Page images
PDF
EPUB
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

and God allowed this second day's work also, as of necessary and excellent use for his purposed creatures.

11. "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."]-Then God willed that by his immediate power, even before the sun was created, the earth should bring forth all manner of vegetables ; both those that do voluntarily sprout up, and those which do since require the art and labour of man: all buds, blossoms, herbs, trees, which both may and do bear fruit according to their kind; and whose fruit by his appointment containeth in it the seed of their own kinds: and it was so done.

12. "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."]-And the earth brought forth, as God commanded her, all manner of vegetables, in very great variety, according to the several kinds; both of herbs that yield their own seed as the means of their future increase, and all trees that bear fruit, and whose fruit by his appointment containeth in it the seed of their own kind: and God allowed them as of necessary and excellent use, and established the benefits thereof to his future creatures.

13. "And the evening and the morning were the third day."]— And thus was the third natural day, consisting of morning and evening, also finished.

14. "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:"]-And God further willed, that in the highest part of the air, which we call heaven, there should be made the stars, which are so many glorious lights, in the firmament; partly, to make a perpetual and constant division betwixt day and night; and partly, to be certain and natural signs for man's direction in his course of judgment and practice, for sowing, planting, sailing, and such other common affairs; and partly, to make a distinction of seasons: summer, winter, spring, harvest, autumn, years, months, weeks, days, hours.

15. "And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so."]-Lastly, which is their chiefest use, he willed that they should serve to give lively heat and light, from those high places wherein he set them, to his creatures here upon earth: and it was so done.

16. "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also."]-And now God made, amongst the rest, two great lights greater than the rest, not in body but in glory; the greater to rule the day; to which purpose he gathered into it all that light which hitherto was diffused through the air: the lesser, together with the other smaller stars, to rule the night.

17. "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth."]-Thus God, I say, made these heavenly lights, and placed them in the highest part of the air, that they might the better give light to the earth.

18. "And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."]-And that they might interchangeably govern the day and night, and distinguish the light from the darkness, the dawning and twilight from the clear day: and God allowed them, as of excellent and necessary use for his other creatures.

19. "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."] -So the fourth natural day, consisting of morning and evening, was fully finished.

20. "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."]-Now that God had thus made fit room and place for his creatures, he willed that they should, in their several ranks and orders, be framed; and first, as the least perfect, he decreed, that the waters should abundantly bring forth all swimming and creeping things proper to itself, that have life; and that of the lighter and more airy part thereof should be made all kinds of fowls that fly upon the earth and waters in the open space of the air.

21. "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good."]-Then God, of the same element, made the mighty whales, whirlpools, and all other those huge and strange forms of creatures; and all kind of fishes, that live and move in the waters, he framed of the same matter, in great variety and abundance, according to their kinds; and every flying fowl according to his kind: and God allowed them to be of excellent use.

22. "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”]

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

-Then God gave a real and sensible blessing unto them; willing and decreeing, by an everlasting Law, that these watery creatures should naturally multiply themselves by generation, in an especial manner and measure, so as they should plentifully store both the sea and rivers; and that the fowls also should, by a natural form of generation, multiply their numbers and successions upon earth.

23. "And the evening and the morning were the fifth day."] -So the fifth natural day, consisting of morning and evening, was fully finished.

24. "And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."]-Furthermore, God appointed that, of the earth, by his almighty power, should be made all other living things, according to their kinds: all cattle that should be for more familiar use to man; all those creeping things which live and move in and upon the earth; and those wild beasts of the forest which live apart from the sight and service of man; each of them according to his nature and kind: and it was so done.

25. "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."]-And God accordingly made the wild beast of the field, according to his kind; and all those creeping things which move in and upon the earth, according to their several kind; and the tamer cattle according to their kind: and God allowed their use, as commodious and necessary.

26. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”]Then God, when all helps and ornaments were thus prepared, decreed, and after a Divine manner consulted with himself, the Father with the Son and Holy Spirit, concerning the creation of his chief creature, Man; as it were to this effect: We have made our several creatures, in great variety; having given to them being, life, sense, and motion: but now, let us make that creature for whose sake the rest have been created; consisting, as of a material body, wherein he shall partake with other creatures in being, life, sense, and motion; so also, of a spiritual nature and substance, wherein he shall be like to us; being indued, as with all the faculties of a reasonable soul, so also with perfect knowledge,

holiness, righteousness: and let them have dominion over all the creatures, over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.

27. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."]-So God accordingly created man after his own image, both in respect of his spiritual soul and of this integrity, and holiness, and rightcousness, wherewith he was indued: he created them in both sexes, both male and female; forming the male of the matter of earth, and the female afterwards of the male.

28. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea."]-And God gave a special blessing unto them; and said, Be ye, through that power of propagation which I give you, fruitful; and multiply, and replenish the earth with your seed; and be ye possessors and rulers of the earth, &c.

29. "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree."] -And God said, Behold, as I have made you, and given you life, so am I careful to provide and grant you fit sustenance for the continuance of that life, which I have given you take ye liberty therefore to eat of every plant that groweth upon the earth, whether herb or tree, &c.

II. 1. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."]-Thus were the heavens, and the earth, and sea, and all the hosts of heaven, both the angels and stars, and all the furniture of the earth and water, both plants and beasts and birds and fishes, finished by the mighty power of God, in the space of six days.

2. "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”]—And, on the seventh day, God having finished the great work of his creation, ceased from any further act of this kind; rejoicing in the view of his glorious workmanship; and never since ceasing to preserve, order, and govern that world which he then created.

3. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."-And thereupon God gave a special blessing to the

H

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

seventh day; and honoured it with this privilege, that it should be a day set apart to rest and holiness; that so, by this means, men might be put in mind of the wonderful work of his creation, and might celebrate that rest of their Creator.

4. "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens."]-This is the story, or just report, of the making of the heavens and the earth, in that beginning of time wherein the Lord God, who hath eternal being in himself, gave a being to the earth and the heavens;

5. "And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground."]-And to every plant of the field, when as before it had no being in the earth; and to every herb, that had not as yet been, nor could have been, as by any natural means: for there had been as yet no rain, which is the ordinary means of fruitfulness, sent down from God upon the earth: neither was there any man as yet to till the ground, and by his industry and art to draw forth any fruit therefrom.

6. "But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."]-Only God caused a mist or vapour to rise up from the earth, and to fall down again upon the whole face of the ground; whereby the earth was watered, and the fruits thereof refreshed, till he thought good to send the ordinary and natural helps of her fruitfulness.

7. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."]-And the Lord God formed the body of man of the mould of the ground, and inspired and animated him with a living and reasonable spirit, which is immortal, immaterial, separable from the body: and so man, consisting of body and soul, became a perfect creature, indued with life and reason, and such qualities and motions as were fit to proceed from both.

8. "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."]-And the Lord God planted an orchard and garden of pleasure in the eastern tract of that goodly and fruitful country of Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9. "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of

« PreviousContinue »