4. Vain in regard of its end and use. There is a double end and use : [1.] Nextly and immediately. This sublunary world was made to
be a commodious habitation for man: Ps. cxv. 16, ' The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's ; but the earth hath he given to the children of men.' By an original grant, God gave the use of all his creatures upon earth unto man ; indeed all things here below were either sub- ject to our dominion, or created for our use. Some things are not subject to our dominion, as sun, moon, and stars, with their influences, yet created for our use; therefore David in his nigiit-meditation, Ps. viii. 3, 4, ' When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained ; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?' That all this should be made for the comfort of man, it is God's great goodness to us : but other things were not only created for man's use, but also subject to man's dominion : Gen. i. 26, ' Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth ; ' this was God's charter to man as a deputy- god and vice-king in this lower world. Man enjoyeth the benefit of those things which are not under his command, as sun, moon, stars, clouds, winds ; all in their course do us service, to give us light, heat, and influence, and rain, by which they drop down fatness on the earth ; but the other creatures we have a dominion over them, and they are to be subdued by us ; the earth by habitation and culture ; the sea by navigation and fishing ; but above all the rest, the cattle are most at our command, to afford us food and clothing, and do us a voluntary kind of homage, in their labours submitting to our direction and govern- ment. Well then, the inferior globe of earth, and air, and sea, to have the dominion and use of the creatures that are therein, were all made and given for man's use and comfort. As God hath provided the highest heavens for his own place and court of residence, so ho hath made the earth for a commodious habitation for man. But when was this given to man ? In innocency ; for by rebellion against God we forfeited this lordship of ours ; and till it be restored by Christ, we have no comfortable right to exercise it (as by and by). And in part, this was manifested in renewing this patent to Noah, saved out of the waters in the ark, which was a type of Christ: Gen. ix. 1, 2, 'God blessed Noah, and said unto him, The fear of you, and the dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all that raoveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea ; into your hand they are delivered.' This was the next end for which the creature was made.
IGO SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XXVII.
[2.] Ultimately and terminatively they were made for God. For God ' made ail things for himself,' Prov. xvi. 4 ; and the creatures are called his servants: Ps. cxix. 91, ' They continue to this day according to thy ordinance ; for all are thy servants.' Man was hut a fellow- creature with the rest of the world, and could not challenge a lordship over them by his own right, without God's free gift. We could not claim a dominion over that which had no dependence on us, either by creation, or by present sustentation ; for dependence is the foundatioa of all subjection and sovereignty. Now that which necessarily de- pendeth upon the gift of another, must be used to the ends for which it is given ; God never gave the creatures so to man as to dispossess himself. The supreme right still remaineth in him ; and our grant was not a total alienation from God ; for that is impossible, unless the creature were put into an absolute state of independency. No, God reserved an interest still, that all these things should be used for his glory. To pass over this right any other way, is inconsistent with the wisdom of God, and the nature of the creature : Kom. xi. 36. ' All things are of him, and through him, and to him ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.' This quit-rent God reserveth to liimself for all his bounty, that we should honour him and acknowledge him in all that we are, have, and do: 1 Cor. x. 31, 'Whether ye eat and drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.' Well then, these things being premised, we shall the better state the vanity to which the creature is made subject for man's sin : vammi est quod excidit fine suo ; that is vain which faileth in its use. Now the use is to serve mau innocent, and to promote God's glory ; therefore the creatures, if they had reason, it would be a grief to serve God's enemies, and to such vile uses as they abuse them.