Chapter II: Part 2

Here we shall give a brief account of the work of the six days, as it is contained in the first chapter of Genesis; in the first day, the first matter out of which all things were produced, was created out of nothing, which is described as being _without form_, that is, not in that form which God designed to bring it into; whereas, in other respects, matter cannot be without all manner of form, or those dimensions that are essential to it, and, as it was created without form, so without motion; so that as God is the Creator of all things, he is the first mover. Nevertheless, I am far from thinking, that all God did, in the creation of things, was by putting every thing in motion, and that this brought all the parts of the creation into their respective form. As an artificer may be said to frame a machine, which, by its motion, will produce other things, which he designed to make by the help thereof, without giving himself any farther trouble; so they suppose, that, by those laws of motion, which God impressed upon matter at first, one part of the creation brought another into the various forms, which they attained afterwards.[17] And the first thing that was produced, which was a farther part of the six days work, was light; concerning this, many have advanced their own ill-grounded conjectures. There are some writers, among the Papists, who have supposed that it was a quality, without a subject,[18] which is an obscure and indefensible way of speaking. Others have thought, that hereby we are to understand the angels; but this is to strain the sense of words too far, by having recourse to a metaphor, which is inconsistent with what immediately follows, that God divided the light from the darkness. But it seems most probable that nothing else is intended hereby, but those lucid bodies, which, on the fourth day, were collected into the sun and fixed stars.

To this let me add, that it is more than probable that God, on the first day, created the highest heaven, which is sometimes called his throne, together with the angels, the glorious inhabitants thereof. It is true, Moses, in his history of the creation, is silent as to this matter, unless it may be inferred from those words, _In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth_; though, as has been before observed, something else seems principally to be intended thereby: nevertheless, we have sufficient ground to conclude, that they were created in the beginning of time, and consequently in the first day, from what is said elsewhere, that _when God laid the foundations of the earth, the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy_, Job xxxviii. 4, 7. where the angels are represented as celebrating and adoring those divine perfections, which were glorified in the beginning of the work of creation; therefore they were, at that time, brought into being.

On the _second_ day, God divided that part of the world, which is above, from that which is below, by an extended space, which is styled the _firmament_, and otherwise called heaven, though distinguished from the highest heaven, or the heaven of heavens; and it is farther observed, that hereby the waters that are above, are separated from those which are below, that is, the clouds from the sea, and other waters, that are in the bowels of the earth.

As for that conjecture of some, taken from hence, and especially from what the Psalmist says, _Praise him ye waters that are above the heavens_, Psal. cxlviii. 4. that there is a vast collection of super-celestial waters, which have no communication with those that are contained in the clouds; this seems to be an ungrounded opinion, not well agreeing with those principles of natural philosophy, which are received in this present age; though maintained by some of the ancient fathers, as principally founded on the sense in which they understand this text; neither do they give a tolerable account of the design of providence in collecting and fixing them there[19]. Therefore nothing seems to be intended, in that text, but the waters that are contained in the clouds as it is said, _He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds_, Job xxvi. 8. and, indeed, the Hebrew words seem not to be justly translated[20]; for they ought to be rendered, _Ye waters that are from above in the firmament_, not above the heavens, but the earth, or a considerable distance from it, in the firmament, as the clouds are.

On the _third_ day, the sea and rivers were divided from the earth, and the dry land appeared, and the earth brought forth herbs, grass, trees, and plants, with which it is so richly stored, which in a natural way, it has produced ever since.

On the _fourth_ day, the sun, moon and stars were made, to enlighten, and, by their influence, as it were, to enliven the world, and so render it a beautiful place, which would otherwise have been a dismal and uncomfortable dungeon; and that hereby the four seasons of the year might be continued in their respective courses, and their due measures set to them: thus it is said, these heavenly bodies were appointed _for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years_, Gen. i. 14.

This has occasioned some to enquire, whether any countenance is hereby given to judicial astrology, or whether the heavenly bodies have any influence on the conduct of human life, which some ancient and modern writers have defended, not without advancing many absurdities, derogatory to the glory of providence, as well as contrary to the nature of second causes, and their respective effects; and, when the moral actions of intelligent creatures are said to be pointed at, or directed by the stars, this is contrary to the laws of human nature, or the nature of man, as a free agent; therefore, whatever be the sense of these words of scripture, it is certain, they give no countenance to this presumptuous and ungrounded practice. But this we shall take occasion to oppose, under a following answer, when we consider judicial astrology, as forbidden in the first commandment[21]. Therefore, all that we shall add, at present, is, that when the heavenly bodies are said to be appointed _for times and seasons_, &c. nothing is intended thereby, but that they distinguish the times and seasons of the year; or, it may be, in a natural way, have some present and immediate influence on the bodies of men, and some other creatures below them.

There is also another question, which generally occurs when persons treat of this subject, namely, whether there are not distinct worlds of men, or other creatures, who inhabit some of those celestial bodies, which, by late observations, are supposed to be fitted to receive them. This has been maintained by Keplar, bishop Wilkins, and other ingenious writers; and that which has principally led them to assert it, is, because some of them are, as is almost universally allowed, not only bigger than this earth, but they seem to consist of matter, not much unlike to it, and therefore are no less fit to entertain distinct worlds of intelligent creatures. And they farther add, in defence of this argument, that it cannot reasonably be supposed that there should be such a vast collection of matter, created with no other design, but to add to the small degree of light, which the planets, the moon excepted, afford to this lower world. As for any other advantage that they are of to it, any farther than as they are objects, to set forth the wisdom and power of God, this cannot be determined by us; therefore they conclude, that they were formed for the end above mentioned. And some carry their conjectures beyond this, and suppose, that as every one of the fixed stars are bodies, which shine as the sun does, with their own un-borrowed light, and are vastly larger, that therefore there is some other use designed thereby, besides that which this world receives from them, namely, to give light to some worlds of creatures, that are altogether unknown to us. According to this supposition, there are not only more worlds than ours, but multitudes of them, in proportion to the number of the stars, which are inhabited either by men, or some other species of intelligent creatures, which tends exceedingly, in their opinion, to advance the power, wisdom, and goodness, of the great Creator.

The only thing that I shall say, concerning this modern hypothesis, is, that as, on the one hand, the common method of opposition to it, is not, in all respects, sufficient to overthrow the argument in general, especially when men pretend not to determine what kinds of intelligent creatures inhabit these worlds, and when they are not too peremptory in their assertions about this matter; so, on the other hand, when this argument is defended with that warmth, as though it were a necessary and important article of faith, and some not only assert the possibility, or, at least, the probability of the truth thereof, but speak with as much assurance of it, as though it were founded on scripture; and when they conclude that they are inhabited by men, and pretend to describe, not only the form of some of these worlds, but give such an account of the inhabitants thereof, as though they had learned it from one who came down from thence[22]; in this respect, they expose the argument, which they pretend to defend, to contempt, and render it justly exceptionable. But, if men do not exceed those due bounds of modesty, which should always attend such disquisitions, and distinguish things that are only probable, from those that are demonstratively certain, and reckon this no other than an ingenious speculation, which may be affirmed, or denied, in common with some other astronomical, or philosophical problems, without considering it, as affecting any article of natural or revealed religion, I would not oppose the argument in general, how much soever I would do the particular explication thereof, as above mentioned: but, when this is brought in, as a matter of debate, in the theologick schools, and disputed with as much warmth, as though it were next to an heresy to deny it, I cannot but express as much dislike thereof, as any have done, who give into the commonly received opinion relating to this matter.

On the _fifth_ day, another sort of creatures, endowed with sense, as well as life and motion, were produced, partly out of the waters, and partly out of the earth, that was mixed with them, namely, the fish that were designed to live in the waters, and the winged fowl, which were to fly above them[23].

On the _sixth_ day, all sorts of beasts, and creeping things, with which the earth is plentifully furnished, were produced out of it. And whereas there are two words used to set forth the different _species_ of living creatures, as contra-distinguished from creeping things, namely, the cattle and the beasts of the earth, it is generally supposed to imply the different sorts of beasts, such as are tame or wild, though wild beasts were not, at first, so injurious to mankind as now they are.

In the latter part of the day, when this lower world was brought to perfection, and furnished with every thing necessary for his entertainment, man, for whose sake it was made, was created out of the dust of the ground; which will be more particularly considered in a following answer[24].

God having thus produced all things in this order and method, as we have an account thereof in scripture, he fixed, or established the course or laws of nature, whereby the various species of living creatures might be propagated, throughout all succeeding ages, without the interposure of his supernatural power, in a continued creation of them; and, after this, he rested from his work, when he had brought all things to perfection.

Thus having considered the creation, as a work of six days, it may farther be enquired, whether it can be determined, with any degree of probability, in what time, or season[25] of the year all things were created. Some are of opinion, that it was in the spring, because, at that time, the face of the earth is renewed every year, and all things begin to grow and flourish[26]. And some of the fathers have assigned this, as a reason of it; because the Son of God, the second Adam, suffered, and rose from the dead, whereby the world was, as it were, renewed, at the same time of the year. But this argument is of no weight.

Therefore the most probable opinion is, that the world was created at that season of the year, which generally brings all things to perfection; when the fruits of the earth are fully ripe, and the harvest ready to be gathered in, which is about autumn, the earth being then stored with plenty of all things, for the support of man and beast. It is not, indeed, very material, whether this can be determined or no, nevertheless this seems the more probable opinion, inasmuch as the beginning of the civil year was fixed at that time. Accordingly, the feast of ingathering, which was at this season of the year, is said, in Exod. xxiii. 16. to be _in the end of the year_; therefore, as one year ended, the other began, at this time, and so continued, till, by a special providence, the beginning of the year was altered, in commemoration of Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt. And, from that time, there was a known distinction among the Jews, between their beginning of the civil and the ecclesiastical year; the former of which was the same as it had been from the beginning of the world, and answers to our month September; from whence it is more than probable, that the world was created at that season of the year. We now proceed,

VI. To consider, the quality, or condition, in which God created all things, which were, at first, pronounced by him _very good_, Gen. i. 31. It is certain, nothing imperfect can come out of the hand of God, and the goodness of things is their perfection. Every thing that was made, was made exactly agreeable to the idea, or platform thereof, that was laid in the divine mind. All things were good, that is perfect, in their kind, and therefore, there was not the least blemish in the work. Every thing was beatiful, as it was the effect of infinite wisdom, as well as almighty power. Whatever blemishes there are now in the creation, which are the consequence of the curse that sin has brought upon it, these were not in it at first, for that would have been a reflection on the author of it.

And there is another thing, in which the goodness of those things did consist, namely, as they were adapted to shew forth the glory of God in an objective way, whereby intelligent creatures might, as in a glass, behold the infinite perfections of the divine nature, which shine forth therein.

If any enquire, whether God could have made things more perfect than he did? it might easily be replied to this, that he never acted to the utmost of his power, the perfections of creatures were limited by his will; nevertheless, if any persons pretend to find any flaw, or defect of wisdom in the creation of all things, this is no other than a proud and ignorant cavil, which men, through the corruption of their nature, are disposed to make against the great Creator of all things, who regard not the subserviency of things to answer the most valuable ends, and advance his glory, who, _in wisdom has made them all_.

In this respect, the inferior parts of the creation were good; but, if we consider the intelligent part thereof, angels and men, they were good, in a higher sense. As there was no moral blemish in the creation, nor propensity, or inclination to sin, so these were endowed with such a kind of goodness, whereby they were fitted to glorify God, in a way agreeable to their superior natures, and behold and improve those displays of the divine perfections, which were visible in all his other works; which leads us farther to consider what is said concerning them, as the most excellent part of the creation.

Footnote 1:

עשוז, ברא κτιζειν, ποιειν, γινεσθαι.

Footnote 2:

_Of this opinion was Aristotle, and his followers; though he
acknowledges, that it was contrary to the sentiments of all the
philosophers that were before him, Vid. Arist. de Cœlo, Lib. I. cap. 2
who, speaking concerning the creation of the world, says_, γενομενον
μεν ουν απαντες ειναι φασιν.

Footnote 3:

_Tertull. adv. Hermog. cap. 8. Hæreticorum Patriarchæ Philosophi;
which was so memorable a passage, that it was quoted, upon the same
occasion, by Jerom, and others of the fathers._

Footnote 4:

_This was maintained by Aquinas, Durandus, Cajetan, and others; though
opposed by Albertus Magnus, Bonaventure, &c._

Footnote 5:

_Thus Augustin, speaking concerning the years from the time of the
creation to his time, reckons them to be not full, that is, almost six
thousand years; whereas in reality, it was but about four thousand
four hundred, herein being imposed on by this translation_. Vid. Aug.
de Civ. Dei. _Lib. XII. Cap. 10._

Footnote 6:

_Every one, that observes the lxx. translation in their chronological
account of the lives of the patriarchs, from Adam to Abraham, in Gen.
chap. v. compared with chap. xi. will find, that there are so many
years added therein to the account of the lives of several there
mentioned, as will make the sum total, from the creation of the world
to the call of Abraham, to be between fourteen and fifteen hundred
years more than the account which we have thereof in the Hebrew text;
which I rather choose to call a mistake, in that translation, than to
attempt to defend it; though some, who have paid too great a deference
to it, have thought that the Hebrew text was corrupted, after our
Saviour’s time, by the Jews by leaving out those years which the lxx.
have added, designing hereby to make the world believe that the
Messiah was not to come so soon as he did, by fourteen or fifteen
hundred years; and that therefore the Hebrew text, in those places, is
to be corrected by that version; which I cannot but conclude to be a
very injurious insinuation, as well as not supported by any argument
that has the least probability in it._

Footnote 7:

Vid. Pomp. Mel. _Lib. I. Cap. 9. who speaks of the annals of the kings
of Egypt, as containing above thirteen thousand years; and others
extend the antiquity of that nation many thousand years more._ Vid.
Diod. Sicul. Biblioth. _Lib. I._

Footnote 8:

Vid. Cicero de Divinat. _Lib. I. who condemns the Egyptians and
Babylonians, as foolish, vain, yea impudent, in their accounts
relating to this matter, when they speak, as some of them do, of
things done four hundred and seventy thousand years before; upon which
occasion, Lactantius, in Lib. 7._ § 14. de Vita beata, _passes this
just censure upon them_, Quia se posse argui non putabant, liberum
sibi crediderunt esse mentiri; _and_ Macrob. in somn. Scip. _cap. 11.
supposes that they did not measure their years as we do, by the annual
revolution of the sun, but by the moon; and so a year, according to
them, was no more than a month, which he supposes Virgil was apprised
of, when he calls the common solar year, Annus Magnus, as compared
with those short ones that were measured by the monthly revolution of
the moon: but this will not bring the Egyptians and Chaldean accounts
to a just number of years, but some of them would, notwithstanding,
exceed the time that the world has stood. As for the Chinese, they
have no authentic histories that give any account of this matter; but
all depends upon uncertain tradition, transmitted to them by those who
are their leaders in religious matters, and reported by travellers who
have received these accounts from them, which, therefore, are far from
deserving any credit in the world._

Footnote 9:

The reader will be highly gratified by a treatise of Dr. Hugh
Williamson on climate, wherein he examines this subject.

Footnote 10:

_The common distribution of time, into that which is_ αδηλον, _before
the flood, and_ μυθικον, _after it, till they computed by the
Olympiads; and afterwards that which they call_ ἱστορικον _the only
account to be depended upon, makes this matter farther evident_.

Footnote 11:

_See this argument farther improved, by those who have insisted on the
first inventors of things; as_ Polydor. Virgil. de Rerum inventoribus;
_and_ Plin. Secund. Hist. Mundi. _Lib. VII. cap. 56.-60. and Clem.
Alex. Strom. Lib. I. Lucretius, though an assertor of the eternity of
matter and motion, from his master Epicurus, yet proves, that the
world, as to its present form, had a beginning; and what he says is so
much to our present argument, that I cannot but mention it._ Vid.
Lucret. de Rer. Nat. _Lib. V._

_Prætera si nulla fuit genitalis origo Terrarum & Cœli, semperq;
æterna fuere;
Cur supra bellum Thebanum, & funera Trojæ,
Non alias alii quoque res cecinere Poetæ?
Quo tot facta virum toties cecidere? neque usquam
Æternis famæ monimentis insita florent?
Verum, ut opinor, habet novitatem Summa, recensq;
Natura est Mundi, neque pridem exordia cepit.
Quare etiam quædam nunc artes expoliuntur.
Nunc etiam augescunt; nunc addita navigiis sunt.
Multa: modo organici melicos peperere sonores.
Denique Natura hæc rerum, ratioque reperta est
Nuper.——_

Footnote 12:

_See_ Vol. I. _Pages 220, 221._

Footnote 13:

_See Ray’s Wisdom of God in the Creation, page 182._

Footnote 14:

_Whitby on Election, page 92, 93._

Footnote 15:

_See Turret. Elenct. Tom. I. Loc. 5. Quest. 5._

Footnote 16:

_Vid. Witsii in Symbol. Exercit. 8. § 66._

Footnote 17:

_This is the main thing that is advanced by Des Cartes, in his
philosophy, which formerly obtained more in the world than it does at
present; though there are several divines in the Netherlands, who
still adhere to, and defend that hypothesis. This was thought a
sufficient expedient to fence against the absurdities of Epicurus, and
his followers, who suppose that things attained their respective forms
by the fortuitous concourse of atoms; nevertheless, it is derogatory
to the Creator’s glory, inasmuch as it sets aside his immediate
efficiency in the production of things._

Footnote 18:

_This absurd opinion the Papists are very fond of, inasmuch as it
serves their purpose in defending the doctrine of Transubstantiation._

Footnote 19:

_Ambrose, in his Hexameron, Lib. II. cap. 3. as well as Basil, and
others, suppose, that the use thereof is to qualify the extraordinary
heat of the sun, and other celestial bodies, to prevent their burning
the frame of nature, and especially their destroying this lower world;
and others think, that they are reserved in store, to answer some
particular ends of providence, when God, at any time, designs to
destroy the world by a deluge; and consequently they conclude, that it
was by a supply of water from thence, that there was a sufficient
quantity poured down, when the world was drowned, in the universal
deluge: but, though a late ingenious writer, [Vid. Burnet. Tellur.
Theor. Lib. I. cap. 2.] supposes, that the clouds could afford but a
small part of that water, which was sufficient to answer that end,
which he supposes to be eight times as much as the sea contains; yet
he does not think fit to fetch a supply thereof from the
super-celestial stores, not only as supposing the opinion to be
ill-grounded, but by being at a loss to determine how these waters
should be disposed of again, which could not be accounted for any
other way, but by annihilation, since they could not be exhaled by the
sun, or contained in the clouds, by reason of their distant situation,
as being far above them._

Footnote 20:

_It is not_ על תקיע, _but_ מעל לרקיע.

Footnote 21:

_See Quest. CV._

Footnote 22:

_Thus the learned Witsius, in Symbol. Exercitat. 8. § 78. exposes this
notion, by referring to a particular relation given, by one, of
mountains, vallies, seas, woods, and vast tracts of land, which are
contained in the moon, and a describing the men that inhabit it, and
the cities that are built by them, and other things relating hereunto,
which cannot be reckoned, in the opinion of sober men, any other than
fabulous and romantic._

Footnote 23:

_This, supposing the fowl to be produced out of the water, mixed with
earth, reconciles the seeming contradiction that there is between Gen.
i, 20. and chap. ii. 19. in the former of which it is said, the fowl
were created_ out of the water, _and in the latter_, out of the earth.

Footnote 24:

_See Quest. XVII._

Footnote 25:

_When we speak of the season of the year, we have a particular respect
to that part of the earth, in which man at first resided; being
sensible that the seasons of the year vary, according to the different
situation of the earth._

Footnote 26:

_——Ver illud erat, Ver magnus agebat
Orbis, & Hybernis parcebant flatibus Euri._

Virg. Georg. 2.

Quest. XVI.

QUEST. XVI. _How did God create angels?_

ANSW. God created all the angels, spirits, immortal, holy, excelling
in knowledge, mighty in power, to execute his commandments, and to
praise his name, yet subject to change.

There are two species of intelligent creatures, to wit, angels and men. The former of these are more excellent; and we are in this answer, led to speak concerning their nature, and the glorious works which they are engaged in: But let it be premised, that this is a doctrine that we could have known little or nothing of, by the light of nature. We might, indeed, from thence, have learned, that God has created some spiritual substances, such as the souls of men; and we might argue, from his power, that he could create other spirits, of different natures and powers, and that some of them might be without bodies, as the angels are; yet we could not have certainly determined that there is such a distinct order of creatures, without divine revelation, since they do not appear to, or visibly converse with us; and whatever impressions may, at any time, be made on our spirits, by good or bad angels, in a way of suggestion, yet this could not have been so evidently distinguished from the working of our own fancy or imagination, were we not assisted in our conceptions about this matter, by what we find in scripture, relating thereunto. Accordingly, it is from thence that the doctrine, which we are entering upon, is principally to be derived; and we shall consider it, as the subject-matter of this answer, in seven heads.

I. There is something supposed, namely, that there are such creatures as angels. This appears, from the account we have of them in the beginning of the creation of all things, _The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy_, Job xxxviii. 7. which can be no other than a metaphorical description of them. They are called the _morning stars_, as they exceed other creatures, as much in glory, as the stars do the lower parts of the creation. It would be a very absurd method of expounding scripture to take this in a literal sense, not only because the stars in the firmament do not appear to have been then created, but principally because these are represented, as engaged in a work peculiar to intelligent creatures; and they are called, the _sons of God_, as they were produced by him, and created in his image; whereas men, who are sometimes so called, were not created. They are elsewhere called _spirits_, Psal. civ. 4. to distinguish them from material beings; and _a flame of fire_, to denote their agility and fervency, in executing the divine commands. It is plain, the Psalmist hereby intends the angels; and therefore the words are not to be translated, as some do, _who maketh the winds his angels, and the flame of fire his ministers_, as denoting his making use of those creatures who act without design to fulfil his pleasure; because the apostle, to the Hebrews, chap. i. 7. expressly applies it to them, and renders the text in the same sense as it is in our translation. They are elsewhere styled, _Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers_, Coloss. i. 16. to denote their being advanced to the highest dignity, and employed in the most honourable services. And that it is not men that the apostle here speaks of, is evident, because he distinguishes the intelligent parts of the creation into visible and invisible; the visible he speaks of in the following words, ver. 18. in which Christ is said to be _the Head of the body, the church_; therefore here he speaks of invisible creatures advanced to these honours, and consequently he means hereby the angels.

Moreover it appears, that there are holy angels, because there are fallen angels, who are called in scripture, devils; this is so evident, that it needs no proof; the many sins committed by their instigation, and the distress and misery which mankind is subject to, by their means, gives occasion to their being called, _The rulers of the darkness of this world_, Eph. vi. 12. And, because of their malicious opposition to the interest of Christ therein, _spiritual wickedness in high places_. Now it appears, from the apostle Jude’s account of them, that they once were holy; and they could not be otherwise, because they are creatures, and nothing impure can proceed out of the hand of God, and, while they were holy, they had their residence in heaven: This they lost, and are said _not to have kept their first estate, but left their own habitation_, being thrust out of it, as a punishment due to their rebellion, and to be _reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day_, Jude, ver. 6. Now it is plain, from scripture, that it is only a part of the angels that left their first estate; the rest are called _holy angels_, and their number is very great. Thus they are described, as _an innumerable company_, Heb. xii. 22. This is necessary to be observed against the ancient, or modern Sadducees, who deny that there are either angels, or spirits, whether good or bad.

II. We farther observe, that the angels are described, as to their nature, as incorporeal, and therefore called spirits. It is but a little, indeed, that we can know concerning the nature of spirits, in this present state; and the first ideas that we have concerning them, are taken from the nature of our souls, as, in some respects, agreeing with that of angels. Accordingly, being spirits, they have a power of thinking, understanding, willing, chusing, or refusing, and are the subjects of moral government, being under a law, and capable of moral good or evil, happiness or misery.

Moreover, they have a power of moving, influencing, or acting upon material beings, even as the soul moves and influences the body, to which it is united. This we understand concerning the nature and power of angels, as spirits, by comparing them with the nature of the soul; though there is this difference between them, that the souls of men are made to be united to bodies, and to act by and upon them, whereas angels are designed to exist and act without bodies; nevertheless, by the works, which are often, in scripture ascribed to them, it appears that they have a power to act upon material beings. As for the conjecture of some of the fathers,[27] that these spirits are united to some bodies, though more fine and subtil than our’s are, and accordingly invisible to us, we cannot but think it a groundless conceit; and therefore to assert it, is only to pretend to be wise above what is written, and to give too great a loose to our own fancies, without any solid argument.

III. It follows, from their being spirits, and incorporeal, that they are immortal, or incorruptible, since nothing is subject to death, or dissolution, but what is compounded of parts; for death is a dissolution of the composition of those parts, that were before united together; but this is proper to bodies. A spirit, indeed, might be annihilated; for the same power that brought it out of nothing, can reduce it again to nothing. But, since God has determined that they shall exist for ever, we must conclude that they are immortal, not only from the constitution of their nature, but by the will of God.

IV. Besides the excellency of their nature, as spirits, they have other super-added endowments; of which, _three_ are mentioned in this answer.

1. They were all created holy; and, indeed, it could not be otherwise, since nothing impure could come out of the hands of a God of infinite purity. Creatures make themselves sinners, they were not made so by him; for, if they were, how could he abhor sin, and punish it, as contrary to his holiness; nor could he have approved of all his works, as _very good_, when he had finished them, as he did, Gen. i. 31. if he had created any of the angels in a state of enmity, opposition to, or rebellion against him.

2. They excel in knowledge, or in wisdom, which is the greatest beauty or advancement of knowledge. Accordingly, the highest instance of wisdom in men, is compared to the wisdom of an angel. Thus the woman of Tekoa, when extolling David’s wisdom, though with an hyperbolical strain of compliment, compares it to that of _an angel of God_, 2 Sam. xiv. 20. which proves that it was a generally received opinion, that angels exceeded other creatures in wisdom.

3. They are said to be mighty in power: thus the Psalmist speaks of them, as _excelling in strength_, Psal. ciii. 20. and the apostle Paul, when speaking of Christ’s being revealed from heaven, in his second coming, says, that it shall be _with his mighty angels_, 2 Thess. i. 7. And, since power is to be judged of by its effects, the great things, which they are sometimes represented, as having done in fulfilling their ministry, in defence of the church, or in overthrowing its enemies, is a certain evidence of the greatness of their power. Thus we read of the whole Assyrian host, consisting of _an hundred and fourscore and five thousand men_, being destroyed in one night; not by the united power of an host of angels, but by one of them. _The angel of the Lord_ did it; but this will more evidently appear, when, under a following head, we speak of the ministry of angels.

V. These natural, or super-added endowments, how great soever they are, comparatively with those of other creatures, are subject to certain limitations: their perfections are derived, and therefore are finite. It is true, they are holy, or without any sinful impurity; yet even their holiness falls infinitely short of God’s, and therefore it is said concerning him, _Thou only art holy_, Rev. xv. 4. and elsewhere, Job xv. 15. speaking concerning the angels, who are, by a _metonymy_, called the heavens, it is said, they _are not clean in his sight_, that is, their holiness, though it be perfect in its kind, is but finite, and therefore infinitely below his, who is infinitely holy.

Moreover, though they are said, as has been before observed, to excel in knowledge, we must, notwithstanding, conclude, that they do not know all things; and therefore their wisdom, when compared with God’s, deserves no better a character than that of folly, Job iv. 18. _His angels he charged with folly_. There are many things, which they are expressly said not to know, or to have but an imperfect knowledge of, or to receive the ideas they have of them by degrees: thus _they know not the time of Christ’s second coming_, Matt. xxiv. 36. and they are represented as enquiring into the great mystery of man’s redemption, or as _desiring to look into it_, 1 Pet. i. 12.

And to this let me add, that they do not know the hearts of men, at least not in such a way as God is said to _search the heart_, for that is represented as a branch of the divine glory, Jer. xvii. 10. 2 Chron. vi. 30. And, besides this, it may be farther observed, that they do not know future contingencies, unless it be by such a kind of knowledge, as amounts to little more than conjecture; or, if they attain to a more certain knowledge thereof, it is by divine revelation. For God appropriates this to himself, a glory, from which all creatures are excluded; therefore he says, _Shew the things that are to come_, that is, future contingencies, _that we may know that ye are gods_, Isa. xli. 23. which implies, that this is more than what can be said of any finite mind, even that of an angel.

As to the way of their knowing things, it is generally supposed, by divines, that they know them not in a way of intuition, as God does, who is said to know all things in himself, by an underived knowledge; but whatever they know, is either communicated to them, by immediate divine revelation, or else is attained in a discursive way, as inferring one thing from another; in which respect, the knowledge of the best of creatures appears to be but finite, and infinitely below that which is divine.

Again, though they are said to be mighty in power, yet it is with this limitation, that they are not omnipotent. There are some things, which are the effects of divine power, that angels are excluded from, as being too great for them; accordingly they were not employed in creating any part of the world, nor do they uphold it; for as it is a glory peculiar to God, _to be the Creator of the ends of the earth_, so he, exclusively of all others, is said _to uphold all things by the word of his power_.

And to this we may add, that we have no ground to conclude, that they are employed in the hand of providence, to maintain that constant and regular motion, that there is in the celestial bodies, as some of the ancient philosophers[28] have seemed to assert; for this is the immediate work of God, without the agency of any creature subservient thereunto.

Again, to this let me add, that how great soever their power is, they cannot change the heart of man, take away the heart of stone, and give a heart of flesh; or implant that principle of spiritual life and grace in the souls of men, whereby they are said to be _made partakers of a divine nature_, or _created in Christ Jesus unto good works;_ for that is ascribed to the exceeding greatness of the divine power, and it is a peculiar glory belonging to the Holy Spirit, whereby believers are said to be born from above; this therefore is too great for the power of angels to effect.

VI. We have an account of the work or employment of angels; it is said, they execute the commands of God, and praise his name. The former of these will be more particularly considered, under a following answer,[29] when we are led to speak of their being employed by God, at his pleasure, in the administration of his power, mercy and justice; and therefore we shall now consider them as engaged in the noble and delightful work of praise; they praise his name. For this end they were created; and, being perfectly holy and happy, they are fitted for, and in the highest degree, devoted to this service. This work was begun by them as soon as ever they had a being: _they sang together_, and celebrated his praise in the beginning of the creation, Job xxxviii. 7.

And when the Redeemer first came into this lower world, and thereby a work, more glorious than that of creation, was begun by him, they celebrated his birth with a triumphant song; as it is said, that with the angel that brought the tidings thereof to the shepherds, there was a _multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest; on earth peace; good will towards men,_ Luke ii. 14. Whether all the hosts of heaven were present at that solemnity, we know not; but there is sufficient ground to conclude, from the harmony that there is in the work and worship of the heavenly inhabitants, that they all celebrated his incarnation with their praises; and this was a part of that worship, which, upon this great occasion, they gave, by a divine warrant, to him, who was then brought into this lower world, Heb. i. 6.

Moreover, they praise God for particular mercies vouchsafed to the church, and for the success of the gospel in the conversion of sinners thereby; on which occasion, they express their joy as our Saviour observes, though it be but _one sinner that repenteth_, Luke xv. 7, 10. And,

_Lastly_, They are represented, as joining in worship with the saints in heaven; for which reason the apostle, speaking concerning the communion that there is between the upper and the lower world, as well as the union between the saints departed, and the angels, in this work of praise, says, _Ye are come unto the innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,_ Heb. xii. 22, 23. and they are also represented as joining with all others, which are _before the throne, the number of whom is ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing,_ Rev. v. 11, 12.

This is a branch of that social worship, which they are engaged in; and since we cannot suppose that it is performed without harmony, otherwise it wants a very considerable circumstance, necessary to render it beautiful, and becoming a state of perfection, we must conclude, that there is the greatest order among these heavenly ministers; but whether they are to be considered, as having a government, or hierarchy, among themselves, so that one is superior in office and dignity to others; or whether they have a kind of dominion over one another; or whether some are made partakers of privileges, that others are deprived of; this we pretend not to determine, since scripture is silent as to this matter. And what some have laid down, as though it were deduced from it, is altogether inconclusive; and therefore they, who express themselves so peremptorily on this subject, as though they had received it by divine inspiration, or were told it by some, who have been conversant among them in heaven, must be reckoned among them, whom the apostle speaks of, who _intrude into those things which they have not seen, vainly puft up by their fleshly mind_, Colos. ii. 18.

The Papists are very fond of this notion, as being agreeable to that unscriptural hierarchy, which they establish in the church here on earth, which they pretend to be, in some respects, founded upon it, instead of better arguments to support it[30]. All the countenance which they pretend to be given to it, in scripture, is taken from the various characters, by which they are described, as _cherubim_, _seraphim_, _thrones_, _dominions_, _principalities_, _powers_, _angels_, _arch-angels_, all which expressions they suppose to signify various ranks and orders among them; and when they speak of three classes, or degrees of dignity, and office, under which they are distributed, and that some of those characters are reduced to one, and others to another of them, this is nothing else but to impose their own chimerical fancies, as matters of faith; and when they speak of some of them, as being of a superior order, and admitted to greater honours than the rest, whom they compare to ministers of state, who always attend the throne of princes, or stand in their presence; and others that are employed in particular services for the good of the church, and are conversant in this lower world: This is a distinction which the scripture says nothing of; for they all behold the face of God in heaven, and are in his immediate presence; and they are all likewise called _ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them which shall be the heirs of salvation_.

The great oracle which they have recourse to, where the scripture is silent, is a spurious writing, that goes under the name of Dionysius, the Areopagite, concerning the celestial hierarchy[31]; which contains not only many things fabulous, but unworthy of him, who was converted at Athens by the apostle Paul’s ministry, Acts xvii. 34. as well as disagreeable to the sentiments of the church in the age in which he lived; therefore, passing by this vain and trifling conjecture, all that we can assert, concerning this matter, is, that there is a beautiful order among the angels, though not of this kind; and this appears very much in that social worship, which is performed by them.

And this leads us to enquire how they communicate their ideas to each other, though destitute of organs of speech, like those that men have. That they do, some way or other, impart their minds to one another, is sufficiently evident, otherwise we cannot see how they could join together, or agree in that worship, which is performed by them, and those united hallelujahs, with which they praise God, and so answer the end of their creation. That they converse together is evident, since they are represented as doing so, in several places of scripture: thus the prophet speaks of the angel that _talked with him_; he _went forth, and another angel went out to meet him_, Zech. ii. 3. and elsewhere it is said, concerning them, that one cried to another, _Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory_, Isa. vi. 3. and the apostle John speaks of _an angel ascending from the east, who cried with a loud voice to four_ other _angels_, Rev. vii. 2, 3. who were performing a part of their ministry here on earth, and giving them a charge relating thereto; and elsewhere he again represents one angel as speaking to another, and _crying with a loud voice_, &c. chap. xix. 17. In some of these instances, if the voices uttered by them were real, this may be accounted for, by supposing that they assumed bodies for the same purpose, and so communicated their minds to each other, in a way not much unlike to what is done by man. But this is not their ordinary way of conversing with each other: notwithstanding, we may, from hence, infer, and from many other scriptures, that might be brought to the same purpose, that there is some way or other by which they communicate their thoughts to one another. How this is done, is hard to determine; whether it be barely by an act of willing, that others should know what they desire to impart to them or by what other methods it is performed; it is the safest way for us, and it would be no disparagement were we the wisest men on earth to acknowledge our ignorance of it, rather than to attempt to determine a thing so much out of our reach, in this imperfect state, in which we know so little of the nature or properties of spirits, especially those that are without bodies. It is therefore sufficient for us to conclude, that they converse together, when joined in social worship; but how they do this, is altogether unknown to us.

VII. Notwithstanding all the advantages which the angels had from those natural endowments, with which they were created, yet it is farther observed, that they were subject to change. Absolute and independent immutability is an attribute peculiar to God; so that whatever immutability creatures have, it is by his will and power. Some of the angels, who were created holy, were not only subject to change, but they _kept not their first estate_, Jude, ver. 6. and, from being the sons of God, became enemies and rebels; which is an evident proof of the natural mutability of creatures, if not confirmed in a natural state of holiness and happiness; and we have ground to conclude, from hence, that the rest might have fallen, as well as they, had they not been favoured with the grace of confirmation, which rendered their state of blessedness unchangeable. But this will be farther considered, under a following answer[32].

Footnote 27:

_Vid. Augustin. de Civ. Dei, Lib. XV. cap. 23. Tertull. de
Idololatria, & alibi passim._

Footnote 28:

_This was the opinion of Aristotle, though he does not call them
angels, but intelligent Beings, for angel is a character belonging to
them, derived only from scripture; neither do we find that this work
is assigned to them, as a part of their ministry therein._

Footnote 29:

_See Quest. XIX._

Footnote 30:

_It is strenuously maintained, by Baronius, Bellarmine, and many other
writers; as also by many of the schoolmen, as Durandus, Tho. Aquinas,
and others._

Footnote 31:

_This book is sufficiently proved to be spurious, and not to have been
known in the four or five first ages of the church, as not being
mentioned by Jerom, Gennadius, and others, who make mention of the
writers of their own and former ages, and pass their censures on them,
as genuine or spurious. And, from others of the Fathers, who lived in
those centuries, it plainly appears, that the doctrines maintained in
this book, concerning the celestial hierarchy, were not then known by
the church. It is also proved to be spurious, because the author
thereof makes mention of holy places, such as temples, altars, &c. for
divine worship, and catechumens, and the like, and many other things,
unknown to the church till the fourth century; and he uses the word
Hypostases to signify the divine Persons, which was not used till
then. He also speaks of the institution of monks, and various sorts of
them, which were not known till long after the apostolic age; yea, he
quotes a passage out of Clemens Alexandrinus, who lived in the third
century. These, and many other arguments, to the same purpose, are
maintained, not only by Protestants, but some impartial Popish
writers, which sufficiently prove it spurious. See Dallæus De Scrip.
Dionys. Areop. and Du Pin’s history of ecclesiastical writers, Cent.
1. Page 32-34._

Footnote 32:

_See Quest. XIX._

Quest. XVII.

QUEST. XVII. _How did God create man?_

ANSW. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male
and female, formed the body of the man of the dust of the ground,
and the woman of the rib of the man; endued them with living,
reasonable, and immortal souls, made them after his own image, in
knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, having the law of God
written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, with dominion over
the creatures, yet subject to fall.

In this answer it is observed,

I. That man was created after all other creatures. There was a sort of _climax_, or gradation in the work of creation; and that the wisdom and power of God might be more admired herein, he proceeded from things that were less to those that were more perfect. Man, who is the most excellent creature in this lower world, was framed the last, inasmuch as God designed hereby not only to give a specimen of his power, wisdom, and goodness, but that the glory of those perfections, which shine forth in all his other works, might be adored and magnified by him, as a creature fitted for that purpose. And his being created after all other things, is not only an instance of the bounty and goodness of God, in that the world, which was designed to be the place of his abode, should be stored with all those provisions that were necessary for his entertainment and delight; but that he might hereby be induced to give him the glory that was due to his name, and all other creatures, that were formed before him, might be objects leading him to it.