Early English Books Online 2

Previous Section Next Section

Sion's prospect in it's first view.: Presented in a summary of divine truths, consenting with the faith profess'd by the Church of England, confirmed from scripture and reason: illustrated by instance and allusion. Compos'd and publish'd to be an help for the prevention of apostacy, conviction of heresy, confutation of error, and establishing in the truth, by a minister of Christ, and son of the church, R.M. quondam è Coll ̊S.P.C.

About this Item

Title
Sion's prospect in it's first view.: Presented in a summary of divine truths, consenting with the faith profess'd by the Church of England, confirmed from scripture and reason: illustrated by instance and allusion. Compos'd and publish'd to be an help for the prevention of apostacy, conviction of heresy, confutation of error, and establishing in the truth, by a minister of Christ, and son of the church, R.M. quondam è Coll ̊S.P.C.
Author
Mossom, Robert, d. 1679.
Publication
London :: Printed by T: N: for Humphrey Moseley, and are to be sold at the sign of the Princes-Arms in St Pauls Church-yard,
1653 [i.e. 1652]
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Christian life -- Biblical teaching
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A89351.0001.001
Cite this Item
"Sion's prospect in it's first view.: Presented in a summary of divine truths, consenting with the faith profess'd by the Church of England, confirmed from scripture and reason: illustrated by instance and allusion. Compos'd and publish'd to be an help for the prevention of apostacy, conviction of heresy, confutation of error, and establishing in the truth, by a minister of Christ, and son of the church, R.M. quondam è Coll ̊S.P.C." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A89351.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 6, 2024.

Pages

CHAP. VII. Concerning the Works of Creation.

§. 1. GOD,* 1.1 as a most free Agent without anya 1.2 necessity compelling, orb 1.3 external cause moving him (toc 1.4 manifest his Glory, or communicate hisd 1.5 Goodness) of hise 1.6 own good pleasure, and by his own most powerful will, he made the World;f 1.7 in the beginning creating, and ing 1.8 six dayes forming all things in their naturesh 1.9 very good.

§. 2.* 1.10 The Creation was thea 1.11 proper work of God alone, not from any one Person, but fromb 1.12 all the whole Trinity; as being a work of infinite power, wisdom, and love; as a work of infinite power, so more especially from the Father; as a work of in∣finite wisdom, so from the Son; as a work of infi∣nite love, so from the Holy Gost; and yet from all

Page 28

the three Persons, as it is fromc 1.13 one entire cause, one single essence, God's; who creates the world as ad 1.14 free Agent,* 1.15 and ase 1.16 all-sufficient in himself; for if the World were made of God, by a necessity of his nature, and not according to the liberty of his will; or if the World made did add any thing to the fulness and perfection of the Maker, it must needs have been, as himself is, from eternity, and should not cease to be in the end of time; whichf 1.17 time was created with the World, and did theng 1.18 begin, when the Creation had it's begin∣ning.

* 1.19§. 3. In the work of Creation, we observe the command of God's Power, the approbation of his Goodness, the ordination of his Wisdom, and the declaration of his Authority.* 1.20 Bya 1.21 the com∣mand of his Power, he executes his will, to the producing all things in their natural being;* 1.22 b 1.23 by the approbation of his Goodness, he confirms (what is produc'd) in those endowments of nature which he had given themc 1.24 the ordination of his Wis∣dom,* 1.25 he ordereth and disposeth (what is so pro∣duc'd and confirm'd) to their proper ends, for which he appointed them;* 1.26 andd 1.27 in the declaration of his Authority, he enacteth a Law, establishing the creatures (so produc'd, confirm'd, and or∣dered) in their being, and working,e 1.28 to all gene∣rations.

* 1.29§. 4. Of the Works of Creation, some by an immediate creation were made out ofa 1.30 nothing, to be of a perfect and compleat existence, immor∣tal and incorruptible; by the Will of God made subject to no essential change, or utter disso∣lution; such the Angels, and the highest Heaven,b 1.31 created together on the first day of the Creation.* 1.32 Others of thec 1.33 creatures upon the whole visible part of the World were form'd by a mediate crea∣tion

Page 29

of matter pre-existent, and so by natured 1.34 cor∣ruptible, subject to an essential change, and utter dissolution of their being; Thee 1.35 Heavens them∣selves (which are visible) being liable to that final dissolution of the last day.

§. 5. Man (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.36 the little world) as the compendium of the whole Creation, partakes of both those kindes, as consisting of body and soul; he pertakes of a mediate creation, with the cor∣ruptible creatures in his body,a 1.37 form'd of the dust; also he pertakes of an immediate creation, with the creatures incorruptible in his soul,b 1.38 breathed of God: and therefore in his body, he is by naturec 1.39 corrup∣tible, and in hisd 1.40 soul immortal.

§. 6. Man is aptly called the lesser world,* 1.41 ha∣ving in him something of affinity with, and parti∣cipation of the several parts of the greater world; He hath an affinity with the Angels in his soul, as being spiritual, invisible, intelligent, and immor∣tal; and affinity with the heavenly bodies, in the excellency of his constitution, and harmony of his parts; and affinity with the four Elements, in the sub∣stance of his body, and material part of his com∣position, the superiour Elements being predominant in their vertue, the inferiour more abounding in their matter; whereby, man is said to bea 1.42 formed of the dust of the earth.

§. 7. The invisible and highest Heaven,* 1.43 is that Saint Paul calls thea 1.44 third Heaven; the firstb 1.45 Hea∣ven being that space of the Elementary Region from the surface of the Earth, to the concave of the Moon: The second Heaven,c 1.46 * 1.47 that expansion of the Aetherial Region, from the lowest Orbe, that of the Moon,* 1.48 to the highest of the invisible Heavens, the Firmanent; The third Heaven, that is,d 1.49 the Heaven of Heavens,e 1.50 far above all the visible heavens, whitherf 1.51 Christ ascended, and where

Page 30

God hathg 1.52 set his Throne, and made hish 1.53 Habita∣tion with the Blessed;i 1.54 where he manifests himself in his glorious presence to thek 1.55 perfect joy and feli∣city ofl 1.56 Angels, and Saints.

* 1.57§. 8. In the visible parts of the world, thea 1.58 hea∣venly bodies have their influences upon the earth∣ly,b 1.59 powerfully to encline, notc 1.60 forcibly to ne∣cessitate them in their constitutions and operati∣ons; They are also appointed certainlyd 1.61 to distin∣guish the Seasons,* 1.62 note 1.63 infallibly to fore-tell events; so that from their powerful disposing, there may be made some conjectural predictions; but seeing they cannot necessitate, there can bef 1.64 made no infallible Prognostications.

* 1.65§. 9. Man, the last part of the Creation, and chief of the visible creatures, consisting ofa 1.66 body and soul, was madeb 1.67 in the Image, and after the likeness of God; And out of man thus createdc 1.68 the image and glory of God, Godd 1.69 formed wo∣man, the glory of the man, to bee 1.70 an help meet for him; by which two hath beenf 1.71 propagated through his blessing, theg 1.72 off-spring of mankinde, to a replenishing the whole earth. Thus God havingh 1.73 finished his work of Creation in six daies, he re∣steth the seventh day,* 1.74 (where Rest hath not any proper respect unto God as the Creator in his working, but unto the works of the Creation in their producing) as ceasing to create any new Spe∣cies, or kindes of creatures; but not to preserve what was created, or to produce and preserve new individuals, according to the several Species of the Creation: And what strange kindes have since been produc'd, different from those several Species, had their firsti 1.75 principle of being in the active powers of the first ceatures, and so were casually in the works of the six daies creation.

§. 10. The glory of God's Wisdom is excellent

Page 31

in the Order of his Creation.* 1.76 He firsta 1.77 forms the grass, herbs, and trees, before heb 1.78 makes the Stars, lest any should think they had their first production from whence they have their afterc 1.79 growth, and generation. And in the inferiour part of the visible world, God first creates those things which haved 1.80 onely being, next those things which besides being havee 1.81 life, (and life vegeta∣tive) after these, those things which havef 1.82 being, life, and sense: and lastly,g 1.83 man, who hath being, life, sense, and reason. Thus God first makes ready the habitation, and thenh 1.84 brings in the in∣habitant; he first provides food, and then forms the feeder; he first prepares what is useful for man, and then creates man to use them to his Makers glory.

§. 11.* 1.85 God creates every thinga 1.86 perfect in it's kinde, and it implies a contradiction to say, that God might have created the several kindes more perfect; for then they should have chang'd their kinde with their perfection: and the reason is plain, because the super-addition of natural perfection doth vary the Species, even as the addition of unity doth vary the Number; so that; though God could have made more perfect kindes of crea∣tures, yet could he not make these creatures more perfect in their kinde; he could have given them ac∣cidental excellencies, but not any natural perfections, without altering their natures; Thus, through in∣capacity in the creature, God could not do what implies contradiction in the thing.

§. 12. In the works of Creation,* 1.87 is manifest thea 1.88 glory of the Creator, in his Power, Goodness, Wisdom, and Eternity; his Power is gloriously manifested in his creating all things out of nothing, and preserving them, in their being; hisb 1.89 Good∣ness, is gloriously manifested in his communica∣ting

Page 32

a proportion of life and blessedness unto his creatures;* 1.90 hisc 1.91 Wisdom is gloriously manifested in that admirable harmony of order, and of use; that excellent beauty of proportion, and of parts, which is in the Creation;* 1.92 and his Eternity, that is gloriously manifested, in his being thed 1.93 Author, and Efficient of all things, who therefore must needs have his being before they could have their beginning; ande 1.94 having his being before time, he must be eternal.

* 1.95§. 13. Goda 1.96 manifesting himself in his crea∣tures to be a Creator, in Power, Goodness, and Wisdom, infinite and eternal; the lightb 1.97 of na∣ture doth direct man to love him, to worship him, to invocate, and to praise him. And to this end, Godc 1.98 resting the seventh day,* 1.99 doth bless and sanctifie it; thereby setting it apart asd 1.100 an holy Sabbath for the solemnity of his worship, to be ob∣served in all after Generations;* 1.101 till Christ thee 1.102 Lord of the Sabbath, by his work of Redemption, far grea∣ter then this of Creation, doth givef 1.103 change to the day in an higher advancement of the worship, by a more excellent glory of the Solemnity.

* 1.104§. 14. That God is the Primary and sole Effi∣cient Cause of the World's existence, may be evi∣dently and infallibly demonstrated bya 1.105 light of Nature, and argument of Reason; yet the actual Creation of the World (especially for manner and time) is not to be proved by any demonstrative Ar∣gument, but byb 1.106 divine Authority; and so is become an Article of our Creed, not a part of our Science; wec 1.107 beleeve it as delivered by divine Revelation, we know it not, as discovered by humane Rea∣son.

Notes

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.