A Golden Chain

Fourthly, God in framing his creatures, in the beginning made them good; yea very good. Now the goodness of the creature is nothing else, but the perfect estate of the creature, whereby it was conformable to the will and mind of the Creator allowing and approving of it when he had made it: for a creature is not first good, and then approved of God: but because it is approved of God, therefore it is good. But wherein, will some say, stands this goodness of the creature? I answer, in three things: I. in the comeliness, beauty, and glory of every work in his kind both in form and constitution of the matter. II. In the excellency of the virtue which God hath given to it: for as he hath appointed every creature for some especial end, so he hath fitted and furnished it with sufficient power and virtue for the accomplishing of the same end. III. In the exceeding benefit and profitableness that came by them to man. But since the fall of man this goodness of the creature is partly corrupted and partly diminished. Therefore when we see any want, defect, or deformity in any of them, we must have recourse back again to the apostasy of our first parents, and remember our fall in them, and say with a sorrowful heart, this comes to pass by reason of mans most wretched sin, which hath defiled heaven and earth, and drawn a curse not only upon himself, but upon the rest of the creatures for his sake, whereby there goodness is much defaced.

Fourthly, God in framing his creatures, in the beginning made them good; yea very good. Now the goodnes of the creature is nothing else, but the perfect estate of the creature, whereby it was conformable to the will and minde of the Creator allowing and approouing of it when he had made it: for a creature is not first good, and then approoued of God: but because it is approoued of God, therefore it is good. But wherein, will some say, stands this goodnes of the creature? I an•wer, in three things: I. in the comelines, beautie, and glorie of euery worke in his kind both in forme and constitution of the matter. II. In the excellencie of the vertue which God hath giuen to it: for as he hath appointed euery creature for some especiall ende, so he hath fitted and furnished it with sufficient power and vertue for the accomplishing of the same ende. III. In the exceeding benefit and profitablenesse that came by them to man. But since the fall of man this goodnes of the creature is partly corrupted and partly diminished. Therefore when we see any want, defect, or deformitie in any of them, we must haue recourse backe againe to the apostasie of our first parents, and remember our fall in them, and say with a sorrowfull heart, this comes to passe by reason of mans most wretched sinne, which hath defiled heauen and earth, and drawne a curse not onely vpon himselfe, but vpon the rest of the creatures for his sake, whereby there goodnes is much defaced.