not encouraged me to this bold attempt Although I have in this Treatise propounded and assayed to proove out of the Text and other places of holy Scripture such a ground of the weekly Sabbath as the learned in their writings have not heretofore observed Yet because the end use and scope of this discovery is most pious and godly and it tends altogether to heape more honour on Christ to advance Redemption above Creation grace above nature the state of Regeneration above the state of Innocency and to shew a necessity of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh and last to the first day of the week after Christs performing and finishing of that great work of our Redemption in his resurrection for which he was promised on the seventh day next after the ending of the Creation I hope it will give no offence nor receive censure of novelty but rather find grace and acceptation in the eyes of your noble persons That great God who hath as I beleeve and here professe magnified his holy weekly Sabbath by grounding it in the first institution on Christ promised and hath made it more honourable by removing and carrying it along together with Christ the Redeemer from the day of the promise to the day of the full performance of the great work of Redemption magnifie your Honours and make your persons still more and more honourable by noble Acts undertaken and performed for the honour of his holy name the advancement of true Religion and the peace and prosperity of this Church and Kingdome under our most gracious Soveraigne Lord and King To whom next under God and the Lord Jesus Christ I most humbly devote my self and vow to remain ever a most loyall subject and next under him to your Honours A most dutifull servant and daily suppliant to God for your everlasting blessednesse GEO. WALKER OF The externall VVorks of GOD in generall PSALM 135. 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in Heaven and in Earth in the sea and all deepe places THE externall outward workes of God which follow in the next pla 〈…〉 after his internall workes are indeed nothing but his actuall execution of his eternall counsell purpose and decree For the unfolding of which workes in generall and laying open of the nature use and severall kindes of them I have made choise of this Text. From the wordes and circumstances whereof we may easily gather all points of instruction necessary to be knowne concerning the generall nature use and kindes of them First here the words of the Psalmist shew that he speakes of Gods outward workes because he limits them to places and times to Heaven Earth Sea and all deep places Secondly he speakes of them all in generall none excepted so the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies all in generall whatsoever doth plainly shew and also the perfect enumeration of all places which are in the world and wherin any outward sensible and visible work can be done to wit the Heaven the Earth the Seas and all deepe places Thirdly he sheweth that God is the author of these works as he is Jehovah that one eternall God in whom there are three persons Father Son and Holy Ghost for he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah the Lord doth or hath done Fourthly he sheweth that the Lord doth all these workes of himselfe according to his owne will and pleasure and none of them all by compulsion unwittingly and unwillingly but even as hee pleased and after the counsell of his will and pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatsoever the Lord pleased Fifthly he intimates that all these workes of God come necessarily infallibly inevitably and irresistably to passe and that none of them all can faile which God hath beene pleased to doe but so come to passe as he pleaseth in every respect even in the same time and place This hee intimates in that he saith every thing whatsoever the Lord pleased he hath done Sixtly he sheweth that these outward workes tend to make God knowne and are of use to bring us to the knowledge of the true God and in and by them God is knowne aright and his greatnesse also This is manifest by the dependance of this ver on the former For having said I know that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods he brings in this text as an argument and proofe saying Whatsoever the Lord pleased that he hath done which is in effect all one as if he had said I know this by his doing of all his outward works for whatsoever the Lord pleased that he hath done Seventhly and lastly he shewes the severall kinds of Gods outward workes that they are not only creation but also actuall providence which concludes in it the government of the world the fall of man and the restauration of man-kind by the redemption of the world Workes of creation he expresseth vers 7. and workes of his actuall providence as ordering governing and saving of his people by Christ which was signified in the deliverance from Egypt he reckons up in the rest of the Psalme both before and after my text So then it is manifest that this text considered with the circumstances thereof serves abundantly for the opening of the nature use and kind of Gods outward works In the unfolding whereof â—irst let us note the order coherence and scope of it Secondly let us take a view of the wordes and sift out the true sence of them Thirdly let us observe out of them by way of doctrine a perfect description of Gods outward workes in generall and lastly apply for some use the doctrine to our selves The order and coherence is this First the Prophet in the 3. first verses exhorts all to praise the Lord and to laud his name more specially the Lords servants who are continuall professors in his Church Secondly in the 3 4 5. verses he gives some reasons drawne from the Attributes of God and the consideration of his nature to wit because the Lord is good and his name pleasant and because of his owne free grace he hath chosen Israel that is his elect and faithfull Church to be his owne peculiar people and because the Lord is great and is a God above all gods In testifying and affirming the Lords goodnesse and being above all gods he brings for proofe his owne knowledge and experience I know saith he that the Lord is great vers 5. Thirdly he doth proove God to be such a one even so good gracious and great by his outward workes and sheweth that by them he knowes God to be so â—or he saith here in this text Whatsoever the Lord pleased that he hath done in Heaven and in earth in the Sea and all deepe places So that it is plaine by the order dependence and scope of the text That here David extolls Gods outward workes in generall as things proceeding from his owne good pleasure and serving to proove him to
THE HISTORY OF THE CREATION AS IT IS WRITTEN BY MOSES in the first and second CHAPTERS of GENESIS plainly opened and expounded in severall Sermons preached in London Whereunto is added a short Treatise of GODS actuall Providence in ruling ordering and governing the world and all things therein By G. W. Batchelour of Divinity and Pastour of St. Iohn Evangelist LONDON Printed for John Bartlet at the signe of the gilt Cup neare St. Austins-gate in Pauls Church-yard 1641. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND NOBLE Lords FRANCIS Earle of BEDFORD Robert Earle of Warwick William Viscount Say and Seale Edward Viscount Mandevilc Robert Lord Brooke John Lord Roberts and the rest of the Honourable Lords Committees in the upper nouâ—e of the high Court of Parliament Grace and Peace with multiplicity of all Blessings temporall and eternall Most Noble LORDS THat which the learned Doctours of the Jews doe say of their Masorah to wit That it is an hedge or defence to the Law We Christians may more truly say of our weekly Sabbath the Lords day that it is the hedge of defence to true Christian Religion For as their Masorah which was their Annotations upon all the Scriptures of the old Testament shewing the genuine reading and signification of every word in the Hebrew text with what pricks vowels and accents it ought to be and was anciently written and read by Moses and the Prophets and by tradition from Ezra and other succeeding Fathers in all ages delivered over unto them did serve as an hedge and fence to keep the Scriptures of the old Testament pure from all corruption and alteration so that if any Scribe did in writing any copy of them omit or adde one word or letter or alter and change any vowell point or accent his errour might easily by the notes and rules of their Masorah be discerned and amended So the Lords holy weekly Sabbath being rightly observed according to the Law of God and the first institution and sanctification of it that is First by cessation and rest from all worldly cares and all secular affairs in respect wherof it is called in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sabbath that is rest and cessation Secondly by devoting it only to the worship and service of God and by sanctifying it with preaching reading and hearing of the word prayer meditation and other works of piety and exercises of true Religion in which respect it is called the Lords day that is the day of the Lord Christ consecrated to his honor and to the service and worâ—hip of God in his name It is most certainly as we find by experience a strong hedge and fence to true Christian Religion by which true piety and the true knowledge and worship of God and true Faith in Christ are upheld maintained increased and continued among all Christian nations from generation to generation Without observation of this weekly Sabbath and keeping this day of the Lord Christ holy by holy assemblies the publik and private worship of God the knowledge of Christ the memory of our Redemption by him and of his finishing and perfecting that great work and resting from it in his resurrection the publike preaching reading and hearing of the word and all other exercises of Christian religion which are the most effectuall ordinary meanes of grace and furtherances to eternall life and blessednesse would undoubtedly grow out of use and at length utterly decay and vanish This consideration did move me to insist more largely upon this subject and to make many Sermons upon that Text Gen. 2. 2 3. which briefly relates the first institution of the Sabbath on the seventh day in the first weeke of the world and Gods blessing and sanctifying of every seventh day in every week to be an holy Sabbath to his people Out of which Sermons first publikly preached to mine owne peculiar flocke I did afterwards compose this Treatise at the importunity of some of my best affected hearers and imparted severall written copies of it unto divers of them having at that time no hope to get it licensed for the Presse For by Gods speciall providence I having handled the doctrine of the Creation out of the 1. Chap. of Genesis was by my order of preaching and expounding of that Scripture led along and brought to this Text concerning Gods sanctifying of the seventh day at that very time when a book of liberty for sports on the Lords day was by the Bishops in every Diocesse sent to every Parish Church and commanded to be publickly read by every Minister in time of divine Service in the audience of all the people And because I proceeded to handle this subject as the order of my text did lead me and durst not balk that part of Gods word I was three severall times convented before my Ordinary and admonished under paine of suspension to proceed no further in this doctrine not for any errour which could be objected against any part or passage in it but only because the times would not beare it And because I did not hold it fit nor safe for me to obey man rather then God by concealing from my flock any part of Gods truth and shunning to declare unto them the whole counsell of God I have undergone the high displeasure of that Primate to whose jurisdiction my Church doth belong who upon divers false informations of catchers which have bin imployed to entrap me in my words that they might have something wherof to accuse me hath caused me to be convented before the Kings Majesty and the Lords of his Honourable Privy Counsell and hath charged and accused me to be a Preacher of factious and seditious Doctrine and for many years the great troubler of the City of London Wherupon I was committed close prisoner for two and twenty weeks and through close custody was by sicknesse brought neare unto death and could not obtain so much liberty as to be confined to the limits of my brothers house for the safety of my life upon bayle of a 1000 pound given untill by the testimony of fifty five Neighbour Ministers of best report in and about the City I was declared to be innocent and free from all the crimes of which I was accused Now blessed be God for your happy Assembly in this most hopefull Parliament by which I have been eased of my strait bonds and the times are so changed that this Treatise and divers others of my labours are licensed to passe by the Presse into the publik view of the world I should not have dared to commend it to the sight and grave Judgement of your Honours If your godly Zeale for the sanctifying of the Lords day and for the honouring of the name of the Sabbath which appeared most evidently to us all who of late were present at the time when that scandalous libell intituled Sunday no Sabbath was most accurately and judiciously sifted and examined by your Honours and justly censured and condemned to the fire had
day or the first day I answere that Gods day which is most truly and properly so called is the time of light and in it their is no night or darknesse For God speakes of a naturall day distinct from the night but Moses speakes of a civill day which comprehends in it the space of 24. houres in which the Sun runnes round about the World with the heavens which day includes in it a day and a night and here observe that Gods day is all light and mans day is mixt of light and darknesse Thirdly it may asked whether the night or the day went before in the first day of the creation The Answer is that the night or time of darknesse was first and it is likely that darknesse did over-spread the face of the deep the space of a night that is 12. houres before God formed the light and setled the visible heavens in their place and that after the light was created it did shine forth for the space of 12. houres more before God went about to make the firmament which was the second dayes work and so the first day of the World was of the same length with all other civill or Astronomicall dayes that is 24 houres divided equally between light and darknesse The words of the text shew that darknesse overspread all the masse of the inferiour World for a time before the light was formed Also in naming the six dayes of the creation the evening that is the time of darknesse is rehearsed first before the morning which is the 〈◊〉 of light Also Gods people began their dayes of the weeke and of the yeare with the night and reckoned the Sabbath and other solemne dayes from evening to evening as appeares Levit. 23. 32. Fourthly it may bee asked how the firie or visible heavens could by their light make a day before the Sun was created seeing the light of the same heavens together with the light of the Moone and the Starres added thereto cannot make a day but it is night where the Sun is absent and the light of it not seene not withstanding the light of the heavens and of the Moone and Starres I answere that the light of the heavens without Sun Moone and Starres is sufficient to make a bright day in the place where they are and there it is alwayes day though by reason of the spacious regions of the aire and the great distance betweene them and the earth their light doth not shine to us to make a day of light without the beames of the Sun but it is dark night in that part of the earth where their light onely appeares Now in the first day before the firmament was made that is the region of the aire purged and refined out of the masse by the sinking and settling of the earthy and waterish matter towards the center there was no need of light further then the body of the heavens reached that is to the upper face of the rude masse not yet formed but remaining rude and full of darknesse And therefore so farre as the visible World was brought into forme they did give most clear day light and as all had before bin overspread with darknesse for the space of a night so all was now overspread with light for a dayes space and so the first day of the creation was one halfe all night and another halfe all day in all the visible World even in all parts thereof which were then created and brought into perfect forme and being From this text thus opened wee may observe divers points of instruction First we learne that as there are three Persons in that one God which created the World by his own infinite power so every Person is a creatour and God the Father by his eternall Word the Son did extend and shew forth his power to the framing of every creature and by his Spirit did give all forme and perfection to them As the word Elohim used in the first verse notes more Persons so here and in the verse before wee see the Persons distinguished and all three working in the framing of the World and all the creatures therein First God the Father is brought in creating Secondly by his Word that is not by a sound of the voice or a word uttered for there was then no aire to receive such a sound but by his eternall Word bringing things into being according to his eternall Counsell and decree Thirdly by his Spirit moving upon the face of the waters and cherishing the rude and common matter of the whole visible World yet void and unformed and preparing it for the receiving of the severall formes of all creatures in the severall parts of it Which point excellently confirmes our faith in the true Doctrine of the blessed Trinitie and confutes Sabellius Servetus the Socinians and Arminians who denied the eternall Deity of the Son and the holy Ghost and overthrowes their severall heresies and damnable errours Secondly wee hence learne that all things are possible to God he can as easily and quickly by his eternall Word and power bring greatest things to passe even bring light out of darknesse and the glorious pure spacious visible heavens out of the rude impure and confused masse which was without forme and void as a man of nimble tongue and ready speech can speake a word Which Doctrine other Scriptures doe aboundantly confirme which ascribe to God omnipotency and proclaime him to bee wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working and that nothing is too hard or wonderfull for him to doe as Genes 18. 14. Isa 28. 29. Iob 36. 5. and 42. 2. Which serves to stirre us up to feare admire and reverence God to seek his favour and protection above all things and to rest confidently on him for defence against all enemies and dangers when wee are reconciled to him and have him for our God and our portion Thirdly we may here observe that God is wonderful in wisedome and providence in that the first thing created in this visible World was light even the bright and shining heavens which as above all visible creatures they shew the glory and super-celestial excellency of God in their naturall frame and substance so also give bodily light to the eyes of all bodily living creatures which were to bee made to see and discerne the glorious beauty and admirable frame of his visible works for hereby it came to passe that none of gods visible perfect works of wisedome were for an houre smoothered in darknesse but were all manifest and Gods glory was clearly seene in them so soone as there was a seeing creature able to discerne them This sheweth that God hath done his part to reveale himselfe and man who takes not notice of God in his works to worship him aright is without all excuse And this should stirre us up to labour to see God and to discerne him in his works and to place all
our perfection and happinesse in the sight and knowledge of him Fourthly we may hence observe divers singular prerogatives of the first day which is now by the resurrection of Christ the Lords holy day and the Sabbath of all true Christians That by many speciall prerogatives God did in the creation foreshew his eternall counsell and purpose to make this day his holy day in the dayes of Christ and in the time of the Gospell under the Kingdome of grace 1. This is the first fruits of all time 2. In it was created the glorious frame of the heavens and the first light of the visible World 3. In this day God first shewed by his eternall Word the Son his eternall counsell and purpose and by his Word and Spirit began to bring his purposes to passe and produce things into being 4. In this day darknesse and light were so separated and divided that while the night lasted there was no day in all the inferiour World and while it was day there was no night over all the face of the earth the deep but light in all the World which was then created and brought into forme and perfect being 5. In this day God first shewed his approbation and his pleasure that he approved for good the things which by his eternall Word the Son he did forme and bring into being Therefore without doubt most fit to bee the day of the Lord Christ and sanctified and kept holy to the honour and glory of him who is the first borne of God and the first fruits of them that sleep and the light of the World and in whom God sheweth his counsell and is in him well pleased and by him turnes night into day and brings light out of darknesse and brings us to eternall rest in the highest heavens which were created in the beginning of the first day CHAP. VII The second dayes worke Of the skie and things now created All made by the power of God in Christ. The use of the firmament How called heaven All was created wisely and orderly Vse ANd God said Let there bee a Firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters 7. And God made the Firmament and divided the waters which were under the Firmament from the waters which were above the Firmament and it was so 8. And God called the Firmament heaven and the evening and the morning were the second day In these words wee have abriefe historie of the second dayes worke in the creation of the World wherein wee are to consider these five things 1. The thing created 2. The creation and bringing of it into being 3. The use of it 4. The name which God gave unto it 5. How by this worke there came in an evening and a morning which where the second day First for the thing created it is in the originall text called by a generall name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie any thing which is spread abroad or stretched farre and wide according to the etymologie of it For the Hebrew verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which it is derived in all Scriptures wheresoever it is used doth signifie the act of spreading any thing abroad stretching it out and laying it wide-open to view as Exod. 39. 3. Numb 16 38. and Ier. 10. 9 it signifies beating out of gold silver or brasse into thinne broad plates that is spreading them broad by violent beating Exod. 40. 19 It is used to signifie the spreading abroad of the tent over the Tabernacle Psalme 139. 6. and Isa. 42. 5. and 44. 24. It is used to signifie the stretching out of the earth above the waters farre and wide Iob 37. 18. it signifies the spreading out of the skie and of the thinne cloudes and 2 Sam. 22. 43. it is used to signifie spreading abroad as a man spreads clay by stamping it with his feet and by a Metonymic of the effect it is used to signifie stamping with the feet as men stamp clay and spread it abroad Ezech. 6. 11. and 25. 6. These are the places of Scriptures in which onely that word is used So then this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being derived of it must needs signifie a thing which is stretched out like a tent or canopie or spread abroad as plates of gold and silver are by beating and clay by stamping The Greeke Septuagints transiate this Word every where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a thing which though it bee farre stretched out yet it is so surely established that it abides still in the place which God hath appointed for it And the vulgar Latine with divers later translaters following the Greeke Septuagints translate it Firmamentum the firmament that is a thing firmely set and established in a place which cannot from thence bee driven out and leave the place empty And although this word may according to the notation of it signifie any thing stretched out or spread abroad or laid wide open and is once onely used to signifie broad plates of brasse beaten out for a covering and that in the plurall number Num. 16. 38. yet in all other places of Scripture it is used in the singular number for the skie which God hath from the beginning stretched out over the globe of the Earth and the Sea as here in this Chapter and Psalme 19. 1. and 150. 1. and Dan. 12. 3. and Ezech. 1. 22. and 10. 1. Now what this skie or firmament is that is a great question among the learned Divers of the Ancients as Basil Ambrose Beda and others doe by this firmament understand the starry heavens First because it is said in the 8. verse that God called this firmament heaven Secondly because it is said that when God made the Sun Moone Starres hee set them in the firmament of heaven vers 17. Thirdly because they doe imagine that there is a watery heaven above the starry heaven which consists of water congealed like to Cristall and doth temper the heat of the Sun Moone and Stars and out of this heaven they conceive that God poured the waters which drowned the old World because it is said Gen. 7. 11. that the windowes of heaven were opened and God rained on the earth But others doe hold that by the firmament here is meant the whole heavens that is both the first heavens the spacious regions of the aire and also the middle that is the firie and starry heavens and the third that is the highest heavens First because it is said that God called the firmament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heaven and this word is used in the Scriptures to signifie all these three heavens And as the highest heaven is called by this name Psalme 11. 4. the Lords throne is in heaven and Psalme 148. where it is said Praise Him O heaven of heavens So the middle and starry heavens as Gen. 22. 17. where wee read of the Starres of heaven and also