Argument
Since
the infinite wisdom of God is displayed in the admirable structure of heaven
and earth, it is absolutely impossible to unfold The History of the Creation of
the World in terms equal to its dignity. For while the
measure of our capacity is too contracted to comprehend things of such
magnitude, our tongue is equally incapable of giving a full and substantial
account of them. As he, however, deserves praise, who, with modesty and
reverence, applies himself to the consideration of the works of God, although
he attain less than might be wished, so, if in this kind of employment, I
endeavor to assist others according to the ability given to me, I trust that my
service will be not less approved by pious men than accepted by God. I have
chosen to premise this, for the sake not only of excusing myself, but of
admonishing my readers, that if they sincerely wish to profit with me in
meditating on the works of God, they must bring with them a sober, docile,
mild, and humble spirit. We see, indeed, the world with our eyes, we tread the
earth with our feet, we touch innumerable kinds of God's works with our hands,
we inhale a sweet and pleasant fragrance from herbs and flowers, we enjoy
boundless benefits; but in those very things of which we attain some knowledge,
there dwells such an immensity of divine power, goodness, and wisdom, as
absorbs all our senses. Therefore, let men be satisfied if they obtain only a
moderate taste of them, suited to their capacity. And it becomes us so to press
towards this mark during our whole life, that (even in extreme old age) we
shall not repent of the progress we have made, if only we have advanced ever so
little in our course.
The
intention of Moses in beginning his Book with the creation of the world, is, to render God, as it were, visible to us in his
works. But here presumptuous men rise up, and scoffingly
inquire, whence was this revealed to Moses? They therefore suppose him to be
speaking fabulously of things unknown, because he was neither a spectator of
the events he records, nor had learned the truth of them by reading. Such is
their reasoning; but their dishonesty is easily exposed. For if they can
destroy the credit of this history, because it is traced back through a long
series of past ages, let them also prove those prophecies to be false in which
the same history predicts occurrences which did not take place till many
centuries afterwards. Those things, I affirm, are clear and obvious, which
Moses testifies concerning the vocation of the Gentiles, the accomplishment of
which occurred nearly two thousand years after his death. Was not he, who by
the Spirit foresaw an event remotely future, and hidden at the time from the
perception of mankind, capable of understanding whether the world was created
by God, especially seeing that he was taught by a Divine Master? For he does
not here put forward divinations of his own, but is the instrument of the Holy
Spirit for the publication of those things which it was of importance for all
men to know. They greatly err in deeming it absurd that the order of the
creation, which had been previously unknown, should at length have been
described and explained by him. For he does not transmit to memory things
before unheard of, but for the first time consigns to writing facts which the
fathers had delivered as from hand to hand, through a long succession of years,
to their children. Can we conceive that man was so placed in the earth as to be
ignorant of his own origin, and of the origin of those things which he enjoyed?
No sane person doubts that Adam was well-instructed respecting them all. Was he
indeed afterwards dumb? Were the holy Patriarchs so ungrateful as to suppress
in silence such necessary instruction? Did Noah, warned by a divine judgment so
memorable, neglect to transmit it to posterity? Abraham is expressly honored
with this eulogy that he was the teacher and the master of his family, (Genesis
18:19.) And we know that, long before the time of Moses, an acquaintance with
the covenant into which God had entered with their fathers was common to the
whole people. When he says that the Israelites were sprung from a holy race,
which God had chosen for himself, he does not propound it as something new, but
only commemorates what all held, what the old men themselves had received from
their ancestors, and what, in short, was entirely uncontroverted among them.
Therefore, we ought not to doubt that The Creation of the World, as here
described was already known through the ancient and perpetual tradition of the
Fathers. Yet, since nothing is more easy than that the
truth of God should be so corrupted by men, that, in a long succession of time,
it should, as it were, degenerate from itself, it pleased the Lord to commit
the history to writing, for the purpose of preserving its purity. Moses,
therefore, has established the credibility of that doctrine which is contained
in his writings, and which, by the carelessness of men, might otherwise have
been lost.
I
now return to the design of Moses, or rather of the Holy Spirit, who has spoken
by his mouth. We know God, who is himself invisible, only through his works.
Therefore, the Apostle elegantly styles the worlds, ta< mhJ
ek fainome>nwn blepo>mena,
as if one should say, "the manifestation of
things not apparent," 1 (Hebrews 11:3.) This is the reason why the Lord,
that he may invite us to the knowledge of himself, places the fabric of heaven
and earth before our eyes, rendering himself, in a certain manner, manifest in them. For his eternal power and Godhead (as Paul
says) are there exhibited, (Romans 1:20.) And that declaration of David is most
true, that the heavens, though without a tongue, are yet eloquent heralds of
the glory of God, and that this most beautiful order of nature silently
proclaims his admirable wisdom, (Psalm 19:1.) This is the more diligently to be
observed, because so few pursue the right method of knowing God, while the
greater part adhere to the creatures without any consideration of the Creator
himself. For men are commonly subject to these two extremes; namely, that some,
forgetful of God, apply the whole force of their mind to the consideration of
nature; and others, overlooking the works of God, aspire with a foolish and
insane curiosity to inquire into his Essence. Both labor in vain. To be so
occupied in the investigation of the secrets of nature, as never to turn the
eyes to its Author, is a most perverted study; and to enjoy everything in
nature without acknowledging the Author of the benefit, is the basest
ingratitude. Therefore, they who assume to be philosophers without Religion,
and who, by speculating, so act as to remove God and all sense of piety far
from them, will one day feel the force of the expression of Paul, related by
Luke, that God has never left himself without witness, (Acts 14:17.) For they shall not be permitted to escape with impunity because
they have been deaf and insensible to testimonies so illustrious. And,
in truth, it is the part of culpable ignorance, never to see God, who
everywhere gives signs of his presence. But if mockers now escape by their
cavils, hereafter their terrible destruction will bear witness that they were
ignorant of God, only because they were willingly and maliciously blinded. As
for those who proudly soar above the world to seek God in his unveiled essence,
it is impossible but that at length they should entangle themselves in a
multitude of absurd figments. For God -- by other means invisible -- (as we
have already said) clothes himself, so to speak, with the image of the world in
which he would present himself to our contemplation. They
who will not deign to behold him thus magnificently arrayed in the incomparable
vesture of the heavens and the earth, afterwards suffer the just punishment of
their proud contempt in their own ravings. Therefore, as soon as the name of
God sounds in our ears, or the thought of him occurs to our minds, let us also
clothe him with this most beautiful ornament; finally, let the world become our
school if we desire rightly to know God.
Here
also the impiety of those is refuted who cavil against Moses, for relating that
so short a space of time had elapsed since the Creation of the World. For they
inquire why it had come so suddenly into the mind of God to create the world;
why he had so long remained inactive in heaven: and thus by sporting with
sacred things they exercise their ingenuity to their own destruction. In the
Tripartite History an answer given by a pious man is recorded, with which I
have always been pleased. For when a certain impure dog was in this manner
pouring ridicule upon God, he retorted, that God had been at that time by no
means inactive because he had been preparing hell for the captious. But by what
seasonings can you restrain the arrogance of those men to whom sobriety is
professedly contemptible and odious? And certainly they who now so freely exult
in finding fault with the inactivity of God will find, to their own great costs
that his power has been infinite in preparing hell for them. As for ourselves,
it ought not to seem so very absurd that God, satisfied in himself, did not
create a world which he needed not, sooner than he thought good.
Moreover, since his will is the rule of all wisdom, we ought to be contented
with that alone. For Augustine rightly affirms that injustice is done to God by
the Manichaeans, because they demand a cause superior
to his will; and he prudently warns his readers not to push their inquiries
respecting the infinity of duration, any more than respecting the infinity of
space. 2 We indeed are not ignorant, that the circuit of the heavens is finite,
and that the earth, like a little globe, is placed in the center. 3 They who
take it amiss that the world was not sooner created, may as well expostulate
with God for not having made innumerable worlds. Yea, since they deem it absurd
that many ages should have passed away without any world at all, they may as
well acknowledge it to be a proof of the great corruption of their own nature,
that, in comparison with the boundless waste which remains empty the heaven and
earth occupy but a small space. But since both the eternity of God's existence
and the infinity of his glory would prove a twofold labyrinth, let us content
ourselves with modestly desiring to proceed no further in our inquiries than
the Lord, by the guidance and instruction of his own works, invites us.
Now,
in describing the world as a mirror in which we ought to behold God, I would
not be understood to assert, either that our eyes are sufficiently
clear-sighted to discern what the fabric of heaven and earth represents, or
that the knowledge to be hence attained is sufficient for salvation. And
whereas the Lord invites us to himself by the means of
created things, with no other effect than that of thereby rendering us
inexcusable, he has added (as was necessary) a new remedy, or at least by a new
aid, he has assisted the ignorance of our mind. For by the Scripture as our
guide and teacher, he not only makes those things plain which would otherwise
escape our notice, but almost compels us to behold them; as if he had assisted
our dull sight with spectacles. 4 On this point, (as we have already observed,)
Moses insists. For if the mute instruction of the heaven and the earth were
sufficient, the teaching of Moses would have been superfluous. This herald
therefore approaches, who excites our attention, in order that we may perceive
ourselves to be placed in this scene, for the purpose of beholding the glory of
God; not indeed to observe them as mere witnesses but to enjoy all the riches
which are here exhibited as the Lord has ordained and subjected them to our
use. And he not only declares generally that God is the architect of the world,
but through the whole chain of the history he shows how admirable is His power,
His wisdom, His goodness, and especially His tender solicitude for the human
race. Besides, since the eternal Word of God is the lively and express image of
Himself, he recalls us to this point. And thus, the assertion of the Apostle is
verified, that through no other means than faith can it be understood that the
worlds were made by the word of God, (Hebrews 11:3.) For faith properly
proceeds from this, that we being taught by the ministry of Moses, do not now
wander in foolish and trifling speculations, but contemplate the true and only
God in his genuine image.
It
may, however, be objected, that this seems at variance with what Paul declares:
"After
that, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom knew not God, it seemed
right to God, through the foolishness of preaching, to save them who
believe," (1 Corinthians 1:21.)
For
he thus intimates, that God is sought in vain under the guidance of visible
things; and that nothing remains for us but to retake ourselves immediately to
Christ; and that we must not therefore commence with the elements of this
world, but with the Gospel, which sets Christ alone before us with his cross,
and holds us to this one point. I answer, It is in vain for any to reason as
philosophers on the workmanship of the world, except those who, having been
first humbled by the preaching of the Gospel, have learned to submit the whole
of their intellectual wisdom (as Paul expresses it) to the foolishness of the
cross, (1 Corinthians 1:21.) Nothing shall we find, I say, above or below,
which can raise us up to God, until Christ shall have instructed us in his own
school. Yet this cannot be done, unless we, having emerged out of the lowest
depths, are borne up above all heavens, in the chariot of his cross, that there
by faith we may apprehend those things which the eye has never seen, the ear
never heard, and which far surpass our hearts and minds. 5 For the earth, with
its supply of fruits for our daily nourishment, is not there set before us; but
Christ offers himself to us unto life eternal. Nor does heaven, by the shining
of the sun and stars, enlighten our bodily eyes, but the same Christ, the Light
of the World and the Sun of Righteousness, shines into our souls; neither does
the air stretch out its empty space for us to breathe in, but the Spirit of God
himself quickens us and causes us to live. There, in short, the invisible
kingdom of Christ fills all things, and his spiritual grace is diffused through
all. Yet this does not prevent us from applying our senses to the consideration
of heaven and earth, that we may thence seek confirmation in the true knowledge
of God. For Christ is that image in which God presents to our
view, not only his heart, but also his hands and his feet. I give the
name of his heart to that secret love with which he embraces us in Christ: by
his hands and feet I understand those works of his which are displayed before
our eyes. As soon as ever we depart from Christ, there is nothing, be it ever
so gross or insignificant in itself, respecting which we are not necessarily
deceived.
And,
in fact, though Moses begins, in this Book, with the Creation of the World, he
nevertheless does not confine us to this subject. For these things ought to be
connected together, that the world was founded by God, and that man, after he
had been endued with the light of intelligence, and adorned with so many
privileges, fell by his own fault, and was thus deprived of all the benefits he
had obtained; afterwards, by the compassion of God, he was restored to the life
he had forfeited, and this through the loving-kindness of Christ; so that there
should always be some assembly on earth, which being adopted into the hope of
the celestial life, might in this confidence worship God. The end to which the
whole scope of the history tends is to this point, that the human race has been
preserved by God in such a manner as to manifest his special care for his
Church. For this is the argument of the Book: After the world had been created,
man was placed in it as in a theater, that he, beholding above him and beneath
the wonderful works of God, might reverently adore their Author. Secondly, that
all things were ordained for the use of man, that he, being under deeper
obligation, might devote and dedicate himself entirely to obedience towards
God. Thirdly, that he was endued with understanding and reason, that being
distinguished from brute animals he might meditate on a better life, and might
even tend directly towards God, whose image he bore engraved on his own person.
Afterwards followed the fall of Adam, whereby he alienated himself from God;
whence it came to pass that he was deprived of all rectitude. Thus Moses
represents man as devoid of all good, blinded in understanding, perverse in
heart, vitiated in every part, and under sentence of eternal death; but he soon
adds the history of his restorations where Christ shines forth with the benefit
of redemption. From this point he not only relates continuously the singular
Providence of God in governing and preserving the Church, but also commends to
us the true worship of God; teaches wherein the salvation of man is placed, and
exhorts us, from the example of the Fathers, to constancy in enduring the
cross. Whosoever, therefore, desires to make suitable proficiency in this book,
let him employ his mind on these main topics. But
especially, let him observe, that ever Adam had by his own desperate fall
ruined himself and all his posterity, this is the basis of our salvation, this
the origin of the Church, that we, being rescued out of profound darkness, have
obtained a new life by the mere grace of God; that the Fathers (according to
the offer made them through the word of God) are by faith made partakers of
this life; that this word itself was founded upon Christ; and that all the
pious who have since lived were sustained by the very same promise of salvation
by which Adam was first raised from the fall.
Therefore,
the perpetual succession of the Church has flowed from this fountain, that the
holy Fathers, one after another, having by faith embraced the offered promise,
were collected together into the family of God, in order that they might have a
common life in Christ. This we ought carefully to notice, that we may know what
is the society of the true Church, and what the
communion of faith among the children of God. Whereas Moses was ordained the
Teacher of the Israelites, there is no doubt that he had an especial reference
to them, in order that they might acknowledge themselves to be a people elected
and chosen by God; and that they might seek the certainty of this adoption from
the Covenant which the Lord had ratified with their fathers, and might know
that there was no other God, and no other right faith. But it was also his will
to testify to all ages, that whosoever desired to worship God aright, and to be
deemed members of the Church, must pursue no other
course than that which is here prescribed. But as this is the commencement of
faith, to know that there is one only true God whom we worship, so it is no
common confirmation of this faith that we are companions of the Patriarchs; for
since they possessed Christ as the pledge of their salvation when he had not
yet appeared, so we retain the God who formerly manifested himself to them.
Hence we may infer the difference between the pure and lawful worship of God,
and all those adulterated services which have since been fabricated by the
fraud of Satan and the perverse audacity of men. Further, the Government of the
Church is to be considered, that the reader may come to the conclusion that God
has been its perpetual Guard and Ruler, yet in such a way as to exercise it in
the warfare of the cross. Here, truly, the peculiar conflicts of the Church
present themselves to view, or rather, the course is
set as in a mirror before our eyes, in which it behaves us, with the holy
Fathers to press towards the mark of a happy immortality.
Let
us now hearken to Moses.
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1 "Acsi dicas, spectacula rerum non apparentium." -- Comme si on disoit, Un
regard, ou apparition de ce
qui n'apparoist point. -- French Tr.
2
De Genesi contra Manich. Lib. 11:De Civit. Dei.
3
The erroneous system of natural philosophy which had prevailed for ages was but
just giving way to sounder views, at the time when Calvin wrote. Copernicus, in
the close of the preceding century, had begun to suspect the current opinions
on the subject; but the fear of being misunderstood and ridiculed caused him to
withhold for some time the discoveries he was making; and it was not till 1543,
a few hours before his death, that he himself saw a copy of his own published
work. Up to that period, the earth had been regarded as the center of the
system, and the whole heavens were supposed to revolve around it. -- See
Maclaurin's Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Discoveries, Book I, chap. in.
4 "Non secus ac hebetes oculi specillis adjuvantur."
-- Tout ainsi comme si on baillot des lunettes ou miroirs a ceux
qui ont la veue debile. Just as if one gave spectacles or mirrors to those
who have weak sight. -- French Tr. This is the translator's authority for
rendering specillis spectacles.
5
In this, and the following sentences, Calvin shows an intimate experimental
acquaintance with the declaration of the Apostle, "And hath made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).
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This
document is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Calvin College. Last updated on August 23, 2000.