This is briefly the Profeffion of our Faith in the Holy Trinity, which we are all to hold faft unto the end without wavering. From which I go on,

Secondly, To the particular Acts or Offices afcrib'd to each of the three Perfons, in the Oeconomy of the World and Man's Salvation.

And, 1. To God the Father, the firft Person in the Bleffed Trinity, is afcrib'd the making of all Things: I believe in God the Father (faith the Catechumen) who made me and all the World. Where he is taught to own God the Father for the Author of his Being, and the Maker of all the World: according to that of St. Luke, In him we live, move, and have our Being. "Tis true, this is fometimes afcrib'd to the Son, as John 1. 3. where all Things are faid to be made by him; and fometimes to the Holy Ghost, as Job 33. 4. where the Spirit of God is faid to make us. But ftill the making of the World is firft and principally attributed to God the Father, in refpect of his Priority of Order and Operation; he being the firft Mover, with whom the other Perfons are faid to concur and work with him. Our Text tells us that God made the World by his Son. And elsewhere, the Father of Spirits is faid by his Holy Spirit to breathe into Man a living Soul. This is the frequent Language of Holy Scripture, which declares the making of the World and all Things in it, as the peculiar A&t and Office of God the Father.

To us (faith the Apostle) there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Fefus Chrift, by whom are all things, and we by him: 8. 6. And we find our Saviour acknowledging, That the I Cor. Son can do nothing of himself, but what he feeth the Father do; which befpeaks fome kind of Priority of Action, as well as Perfon. And in this fenfe, the Creed teaches us to believe in God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth.

This is confirm'd to us in fundry places, both of the Old and New Teftament. In the first of Genefis we read of God's making all things, and faying that all that he had made was very good. Nehemiah acknowledges, Thou, even thou art Lord alone; thou haft made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens with all their Hoft, the Earth and all things that are in it, the Sea and all that is therein: Neh. 9. 6. We find David acknowledging the fame thro'out the whole Book of Pfalms. St. Paul fpeaking of God the Fa

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ther, often tells us, that of him, and by him, and to him are all things; Rom. 11. 36. And the Author to the Hebrews, that every Houfe is builded by fome Man, but he that built all things is God; Heb. 3. 4. "Twere endless to recite all the Teftimonies that might be alledg'd to this purpose.

But were the Scriptures filent in this matter, Reason itfelf would lead us up to a first Caufe, as the Author and Maker of all things, which can be no other than God: for whatsoever has a being, was either made or not made; whatsoever is not made, is God; whatsoever is not God, is made. Befide,

The wonderful Order, Beauty, and Harmony of the World, the mutual Dependence of one thing upon another, and of all upon a fuperiour Being, can be afcrib'd only to an All-wife and Almighty Artificer. The admirable Frame and Fabrick of our Bodies, which have as many Wonders as Parts; the curious Contrivance and Compofure of our Souls, which have as many Miracles as Faculties, plainly fhew the Finger of God. In fhort, all the Excellencies ftamp'd upon the inferiour Creatures, which ferve at once to excite our Wonder, and employ our Meditation, befpeak an Omnipotent Hand to make and preferve them ; all which fhew the World to be the Workmanfhip of God the Father, who made Heaven and Earth.

But how is God the Father said to have made the World, and all things contain'd in it? Why,

That the Scripture tells us was by Creation; Gen. 1. 1. In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. And the Church in the Revelation acknowledges, Thou haft created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created; Rev. 4. 11. Now Creation is the producing of fomething out of nothing; and that diftinguifheth it from Generation, which evermore supposes fome Matter to work upon; whereas Creation excludes all Concurrence of Matter, and fignifies the making fomething out of nothing. Philofophy indeed teacheth that nothing can be made out of nothing; which is true of all finite and natural Agents, who must have fome Matter to work upon, or else they can do nothing.

But Divinity tells us, that all things were made out of nothing, and that this is feafible and easy to an infinite Power. St. Paul tells us, that God calleth things that be not, as tho they were; that is, he maketh things to be, that

before

before were not: and the Author to the Hebrews, That things which are feen, were not made of things that do appear; Heb. 11. 3. meaning, that things which are, were made of things that were not; that is, of nothing. And by this God diftinguifheth himself from the Gods of the Heathen, by doing that which none but he can do. Again,

2. He made all things by the Word of his Power; that is, he fpake them all into being by the Word of his Mouth: He did but fay, Let there be Light, and there was Light; Let the Earth bring forth Grass after its kind, and let the Waters bring forth abundantly the Creatures that live and move therein: and things immediately were as he had faid. "Twas but for him to will and command, and it was fo: fo faith the Pfalmift, he fpake the word, and they were made: He commanded, and they were created; Pfal. 148. 5. And elsewhere, he made the Heavens by his Power, and the Hoft of them by the Breath of his Mouth. Again,

3. For the Time: He is faid to make all things in fix Days, not that he needed fo long a space for the doing of it, for he might have made them all in one moment, as he did with one Word of his Mouth. All things are poffible, and nothing is difficult to an Almighty Power. But he took that time, to teach us Diligence and Deliberation in all our ways, and by his example to reft on the seventh Day from all our Labours.

Laftly, for the End: He made all things for his own Glory. So Solomon declares, Prov. 16. 4. He made all things for himself, yea, even the Wicked for the Day of Evil. Not that all, or any of his Works can add to or diminish any thing from his effential Glory; but he defign'd his Works to manifeft and difplay his Glory to the Sons of Men, who are to take occafion from thence to magnify his Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, which fhine fo brightly in them. The Heavens (faith the Pfalmift) declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament Jheweth his Handy-work. Good Men by beholding the Beauty of the Creation, and the liberal Provifion made for all the Creatures in it, will be thereby mov'd to publish and proclaim the Goodness of our Maker: fo we find David, that great Mafter of Thanksgivings, did almost in every Pfalm. And upon wicked Men who forget God, and regard not the Operations of his Hand, he will glorify his Juftice in their utter Confufion. We fee then how well and wifely the Catechifm teaches to believe in God the Father, who made us and all the World

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which Act, in the Language of Scripture and Antiquity, is eminently and peculiarly afcrib'd to the first Perfon in the Holy Trinity.

Now from this Doctrine of the Creation we may learn many excellent and useful Leffons; I fhall mention a few. And,

1. We are taught from hence to give God Almighty the Glory of all his Works, and to celebrate his infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, that are fo vifible and apparent in them. And this we are to do by frequent Meditation upon them; Whofo is wife will ponder thefe Things, and he shall understand the Loving-kindness of the Lord. By extolling and admiring the Greatnefs of them, faying, Thy Mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the Heavens, and thy Faithfulness to the Clouds; Pal 36. 5. By calling upon ourfelves and others, to worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker; Pfal. 95. And lastly, by calling upon all inferior Creatures to fet forth the Praise and Glory of their great Creator; of all which, the Pfalmift hath fet us the beft and nobleft Pattern for our Imitation. And the Elders in the Revelation have fhew'd us the way, faying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive Glory, and Honour, and Power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

2. From God's making us and all the World, we may learn to depend and rely upon him in all Conditions: for he that made us, is both able and willing to preserve us; he will not defpife or caft off the Works of his own Hand, but is ever ready to cherish and defend his own Children. Commit thy way unto the Lord (faith holy David) and he will bring it to pass; for happy is he whofe Hope is in the Lord his God, who made Heaven and Earth.

And this Happinefs is grounded upon the Affurance we have of Safety and Security under his Protection; for there is no refifting an Almighty Power, nor any Weakness or Defect in an Omnipotent Agent. My Help cometh of the Lord (faith David) who made Heaven and Earth; he will not fuffer thy Foot to be moved: Pfal. 121. 2, 3. He that made Heaven and Earth can over-rule all the Creatures in it, and dafh all the Defigns of our Enemies: he can fix our feet on good ground, and will make us live in fafety, if we caft ourfeives upon his Providence. Behold (faith God) Ihave created the Smith that bloweth the Coals in the

Fire, and bringeth an Inftrument for his Work. And after that, he affures Ifrael, No Weapon form'd against thee Shall profper. And left this fhould be thought a peculiar Privilege confin'd to them only, he adds, This is the Heritage of the Servants of the Lord, Ifa. 54. 16, 17. So that we may fafely rely upon the Power and Goodnefs of God, whilft we walk in his way, and keep in the path of his Commandments. And this will lead me to the

Laft and great Leffon to be learnt from this Doctrine, and that is the Duty of Obedience; which naturally flows from our Creation: for he that made us, hath certainly a Right to command us; and we that are made, have an indifpenfable Duty lying upon us to obey our Maker. 'Tis an Obfervation of a Father, that of all the Creatures that God made, none ever difobey'd his Voice, but the Devil and Man. All other Creatures obferve the Laws of their Creation, and keep in the courfe and order that God hath fet them. The Pfalmift declares of the Heaven and the Earth, and all the Creatures in it, how they obey the Voice, and fet forth the Praises of their Creator; yea, he tells us of the Fire and Hail, Snow and Vapour, Wind and Storms fulfilling his Word; Pfal. 148. 8. And it must be a great fhame, if Man, who hath far greater Obligations to obey, and much nobler Faculties to fet forth his Glory than any of the other Creatures, fhould yet come fhort of his Duty, and fink beneath the Beast that perifheth. This is enough not only to incenfe our Maker, but to cause the Heaven and the Earth, and all things in it, to testify against us, and to condemn our Ingratitude: to prevent which, let us more frequently remember our Creator, and never cease thinking of him, till we have wrought our Hearts to a more cheerful, conftant and univerfal Obedience to him.