Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

1. Thus Creation is a work of his mere Sovereignty; he Created, because it was his pleasure to Create. Rev. 4.11. He is not necessitated to do this or that. He might have chosen, whether he would have framed an Earth, and Heavens, and laid the foundations of his Chambers in the Waters. He was under no obligation, to reduce things from nullity to existence.

1. Thus Creation is a work of his meer Soveraignty; he Created, because it was his pleasure to Create. Rev. 4.11. He is not necessitated to do this or that. He might have chosen, whether he would have fram'd an Earth, and Heavens, and laid the foundations of his Chambers in the Waters. He was under no obligation, to reduce things from nullity to existence.

2. Preservation is the fruit of his Sovereignty. When he had called the World to stand out, he might have ordered it to return into its dark den of nothingness, ripped up every part of its foundation, or have given being to many more Creatures, than he did. If you consider his absolute sovereignty, why might he not have devested Adam presently of those rational perfections, wherewith he had endowed him? And might he not have metamorphosed him into some Beast, and elevated some Beast into a rational nature? Why might he not have degraded an Angel to a Worm, and advanced a Worm to the nature and condition of an Angel? Why might he not have revoked that grant of dominion, which he had passed to man over all Creatures? It was free to him to permit sin to enter into the Earth, or to have excluded it out of the Earth, as he doth out of Heaven.

2. Preservation is the fruit of his Soveraignty. When he had called the World to stand out, he might have ordered it to return into its dark den of nothingness, ript up every part of its foundation, or have given being to many more Creatures, than he did. If you consider his absolute soveraignty, why might he not have devested Adam presently of those rational perfections, wherewith he had endow'd him? And might he not have metamorphos'd him into some Beast, and elevated some Beast into a rational nature? Why might he not have degraded an Angel to a Worm, and advanc'd a Worm to the nature and condition of an Angel? Why might he not have revokt that grant of dominion, which he had passed to man over all Creatures? It was free to him to permit sin to enter into the Earth, or to have excluded it out of the Earth, as he doth out of Heaven.