Moses his prayer. Or, An exposition of the nintieth Psalme.: In which is set forth, the frailty and misery of mankind; most needfull for these times. Wherein [brace] 1. The sum and scope. 2. The doctrines. 3. The reasons. 4. The uses of most texts are observed. / By Samuel Smith, minister of the Gospel, author of Davids repentance and the Great assize, and yet living.

Or ever thou hadst formed the earth or the world.

HEnce we learn, [Doct. 3] * 1.1 That there was a time, when there was no Moun∣tain, Earth, or World, but God crea∣ted them all. The glorious Heavens and all the host of them, the Earth, and all the creatures therein, the Sun, the Moon, and the Starrs, had all God for their Creator.

Yet this point is warily to be un∣derstood of us, for howsoever this work of creation is attributed to the first Person in Trinity, we are not to exclude the Son nor the Holy Ghost: for the whole Trinity did create the world, Let us make man. * 1.2 This being a rule in Divinity, That the works of God that are without are undivided: for that which one doth, all do.

Yet there is this difference in their order of working:

• 1. The Father wills it.
• 2. The Son works it.
• 3. The Holy Ghost finisheth it.

Now that God Created all things at first, it is clear, In the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth. * 1.3 And, I am the Lord, and there is none other. How proves he that? but by this work of Creation, * 1.4 I form the light, and create darknesse; I make peace, and create evill; I the Lord do all these things. And thus again doth he prove his Godhead, * 1.5 He hath made the earth, and established the world by his wisdome. And He spake the word (saith the Psalmist) and it was done, * 1.6 He com∣manded, and it stood fast.

And the Lord did without faint∣nesse and wearinesse, * 1.7 The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, nor is weary. The visible creatures, from the most glorious Angells, to the most con∣temptible worm of the earth do all declare that there is a God, and that this God is the Creator of them. The visible creatures have in them all the print of an invisible God: His power and his wisdome is engraven in them all; yea, in the smallest crea∣tures doth Gods wisdome and power most of all appear.

Quest. [Quest. 1] But when was this creation of all things?

Moses tells us, when he saith, [Ans.] In the beginning: the meaning is, * 1.8 In the beginning of Time. For before the Creation, Time was not, but Eternity instead of Time. And indeed, the thoughts of man are here drowned, here is the Ocean that we are not able to fathom, what was before the world was. And it is not meet that we should search into that: for what are we to judge of eternity? what hath plants to judge of sense? or what have beasts to judge of reason? or man to judge of Eternity, that is himselfe finite?

But how did God create all things? [Quest. 2]

Not as man bringeth his works to passe, by labour and pains: no, [Ans.] for it is said, * 1.9 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them. He did but speak the Word, and it was done, the commanded, and it was crea∣ted. God did but say, Let there be light, and there was light; and all o∣ther creatures had their being at his command.

Seeing there was a time when there was no Mountain, Earth, or World, [Use 1] but that God was the Creator of them

all; then the heavens that are above us, and the earth that is below us, and all the creatures that are in the world, they may serve to teach us this lesson, that there is a God: though these teach us not this lesson as the Scriptures teach us, yet they are as a Christians Primer to teach us to spell; for God teacheth us two waies.

• 1. By his Philosophy Lecture in the creature: * 1.10 The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen.
• 2. By his Divinity Lecture in the Word. * 1.11 Now if the knowledge we have of God in the creature, shall leave men without excuse, how much more inexcusable are those that have the Word to in∣struct them.

Seeing this is so, [Use 2] that the Moun∣tains, Earth, and World sometimes were not, and that they were created by God: so certainly they shall have an ending time, they shall not last to eternity, but the heavens and the earth shall at last vanish like a scroule, and as the Apostle shewes, shall perish

by fire. * 1.12 The day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night, in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noise, and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up.

All our goodly houses and stately buildings, the whole Earth and all the Creatures therein shall at last become but fewel to the fire. And therefore why should we set our hearts upon the Creature, seeing hee that made all, can destroy all, and bring the wealthiest of us all to nothing at his pleasure.

And this also meets with a vaine conceipt, [Use 3] that is this day in the world in the hearts of many, that when they hear and are taught the wofull and miserable estate wherein they are by nature, and are threatned with E∣ternall death, Hell and Damnation: if they die in such an estate, presently say, they hope not so, for hee that made them will save them, and not suffer them to perish. They are his Crea∣tures and the workmanship of his hands, &c.

So art thou no nearer Heaven then thy Oxe or thy beast thou ridest upon; for are not they the Creatures of God as well as thou!

If thou be not in Christ, and so a new Creature, thou art in a worse estate then they, for when they die, they vanish away and come to nothing. But thou hast in thee an immortal soul that shall live to all eternity, even whilst God himself liveth.

Creation is but a Common benefit, extended to brute beasts as well as to man they have God to betheir Creator is wel as we: we are never then to rest til we have Christ to be our Redeem∣er, and the Holy Ghost to bee our san∣ctifier to partake of a new Creation or Regeneration. As Christ saith to Ni∣codemus, * 1.13 Except a man be born a∣gain, he cannot enter into the King∣dom of Heaven. Herein lies the happi∣nesse of man, above other Creatures in our title to Christ as our Redeemer, otherwise of all creatures man is most miserable.

Hitherto of the first, that God is the Creator of all things.

Secondly, [Doct. 4] that this God was from all Eternity long before. * 1.14 Before the Mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the Earth or the World, even from Everlasting to everlasting thou art God.

Herein Moses proceeds to a farther proof of the Godhead, and that is ta∣ken from his Antiquity, and Eternity: Before the Earth or the World wa•• made, thou art God. From whence we learn that in respect of time God was before all time, even from Eternity: and so is eternall.

Some things there are that have a be∣ginning in time, and have their peri∣ods and ending in time as brute beasts, &c.

Some things have a beginning in time, but have no time to end in, as Angels and men.

Onely there is God that neither had a beginning in time, nor shall end in time, but is eternal.

Now that God is Eternal, is cleare in this from ever lasting to everlasting thou art God. * 1.15

I was set up from everlasting, from

the beginning, or ever the Earth was It is spoken of God and of Christ, * 1.16 But thou Bethlem Ephrata, though thou art little among the thousands of Ju∣dah, yet out of thee shall come forth un∣to me that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting.

As God had no being in time, but is without the measure of time; so E∣ternity is his essentiall property, which shewes that God cannot end in time, but as he was from Eternity, so shall be ever one, and the same God, with∣out shadow of change. * 1.17 Of old thou hast laid the soundations of the Earth and the Heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall all perish, but thou shalt endure, they shall all wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

The Consideration of this Eternity of God should serve to humble us in our own eyes, [Use 1] and cause us to think meanly of our selves, when wee come before him; that is of this eternall be∣ing.

This made Abraham, when he was to come unto God, to confesse that he was but dust and ashes, when he was to deal with him. And the Saints of God have ever laid them∣selves low before him, when they have come into his presence.

Secondly, [Use 2] the consideration of this eternity of God should help to wean us from the world, and take off our hearts from these earthly things that are here below, that as they had their being, and beginning in time, so in time shall have their period and end∣ing, They shall all perish, * 1.18 and wax-old like a garment, and they are reserved to the fire of the day of judgment, * 1.19 when the earth, and the works thereof shall be burnt up.

Thirdly, seeing God is eternall, [Vse 3] the consideration hereof should minde us more of this eternity, that we think more of eternity, and provide more for eternity. There is an eternity behinde us, and that is our eternall Election, For such he knew before. * 1.20 And there is an eternity before us, and that is our eternall Glorification. Now betwixt

these two Eternities, there is a short interjected time cast in, which is our short life and being here in this world: and our weal or woe for ever doth de∣pend upon this short inch of time, a∣lotted unto us here. Some are so spi∣ritually wise to improve this time, to make their Calling and Election sure: * 1.21 and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. These passe from Eternity past, their eternall Election, to Eternity to come, their eternall Glorification. Othersome there are, and that the greatest part of the world, that spend their time in eating and drinking, [Note.] in chambering and wan∣tonnesse; that as they came into the world in a state of nature, so they live, and so they die. And these passe from Eternity past, which is Reprobation; to Eternity to come, and that is eter∣nall Condemnation. So that our hap∣pinesse for ever doth depend upon this short inch of time that is allotted us here.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Thre was a time when there was no earth or world.
• * 1.2

  Gen. 1.26.
• * 1.3

  Gen. 1.1.
• * 1.4

  Es. 45.7.
• * 1.5

  Ier. 10.12
• * 1.6

  Ps. 33.9.
• * 1.7

  Es. 40.28
• * 1.8

  Gen. 1.1.
• * 1.9

  Ps. 33.9.
• * 1.10

  Rom. 1.20.
• * 1.11

  Ps. 19.1.
• * 1.12

  2 Pet. 3.10.
• * 1.13

  Ioh. 3.
• * 1.14

  God was from all eternity.
• * 1.15

  Pro. 8.23.
• * 1.16

  Mich. 5.2.
• * 1.17

  Ps. 102.25.26, 27.
• * 1.18

  Ps. 102.27.
• * 1.19

  1 Pet. 3.10.
• * 1.20

  Eph. 1.4.
• * 1.21

  2 Pet. 1.10.