2. God hath described his name by his attributes. To go over all,
Vkh. 55.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 85
tlie compass of a sermon will not permit. I shall single out three from all the rest — his power, wisdom, and goodness ; they are mani- fested in all that God doth.
[1.] In creation. Basil, 'EiroLrjcrev co? ujaGo^ to ')(^pt]aifiov, ox; aodjo'i TO KoXKiarov, to? 8uvaTo<i to fieyiaTov — the goodness of God is seen in the usefulness of the creatures to man ; the power of God in the stupendousness and wonderfulness of his works ; his wisdom in the apt structure, constitution, and order of all things : first he createtli, then distinguisheth, then adorneth. The first work was to create the heavens and earth out of nothing ; there is his power : his next work is a wise destination and ordination of all things ; he distinguisheth night from da}', darkness from light, waters above the firmament from waters beneath the firmament, the sea from the dry land ; there is his wisdom : then he decketh the earth with plants, and furnisheth it with beasts, and storeth the sea with fishes, the firmament with stars ; there is his goodness. Let us examine these more particularly, be- ginning—
(1.) With his goodness. The creation is nothing else but an effu- sion of the bounty and goodness of God. He made the world, not that he might be happy, but that he might be liberal ; he made the world not by necessity, but at his pleasure : Eev. iv. 11, 'Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' God was happy enough without us ; he had a fulness and absolute sufficiency within himself ; his great aim w\as to raise up objects out of nothing, to whom he would communicate his goodness. The heavens and earth were made that man might have a place for his exercise, and a dwell- ing for his rest, and in both might love, honour, serve, and glorify his Creator. God sits in his palace among his best creatures, and thither also will he translate man at length, if he be obedient, and observe the ends of his creation : thus his goodness appeareth.
(2.) His power. He brought all things out of the womb of nothing. The powerful /a^ was enough : Isa. xl. 26, ' Lift up your eyes on high, who hath created these things, and bringeth out their host by number, and calleth all things by their names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power ? ' The force of the cause appeareth in the effect, and God's power in the life and being of the creature. There is no artificer but he must have matter to work upon, or else his art will fail him and he can do nothing ; all that man can do is to give some shape and form, or to fashion that in some new model which had a being before : but God made all things out of nothing ; the inclina- tion and beck of his will sufficeth for his great works. We have great toil and sweat in all things that we do, but behold what a great work is done without any pain and travail ! It is troublesome to us to carry up a little piece of stone or timber to any building of ours, but God stretched out all these heavens in such an infinite compass by the word of his power, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
(3.) His wisdom. The admirablencss and comely variety of God's works doth easily offer it to our thoughts. In the frame of the work you may easily find out a wise workman : Ps. cxxxvi, 5, ' Sing praises to liim that by wisdom hath made the heaven and the earth, for his mercy endureth for ever ; ' so Prov. iii. 19, ' The Lord by wisdom hath
86 SERM05S UPON PSALM CXIS. [SeR. LXI.
founded the earth, by understanding hath established the heavens : ' the wisdom of God ajipeareth in the order of making, and order of placing all the creatures. In making them, in simple things God began with those that were most perfect ; as his first creature was light, which of all qualities is the most pure and defecate, and is not stained by passing through places most impure : then all the other elements. In mixed bodies God took another method, i'rom imperfect to perfect; first things that have a being, as the firma- ment, then life, as plants, then sense, as beasts, then reason, as men : first God would provide the places of heaven and earth, then the crea- tures to dwell in them ; first the food, then the creatures to be sus- tained by it. Provision was made for tlie inhabitants of the earth, as grass for beasts, and light for all living and moving creatures. Plants have a growing life, beasts a feeling life. Then man was made, last of all creatures, as most excellent. Thus God would teach us to go on from good to better. Man's palace was furnished with all things neces- sary, and they were placed and disposed in their apt cells for the beauty and service of the whole, and then like a prince he was sent into the world to rule and reign. There are not so many animals in the earth as in the sea, to avoid the great waste of food which would be consumed by the beasts of the land to the prejudice of man. But there is no end of these considerations. Only let me tell you, power is most eminently discovered in the creation : Eom. i. 20, ' The invisible things of him from the creation of the w^orld are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead.' The first apprehensions which we are possessed with, and which are most obvious, are the infinite greatness and power of the Creator.