and hovers over them to warm and cherish them Matthew
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twenty three, verse thirty seven, as the eagle stirs up her nest and
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flutters over her young. It is the same word that is here used Deuteronomy
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thirty two, verse eleven. Learn hence that God is not only the author
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of all being, but the fountain of life and spring of motion. Dead
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matter would be forever dead if He did not quicken it. And this makes
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it credible to us that God should raise the dead. The power which brought
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such a world as this out of confusion, emptiness and darkness at the beginning
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of time, can at the end of time bring our vile bodies out of
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the grave. Though it is a land of darkness, as darkness itself and
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without any order. Jove ten, verse twenty two, and can make them
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glorious bodies. Genesis verse three. And God said, let there be light.
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And there was light, and God saw the light that it was good.
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And God divieth the light from the darkness. And God called the light
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day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning
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were the first day. We have here a further account of the First Day's
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work, in which we observe one that the first of all visible beings which
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God created, was light, not that by it he himself might see to
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work, for the darkness and light are both alike to him, but that
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by it we might see His works and his glory in them that might work
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our works while it is day. The works of Satan and his servants are
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works of darkness. But he that doeth truth and doeth good cometh to the
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light and coveteth it that his deeds may be made manifest. John three,
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verse twenty one. Light is the great beauty and blessing of the universe.
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Like the first born, it does, of all visible beings, most resemble
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its great parent, impurity and power, brightness and beneficence. It is of
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great affinity with the Spirit, and as next to it. Though by it
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we see other things and are sure that it is, yet we know not
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its nature, nor can describe what it is or by what way the light
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is parted Job thirty eight, verses nineteen and twenty four. By the sight
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of it, let us be led to and assisted in the believing contemplation of
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Him whose light infinite and eternal light first John chapter one, verse five,
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and the Father of Lights James one, verse seventeen. And it dwells an
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inaccessible light one Timothy six, verse sixteen. In the New creation, the
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first thing wrought in the soul is light. The blessed spirit captives the will
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and affections by enlightening the understanding. So coming into the heart by the door,
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like the good shepherd, whose own the sheep are, while sin and
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satan, like thieves and robbers, climb up some other way, those that
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by sin were darkness, by grace become light in the world. Two that
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the light was made by the word of God's power. He said, let
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there be light. He willed and appointed it, and it was done immediately.
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There was slight such a copy as exactly answer the original idea in the
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eternal mind. Oh the power of the word of God. He spoke,
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and it was done, done really effectually and for perpetuity, not in show
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only, but to serve a present turn. For he commanded, and it
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stood fast with him. It was dictum factum, a word, word and
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a world, the world of God that is His will, and the good
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pleasure of it is quick and powerful. Christ is a word, the essential
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eternal word, And by him the light was produced. For in him was
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light, and He is the true light, the light of the world.
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John one, verse nine and nine, verse five. The divine light which
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shines in sanctified souls is wrought by the power of God, the power of
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his word and of the spirit of wisdom and revelation, opening the understanding,
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scattering the mist of ignorance and mistake, and giving the knowledge of the glory
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of God in the face of Christ. As at first God commanded the light
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to shine out of darkness. Second Corinthians four, verse six, darkness would
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have been perpetually upon the face of fallen man if the Son of God had
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not come and given us an understanding. First John five, verse twenty three.
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That the light which God willed, when it was produced, he approved
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of God saw the light. That it was good. It was exactly as
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he designed it, and it was fit to answer the end for which he
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designed it. It was useful and profitable. The world which now is a
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palace would have been a dungeon without it. It was amiable and pleasant.
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Truly, the light is sweet Ecclesiastes eleven, verse seven. It rejoiceth the
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heart Proverbs fifteen, verse thirty. What God commands, he will approve and
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graciously accept. He will be well pleased with the work of his own hands.
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That is good, indeed, which is so in the sight of God.
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For he sees not as man sees. If the light is good,
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how good is he that is the fountain of light, from whom we receive
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it, and to whom we owe all praise for it and all the services
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we do by it. Four that God divided the light from the darkness,
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so put them asunder, as that they could never be joined together or reconciled,
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For what fellowship has light with darkness? Second corinthing in six verse fourteen.
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And yet he divided time between them, the day for the light and
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the night for the darkness, in a constant and regular succession to each other.
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That the darkness was now scattered by the light. Yet it was not
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condemned to a perpetual banishment, but takes its turn with the light and has
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its place because it has its use. For as the light of the morning
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befriends the business of the day, so the shadows of the evening befriend the
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repose of the night, and draw the curtains about us, that we may
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sleep the better see Job seven, verse two. God has thus divided time
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between light and darkness, because he would daily remind us that this is a
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world of mixtures and changes. In heaven there is perfect and prepared natural light,
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and no darkness at all. In Hell, utter darkness and no gleam
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of light. In that world. Between these two there is a great golf
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fixed. But in this world there are counter change, and we pass daily
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from one to another, that we may learn to expect the like vicissitudes and
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the providence of God, peace and trouble, joy and sorrow, and may
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set the one over against the other, accommoding ourselves to both, as we
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do to the light and darkness, bidding both welcome and making the best of
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both. Five that God divided them from each other by distinguishing names he called
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the light day and the darkness he called night. He gave them names as
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the lord of both, for the day is his and the night also is
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his. Psalm seventy four, verse sixteen. He is the Lord of time,
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and will be so till day and night shall come to an end,
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and the stream of time be swallowed up in the ocean of eternity. Let
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us acknowledge God in the constant succession of day and night, and consecrate both
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to his honor, by working for him every day and resting him every night,
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meditating in his law day and Night six that this was the first day's
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work, and a good day's work. It was the evening and the morning
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were the first day. The darkness of the evening was before the light of
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the morning, that might serve for a foil to it, to set it
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off and make it shine the brighter. This was not only the first day
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of the world, but the first day of the week. I observe it
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to the honor of that day, because the new world began on the first
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day of the week. Likewise, in the resurrection of Christ, as the
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light of the world early in the morning in him, the day spring from
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on high has visited the world. And happy are we forever happy if that
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day star arrived in our hearts Verses six through eight. And God said,
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let there be a firment in the midst of the waters, and let divide
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the waters from the waters. And God made the ferment, and divide the
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waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.
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And it was so, and God called the firment heaven, and the evening
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the morning were the second day. We have here an account of the second
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Day's work, the creation of the ferment, in which observe one the command
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of God concerning it, Let there be a firment an expansion, so the
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Hebrew word signifies like a sheet spread or a curtain drawn out. This includes
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all that is visible above the earth between it and the third heavens, the
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air, its higher, middle and lower regions, the celestial globe, and
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all the spears and orbs of light above it. It reaches as high as
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a place where the stars are fixed, for that is called here the firment
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of heaven Verses fourteen fifteen, and as low as the place where the birds
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fly, for that also is called the firmament of Heaven verse twenty. When
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God has made the light, he appointed the heir to be the receptacle and
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vehicle of its beings, and to be as a mean of communication between the
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invisible and the visible world. For though between Heaven and Earth there is an
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inconceivable distance, yet there is not an impassable gulf, as there is between
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Heaven and Hell. This firmament is not a wall partition, but a way
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of intercourse. See Job twenty six, verse seven, thirty seven, verse
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eighteen, Psalms one hundred and four, verse three, and Amos nine,
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verses six and two. The creation of it, lest it should seem as
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if God had only commanded to be done and someone else had done it,
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he adds, and God made the firmament. What God requires of us,
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he himself works in uns us, or it is not done. He that
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commands faith, holiness, and love creates him by the power of his grace,
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going along with his word, that he may have all the praise.
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Lord, Give what thou commandest, and then command what thou pleasest. The
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firmament is said to be the work of God's fingers Psalms eight, verse three,
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though the vastness of its extent declares it to be the work of his
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arm stretched out. Yet the admirable finesse of its constitution shows that is a
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curious piece of art, the work of his fingers. Three. The use
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and design of it to divide the waters from the waters, that is,
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to distinguish between the waters that are wrapped up in the clouds and those that
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cover the sea, the waters in the air and those in the earth.
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See the difference between these two carefully observed Deuteronomy eleven, verse ten and verse
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eleven, where Canaan is upon this account preferred to Egypt. That Egypt was
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moistened and made fruitful with the waters that are under the firmament, but Canaan
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with the waters from above, out of the firmament, even the dew of
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heaven, which tarrieth not for the sons of men. Mike of five verse
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seven. God has in the firment of his power chambers store chambers, whence
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he watereth the earth Psalms one hundred four, verse thirteen sixty five, verse
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nine ten. He has also treasures or magazines of snow and hail, which
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he hath reserved against the day of battle. And war Job thirty eight,
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verses twenty two and twenty three. Oh, what a great God is he
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who has thus provided for the comfort of all that serve him, and the
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confusion of all that hate him. Is good having him our friend, and
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bad having him our enemy. For the naming of it he called the firmament
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heaven. It is the visible heaven, the pavement of the Holy City.
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Above the firmament. God is said to have his throne Ezekiel one, verse
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twenty six, for He has prepared it in the heavens. The heavens therefore
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are said to rule Daniel four, verse twenty six. Is not God in
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the height of heaven? Job twenty two, verse twelve, Yes, he
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is. And we should be led by the contemplation of the heavens that are
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in our eye to consider our Father, who is in heaven. The height
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of the heaven should remind us of God's supremacy and the infinite distance there is
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between us and Him. The brightness of the heavens and their purity should remind
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us of His glory and majesty and perfect holiness. The vastness of the heavens,
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the air encompassing of the earth, and the influence they have upon it
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should remind us of His immensity and universal providence Verses nine through thirteen. And
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God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place,
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and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God
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called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called that
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he sees. And God saw that it was good. And God said,
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let the earth bring forth grass, an herb yielding seed, and the fruit
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tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth.
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And it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and an herb
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yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was
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in itself after his kind. And God saw that it was good. And
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the evening and the morning were the third day. The third Day's work is
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related in these verses the forming of the sea and the dry land, and
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the making of the earth fruitful. Hitherto the power of the Creator had been
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exerted and employed about the upper part of the visible Word. The light of
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heaven was kindled, and the firmament of heaven f But now he descends to
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his lower world, the earth, which was designed for the children men designed
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both for their habitation for their maintenance, And here we have an account of
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the fate of it for both, and billion their house and the spraying of
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their table. Observe one, how the earth was prepared to be a habitation
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for man, by the gathering of the waters together, and the making of
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the dry land to appear. Thus, instead of the confusion which there was
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verse two, when earth and water mix in one great mass, behold,
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now there is order for such a separation, as rendered them both useful.
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God said, let it be so, And it was so, no sooner
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said than done. One the waters which had covered the earth were ordered to
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retire and to gather into one place, namely those hollows, which were fitted
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and appointed for their reception and rest. The waters thus cleared, thus collected,
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and thus lodged in their proper place he called seas. Though there are
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many in distant regions, and washing several shores. Yet either above ground or
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underground, they have communication with each other, and so they are one and
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the common receptacle of waters in which all the rivers flow Ecclesiastes one, verse
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seven. Waters and seas often in scripture signified troubles and afflictions Psalms forty two,
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verse seven and sixty nine, verse two, fourteen and fifteen. God's
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own people are not exempted from these in this world. But it is there
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comfort that they are only waters under the heaven, there are none in heaven,
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and that they are all in the place that God has appointed them,
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and within the bounds that He is set for them. How the waters were
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gathered together at first, and how they are still bound and limited by the
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same Almighty had that first confined them, are elegantly described Psalms. One hundred
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four, verses six through nine, and are there mentioned as matter of praise
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those that go down to the sea in ships, all to acknowledge daily the
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wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator in making the great water serviceable
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for man for trade and commerce. And those that terry at home must own
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themselves indebted to Him that keeps the seas with bars and doors, in its
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decreed place and stays its proud waves. Job thirty eight, verse ten and
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eleven two. The dry land was made to appear and emerge out of the
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waters, and was called earth and given to the children men. The earth,
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it seems, was in being before, but it was of no use
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because it was under water. The many of God's gifts are received in vain
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because they are buried. Make them to appear, and they become serviceable.
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We who to this day enjoy the benefit of the dry land, though since
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this it was once deluge and dried again, must own ourselves tenants too,
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and dependence upon that God whose hands formed the dry land Psalms ninety five,
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verse five and Jonah one, verse nine two. How the earth was furnished
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for the maintenance and support of man Verses eleven and twelve. Present provision was
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now made by the immediate products of the upstart earth, which, in obedience
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to God's command, was no sooner made than it became fruitful and brought forth
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grass for the cattle and herb for the service of man. Provision was likewise
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made for time to come by the perpetuating of the several kinds of vegetables,
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which are numerous, various, and all curious, and every one having it
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seed in itself after its kind, that during the continuance of man upon the
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earth, food might be fetched the earth for his use and benefit. Lord,
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what is man that he is thus visited and regarded that such care should
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be taken in such provision made for the support and preservation of those guilty and
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obnoxious lives which have been a thousand times forfeited. Observe here one that not
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only the earth is the Lord's, but the fullness thereof, and He is
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the rightful owner and sovereign disposer, not only of it, but of all
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its furniture. The earth was emptiness verse two, but now by a word
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speaking, it is become full of God's riches. And this they are still
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his corn and his wine, his wool, and his flax Hoseiah two,
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verse nine. Though the use of them is allowed to us, the property
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still remains in Him, and in his service and honor, they must be
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used. Two That common providence is continued creation, and in it our Father
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worketh hitherto. The earth still remains under the efficiency of this command to bring
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forth grass and herbs and its annual products. And though being according to the
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common course of nature, these are not standing miracles, yet they are standing
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instances of the unwearied power and unexhausted goodness of the world's great maker and master.
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Three That though God ordinarily makes use of the agency of second causes,
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according to their nature, yet he neither needs them, nor is tied to
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them. Four. Though the precious fruits of the earth are usually brought forth
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by the influences of the Sun and Moon Deuteronomy thirty three, verse fourteen,
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yet here we find the earth bearing a great abundance of fruit, probable ripe
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fruit, before the Sun and moon were made. Four That it is good
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to provide things necessary before we have occasion to use him. Before the beasts
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and man were made, here were grass and earths prepared for them. God
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thus dealt wisely and graciously with man. Let not man then be foolish and
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unwise for himself. Five That God must have the glory of all the benefit
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we receive from the products of the earth, either for food or physic It
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is He that hears the heavens when they hear the earth Joseah two twenty one,
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twenty two. And if we have, through grace an interest in Him
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who is the fountain, when the streams are dried up and the fig tree
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doth not blossom, we may rejoice in Him Verses fourteen through nineteen. And
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God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to
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divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and
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for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be for lights
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in the ferment of the heaven, to give light upon the earth. And
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it was so, and God made two great lights, the greater light to
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rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the
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stars also, and God set them in the firment of the heaven to give
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light upon the earth and rule over the day and over the night, and
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to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
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And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. This is the
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history of the Fourth Day's work, the crave of the sun, moon,
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and stars, which are here accounted for, not as they are in themselves
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in their own nature to satisfy the curious, but as they are in relation
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to this earth, to which they serve as lights. And this is enough
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to furnish us with matter for praise and thanksgiving. Holy Job mentions this as
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an instance of the glorious power of God, that by the spirit he hath
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garnished the heavens Job twenty six, verse thirteen. And here we have an
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account of that garniture which is not only so much the beauty of the upper
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world, but so much the blessing of this lower For though Heaven is high,
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yet has it respect to this earth, and therefore should have respect from
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it. Of the creation of the lights of Heaven we have an account one
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in general Verses fourteen fifteen, where we have the command given concerning them,
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let there be lights in the firment of Heaven. God had said, let
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there be light verse three. And there was light. But this was,
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as it were, a chaos of light, scattered and confused. Now it
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was collected and modeled, and made into several luminaries, and so rendered both
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more glorious and more serviceable. God is the god of order and not of
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confusion. And as he is light, so he is the father and former
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of lights. Those lights were to be in the firment of Heaven, that
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vast expanse, which encloses the earth and is spicuous to all. For no
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man, when he is light a candle, puts it under a bushel,
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but on a candlestick Luke eight, verse sixteen, and a stately golden candlestick.
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The firm of heaven is, for which these candles give light to all.
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That are in the house. The firmament itself is spoken of as having
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a brightness of its own Daniel twelve, verse three. But this was not
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sufficient to give light to the earth, And perhaps for this reason it is
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not expressly said of the second day's work in which the ferment was made,
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that it was good, because till it was adorned with these lights on the
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fourth day, it had not become serviceable to man. The use they were
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attended to be of this earth. One. They must be for the distinction
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of times of day and night, summer and winter, which are interchanged by
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the motion of the sun, whose rising makes day his setting, night his
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approach towards their tropic summer his recess to the other winter. Thus, under
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the sun there is a season to every purpose Ecclesiastes three, verse one.
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Two. They must be for the direction of actions. Therefore signs of the
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change of weather. The husbandmen may order his affairs with discretion, foreseen by
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the face of the sky, when second causes have begun to work, whether
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it will be fair or foul Matthew sixteen, verses two and three. They
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do also give light upon the earth that we may walk John eleven, verse
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nine, and work. John nine, verse four. According as the duty
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of every day requires. The lights of heaven do not shine for themselves,
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nor for the world of spirits above, who need them not, But they
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shine for us, for our pleasure and advantage. Lord, What is man
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that he should be thus regarded? Psalms aid verses three and four. How
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ungrateful and inexcuse usable are we if, when God has set up these lights
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for us to work by, we sleep, or play or trifle away the
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time of business and neglect the great work we were sent into the world about.
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The lights of heaven are made to serve us, and they do it
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faithfully, and shine in their season without fail. But we are set as
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lights in this world to serve God. And do we in like manner answer
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the end of our creation? No, we do not. Our light does
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not shine before God as His light shine before us. Matthew five, verse
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fourteen. We burn our master's candles, but do not mind our master's work.
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Two, in particular verses sixteen eighteen. Observe the lights of heaven are
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the sun, moon, and stars, and all these are the work of
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God's hands. One the Sun is the greatest light of all, more than
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a million times greater than the earth, and the most glorious and useful of
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all the lamps of heaven, a noble instance of the Creator's wisdom, power
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and goodness, and an invaluable blessing to the creatures of this lower world.
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Let us learn from Psalms nineteen verses one through six how to give unto God
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the glory due under his name as the maker of the Sun. Two.
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The moon is a less light, and yet is here reckon one of the
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greater lights, Because though in regard to its magnitude and borrowed light, it
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is inferior to many of the stars. Yet by virtue of its office as
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rulers the night, and respect of its usefulness to the earth, it is
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more excellent than they. Those are most valuable, than are most serviceable.
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And those are the greater lights, not that have the best gifts, but
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that humbly and faithfully do the most good with them. Whosoever will be great
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among you, let him be your minister. Matthew twenty verse twenty six,
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number three. He made the stars also, which are here spoken of as
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they appear to vulgar eyes, without distinguishing between the planets and the fixed stars
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or accounting for their number, nature, place, magnitude, motions, or
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influence. For the scriptures were written not to gratify our curiosity and make us
43:28
astronomers, but to lead us to God and make us saints. Now these
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lights are said to rule Verses sixteen eighteen, not that they have a supreme
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dominion, as God has, but they are deputy governors rulers under him.
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Here the less light the moon is said to rule the night. But in
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Psalms thirty six, verse nine, the stars are mentioned as sharers in that
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government, the moon and stars to rule by night. No more is meant
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than that they give light. Jeremiah thirty one, verse thirty five. The
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best and most honorable way of ruling is by giving light and doing good.
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Those command respect that live a useful life, and so shine as lights.
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Number two. Learn from this that one the sin and folly of that ancient
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idolatry, the worshiping of the sun, moon, and stars, which some
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think took rise or countenance, at least from some broken traditions in the patriarchal
44:32
age concern the rule and dominion of the lights of heaven. But the account
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here given of them plainly shows that they are both God's creatures and man's servants.
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And therefore it is both a great affront to God and a great reproach
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to ourselves to make deities of them and give them divine honors. See to
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Earomy four, verse nineteen and number two. The duty and wisdom of daily
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worshiping that God who made all these things and made them to be that to
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us which they are, the revolutions of the day and night oblige us to
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offer the solemn sacrifice of prayer and praise every morning and evening Verses twenty through
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twenty three. And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving
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creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the
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open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales and every living creature that
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moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged
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fowl after his kind. And God saw that it was good, and God
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blessed them, saying, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in
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the seas, and let foul multiply in the earth. And the evening and
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the morning were the fifth day. Each day hitherto has produced very noble and
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excellent beings, which we can never sufficiently admire. But we do not read
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of the creation of any living creature till the fifth day, of which these
46:05
verses give us an account. The work of creation not only proceeded gradually from
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one thing to another, but rose and advanced gradually from that which was less
46:15
excellent to that which was more so, teaching us to press towards perfection and
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endeavor, that our last works may be our best works. It was on
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the fifth day that the fish and fowl were created, and both out of
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the waters. Though there is one kind of flesh of fishes and another of
46:32
birds, yet they were made together and both out of the water. For
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the power of the first cause can produce very different effects from the same.
46:42
Second casts observe one the making of the fish and fowl. At first verses
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twenty and twenty one, God commanded them to be produced. He said,
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let the waters bring forth abundantly, not as if the waters had any productive
46:57
power of their own, but let them be brought in a being, the
47:01
fish in the waters and the fowl out of them. This command he himself
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executed. God created great whales, et cetera. Insects, which perhaps are
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as various and as numerous as any species of animals, and their structure is
47:19
curious, were part of this day's work, some of them being allied to
47:22
the fish, and others to the fowl. Mister Boyle I remember says he
47:28
admires the Creator's wisdom and power as much in an ant as in an elephant.
47:34
Notice is here taken of the various sorts of fish and fowl, each
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after their kind, and of the great numbers of both that were produced for
47:43
the water is brought forth abundantly, and particular mention is made of great whales,
47:49
the largest of fishes, whose balk and strength is seeding that of any
47:53
other animal, are remarkable proofs of the power and greatness of the Creator.
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The expressed notice here taken of the whale above all the rest, seems sufficient
48:05
to determine what animal is meant by the Leviathan Job forty one, verse one.
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The curious formation of the bodies of animals, their different sizes, shapes,
48:15
and natures, with the admirable powers of the sensitive life with which they
48:22
are endued, when duly considered, serve not only to silence and shame the
48:27
objections of atheists and infidels, but to raise high thoughts and high praises of
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God and pious and devout souls Psalms one hundred four, verse twenty five,
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number two. The blessing of them in order to their continuance. Life is
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a wasting thing. Its strength is not the strength of stones. It is
48:49
a candle that will burnt out if it be not first blown out. And
48:52
therefore the wise creator not only made the individuals, but provided for the propagation
48:58
of the several kinds. God bless them, saying be fruitful and multiply verse
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twenty two. God will bless his own works and not forsake them, and
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what he does shall be for perpetuity. Ecclesiastes three, verse fourteen. The
49:13
power of God's providence preserves all things, as at first his creating power produced
49:19
them. Fruitfulness is the effect of God's blessing and must be ascribed to it.
49:24
The multiplying of the fish and fowl from year to year is still the
49:28
fruit of his blessing. Well, let us give to God the glory of
49:32
the continuance of these creatures to this day for the benefit of man. See
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Job twelve, verses seven to nine. Is a pity that fishing and fowling
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recreations innocent in themselves, should ever be abused to divert any from God and
49:46
their duty, while they are capable of being improved. To lead us to
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the contemplation of the wisdom, power, and goodness of Him that made all
49:55
these things, and to engage us to stand in all of Him as a
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fish, and foul do of us. End of Chapter one, Part one