in its highest Elevation and widest extent there was the least written and so there is the least account given of those times But to Conclude with respect to this Treatise now presented to this present Age If any say Other Pens have been Employed upon the same Subject with it I would answer It is not easie to pitch upon any Theme that hath never had an exercise upon it or to walk in any path wherein are not found the Traces of any Man's foot But this I can say I have not knowingly followed any Man that went before me And though there are some Learned discourses in the World about Atheisme yet I find them too abstruse for Common understanding and meddle little with the Practical Improvements which are to be made of that which is styled Natural Theology which I chiefly aimed at in this undertaking though I have performed it but in part in what is now Published Having in a Reserve by me in my Papers an account of those several Attributes of God that are Evidenceable from the Works of his Creation with Practical Inferences upon them for the advancement of true Gospel holiness But I cannot reach so far at present I have taken some spare hours to Transcribe these few Meditations for the Press wherein I have Inserted a few Quotations as they did occur to me for my Reading hath been but small Though it may be what I have Inserted may make what I have written not more acceptable to many Readers How ever Printed Books being exposed to the view of all let every one take the benefit as he can I have nothing farther to offer here but to begg of the Reader to pardon the Errata's both of the Author and the Printer and to pray that God would both pardon and amend the great Errata's of the Age That the Supreme Deity of Heaven and Earth and true Religion that is relative to him may find more Cordial and Practical respect from this present Age wherein is wrapt up Mens Eternal Interess and the present Interess of our own Nation And that any Essays to this end may be attended with a Divine Blessing and particularly this that is sincerely intended towards it how ever weakly managed by a poor unworthy Instrument Novemb. 17. 1673. Matthew Barker Natural Theology OR The Knowledge of God from the Works of Creation Accommodated and improved to the Service of Christianity ROM 1. 20. For the Invisible Things of Him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal Power and God-head so that they are without excuse CHAP. I. The Scope of the Text. How the Gentiles though without the written Law yet are under Sin What the Law of Nature is How Adam had the knowledge of his Creator What meant by the Invisible Things of God Though Invisible yet how seen What meant by the Creation of the World What difference betwixt the Creation of the World and things made Why the Apostle only mentions God's eternal Power and God-head How the Gentiles are without excuse by the Light of Nature THe Scope of the Apostle in the first part of this Epistle is to assert and prove the great Doctrine of Justification by Faith and not by the Works of the Law And to make his way to it He first proveth all men to be under sin And all Man-kind being divided into Jew and Gentile he first proves the Gentile to be under sin in this first Chapter and the Jew in the Second And those that are under Sin cannot be justified by the Works of the Law and therefore must of necessity have recourse to the Righteousness of Faith being convicted of Sin by the Law Now lest it might be argued How could the Gentile be under sin not having the Written Law made known unto them Vnderstand it of Gentiles without the Church for it was the Jew to whom were committed the Oracles of God and where there is no Law there is no transgression The Apostle therefore in this Chapter tells us they had the Law of Nature which was God's Law which though it is not written in Ink and Paper yet it is written in the Hearts of all Men and in the visible Works of God's Creation and the Gentiles thereupon are convicted to be under Sin not following the Light and Conduct of that Universal Law For as a Law is Directive and Preceptive it ministreth Knowledge and commandeth Practice So was the Law of Nature to the Gentiles it had a Light in it whereby they might attain some knowledge of God and it had a force in it to urge them upon the performance of Duty and Service to Him answerable to that knowledg But because they darkned this Light in themselves as in vers 21. Their foolish heart was darkned and they did not follow the conduct of it but retained the Truth in unrighteousness hereupon they are convinced of Sin for they did neither take up those worthy Conceptions of God's Being which the Law of Nature might direct them to as the Apostle speaks in vers 21 22. neither did they manage their conversation towards men with that justice sobriety equity and charity as that Law did both direct and urge them to as the Apostle doth at large declare in the enumeration of those several Vices which they lived in the practice of in the last part of the Chapter Now this Law of Nature as written in the Hearts of Men he speaketh of in the Verse before the Text calling it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which may be known of God manifest in them And as written in the Works of Creation he speaks it of these words of the Text For the Invisible Things of Him from the Creation of the World are seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal Power and Godhead And hence he infers they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without excuse And so I am come to the Text. I having already spoken from another Scripture at large of the Glory of God as manifested in Christ and of the Glory of Christ as manifested in the Gospel-Ministration my intention from this Text is to set forth the Glass of the World's Creation wherein we may behold and from whence we may evince both the Being of God or his Deity and many Attributes and Properties of his Being And whereas all Theology consisteth of two Parts either that which is called Natural or that which consisteth of Supernatural Revelation the former I shall here speak of By Natural Theology that all may understand I mean that knowledge of God and our duty to Him which the Light of Nature may lead Man up to and which is concreat with his Soul The Image of God upon Man in his first Creation consisted in Knowledge as well as Holiness and the knowledge Adam had of his Creator was partly by the Character of his Being engraven upon his Soul which is by some stiled verbum
Infinite from Visible to that which is Invisible from Corporeal to that which is Incorporeal from Temporal to that which is Eternal And by the next words the things that are made in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we may understand the Works of Creation as they were formed out of the first Chaos which was the proper Object of Creation So that we may distinguish in the Text between the Creation of the World and the Things which are made taking the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Creation as expressing the first Matter of all Things and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things made the several Creatures both Animate and Inanimate that were educed out of that first Matter Or A work curiously wrought is either properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if we derive it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some do or else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so words and syllables set together in meeter are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a Poem or the producing of any work secundum praecepta artis according either to the Precepts of Rhetorick Musick Architecture c. as Criticks tell us as the former word doth properly express the producing of all things out of nothing so the latter word the curious frame and order wherein all things were made As when the Apostle speaketh of the New Creation which Believers have in Christ he maketh use of both these words of the Text Eph. 2. 10. We are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good Works To shew the excellent frame of this spiritual Work 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Workmanship of God And to shew the Power of God manifested therein it is said to be Created Quest But why doth the Apostle only mention God's Eternal Power Are not other Attributes of his Being to be seen in the Works of Creation as his Wisdom and Goodness as well as his Eternity and Power Answ The Apostle mentioneth the Power of God because of all God's Attributes that seemeth to be most eminent and conspicuous in the Work of Creation For it was properly an Act of Power to make all things out of Nothing though his Wisdom was seen in the guiding of his Power and his Goodness in making all things good And the Apostle mentions God's Eternity in the Text which is another Attribute when he calls his Power Eternal And by this he shews that as the World had its being in Time so that God who made it was before it or else he could not have made it as the Cause must needs be before the Effect And what is before the Creation of the World and every thing that is made must needs be before all Time which came in with the Creature as the measure of its duration and so be Eternal But yet though only God's Power and Eternity be here mentioned yet as a Learned Expositor Observes Estius in Loc. his other Attributes are included in the Word God-head As if the Apostle should have said In the Creation of the World are seen God's Power and God's Eternity But what need I particularly mention any more Attributes of his Being when his Godhead it self which comprehends them all is manifested therein The last particular to be explained is How the Gentiles are hereupon said to be without excuse A man may be said to be without excuse when he hath no Apology to make for himself as the word in the Text signifies and that either with respect to malum culpae the fault committed by him Or malum poenae the punishment inflicted upon him In both the Gentiles were without excuse 1. As to the malum culpae or the evil of sin they were guilty of For they had such means of knowledg ministred to them by the Light and Law of Nature that might have led them to more venerable thoughts of God and a more honourable worship of him than was practised by them And also to a more righteous and blameless conversation amongst men So that thereupon they were without excuse 2. And then as to the evil of Punishment inflicted for their sin God would be justified therein and they left without excuse when he should proceed to Judgment For God doth and will manage his Judgments in such Righteousness towards all men with respect to their several capacities and conditions in this World that every man may be found without excuse that falls under them How far the Light and Law of Nature may lead a man towards his Salvation I shall not here dispute All that the Apostle asserteth here concerning the Gentiles is That they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or without excuse thereby And the Apostle Paul deals with the Gentiles thus particularly because the Ministry of the Uncircumcision was more peculiarly committed to him than the other Apostles And he doth it rather in this Epistle to the Romans than in any other because Rome was the chief Seat of the Gentiles Empire in the Apostles time and where Idolatry and moral Wickedness also did most abound as it usually doth in such great Cities and as their own Historians do abundantly declare concerning it CHAP. II. The two Doctrines that result from the Text. The two wayes of Demonstration The Being of God three wayes made known Several Arguments to prove God's Being from the Works of Creation THus having explained the parts of the Text I shall raise out of them these two general Doctrines DOCT. I. 1. That the Being of God and several Attributes of his Being may be seen and understood from the Creation of the World and the things that are made DOCT. II. 2. That to fall short in knowledg or practice of what the Light and Law of Nature may lead men up to will render them inexcusable though they have not the written Word I shall first speak of the former and first shew how the Being of God and then the Attributes of his Being may be demonstrated therefrom Now there are two sorts of Demonstrations one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Priori when Effects are demonstrated from their Cause Now the Being of God cannot be thus demonstrated no man can demonstrate the necessity of such a Being from any Antecedent Cause And the other is a posteriori 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where Causes are demonstrated from their Effects And so the Works of Creation do demonstrate God's Being When a Man shall seriously consider this great Fabrick of Heaven and Earth his mind may thence gather the Being of God There is enough written in the Book of God's Creation to declare his Being to us though there was nothing written of it in the Book of the Scriptures The Being of God is three wayes made known to men 1. By the Light of Natural Conscience There are some Characters and Impressions of his Being within all men for Man being made for God he hath put a peculiar impression of his Being upon his
greatest Purity Unity and Actuality And so I might proceed to speak of other properties of his Being but these I only mention to shew the Capacity that is in the Mind of Man to frame a Physical or rather a Metaphysical conception of a Deity and the several properties Essential to it and from hence to draw a rational proof of God's Being 6. Lastly We may Argue from those innate Notions of Good and Evil that are naturally in the Soul of Man whereby that which is morally Good is approved and the contrary is disapproved As we see it among the Indians and other Heathens who have not only Natural Reason to discern but have a moral Judgment to approve the good and to disprove the evil And amongst many of them Injustice Fraud Violence Oppression are severely punisht and the contrary rewarded and commended As the Apostle speaks of the Gentiles that though they were without the Law yet they did by Nature the things contained in the Law Now whence is this why should Justice be rather approved of then Injustice Honesty then Dishonesty but that the Soul did Originally spring from some Fountain of goodness that did derive some resemblance and imprint some Characters of his own Nature upon it The Reliques of which the School-Men call Synteresis which are yet found in Man And by Philosophers are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Principles and Anticipations preceding all acquired Habits or Principles by Education Experience or Custom How is it possible to believe a distinction of Good and Evil and a Conscience about them should be naturally inherent in every Man as we find it is unless some Superior Power had fixed such Principles in us by our first constitution and left an indelible Testimony in our own Souls about them So that no Man can if he would in his sober Mind think Evil to be better then Good and in his serious thoughts prefer it before it wherein we have Nature to be our Mistress and Teacher And who was the Teacher of Nature Tertullian will Answer for me Magistra natura anima discipula Quicquid aut illa edocuit aut ista perdidiscit a Deo traditum est Magistro scilicet ipsius Magistrae Nature is the Mistress the Soul the Disciple what ever the one hath Taught and the other hath Learned is derived from God who is the Master of the Mistress her self Test animae adu Gentes And from hence it was that the Barbarous people mention'd Act. 28. when they saw the Viper fasten upon St. Paul's hand said This Man is a Murderer whom though he hath escaped the Sea yet Vengeance suffers not to live Nature it self taught them that Murther was not only in it self an Evil but that Vengeance would pursue the Murtherer And though since sin entred the Nature of Man fleshly lusts do precipitate Men to acts of moral unrighteousness yet it is because they offer Violence to that Light and Law of Nature that is planted in their Hearts And hence it is that we find many of the Heathen loved Justice for its own sake without any respect to profit or praise of Men as seeing a native Pulchritude and goodness in it conform to the inward Rule and Principle that was within themselves Such as Socrates Aristides Fabritius Licurgus Solon and the like It was once argued by an Heathen then Philosopher If there be a God whence is it that we see Evil in the World if there be no God whence is it that Good is in the World He thought the good found therein might be an Argument for the Being of God though he doubted it for want of knowledge how Evil did first arise But to us that know that Evil came not from God but from some other cause the Argument is strong There is a Natural Goodness therefore there is a God CHAP. VIII God's perfect knowledge of Man Evidenced from his making Man The several duties Man owes to God as his Creator Man's destruction whence it ariseth that the Creator destroyes his own Creature THus I have endeavoured to demonstrate the Being of God to Man from the Creation of Man which methinks should be the most cogent Argument upon him being taken from himself Argumentum ad hominem ab homine And because I would still make Natural Theology serve the Interest of true Religion as the Hand-maid doth her Mistress I shall therefore draw several practical Inferences that naturally arise from the Consideration of God as the Creator of Man Infer I. First He that made Man must needs know him He that made a Watch or Clock knows every pin in it and the motion of every wheel So doth God know the Soul in all the faculties of it knows what it can do what it can not do What are the apprehensions volitions and inclinations of it What are the regular and what are the oblique motions of it What principles are in the Mind how resented by the Will how they are entertained in the Affections He knows what it doth what it would do what it will not do So that as it is said of Christ he needed not that any should testifie of Man for he knew what was in Man Joh. 2. 25. The Prophet David in the 139. Psalm speaks of God's exact knowledge of him First in General O God thou hast searched and known me v. 1. And then particularly Thou understandest my thoughts afar off v. 2. Thou compassest my path and art acquainted with all my ways v. 3. There is not a word in my mouth but thou knowest it altogether v. 4. As if he should say Thou knowest what I think what I speak what I do And he giveth a twofold reason of this knowledge God had of him One was because he was every where present with him v. 7. 8 9 10. And the other because he made him and formed him Thou hast possessed my reins thou hast covered me in my Mothers womb v. 13. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret v. 15. In thy Book were all my members written v. 16. God laid the draught of him and made him and therefore must needs have a perfect knowledge of him And from this knowledge of God a Christian may form to himself matter both of Caution and Consolation 1. Caution Ought we not then take heed to our selves when God hath such perfect knowledge of us Our actions are all known to him y ea our words yea our thoughts The very frame and constitution of our most inward man is known to him What neither Men or Angels know of us or can know that God knows The Anatomist that dissects the Body and discerns all its secret Veins and Arteries and the smallest Fibrae's of Nature doth not so exactly know it as God doth know it that made it and he knows also that Spirit that dwels in it it being the work of his own hand Doth the Spirit in Man know the things
ultimately live to themselves Two things are requisite to Man's happiness in his present state One is That he be delivered from those hurtful Evils that are injurious or destructive to it And the other is That he possess that positive good that is suitable and every way satisfactory to his Nature as he is a rational Creature But neither of these can man effect for himself For the former Can he deliver himself from sin which is the worst of all Evils and that Wrath Curse and Death which he lies obnoxious to upon the account of it We see he cannot deliver himself from Temporal Evils which seems more in his power to do much less from those Eternal Evils which are inflicted by God's more immediate hand As to the latter Can he of himself raise up his Soul to the well-head of all true felicity and fetch thence those Living Waters that shall quench the thirst of his Soul and satisfie all his desires Can he having extricated himself from those chains of sin that held him in bondage enfranchise himself into a State and Spirit of true liberty Can he enlighten his own mind and quicken himself into the life of holiness when he is dead in sin Alass how little is it Man can do for himself in any thing much less in these great things wherein his true happiness consists Therefore is it not folly for Man to be his own and live to himself 4. Hereby Man perverts the End of his Being For God made Man for himself He is both the Efficient and End of his Being And making Man for himself he fitted him with Faculties to serve his End As every Rational Agent doth propose to himself an End in what he doth and doth forme means suitable to that End Now if Man lives to himself he serves not the End of his Creation And what is a thing good for if it doth not serve its End Would it not be a Monstrous thing in Nature if the Sun should not shine forth its light upon the World which is the end God made it for Or if the Earth should imprison within it self its seminal vertue and not send it forth in those several fruits that it had a Commission to do for the use of Man and Beast But we see these inferior parts of God's Creation do serve their End and is it not sad that the supremer part of it which is Man should not serve his May not he look upon the whole Creation and then blush at himself And the very Horse Man rides upon reproves the rider whiles he is serving of him This is the Harmony of the Creation when every part of it keeps its place and serves its End It is only Man's sin that hath disturbed this harmony by making Man live to himself and so not to serve his End 5. Man's Being is prophaned As the devoting it to God doth Sanctifie it so not to do it leaves it Common Those Beasts those Fruits under the Law that were given to God were Sanctified and the rest were Common Man doth Sanctifie his Being when he ceaseth from himself and offers up himself to God It is the Apostles exhortation 12. Rom. 1. Present your Bodies that is by a Synecdoche your selves as a living Sacrifice And then it follows holy When Man makes himself a Sacrifice to God then is his Being Consecrated As Lactantius tells the Heathen Lib. 5. p. 421. that the Christian Sacrifice was bona mens purum pectus innocens vita A good Mind pure Heart innocent Life And as we are to offer our selves to God as a Sacrifice so to dedicate our selves to him as his Temple That both Soul and Body may be his habitation And we know under the Law after the Temple was built and dedicated it was no longer a Common structure The Temple of God is Holy In nostra dedicandus est mente in nostro consecrandus est peâ—â—ore Cypr. de Idol vanitat p. 289. saith the Apostle and then addeth which Temple ye are 1 Cor. 3. 17. For seeing that he dwels not in Temples made with hands being the Maker of the World and all things therein as we read Acts 17. 24. he now dwels in living Temples made without hands which are his people that separate themselves unto him And least there should be wanting a Priesthood with respect to the Sacrifice and Temple The same that are the Sacrifice and Temple are the Priesthood also The Priests under the Law were persons separated from Common men and Sanctified to God So they that separate themselves from the principles and practise of the Carnal World and live to the service and honour of God they are his Priesthood As the Apostle St. Peter writes to the believing Jews 1 Pet. 2. 9 and stiles them a Royal Priesthood and so a peculiar not Common People for they were such as had been Converted to God by the Gospel and so were Sanctified to his service And seeing the same person is both Priest and Sacrifice that which is off'red up must needs be a Free-will offering For the Sanctified will offers up the whole Man to God And seeing it is the whole Man it is an Holocaust also that is off'red up or as stiled in the Law a Whole burnt Offering Infer III. But we may hence more particularly learn the several duties Man owes to God as his Maker 1. We owe him Love We Love them that give us gifts how much more shouldst thou Love him that gave thee thy self when Job would reckon up what God had done for him he insists first upon God's giving him Being 10. Job 10 11. c. Thou hast powred me out like Milk crudled me as Cheese cloathed me with Skin and Flesh fenced me with Bones and Sinews c. Thou hast granted me life and favour And this favour of giving thee Being is the first of God's favours and it must needs be favour for no Man could merit of God to give him Being And if the preservation and accommodation of our Being in the World should ingage us to Love God how much more our Creation that gave us Being And as every Man doth Love himself because he is himself much more should we Love him that gave us our selves and that more then our selves 2. Fear For he that gave thee Being can destroy it And he is to be fear'd above all for as he alone could give thee Being so he alone can destroy it The Body may be killed and yet Man not destroyed but to have Soul and Body cast into Hell this destroys Man now this only God can do as our Saviour speaks and therefore he is to be chiefly feared And this he will do if thou fearest him not He that made thee will not have Mercy on thee as it is said 27. Isa 11. Elihu had an aw of God upon him considered as his Maker as appears by his speech 32. Job last I know not how to give flattering titles in so doing my