1. They were made as well as the earth. There be that grant that the earth and the things here below had a beginning; but imagine that the heavens and the things therein were eternal without beginning: The very first verse of the Bible expressly disproves this error, for there it is expressly said, that the Heaven was created: So also in sundry other places.
2. God himself made the Heavens, They were the work of his own hands, made1 by his own power, n• by Angels, as the Menandrians, Saturnirians, Cerinthians, Merinthians, and other heretics thought. Nor were they made by the casual concurrence of certain motes, which they call Atomi, as Democritus Leucippus and other Epicurean Philosophers dreamed. They imagined their Atomi to be small, indivisible bodies, such as appear in the Sun-beams when the Sun shineth through an hole: They say that by the conjunction of these all things at first were made; and that into these all things at last shall be dissolved.
3. The heavens were made without instruments; even with Gods hands and nothing else; It is one of the Epicurean Philosophers Arguments against the making of the Heavens, that there could not be sufficient instruments for effecting so great a work: What iron tools, saith he, what levers, or crows, what Ministers could be had to help on so vast a fabric? O blind and stupid Philosopher, that can no better discern between divine and humane works! Betwixt the first creating of things by God, and the after-making of things by man: God had no need of any help at all.
4. The Heavens are as a canopy to cover all the earth; For the use of hands, especially when both hands are used, is to stretch a thing and to spread it abroad; The Lord in express terms saith My hands have stretched out the heavens, Isa. 45. 12. These phrases of stretching forth and spreading out the Heavens are oft attributed unto God as Isa. 40. 22. Jer. 41. 15. Psa. 104. 2. Job. 9. 8. & 37. 18.
5. Great diligence was used in making the heavens: Mention of hands in the plural number implieth thus much; For careful and diligent persons will put both their hands to what they do; Slothful and careless persons will use but one hand, and put the other into their bosom or pocket, Pro. 9. 24. & 26. 15.
6.
1. They were made as well as the earth. There be that grant that the earth and the things here below had a beginning; but imagine that the heavens and the things therein were eternall without beginning: The very first verse of the Bible expresly disproves this errour, for there it is expresly said, that the Heaven was created: So also in sundry other places.
2. God himself made the Heavens, They were the work of his own hands, made1 by his own power, n• by Angels, as the Menandrians, Saturnirians, Cerinthians, Merinthians, and other hereticks thought. Nor were they made by the casuall concurrence of certain motes, which they call Atomi, as Democritus Lucippus and other Epicurean Philosophers dreamed. They imagined their Atomi to be small, indivisible bodies, such as appear in the Sunne-beams when the Sunne shineth through an hole: They say that by the conjunction of these all things at first were made; and that into these all things at last shall be dissolved.
3. The heavens were made without instruments; even with Gods hands and nothing else; It is one of the Epicurean Philosophers Arguments against the making of the Heavens, that there could not be sufficient instruments for effecting so great a work: What iron tools, saith he, what leavers, or crows, what Ministers could be had to help on so vast a fabrick? O blinde and stupid Philosopher, that can no better discern between divine and humane works! Betwixt the first creating of things by God, and the after-making of things by man: God had no need of any help at all.
4. The Heavens are as a canopy to cover all the earth; For the use of hands, especially when both hands are used, is to stretch a thing and to spread it abroad; The Lord in expresse terms saith My hands have stretched out the heavens, Isa. 45. 12. These phrases of stretching forth and spreading out the Heavens are oft attributed unto God as Isa. 40. 22. Ier. 41. 15. Psa. 104. 2. Iob. 9. 8. & 37. 18.
5. Great diligence was used in making the heavens: Mention of hands in the plurall number implieth thus much; For carefull and diligent persons will put both their hands to what they do; Slothfull and carelesse persons will use but one hand, and put the other into their bosome or pocket, Pro. 9. 24
- 1Me•nder mundum asscre•t •b Angel• factum Saturn Angelos▪ scpte• fecisse mundum diccbat. Sic Cerinthiani, Merinthiani, alijque. Aug. •e Haeres. Arist. de Coe• l. 3. c. 4. Cic. de Nat. deor. l. 1. Idem de fi•. bon. & mal. l. 1. Quae ferramenta? qui vectes? quae machinae? qu• ministri tanti operis fucrant? Cic. de Nat. d•or.Me•nder mundum asscre•t •b Angel• factum Satur• Angelos▪ scpte• fecisse mundum diccbat. Sic Cerinthiani, Merinthiani, alijque. Aug. •e Haeres. Arist. de Coe• l. 3. c. 4. Cic. de Nat. deor. l. 1. Idem de fi•. bon. & mal. l. 1. Quae ferramenta? qui vectes? quae machinae? qu• ministri tanti operis fucrant? Cic. de Nat. d•or.
