i, 20, ' That the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead.' If you will know what God is, look upon his creatures. Every creature that hath passed his hand hath some prints and some stamp upon it, that may discover God, his god- head, and his power ; that is the most visible thing seen in the creation. His wisdom and goodness is seen in the creation, but his power lies upward ; and the most natural notion that we have of God is God Almighty. God made all the things that are seen, and more than are seen. He that made all things is omnipotent, and can do whatever is possible to be done. Creatures only can do what is possible to be done in their own kind. A man is one kind of creature, an angel is another , both have their essence limited. Man can do things belong- ing to a man, an angel can do all things belonging to an angel ; but God made all things, and therefore he can do all things. In short, ' He that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,' Isa. xl. 22, he that handles the great ocean as a child newly come out of the womb, he that ' appointed the clouds a garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,' Job xxxviii. 8, 9, ' He that hangs the earth upon nothing,' Job xxvi. 7, What cannot he do? The earth, that vast and ponderous body, has nothing to support it but the fluid air, that will not so much as support a pin or feather. It hangs like a ball in the midst of the heavens ; where are the pillars and props that sustain this mighty mass? It is upheld by nothing but the power of God. And for the manner of making, how did he make all things ? By his word. This great builder needed no instruments and tools : Heb. xi. 10, ' Whose builder and maker is God ; ' he commanded, and they were created,' Ps. xlviii. 5. What more easy than a word ? One asks what is become of the tools and engines wherewith God made the world ? Tully brings in a philosopher di.sputing against the creation of the world : With what spade did God dig the sea ? where was the trowel wherewith he arched the heavens ? and the line and plum- met by which he laid forth the foundations of the earth ? There was nothing but his word that brought all things out of the womb of nothing. This is the omnipotent, the glorious God, that can do all things. And then, ex 'parte termini, he brought all things out of nothing, which philosophers could not so much as conceive how it should be done. What a large stride and gap is there between being and not being ! He that out of mere nothing brought forth all this world, certainly nothing can be too hard for him. A man cannot work without materials and preparations to his work, but God works when he hath nothing to work upon. As long as the creatures endure, as long as heaven and earth stands, which is a monument of God's power, we need not doubt of his all-snfiBciency ; and therefore in difficult and hazardous cases the scripture refers us to God as a creator : 1 Peter iv. 19, ' Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing, as unto a faith- ful creator.' Why as unto a creator ? At that time they carried their lives in their hands ; they had nothing to subsist upon, no visible in- terests to defend them. Well, go on cheerfully in well-doing, and commit yourselves to him that can work all thino:g out of nothinj; :
84 SERMONS UPOX MARK X. 17-27. [SeU. XV.
your souls, tiiat is your lives ; put your lives into the Creator's hands. There may be something of love in the expression, He that created you will take care of you, and there is also somethino; of power implied ; they had but only from day to day, and then he bids them trust in God as a creator. So Ps. cxxiv. 8, * Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.' Whilst you see heaven and earth, doubt not of God. He hath not lost nor spent his power. He that made heaven and earth is as ready and as able to work as he did at first. Though a potter (it is Basil's similitude) make a thousand vessels, his art is not lessened by the making, but increased rather ; so whatever God doth, he doth not spend l)y giving ; his power is the same, and his word is as mighty as ever : ' He spoke, and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast ;' Ps. xxxiii. 9, and that when there was nothing to work on. The will and the word of God, what mighty things can they do ! He can do the greatest things without any visible means ; things are done in the world, and nobody can tell how or by what. So the apostle tells us that he still acts according to his mighty power, which he wrought in the creation : 1 Cor. i. 28, ' God hath chosen ra fMT] ovra, things that are not, to bring to nought things that are.' God will ever triumph over human improbabilities, and will have no flesh to despair because of the smallness of the means, or to glory in his sight because of the greatness of them ; for he doth all things, and that by his mighty power : Rom. iv. 17, his creating power is there again alluded to, • He calleth those things that are not as though they were.' As when God created the world, he spoke light out of dark- ness ; and so still when he finds nothing to work upon he ' calls things that are not as though they were;' speaking of fulfilling his promises to Abraham. So he works grace in the hearts of his people according to his creating power : 2 Cor. iv. 6, ' For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' So that nature well considered is a great help to grace ; when we consider the creation, and busy our thoughts therein, it helps us more to enlarge the power of God in our apprehensions.