properties. Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or speak to the earth, and it shall teach "thee."1 2dly, With admiration. "Marvellous are thy works," says the Psalmist.m "O Lord, how mani"fold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them "all: the earth is full of thy riches." 3dly, With joy and exultation. "Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of 'thy hands." This has been the exercise of angels even from the beginning. "When the corner-stone of the "earth was laid, the morning stars sang together, and "all the sons of God shouted for joy." 66 xcv. Further, we should ascend by the creatures, as by an erect ladder, to God the Creator; who exhibits himself in them, not only to be seen, but also to be felt,¶ -whose glory the heavens declare,' and to whom the brute animals of the earth, and the dumb fishes of the sea, bear witness, that they proceeded from his hand.s XCVI. Nor is a general acknowledgment of this sufficient. But those perfections of God which he has brightly displayed in the work of creation, ought to be particularly observed:—that infinite Power, at whose command all things rose into existence :-that unbounded Goodness, to which alone the creatures must own themselves entirely indebted for whatever portion of good is in them:"-that unsearchable Wisdom, which has arranged every thing in so beautiful an order, that it appears no less admirable in the least than in the 1 Job xii. 7, 8. m Ps. cxxxix. 14. n Ps. civ. 24. See also xcii. 5, 6. Job xxvi. 14. o Ps. xcii. 4. 9 Acts xvii. 27. s Job xii. 9. u Ps. cxlv. 9. P Job xxxviii. 6, 7. I Ps. xix. 1. t Jer. xxvii. 5. greatest works:-that amazing Philanthropy, in fine, which he has shown towards man, not only adorning his body by so exact a proportion of all its parts, which has beyond measure astonished Hippocrates and other anatomists; but also suspending in his soul, as in the golden vault of the temple, an image of himself and a representation of his own holiness; and at the same time, granting him dominion over the rest of the crea tures. 66 66 66 66 XCVIL. "God," as Philo eloquently observes, "by endowing man with reason, having admitted him to "communion with himself, which is the best of his gifts, by no means withheld other blessings; but prepared for him, as the most nearly related and the most dearly beloved of his creatures, all that the world " contains. Having determined that he should be des❝titute of nothing conducive either to his living, or to "his living happily, the Creator made provision for "the one, by the rich abundance of comforts that were given him to enjoy; and for the other, by the contemplation of heavenly objects, with which when the "mind is affected, it is inspired with an ardent desire "of the knowledge of them."* 66 66 XCVIII. We should endeavour also to rise in our meditations, by the way of eminence, as it is called, from the greatness, the beauty, and the excellence of the creatures, to the consideration of the greatness and the beauty of God. I cannot better illustrate this than in the words of the truly Great Basil. "Let us glorify the "adorable Author of nature, who has formed all things "with consummate wisdom and skill. From the beauty of the things that are scen, let us learn his trans 66 66 “cendant beauty; and from the magnitude of these "sensible and limited bodies, let us infer the infinite " and immeasurable extent of his greatness and power, "which no created understanding is able to compre"hend." Hence it follows, that it is our duty to esteem the Creator above the creatures; by no means to acquiesce in the creatures themselves, whose goodness is finite and circumscribed, and which are, consequently, incapable of imparting full satisfaction to the mind; and not even to rejoice in the creatures, except in so far as we observe the excellencies of their Maker manifested in them, that thus our delight may be placed, not so much in the creatures, as in and through them, in God the Creator." XCIX. In fine, we ought continually to honour the glorious Artificer of the universe with our praises and thanksgivings. The sweet Psalmist of Israel, unable to satisfy himself with so ample and so choice a collection of hymns for this purpose, solicits the assistance of all creatures in the discharge of this duty. The exhortation of Epictetust to celebrate the praises of God as the Creator, is truly admirable; and I should have added it here, were it not that I recollect I have given it elsewhere.‡ Homil. i. in Hexaem. circa fin. Quoted from the original Greek, and from the Latin Version of John Argyropilus. + Vide Arriani Dissert. lib. i. cap. 16. The Author gives the passage from Epictetus to which he here alludes, in the 17th section of his 8th Dissertation on the Lord's Prayer. As the reader may wish to see a quotation so highly commended by Witsius, it is here subjoined in English. "If we were truly wise, what else would be our business both in "public and in private but to magnify, to praise, and render thanks "to the Deity? Should we not sing this Hymn to God, whilst we x Ps. cxlviii. Ps. lxxiii. 25. ye not c. But we should also descend to ourselves. 1st, That we may learn to fear and venerate the great Creator."Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Will "tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for "the bound of the sea?"y All creatures are in his hand, to employ them either for us, or against us, according to his sovereign pleasure; and it is in him alone, too, that we ourselves live, move, and have our being.z CI. 2dly, That we may render the worship and service due to Him, whom every kind of animals both in the earth and in the sea obey. When we behold all creatures hearkening to his word according to the laws "handle the spade and the plough, and whilst we partake of our "food? Great is that God, who has afforded us those implements, "with which we cultivate the ground. Great is that God, to whom "we are indebted for hands, and for the power of swallowing and digesting our food; who causes us to grow imperceptibly, and to "breathe when asleep. These instances of the Divine goodness "ought to be particularly celebrated; and we should praise him in "the noblest and most sacred songs, because he has given us facul"ties by which we perceive them, and are capable of employing "them aright. What then? Since we are generally blind and stu"pid, ought not some one to discharge this office, and to celebrate "the praises of God on behalf of all? And what else can I do, who "am old and lame, but show forth his praise. Were I a nightin"gale, I would act the part of a nightingale; were I a swan, I would "act the part of a swan. But since I am a rational creature, I ought Ito praise God. This is my work; this I will perform; nor shall "I desert this honourable employment, while I am permitted to pursue "it. And I invite you to unite with me in the same song." To this remarkable quotation, Witsius adds the following reflexion. "O how well calculated is this devout discourse, this pious "counsel of a heathen, to make us ashamed of our backwardness " and indolence! Doth a pagan philosopher speak and act in this "manner; and how do we Christians conduct ourselves?" T. y Jer. v. 22. Ps. xxxiii. 6-9. Acts xvii. 28. of nature,a truly we ought to be ashamed and blush, if we who are enriched and distinguished above the rest by so many benefits, and who alone, in common with angels, are privileged with reason, are found rebellious against him, without whom we can do nothing; and against whom, in consequence, it is highly criminal for us to form one hostile purpose or thought. Hence God frequently makes use of the irrational creatures, to reprove and put to shame the rational.b CII. 3dly, That whilst we sincerely discharge these duties of piety, we may comfort ourselves, in various ways, in God our Creator. 1. If that God, who is the omnipotent Creator, be our God, he will certainly provide for us all that is necessary to our welfare. "The "earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the "world, and they that dwell therein." Since "he giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens "which cry," how much less will he suffer men who so far excel other creatures, and who call upon him as their Father, to lack what is necessary? 66 CIII. A memorable instance of this care of Providence occurred to me to-day, when reading the Monody of Gregory Nazianzen upon Basil the Great.* He relates, that when Maximian's violent persecution was raging with its utmost fury, the ancestors of Basil cscaped with a few servants to a certain cave in a mountain. Continuing there upwards of seven years, and dwelling in the open air, they lived on bread alone; nor did they, like the Israelites in the wilderness, utter any complaint on that account. God, who fed the Jews * Monodia Gregorii Nazianzeni in Basilium Magnum. a Ps. cxlviii. 8. c Ps. xxiv. i. b Is. i. 2. 3. Jer. viii. 7. e Ps. xxxvi. 7. Mat. vi. 26-34. |