bute to serve and praise God with them amongst his Saints here, that we may be glorified with them in Heaven, that we may praise and magnific him with his Creatures in earth, that we may be glorified with his Saints in Heaven, quod faciat Deus per Chriftam.

Gen. 4, 2 verfe Terra autem erat res informis & inanis,tenebræque erant in fuper ficie abyẞi.

HE former verfe was delivered to us an abstract of the whole work of Gods Creation: now left we should think that when he mentioned Heaven and Earth before, he should mean that all things in Heaven and Earth were made in the very moment of the beginning, even as we see them now; therefore Mofes maketh hafte to tell us, that though at the beginning and first moment God made quecunque nunc funt, yet he made them not qualia nunc funt, but did that in fix diftinctions of feverall times. It had been as cafie to him, to have created all things, even in the perfection and order they are, in a moment and instant, and in that beautifull form, in which they prefent themselves now to our eyes: But it pleafed God, though in power he could doe it, yet in wisdome to proceed after these three degrees mentioned before. First, to create the beginning, both of all times and of all things, as the matter and beginning of all fuperior bodies, and the beginning of all inferior bodies, of nothing. After the work of creation, followeth the work of diftinction, from this 2. verse to the 11. And lastly enfueth the work of perfection, with beauty to adorn all his works, and to finish them, which is from the 11 verfe to the 16.

It pleafed God thus to proceed in this work; as well that he might fhew himself to be the God of order; as alfo to discover to us the myfterie of the Trinity, in the three properties of the three perfons, which appear in the Creation; For all was made by his Power, which is the property of God the Father; By his Wifedome, which is the property of God the Sonne, by which all things were orderly difpofed and diftinguished; And by the riches of his Goodness, which is the property of the holy Ghoft, by which all things were adorned and made perfect : these three properties are remembred in the Revel. 5. 12. and Acts 17.28.

We live by his power; we, and all things, move in this order by his wildome; and we have this our being by his grace and goodnefs by his power we are taught to acknowledge him to be our beginning and originall, ex quo fumus: by his wifdome we acknowledge him to be the upholder, per quem fumus: by his goodness we confeís him to be the Chief, propter quod fumus. For, confidering

his goodness, we, and all Creatures, muft endeavor to doc all that we can for him, and his praife and honour. All which three are plainly and orderly fet in the 11. Rom. 36.

God alfo took this orderly proceeding, partly that we entring into the meditation of Gods works, might by this means have, as it were, a thread to direct us orderly therein for, by this means, we come to know this difference between Creatum ordinatum, & ornatum effe, as the Hebrews fay, by this means we shall know, not only the beginning and being of all things, but also how orderly and excel lently all things were made in this Creation: And thus much of the reafons of this courfe of Gods proceeding in this work.

Mofes having therefore in the first verse fet down the materials of the World and all in them; now to the 11. verfe he fheweth the work of distinction: And after, the work of adorning and perfe. &ting all.

But first of all he handleth two things in this verfe, First what the things were he made in the beginning, before they were diftingui- The rude rudifhed by God; for they were void and vain confused things, with- ments of the out order or form, all covered with obfcure darkness.

Secondly, He fheweth how God did first order and dispose these rude things, that they might be fit for distinction and perfection. Of the first whereof at this time.

In the first verse we confider God as Deum Theologicum; for it is a matter and a mysterie of Faith, that God gave all things their being of nothing But now hereafter we fhall confider him tanquam Deum Philofophicum; for there is no Philofopher, if you allow him his this matter of the World, but will confess, that it was God as they call vous, an understanding Spirit, which is his power and wisdome, framed all things in this order and forme, even common natural reafon alloweth and admitteth this rule,because our Consciences doe fee it, That in every excellent work,the action must by cer. tain degrees and spaces come to perfection; for before fire can burn any other things, it must first warm, then by little and little make black,and parch and fcorch the combuftible thing, & after that,it inflameth ir,and at last maketh it perfectly of its fiery nature,able to doe that to another thing which the fire did to it at the firft, fo every cause, by an orderly courfe of proceeding,doth bring his effect to perfection

Mofes fheweth therefore, that God took that courfe which is ve ry agreeable to natural reafon; and therefore firft fetteth down the imperfection of all things at their firft beginning, and then the degrees by which they come to their perfection: For at the first there was a foggie grofs darkness;after,he made the dawning or morning, which is a mixture of fome light and fome darkness; And after, he made the perfe& light. So at the firft he fheweth touching the waters, that they were a bottomlefs gulfe; afterward, he made them quiet waters; and at laft, made them falt Seas and fresh Waters, Fountains and Springs, in moft neceffary and orderly fort. And for the Earth, first the beginning of them (which were the matter

World.

of all earthly things) it was a defolate and difordered, rude and deformed mais,covered with water; After, God fet it above the Waters, and made it dry ground, as the word fignifieth; And at the laft he brought it to its perfection, making it fruitfull and fan&ifying it in all neceffary things: In the handling of which, we will firft generally behold them together, and then feverally and apart.

Touching the firft, It is even as if he had faid, all things in Hea ven and Earth were not, at the beginning, in that comely and perfe&t order and manner, in which you behold them now: for now they prefent themselves to our eyes well fashioned, adorned and replenished; but then they were without form, unfhapely, and void. So the waters now we fee, ferve for Navigation above, and within them they are most profitable and fruitfull in bringing innumerable ftore of fith, but at the beginning it was made void, rude, and raging: Now we fee the Heavens beautified and adorned with stars and lights, but at the beginning it was but a grofs mift and confufed darkness, without any light: Wherefore one calleth them the fwadling Clouts of the Worlds infancie, Pfal.104.6. for the Waters overspread and covered all the Earth, and the mist of darkness, Fob faith, was the fwadling band of the World, 38. 9. So the Cloudes were the fwadling Clouts of the World, in which it was wrapt up; and the Seas were his Swathes, to binde and fwadle it up in its best infancie.

As the Worlds Creation was of nothing, in the work of diftin&tion all things were next kin to nothing; for that without was rude and confused, and within is void and emptie of any good, is as a thing of nothing, and fuch were all things faith Mofes. The Earth being diftinguished from the Waters was fomthing indeed, but yet fo dry and unprofitable, that it was to no purpose nor use for any thing to dwell and remain on it.

Now we see the earth is fet firft, if Mofes had obferved a curious order, he should have placed heaven before earth, as in the 1. & 6. but the manner of the holy Ghoft in the fcripture, is alwayes to begin to speak of that which is fresheft in memory, and that is commonly, that which one fpeaketh of laft.

The earth is called Tohu, Tobobu, which hath this fignification that it was a thing without fhew, in fight misfhapen and deformed to outward view, and within to have no inward vertue of good fubftance, to make amends; for Tohu, fignifieth a thing misshapen without, and Toboku fignifieth a thing wanting all goodneffe, and fubftance within, to make amends for that; and fo it fignifieth a thing of no commendation or value. There are many things which are Tobu, that is, deformed without, as Elisha 2 Reg. 2. 23. who was mocked and derided of the boyes in the freet, but yet within he had inward vertues, which made amends for his outward want.

And there are fome things which are Tobobu, that is, void and wanting all inward substance, and good stuffing within, without

arc

are very goodly and fair in fhew to look too, as Abfolon which without, was a man without blemish, but within he had no good stuffing answerable to that without, but rather fraught with pride, murder, and difobedience.

But the earth was both Tohu and Tobohu, without deformed, and within void and empty, not that it had no form, for that were against reason, but it was such a form as was altogether deformed; for there is, forma confufionis, & forma perfectionis, and this deformed form it had which made it loathed, having nothing to commend it; it had as the prophet Efay 34. 11. fpeaketh, line of deformity, and the ftones of emptineffe, threatning to make wicked Cities fuch deformed things, that is, he will make them like the world at this state, a confused head, and the ftones of the heap shall not be found ftones, but unprofitable rubbish fit for no use. Thus we fee what the earth was at the beginning.

Now God in proceeding did replenish and fill that voyd emptyneffe which it had, with all good things which it wanted, and beautified the deformity of it in this most glorious form, as now we lee,and better shall perceive hereafter: so that it is evident, that both the fulneffe of things, with which now it is replenished, and this beauty which it hath, it then wanted.

Et Spiritus Dei incubabat superficiei aquarum.

Econdly, we are to confider of the deep which is called Aby zö fum, which in the Scriptures is properly applyed unto the waters, as in the 7. Gen. 11. and Efay 51. 10. and Luke 8. 22, 23.

27.

These waters were the matter of which the heavens were made, for God fpread them abroad as molten glasse, Fob 37. 18. and they fhall diffolve and melt again in the last day 2 Pet. 3. 10, 11, 12, fo that in this depth of water, is conteined the matter whereof the high heavens were made. St. Auftine calleth it inordinatum menfitatem aquarum, that is, a difordered, for they had no limit or bound, nor any order or courfe in them; they were without any fhore Pfal. 104. 6,9. for they were above the mountains and prevailed over all, untill God did limit them, and set them their bounds, Pro. 8. which they should not paffe to cover the earth, yea and also God limitted the upper waters, and bounded them in Clouds, Fob 26.8. fø that the Clouds break not, he also made doors and barrs for the Sea below, Fob 38. 10, 11. and said thus farre you shall come, and no further. Touching their firft diforderly motion, it is fet down Pfal. 93. 3,4: the flood did rage horribly and they did lift up their waves, but now God hath fet them a moft orderly and profitable and neceffary courfe eundo & redeundo, Pfal. 104. 10. of ebbing and flowing by course and recourse of times and tides: Thefe deeps had a face, nay as the word fignifieth, it had two faces, in which the Philofophers doe cafily confent and agree with him; for all know that this globe hath a double hemifphere, yea one half sphere is the upper face of the B 3

earth,

3.

Gen. 1.3 verfe

earth, and the other is the nether face of the earth; now he telleth us that then the darkneffe was over both faces of the earth and waters, and not as it is now; for when it is dark night with us, it is bright day with the Antipodes, which are as the nether face of the earth, but then it covered all with obfcure darkneffe.

Thirdly, As for darkneffe we are not to conceive any otherwise of it, then to be only a privation, defect and absence of light, which then wanted; for as one faith tenebræ erant,id eft,non erat lux: So that by the negative, he fheweth that there was a privation of light, not that this privation followed the habite, as if there had been light, but that the darkneffe was firft over all, before there was any light made, 45 Efay 7. it was faid, that God created darkneffe but that was by denying unto things light; for herein appeared Gods power, in that as he made fomething of nothing, fo God brought light out of darkneffe, I Cor. 4, 5. Pfal. 18. 11. God came down and darknesse was under his feet, he made it his pavillion round about him, to cover the brightneffe of his person, Pfal. 36. 6. God and his works are as tenebra & Aby us, like the great gulph; therefore we must not curioufly prye and question about him, and his matters.

As God made the darkneffe for fome use and purpose for himfelf, to be his pavillion, Pfal. 18. 11. fo, in refpe&t of us, he made them to fpeciall ule, Pfal. 104. 23. he made darkneffe that it may be night, which is a time for all things to take their reft in: fo that as the day was made for labour, fo this for reft, because quod caret alterna requiæ durabile non eft.

And God hath made it for a third ufe, to the rebellious Spirits, and Divels, and to wicked men, namely, to referve them in utter darkneffe unto the great day, Fude 4, 5, 6. So God made it to be a pavillion for himself, a couch for us, and a torment to the wicked.

M

Tum dixit Deus, esto lux.

Fofes, having before defcribed the primative State of the world, how God made it of nothing, and then endowed it with an aptneffe to receive a better form, he doth in this verfe unto the 11. proceed to a three fold work of diftinction, feparating and fequeftring orderly one part from the other, to avoid confufion. The firft was of the light from darkneffe, which was the firft dayes work: The second of the celeftiall and fuperior parts of the heavens from the inferior bodies below: Thirdly,the earth and dry land from the waters, and having performed this inward perfection, as it is called Chap. 2 verfe 1. he proceedeth afterward to the outward adorning of them three, and so finisheth the work.