4.

2d part.

De quo.

the Heavens, who are most beautiful!, and whofe courfe is most orderly and certain.

Thirdly, He is admirable in this, that he can make firmamentum ex infirmißimo, of the infirmity of the deeps, for what more weak than water? Yet of it he made the Heaven, which is the most firm and stable thing, and therefore called the firmament.

Laft of all, Men ufe to begin the frame of their building at the foundation and pavement, but God beginneth his house at Heaven, which is the roof and cealing, Pfal. 104. 1. and then after maketh the Earth, which is the foundation and pavement, as it is Pfal. 24. 1, 2. which confideration maketh David ufe this exclamation by way of admiration, Pfal. 118. 23. The right hand of the Lord hath preheminence, it doth bring mighty things to paffe.

the

The fecond part confifteth in three points, de quo, in quo, ad quid. We will begin with the Firmament, which is called Rachia, that is expanfio, a ftretching forth abroad; the property of which word includeth the fignification of the nature of fuch actions, whereby metals are driven thin and beaten abroad into plates, as Smiths with their hammers use to doc; in which fenfe it is taken, Numb. 16. 38. and fer. 1o. 9. fo the expanfion or driving out of metals, is the ori The Firma- ginal from whence this word is borrowed, and being fo borrowed, ment of Hea- it is applied to the spreading or drawing out of any thing whatsoeven compared. ver, as of a curtain, Pfal. 104. 2. which kinde of phrafe by comparifon, is there given to the making of the firmament, as if he had, as it were, fpread the Heavens abroad as a curtain; alfo to the overfpreading of a vault, to which also the firmament is compared ; alfo to the pulling out abroad and expansion of a roll of paper or parchment, to which also it is likened, Efay 34. 4. likewise to the blowing up of glaffe out of a lump into, a hollow compaffe, to which Fob resembleth the making of Heaven 37. 18. which comparisons doe yeeld unto us the hidden confideration of this work of God: for fuch a like work was performed here this fecond day in making Heaven, as thefe handy-Crafts men doe fhew. Simple comparisons thefe are to fhew fuch a matter, yet fufficient, fithence we can con

7

In quo.

ceive no better.

The two actions of Gods Spirit mentioned before, fuftole & diaftole, which I faid are feen in all works created, are no where better expreffed than in this work, for the dilatation and contraction of the fpirit moving in this work, was the expanfion and ftretching out of the Heavens, and the compreffion and drawing in of his force and virtue is and shall be the diffolution of the firmament, for then they will run and rowle together as a roll, and as molten glaffe, &c.

4

The refemblance and fhadow of this work of God 'we may fet before you in a matter of common experience; for it is ufuall to fee a pot of water, by the force of the fire, to evaporate, and so stretcheth forth out of a little pot, as to fill the whole room with his moifture extenuated; and again, being fo dilated into a thin vapour, we see it drawn in and compreffed into little drops of water again,

which also fome explane by the manner of diftillation, which firft
rifeth as a vapour, filling all, and then refolveth into drops again,
and is made the fame quantity of water and moisture which it was
before. So God in this work, as a Stiller, firft, by a vapour rifing
up by the Sunne, he stretcheth abroad the waters above us, and
then the cold congealeth and compreffeth that vapour into clouds,
and after, by heat, again refolveth and melteth the clouds into
drops of rain, which return to the Sea; So that in creating Calum
aereum, the rarefying and extenua ing the waters into vapors, and fo
dilating it by expanfion,was the first beginning of them. Gods di-
ftinction is taken after the manner of a thinne ftone, or marking
ftone, with which, faith Salomon, Prov. 8:27. circuit Cælum quafi cir-
cino fuo, as if he had a compaffe to make a circle for their feparation,
Efay 40.12. faith,that in this feparation with one hand God did hold
up
the upper waters, and with the other he depreffed the waters be-
low we know it to be a matter of fuch difficulty, to stop the
courfe of waters, that it bufieth the best and wifeft heads to stop
up the breaches, once being made. Yet God, by his power, doth
separate the waters, and keep part above, and his intergerium, his
partition wall and bank which he useth to divide and keep out one
from the other, is the weakest Element, that is, namely the Aire,
which is moft ftrange, that that fhould be terminus, a bank and
bound to the mighty waters which had moft need of a terminus to
Jimit it felf; yet. God hath made of it fuch a limit which is called
firmamentum, that is,a moft strong, fure, and firm bond, which fhall
not fail; yea, it is more firm and permanent, than if it had been
made of a rock of Adamant, for that the waters would have eaten
and perished, but this is moft durable,by Gods appointment.

The last thing is ad quid, namely, that there may be a divifion. Ad quid. Where generally is implyed a double divifion, the one is before, of things in nature oppofite and contrary, as light and darkneffe; the other is here of things which have an inequality, as the pureft waters from the unclean and impure; for God will have not only evill diftinguished from good, but affo the things that in degree and quality are better and more excellent, are to be feparated from that which is more base and vile; for the not diftinguishing thefe, is the mother of confufion: We must not only mark and beware of the Devill the adverfary which is aduvos, but alfo of things which are apparently evil, or are not altogether good: therefore God divided the clearest waters in the best and high place above, and the grofleft he fet below in the depth. So we have a difference between aquam pendiculam,& aquam fluidam, the one is Mare fuperum, the other is Mareinferum. This is the divifion of the Waters.

Now in the upper waters of Calum aëreum, there are two parts, aqua labilu, & aura ftabilis, which are united together. Now between thefe two waters thus divided, because they are not contrary in nature, but only different in degree, the inferior and bafer: waters doe first, as it were, reverently acknowledge their humility, by F

fending

fending up vapours to them in the Clouds; and they, as gratefull, doc fend down drops and fhowers more liberally, even powring them down again : So there is a mutuall reciprocation and circulating in nature between them, as ebbing and flowing is below; fo is there breathing up and dropping down between them both..

But to what end are thefe waters above and below, and where fore is there a divifion of them? Because God had before taken order for light, that there might be time, it was'next of all convenient and meet that he should take order for place, wherein his Creatures might inhabite; for in that place where the thick and compact body of the waters is, the Creature could have but a flow motion; and therefore it is no fit Element for us: Wherefore God having an eye to man, refpecting him in all his works, provided in this,that he might have a fit Element of Aite, in which he might live, move, and have his being.

The end of the other divifion and feparation was this, that the waters being thus fet apart, might be as a bridge for us, not only from one Country to another, by fhip here on the nether waters, but also that there might be a communication and paffage from Earth to Heaven, by the means of the Aire; for the Aire is, as it were, the bridge and path and cafement, by which the light of Heaven commeth to us; it is the pipe, through which founds and voyces come to our cares, fmells to our noftrils, colors to our eyes; it is the ftrainer or five, through which, as Fob faith, the rain is fifted in little drops, bur efpecially as you know in the first day God made light, which hath a proportion and resemblance to this word Fohn 8.12.yea, it is vox Creatorum allo; for the dumb and fenfleffe things doc, as it were, fpeak and tell us what they are by the light; So, if you mark, the Aire, which is made the fecond day, hath a refemblance to Gods Spirit; for as the Aire is the act of breathing, which we cafily fashion and receive into our bodies, fo our fpiritual life is by the holy Ghoft, of whom we have the like apprehenfion, and as light commeth to our eyes by the Aire, and words to our cars, fo that by it we apprehend light and fpeech and communication; fo is the Spirit of God the very means whereby our fouls dos apprehend the fpiritual light, and by which the word of God is conveyed to the ears of our hearts; So fpiritually the Holy Ghost is ve biculum lucis, & vocis Dei, &c. and this we learn by way of relem blance.

The last point is concerning this, to know to what end are these upper waters of the Aire. We are to know, that God made them to be his magnus Thefaurus, his great treasure houfe for ftore, Dent. 28. 3. for there he faith he will at his pleasure open this great ftore houfe, and out of it give the first and latter rain and fnow, to molifie and make fruitfull the Earth, which is fo great a bleffing that we are bound to praise God continually for his gracious work.

The manner of which work is set down in Gen. 28. 6. God, out of the lower waters raileth a fume or vapour or mist, which he con denfateth

dinlateth in the middle region of the Aire and coagulateth together,or turneth into waters again & bindeth them ten in the clouds, Job 26.8. which by his word, as by his Hoftes, he bringeth, as in Cuario.s, from the remoteft parts of the Earth to us, or to others, as he pleaseth to make the Earth fruitfull, Pfal. 135. 6, 7. Of these waters in the clouds God maketh divers impreffions, Job. 38.25.as great rains and streams, little finall rain and fhowers, and dews, and fnow,and haile, Job.38.37 the clouds are his bottles for fmall rain and dews,and 25.verfe,fo they are his ipouts to pour out great raine, Job. 37. 6. which are called ftormes. Alio out of these upper waters he ordeined to have snow fcattered as afhes and wooll, Pfal. 147. 16. and touching these things he asketh, Job 38.22. if any man had been in this store house to fee thefe treasures.

As for the drier part of the Ayre, the end of them is to be Aura Aura ftabilit. flabilis, and by the force of their winde to fetch carry and recarry the Clouds which are his veffels of his rain; alfo he hath made them to fweep and cleanfe, both the Ayre it self from corruption, and the ne ther waters from putrifaction. Thus we fee the end why God in calo aëreo, hath made both undam labilem & auram flabilem, as St. Auftine faith, for by them he filleth the earcs of Corn with goodneffe, and dropeth fatneffe on the earth,Pfal.65.11. And therefore we must pray, not only for the bleffing of the earth, but alfo of the heaven,as Jacob Gen.49.25. Deut. 33. 13. Not only for the bleffing of the wombe of the earth, which being a fruitfull foil quickly conceiveth and bringeth forth fruit, but also the bleffing of the breafts of the Clouds, without which the fruit will very foon perish and wither, Job 38.8. For it is Gods bleffing, both to make a land a fruitfull and fertill foil apt to conceive, and also to fend seasonable rains to it, that it may grow and be ripe and good for mans ufe. These all doe likewife ferve for the execution as well of Gods juftice to correct us, as of his mercy to doe us good: For when we difplease him with our finnes; he maketh these things his rods, by causing the Heavens and Clouds to be as Brafs, and the Earth as Iron thereby ; and on the contrary fide, when he in justice will fet wide open the windows and fludgates of heaven, to drown the earth with floods and indations, as he did the old World.

And this is that use and instruction, which we are to learn out of this divifion, to pray, if it please God for his bleffings, and not to finne, for fear we be scorched with droughts, and overwhelmed and drowned with floods.

Gen. 1 7. vers.

Diftinctio.

Fecit ergo Deus hoc expanfum, quod diftinguit inter has aquas, &c.

He treaty concerning the fecond dayes work, is divided according to the work it felf, and the name given to it, the work is fet down in the fixth and feventh,to the manner of it in the eighth verse. In the work we obferved three points, according to the three severall verbs Dixit, fecit & fit: The firft containeth the precept or warrant for the making of the work. The fecond the workmanship and going about to doe or make it. The third, the return and certificate to fignifie that it was fully executed, which three are in Dixit, fecit & factum eft.

With man it often times falleth out that dixit, is without fecit, that is, it is too ufuall, that men promife and fay much, but doe it not,and many times we fee his fecit, to be without perfecit, that one may say, factum eft, it is fully and perfectly done: the first we see Mat. 21. 30. he faid, but he did it not, the other cuftome of men is exemplified, Luc. 14. 30. for as he did it not,fo on the other fide,This man began to build a houfe but did not finish it So none can fay, that his fecit, was factum eft; the firft alfo we fee, 1 Sam. 18. 17. Saul faid he would give Michol to David, but did it not, but it was not fo with God: for he is not yea in saying, and nay in doing and performing, but as certain as he faith a thing, fo furely it is done, for his word is truth, and that his deed declareth; and on the other fide it is farr otherwife with God, than it is with man; for if God begin a good work, he will furely finish it throughly, Phil. 1.6. perfecit quod fecit, it he be the be ginner and author of any thing, he will alfo perfect it and finish it, Heb. 12 2.fo that we fhall confeffe,as here, that quod fecit factum eft.So that that is the first confideration in God, that thefe three feverall things, faying, doing, and perfecting, are infeparable in him, joyned and linked together as a chain,that one enfuing the other and all following the first.

The firft of thefe hath been fhewed before; the two laft,the Work and the Certificate are now to be handled in order. The Work, in this seventh verfe, touching which, we fee that it doth stand on two points and parts. Firft, He made it. Secondly, He feparated it.

Concerning the making, the word gnafha fignifieth to make, which hath an oppofite and diverf fenfe, from two words which may feem to be the fame too, meaning Efay 45.7. there is thefe three words formavi, creavi, feci, of thefe three feverall words the first is common to the other two; for all that is made of fomewhat or nothing hath a form; and therefore is formed: but facere & creare are distinguished thus. To make prefuppofeth a matter fubject; but to create, is to make of nothing, in the first day God created of nothing; but now in this work he is a maker, for Cælum aëreum was made of fomething, the

Heavens