Serm, XCI. The Goodnefs of God. 683 der, the end and deign of all of them. His Goodnefs excited and let a work his power to make this World, and all the Creatures in it ; and that they might be made in the heft manner that could be; his Wifdom diredted his Power, he hath made" all things in number, weight and meafure ; fo that they are admirably fitted and proportioned to one another : And that there is an excellent Contri- vance in all forts of Beings, and a wonderful Beauty and Harmony in the whole Frame of things, is, I think, fufficiently vifible to every difcerning and unpreju- diced Mind. The loweft formofCreatures, I mean thofe which are deftitute of fenfe, do all of them contribute fome way or other to the ufe, and conveniency, and comfort of the Creatures above them, which being endowed with fenfe are capableof enjoying the benefit and delight of them, which being fo palpable in the greateftpart of them, may reafonably be prefumed, tho' it be not fo difcer- nable concerning all the reft ; fo that when we furvey the whole Creation of God, and the feveral parts, we may well cry out with David, Pfal. I04 zq.. 0 Lord, how manifoldare thy works, in wifelom haft thou made them all! 'Tis true indeed, there are degrees of Perfection in the Creatures, and God is not equally good to all of them. Thofe Creatures which are of more noble and excellent Natures, and to which he hath communicated more degrees of Perfe- dtion, they partake more of his Goodnefs, and are more glorious inftances of it : But every Creature partakes of the Divine Goodnefs in a certain. degree, and ac- cording to the Nature and Capacityof it. God, if he pleafed, could have made nothing but Immortal Spirits ; and he could have made as many of thefe as there are individual Creatures of all fortsin the World but it:feemed good to the wife Architedt, to make feveral Ranks and Orders ofBeings, and to difplay his Power, and Goodnefs, and Wifdom, in all imaginable variety of Creatures ; all which Mould be good in their kind, tho' far fhort of the Perfectionof Angels and Im- mortal Spirits. He that will build a Houle for all the Ufes and Purpofes of which a Houle es- capable, cannot make it all Foundation, and great Beams and Pillars ; muff nót fo contrive it, as to make it all Rooms ofState and Entertainment : but there muff of neceßîty be in it meaner Materials, Rooms and Offices for leverai Ufes and Purpofes, which however inferior to the reft in dignity and degree, do yet con- tribute to the Beauty\and Advantage of the whole. So in this great Frameof the World, it was fit there lhould be variety and different degrees of Perfedtion in the feveral parts of it and this is fo far from being an Impeachment of the Wifdom or Goodnefs of him that made it, that it is an Evidence of both. For the meaneft of all God's Creatures is good, confidering the Nature and Rank of it, and the end to which it was deigned ; and we cannot imagine how it could have been ordered and framed better, tho' we can eafily tell how it might have been worfe, and that if this or that had been wanting, or had been otherwife, it had not been fo good ; and thole who have been molt converfant inthe Contem- plation of Nature, and of the Works of God, bave been mob ready to make this acknowledgment. But then if we confider the Creatures of God, with relation to one another, and with regard to the whole Frame of things, they will all appear to be very good ; and notwithflanding this or that kind of Creatures be much lefs perfedt than another, and therebe a verygreat diftance betweenthePerfedtion of aWorm, and of an Angel ; yet confidering every thing in the Rank and 'Order which it bath in the Creation, it is as good as could be, confidering its nature and tile, and theplace allotted to it among the Creatures. And this difference in the Works ofGod, between theGoodnefs of the feveral parts ofthe Creation, and the excellent and perfedt Goodnefs of the whole, the Scripture is very careful to exprefs tous in the Hiftory of the Creation, where you find God "reprefented, as firft looking upon, and confidering every days work by it felf, and approving it, and pronouncing it to be good, Gen, r. q, ro, tz, t 8, s t, 2.4. at the end ofevery days work, it is faid that God faw it, and it wasgood: but then when all was finifhed, and he furveyed the whole together, it is faid, v. 3 t. that God 'faw every thing that he hadmade, andbehold it was very good ; very S f f f z good,
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