Saint Augustines confessions translated: and with some marginall notes illustrated. Wherein, diuers antiquities are explayned; and the marginall notes of a former Popish translation, answered. By William Watts, rector of St. Albanes, Woodstreete

CHAP. 2. Of the creatures dependancy vpon their Creator.

1. FOr by the fulnesse of thy goodnesse, doth thy creature subsist; that the good, which could no wayes profite thee, nor though of thee, no wayes e∣quall vnto thee; yet being of thee, might not bee wanting. For what did Heauen and Earth, which thou madest in the beginning deserue of thee? Let those spirituall and corpo∣reall natures which thou madest in thy Wisedome, say how they deserued thee: that, things both now be∣gunne, and vnformed as yet, (euery one in its owne kinde, spirituall or corporeall) yea now falling away into an immoderate liberty and farre-distant vnlikenesse vn∣to thee, should still haue their dependance vpon thee. The Spirituall nature euen without its due forme as yet, is farre more noble then

any corporeall nature though fully formed: and a corpore∣all thing though not yet for∣med, better then if at all it had no being. And in this manner should all things haue for euer depended vp∣on thy Word, vnformed; were they not by the same Word reduced vnto thy Vnity, indued with a forme, and improued by Thee the onely Soueraigne Good, to become very good. What can these formelesse natures deserue a being of thee; seeing they could not haue so much as a beeing, vnlesse they had it from thee?

2. What did that cor∣poreall matter deserue of thee, that it should be made so much as inuisible & shape∣lesse? seeing it could not be so much as so, hadst not thou made it so? and therefore be∣cause

it was not at all, it could not deserue of thee to bee made. Or what could the spirituall creature euen now begun to bee created, deserue of thee, that it might at least all darkesomely flit vp and downe, like vnto the Deepe, but very vnlike thee; vnlesse it had beene by the same word call'd backe vnto that, by whom it was created: and by the same also enlightened, that it might bee made light some by it; although not in any equality, yet in some con∣formity vnto that forme which is equall vnto thee? For like as to a body, simply to be, is nor all one with being beautifull; for then it could no wayes bee deformed: so likewise to a created spirit to line, is not all one with lining wisely: for then should it e∣uer continue wise vnchange∣ably. But good it is for it to

sticke close vnto thee; lest what light it hath obteyned by turning to thee, it may lose againe, by turning from thee; and relapse into a state of life, resembling the darke∣some deepe. For euen wee our selues, who according to our soules are a spirituall creature, when wee were * 1.1 sometimes turned away from the our Light, were very darkenesse in that estate of life: yea and still wee labour amidst the reliques of our old darkenesse, vntill in thy onely One wee bee made thy Righteousnesse, which is like the * 1.2 great mountaines. For wee haue somtimes vnder gone thy Iudgements, which are like vnto the great Deepe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eph. 5. 8.
• * 1.2

  Psol. 36. 6