6. There is a loss to us by the disorder of nature, and by the dis- tempering of the creature. Man by the fall lost imperium sici, the command of himself, and itnperhcm suum, his command over the creatures ; they are enemies to man because he hath rebelled against God. If ever we find them hurtful and rebellious, we may thank ■ourselves, they do but revenge their maker's quarrel. They think it is their duty to turn off their allegiance from him that hath proved a traitor to God, therefore they sometimes oppress us with their power and greatness. It is usual with God to execute his judgments by the creature : Pharoah and the Egyptians were drowned in the sea ; the earth opened to swallow up Korah and his company ; the stars fought against Sisera ; Herod was eaten up with lice ; Egypt devoured with frogs. Therefore the vanity of the creature is a loss to us ; there is Qot only an enmity between them one among another, but they have lost their allegiance to man. Nay, they are ready to go if the Lord do but hiss for them. Job xxxviii. 35, ' Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are ? ' The lightnings say unto God, Here we are ; the winds say, Shall we go and blast theu* fruits and trees ? here we are, Lord, send us. The clouds say, Shall we pour out in abundance, and overwhelm the earth ? Isa. vii. 18, ' The Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.' It is an expres- sion that sets forth the power of God over the creatures. If God do but signify his pleasure, they are very ready to avenge their creator's quarrel against man.
The second circumstance in the creation is the instrument or means l^y which all things were created, and that is, ' By the word of God.'
430 SEKMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XI.
Here a question ariseth, wLat is meant by the word of God ? whether that which they call God's external imperial word, or whether God's essential and substantial word ? The reason of the doubt is, because God made all things by Christ, and Christ is often called the word. It is his solemn title, and that in reference to the creation : John i. 1, ' In the bef^inning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God ; ' and ver. 3, ' By him were all things created.' And Heb. i. 2, ' He hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hatlv appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.' So that Jesus Christ is the eternal word. I shall answer this doubt in these propositions.
1. It is very true that the second person, the Lord Jesus Christ, had a great stroke in the creation : Ps. xxxiii, 6, ' By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.' There is the whole trinity ; there is the Lord, and the word of the Lord, and there is the breath of his mouth ; that is, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Pro v. viii. 22, ' The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.' There is Christ's eternity, and his hand jand power in the creation: ver. 23, 'I was setup from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was ; ' that is, in the fhst emanation of his power, Christ was then discovered : John i. 3, ' By him were all things made that were made.' Col. i. 16, ' By him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth.' Proljably this may be held forth in that speech ten times repeated: ' The Lord said, the Lord spake.' Nay some of the Jews acknowledge an uncreated word in all those expressions. Philo saith, 6 X670? rbv Koa/jLov eTroirjaev. And it is not to be disregarded, that the Chaldee paraphrase makes the word to be God himself.
2. Yet, besides this essential word, it is clear that we must under- stand also his imperial word, or the word of his command ; so it is interpreted, Ps. xxxiii. 9, ' He spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast.' Here was God's imperial word. So Ps. cxlviii. 5, ' He commanded, and they were created.' God did create the world by his call and imperial word. So Kom. iv. 17, ' He believed in God, who quickened the dead, and called things that be not, as though they were,' that is, by a call he maketh them be. Moses bringeth in God speaking imperially, ' Let it be.'
3. This imperial word must not be understood properly as if God spake ; as if there were an audible voice, ' Let there be light ; ' but it must be understood dvOpanrcoTraOo)^, after the manner of men. It is an allusion to princes, if they would have anything done, they do but say, Let it be done, that is enough ; as the centurion in the Gospel, Mark viii. 9, ' I say to this man. Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it' When God said, 'Let it be,' he did but signify his will, and the effect presently did follow. So that by the word of God you must understand the effectual decree of his will concerning the making of all the creatures, and the present execution of it. And this manner of speaking is used to show with what swiftness and easiness all things were brought to pass w'hich God willeth, and that it is infinitely more easy with God to do