Preface to The Christian Philosopher, pp. 17-18:
Chrysostom, I remember, mentions a Twofold Book of God; the Book of the Creatures, and the Book of the Scriptures...We will now for a while read the Former of these Books, 'twill help us in reading the Latter: They will admirably assist one another. The Philosopher being asked, What his Books were; answered, Totius Entis Naturalis Universitas [the whole universe of natural things]. All Men are accomodated with that Publick Library. Reader, walk with me into it, and see what we shall find so legible there.
When Johannes Kepler discovered the laws of planetary motion, he is said to have exclaimed in ecstasy, "I think thy thoughts after thee, O God!" As we look around the universe that God made, it is true that there is wonder to behold, there is matter for praise, there are discoveries waiting to be made, there are lessons to be learned (Cotton Mather said that we are to "fetch Lessons of Piety from the whole Creation of GOD," The Christian Philosopher, p. 22), and there is cause to glorify our Creator. When we turn to the book of God's Word, how much more is this true. If God's creation is a treasurehouse of wonder, then the Bible is a gold mine of riches ready to be appropriated by the believer in faith. Knowing this to be true, is His Word more desirable to us "than gold, yea than much fine gold" (Ps. 19.10)? Can we say with the Psalmist, "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Ps. 139.17)?
As I see my own children learning about the world around them, and the God who made them and all things for his own glory, I am reminded of that childlike faith that is needed to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18.3; 19.14; Mark 10.14; Luke 18.16-17), and to behold God's works of creation and redemption aright. Lord, help us to think thy thoughts after Thee, indeed, to think right thoughts of Thee and all thy works. We are thy children, Abba, heavenly Father, teach us thy ways that we may walk in them.
I'm sure you're already aware of this, but similar language, referring to the book of nature, is found in the Belgic Confession, Article 2:
ReplyDeleteArticle 2: The Means by Which We Know God
* We know him by two means:
First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.
All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.
Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.
Yes, but thank you for an excellent reminder, Seth!
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