684 TieGoodnefs of God, Vol. L good, that is, the left ; the Hebrews having no other Superlative. Every Crea- ture of God by it felf is good : but take the whole together, and they are very good, the belt that could be. . 3. The univerfal Goodnefs of God fartherappears, in the careful and continual prefervation of the things which he hath made ; his upholding and maintaining the feveral Creatures inbeing, in their natural (late and order ; thofe which have life in life, to the period which he hath determined and appointed for them ; in his preferving the whole World, his managing and governing this vafl Frame of things, in fuch fort, as to keep it from running into confüfion and diforder. This is aclear demonfiration, no lefs of the Goodnefs than of the Wifdonì and Power of God, that for fo many Ages all the parts of it have kept their places, and per- form the Offices and Work for which Nature defigned them ; that the World is not, in the courfe of fo many thoufand years, grown old and weak, and out of repair, and that the Frame of things doth not diffolve and fall in pieces. And the Goodnefs of God doth not only take care of the main, and fupport the whole Frame of things, and preferve the more noble and confiderable Crea- tures, but even the leaft and meaneft of them. The Providence of God doth not overlook anything thathe hath made,nor defpife anyof the Works ofhis Hands, foas to let them relapfe, and fall back into nothing, through negle& and inad- vertency ; as many as there are, he takes care of them all, Pfal. 104. a7, z8. where the Pfalmift fpeaking of the innumerable multitude of Creatures upon the Earth, and in the Sea, Thefe all (faith he) wait upon thee, that thoumayefl give them their meat indue feafan ; that thou give/? them they gather, thou openefl thine hand, and they are filled with good. And to thefame purpofe, Pfal. a44. The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou giveft them their meat in due feafon ; thou openefl thine hand, and fatisftefl the defre of every living thing. The inanimate Creatures, which are without fenfe ; and the Brute Creatures, which tho' they have fenfe are without our underftanding, and fo can have no End and Defign of felf-prefervation, God preferves them, no lefs than Menwho are endowed with reafon, and forefight to provide for themfelves ; Pfal. 36. 7. Thou prefervefl Man andbeat?. And Pfal. 147. 9. He giveth to the Seals his food, and to the young Ra. vens when they cry. And fo our Saviour declares to us the particular Providence of God towards thofeCreatures, Matth. 6. t6. Beholdthe fowls .of the air, for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather intobarns; yetyour heavenly Ratherfeedeth -them. v. 2.8, 2.9. Confider the lillies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, nei- ther do they fpin : Andyet Ifay unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not ar- rayed like one of thefe. And tho' all the Creatures below Man, beingwithout underftanding, can take to notice of thisbounty of God to them, nor make any acknowledgments to him for it ; yet Man, who is the Prieft of the vifible Creation, and placed here in this great Temple of the World, to offer up Sacrifices of Praife and Thankfgiving to God, for his univerfal Goodnefs to all his Creatures, ought to biefs God in their behalf, and to fing praifes to him, in the name of all the inferiorCreatures, which are fubjeted to his dominion and ufe ; becaufe they are all as it were his Family, his Servants and Utenfils ; and if God fhould neglet anÿ of them, and fuller them to perilh and mifcarry, 'tis we that fhouid find the inconvenience and want of them ; and therefore we fhouid on their behalf celebrate the Praifes of God; as we find Davidoften does in the Pfalms, calling upon the inanimate and the brute Creatures to praife the Lord. 4. The univerfal Goodnefs of God doth yet farther appear ; in providing fo abundantly for the Welfare and Happinefs of all his Creatures, fat as they are capable and fenfible of it. He doth not only fupport and preferve his Creatures in Being, but takes care that they should all enjoy that happinefs and pleafure, which their natures are capable of. The Creatures endowed with Senfe and Rea-. fon; which only are capable of Pleafure and Happinefs, God hath taken care to fatisfie the feveral Appetites and Inclinations which he hath planted in them ; and according as Nature hath enlarged their Delires and Capacities, fo he enlargeth his Bounty towards them ; be openeth his hand, and fatisfieth the defrre of every living
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=