Now, the forming and perfecting of this host of heaven and earth is that which is assigned peculiarly to the Spirit of God; and hereby the work of creation was completed and finished. First, for the heavens: Job xxvi. 1 3, " By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent;" — or rather, "his Spirit hath garnished ;" for '^'^Eiti^ agrees with Dl"",^ the " Spirit," and not with " he ;" and the word signifies to "adorn," to make fair, to render beau- tiful to the eye. Thus the heavens were garnished by the Spirit of God, when, by the creation and disposal of the aspectable host of them, he rendered them so glorious and beautiful as we behold. So the Targura, " His Spirit beautified the face of the heavens," or gave
' This word in the original is 'iM^a. To make it agree with ~^fi), Owen must have adopted the opinion of Aben Ezra, that a in the former word is redundant. Eminent critics demur to this conclusion; Simonis and othei'S rendering the clause, " By liis Spirit the lieaA'ens [are] beauty." — En.
CHAP. IV.] IN THE FIRST OR OLD CREATION. 97
them that comely beauty and order wherein their face appeareth unto us. Hence the heavens, as adorned with the moon and stars, are said to be the " work of God's fingers," Ps. viii. 3, — that is, not only those which were powerfully made, but also curiously wrought and adorned by the Spirit of God; for by the finger or fingers of God the Spirit of God is in an especial manner intended. Hence those words of our Saviour, Luke xi. 20, " But if I with the finger of God cast out devils," are, Matt. xii. 28, " If I cast out devils })y the Spirit of God." By him were the heavens, as it were, curi- ously wrought, adorned, garnished, rendered beautiful and glorious, to show forth the praise of his power and wisdom, Ps. xix. 1. And by the " crooked serpent," which is added to the " garnishing of the heavens," the HebreAvs understand the gala.xy or milky way; which to the eye represents the moving or writhing of a serpent in the water. This, then, is peculiarly assigned to the Spirit with respect to the heavens and their host : The completing, finishiug work is ascribed unto him ; which we must understand by the rules before mentioned, and not exclusively to the other persons.
And thus was it also in the earth. God first out of nothing created the earth, which comprised the whole inferior globe, which afterward divided itself into seas and dry land, as the heavens contain in that expression of their creatioiT all that is above and over it. The whole material mass of earth and water, wherewith probably the more solid and firm substance was covered, and as it were overwhelmed, is in- tended l)y that " earth " which was first created ; for immediately there is mention made of the "deep" and the "waters," without any intima- tion of their production but what is contained in that of the creation of the earth, Gen. i. 2. This mass being thus framed and mixed, the " Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters ; " not taken dis- tinctly, ])ut as containing that radical humour which was the mate- rial princi^^le of life and being unto all creatures: ^?C"5P ^Ti^^ l^^""] D^^n ''^S"?y. The word merachepheth signifies an easy, gentle mo- tion, such as a dove, or other fowl, useth over its nest or young ones, either to communicate vital heat unto its eggs, or to cherish and de- fend its young. And this will no way consist with that exposition which some would give in this place of l^^'i''^^ nn. ''Euah," they say, " here signifies ' the wind,' as it doth sometimes; and it is called the ' wind of God,' because it was great and mighty : for this phrase of speech is usual in the sacred language to set out tlie greatness and sin- gular eminency of any thing. So a great trembling is called a ' trem- bhng of God,' 1 Sam. xiv. 15; great cedars, the/ cedars of God,' Ps. Ixxx. 10 ; and the like." But, — 1. When was this wind created? The meteors were not made before the fourth day, with the firmament, the place of their residence. And whence or what this wind should be is
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98 PECULIAE WOEKS OF THE HOLY SPIEIT [BOOK I.
not to be discovered. 2. The word here used signifies such an " easy and gentle motion" as is in birds when they move themselves upon tlieir nests. And it is but three times used in the Scripture, — in this place, and Deut. xxxii. 11, Jer. xxiii. 9. In Deuteronomy it is ex- pressly applied unto the motion of an eagle over her young, for their safety, protection, and growth: 1''?5| ^""r*^ ^--l? "As an eagle flutter-" eth, spreading her wings over her young/' And in the other place we render it " shake : '■" " All my bones shake," — that is, are in a trembling motion, like the feathers of a fowl over her nest. No such great and violent wind, therefore, as from thence should be called a wind of God, can be intended in this place; but it is the Spirit of God himself and his work that is expressed.