{"id":"01KJR8Q6HN50S7AB2C4ACWR5G4","cid":"bafkreicqnevqg4afzmugdsvqvtwd7kppqrzdpxo7fldrgtqn6xzjx2j6zy","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":528006,"char_start":520016,"chunk_index":73,"chunk_total":89,"estimated_tokens":1998,"source_file_key":"confessions","text":"deep; that is, \"this all, which is called heaven and earth, was still\r\na formless and darksome matter, of which the corporeal heaven and the\r\ncorporeal earth were to be made, with all things in them, which are\r\nknown to our corporeal senses.\" Another he who says, The earth was\r\ninvisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep; that is,\r\n\"this all, which is called heaven and earth, was still a formless and\r\na darksome matter; out of which was to be made, both that intelligible\r\nheaven, otherwhere called the Heaven of heavens, and the earth, that is,\r\nthe whole corporeal nature, under which name is comprised this corporeal\r\nheaven also; in a word, out of which every visible and invisible\r\ncreature was to be created.\" Another he who says, The earth was\r\ninvisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep, \"the\r\nScripture did not call that formlessness by the name of heaven and\r\nearth; but that formlessness, saith he, already was, which he called the\r\nearth invisible without form, and darkness upon the deep; of which\r\nhe had before said, that God had made heaven and earth, namely, the\r\nspiritual and corporeal creature.\" Another he who says, The earth was\r\ninvisible and without form, and darkness was upon the deep; that is,\r\n\"there already was a certain formless matter, of which the Scripture\r\nsaid before, that God made heaven and earth; namely, the whole corporeal\r\nbulk of the world, divided into two great parts, upper and lower, with\r\nall the common and known creatures in them.\"\r\n\r\nFor should any attempt to dispute against these two last opinions, thus,\r\n\"If you will not allow, that this formlessness of matter seems to be\r\ncalled by the name of heaven and earth; Ergo, there was something which\r\nGod had not made, out of which to make heaven and earth; for neither\r\nhath Scripture told us, that God made this matter, unless we understand\r\nit to be signified by the name of heaven and earth, or of earth alone,\r\nwhen it is said, In the Beginning God made the heaven and earth; that so\r\nin what follows, and the earth was invisible and without form (although\r\nit pleased Him so to call the formless matter), we are to understand\r\nno other matter, but that which God made, whereof is written above, God\r\nmade heaven and earth.\" The maintainers of either of those two latter\r\nopinions will, upon hearing this, return for answer, \"we do not deny\r\nthis formless matter to be indeed created by God, that God of Whom are\r\nall things, very good; for as we affirm that to be a greater good, which\r\nis created and formed, so we confess that to be a lesser good which is\r\nmade capable of creation and form, yet still good. We say however that\r\nScripture hath not set down, that God made this formlessness, as also it\r\nhath not many others; as the Cherubim, and Seraphim, and those which\r\nthe Apostle distinctly speaks of, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities,\r\nPowers. All which that God made, is most apparent. Or if in that which\r\nis said, He made heaven and earth, all things be comprehended, what\r\nshall we say of the waters, upon which the Spirit of God moved? For if\r\nthey be comprised in this word earth; how then can formless matter be\r\nmeant in that name of earth, when we see the waters so beautiful? Or\r\nif it be so taken; why then is it written, that out of the same\r\nformlessness, the firmament was made, and called heaven; and that the\r\nwaters were made, is not written? For the waters remain not formless and\r\ninvisible, seeing we behold them flowing in so comely a manner. But if\r\nthey then received that beauty, when God said, Let the waters under the\r\nfirmament be gathered together, that so the gathering together be itself\r\nthe forming of them; what will be said as to those waters above the\r\nfirmament? Seeing neither if formless would they have been worthy of so\r\nhonourable a seat, nor is it written, by what word they were formed. If\r\nthen Genesis is silent as to God's making of any thing, which yet\r\nthat God did make neither sound faith nor well-grounded understanding\r\ndoubteth, nor again will any sober teaching dare to affirm these\r\nwaters to be coeternal with God, on the ground that we find them to be\r\nmentioned in the hook of Genesis, but when they were created, we do\r\nnot find; why (seeing truth teaches us) should we not understand that\r\nformless matter (which this Scripture calls the earth invisible and\r\nwithout form, and darksome deep) to have been created of God out of\r\nnothing, and therefore not to be coeternal to Him; notwithstanding this\r\nhistory hath omitted to show when it was created?\"\r\n\r\nThese things then being heard and perceived, according to the weakness\r\nof my capacity (which I confess unto Thee, O Lord, that knowest it), two\r\nsorts of disagreements I see may arise, when a thing is in words related\r\nby true reporters; one, concerning the truth of the things, the other,\r\nconcerning the meaning of the relater. For we enquire one way about\r\nthe making of the creature, what is true; another way, what Moses,\r\nthat excellent minister of Thy Faith, would have his reader and hearer\r\nunderstand by those words. For the first sort, away with all those\r\nwho imagine themselves to know as a truth, what is false; and for this\r\nother, away with all them too, which imagine Moses to have written\r\nthings that be false. But let me be united in Thee, O Lord, with those\r\nand delight myself in Thee, with them that feed on Thy truth, in the\r\nlargeness of charity, and let us approach together unto the words of\r\nThy book, and seek in them for Thy meaning, through the meaning of Thy\r\nservant, by whose pen Thou hast dispensed them.\r\n\r\nBut which of us shall, among those so many truths, which occur to\r\nenquirers in those words, as they are differently understood, so\r\ndiscover that one meaning, as to affirm, \"this Moses thought,\" and \"this\r\nwould he have understood in that history\"; with the same confidence\r\nas he would, \"this is true,\" whether Moses thought this or that? For\r\nbehold, O my God, I Thy servant, who have in this book vowed a sacrifice\r\nof confession unto Thee, and pray, that by Thy mercy I may pay my vows\r\nunto Thee, can I, with the same confidence wherewith I affirm, that in\r\nThy incommutable world Thou createdst all things visible and invisible,\r\naffirm also, that Moses meant no other than this, when he wrote, In the\r\nBeginning God made heaven and earth? No. Because I see not in his mind,\r\nthat he thought of this when he wrote these things, as I do see it\r\nin Thy truth to be certain. For he might have his thoughts upon God's\r\ncommencement of creating, when he said In the beginning; and by heaven\r\nand earth, in this place he might intend no formed and perfected nature\r\nwhether spiritual or corporeal, but both of them inchoate and as yet\r\nformless. For I perceive, that whichsoever of the two had been said, it\r\nmight have been truly said; but which of the two he thought of in these\r\nwords, I do not so perceive. Although, whether it were either of these,\r\nor any sense beside (that I have not here mentioned), which this so\r\ngreat man saw in his mind, when he uttered these words, I doubt not but\r\nthat he saw it truly, and expressed it aptly.\r\n\r\nLet no man harass me then, by saying, Moses thought not as you say, but\r\nas I say: for if he should ask me, \"How know you that Moses thought that\r\nwhich you infer out of his words?\" I ought to take it in good part, and\r\nwould answer perchance as I have above, or something more at large, if\r\nhe were unyielding. But when he saith, \"Moses meant not what you say,\r\nbut what I say,\" yet denieth not that what each of us say, may both be\r\ntrue, O my God, life of the poor, in Whose bosom is no contradiction,\r\npour down a softening dew into my heart, that I may patiently bear with\r\nsuch as say this to me, not because they have a divine Spirit, and have\r\nseen in the heart of Thy servant what they speak, but because they be\r\nproud; not knowing Moses' opinion, but loving their own, not because it\r\nis truth, but because it is 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