ise.

Lecture XVIII.

Of Creation

Heb. xi. 3.--"Through faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not
made of things which do appear."--Heb. i. 14.--"Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?"

There is nothing more generally known than this, that God at the beginning
made the heaven and the earth, and all the host of them, the upper or the
celestial, the lower or sublunary world. But yet there is nothing so
little believed or laid to heart. "Through faith we understand that the
worlds were framed." It is one of the first articles of the creed,
indeed,--"Father, almighty Maker of heaven and earth." But I fear that
creed is not written in the tables of flesh, that is, the heart. There is
a twofold mistake among men about the point of believing. Some, and the
commoner sort, do think it is no other than simply to know such a thing,
and not to question it, to hear it, and not to contradict it, or object
against it, therefore they do flatter themselves in their own eyes, and do
account themselves to have faith in God, because they can say over all the
articles of their belief. They think the word is true, and they never
doubted of it. But, I beseech you, consider how greatly you mistake a main
matter of weighty concernment. If you will search it, as before the Lord,
you will find you have no other belief of these things than children use
to have, whom you teach to think or say any thing. There is no other
ground of your not questioning these truths of the gospel, but because you
never consider them, and so they pass for current. Do not deceive
yourselves, "with the heart man believes." It is a heart-business, a soul
matter, no light and useless opinion, or empty expression, which you have
learned from a child. You say, you believe in God, the Maker of heaven and
earth, and so say children, who doubt no more of it than you, and yet in
sadness they do not retire within their own hearts, to think what an One
he is. They do not remember him in the works of his hands. There is no
more remembrance of that true God than if no such thing were known. So it
is among you,--you would think we wronged you if we said, ye believed not
that God made the world, and yet certainly, all men have not this faith,
whereby they understand truly in their heart, the