ROM. 2. 14.
YOu have heard of two things considerable in the law of Nature; the knowledge or light of it, and the power or ability of it. We shall (God willing) at this time prosecute the doctrine of the former part, and the taske we have at this time is to answer some Questions about the light of Nature: for, as there are some who depresse it too much; so there are others advance it too high. The Philosophers called the Christians Credentes, by way of reproach, because they did not argue by reason, but receive upon trust: and there are some, who doe not indeed, with Abilardus, make faith [aestimatio] a fancy, yet they make it ratio. Let us see therefore what this light can doe, by way of answer to some Questions onely; not to answer all.
The first Question, Whether a man can by the light of Nature,1 and by the consideration of the creatures, come to know there is a God? This is denyed by Socinians and others. Indeed Bellarmine chargeth tenets to this effect upon Calvin, but that which the Protestant Authours hold, is, that he may indeed have a knowledge that there is a God, but what this God is, whether he be one, and what his attributes are, they cannot so reach to. Nihil Deo notius, nihil ignotius: otherwise, they say, there is no naturall Atheist in opinion, though many in affections, desiring there were no God. As Tully argueth, let us take heed, how we bring this opinion into the world, that there is a God, lest hereby we bring a great slavery and feare upon our selves. Are there not many Polititians have too much of this poison in their hearts? But of this more anon. Onely that there is such a knowledge naturall, appeareth by some places: as first, Rom. 1. 19. […], That which may be knowne of God: for there are some things, that by Nature could never be known, as the Trinity and Incarnation of Christ. Now this knowledge is by the book of the creatures. This whole universe may be called the lay-mens book; Rebus pro speculo utamur, we may see the power and wisdome of God in them. Tully hath a good comparison: As a man that seeth and readeth a book, and observeth how every letter is put together to make an harmonious sense, must needs gather, that all those letters did not fall together by chance, but that there was a wise authour in the composing of them: so it’s in the world, which is […], none can think such a sweet compagination of all the parts of it should come together meerly accidentally. It’s said to be the speech of one Antony, much spoken of in Ecclesiasticall story, that he called the world a great volume, and the heaven, and water, and earth were the pages and leaves; the starres and living creatures were the letters in those pages: and how glorious a letter is the Sun, when Eudoxus said, he was made onely to behold it? The wayes and arguments by which Naturalists have proved this, have not been by demonstrations à priori, for that is impossible; but by the effects. As a man that cannot see the Sun in it self, it is so dazeling, doth look upon it in a bason of water: thus we who cannot know God in himself, know him in the creatures.
The second proof is from Psal. 19. compared with Rom. 10. where the Psalmist makes the creatures so many tongues speaking a God, yea the Hebrew word […] eructat doth signifie the plenty and serenity, as also the fluid eloquence of the heavens; and this is quoted by the Apostle. And here two doubts are by the way to be removed: first, Whether that of Bellarmine and others be true, that the text is here corrupt: and, Whether the Psalmists meaning be not perverted. For the first; in the Hebrew it’s there line, but the Apostle, following the Septuagint, renders it […], as if they had read Colam for Cavam: But the Answer is, that the Septuagint regarded the sense, and, the Psalmist having spoken before of the words or speech of heaven, they therefore interpret according to that sense: And by line, is meant the Structure and exact composing of all these things, which declareth the admirable wisdome of the Maker.
As for the later, it is indeed generally taken, as if the Apostle did speak this of the Apostles preaching the Gospel, which the Psalmist did of the heavens: insomuch that the Lutherans interpret all the former part of the Psalme allegorically. Others think the Apostle alledgeth that place allusively, not by way of argument, as in that place of the Epistle to the Corinthians, where the Apostle applyeth the speech about Manna to matter of liberality. But Jansenius and Vasquez among the Papists, and Beza with others among the orthodox, think the Apostle keepeth to the literall meaning of the Psalmist; as if this should be the Apostles meaning, Israel hath heard, for God made known himself even to the very Heathens by the creatures, how much more to the Jewes by the Prophets? Which way soever you take it, it proveth that God hath a schoole of Nature by his creatures, as well as a schoole of Grace by his Ministers.