ut
creation must suffer being innocent, must even endure forced
subjection to the wicked and the devil himself.

2. Could the sun voice its experience from Adam's time down, what
misery it has witnessed and endured, undoubtedly it would tell of its
heavy cross in being compelled to serve innumerable adulterers,
thieves, murderers, in fact, the devil's whole kingdom. Yet it is a
noble and admirable work of creation, fit to serve only God, angels
and pious Christians, who thank God for it. But it must serve those
who blaspheme and dishonor God and who are guilty of all wickedness
and lawlessness. Notwithstanding its dislike of such service, it is
with every other created thing obedient to God.

3. This is a fine and comforting thought of the apostle's, that all
creatures are martyrs, having to endure unwillingly every sort of
injustice. The creatures do not approve the conduct of the devil and
of the wicked in their shameful abuse of creation, but they submit to
it for the sake of him who has subjected them to vanity, at the same
time hoping for a better dispensation in the fulfilment of time, when
they shall again be rightly received and abuse be past. Hence Paul
points to another life for all creation, declaring it to be as weary
of this order as we are and to await a new dispensation. By his
reference to the earnest expectation of the creature he means that it
does not expect to remain in its present condition, but with us looks
toward heaven and hopes for a resurrection from this degraded life
into a better one where it will be delivered from the bondage of
corruption, as he says later.

4. By these sayings Paul gives us to understand that all creation is
to attain a perfection far beyond its present state where with us it
must be subject to tyrants. These tyrants wantonly abuse our
characters, our bodies, our property rights, just as the devil abuses
our souls. But we must suffer our lot, remembering that mankind is
captive on earth in the kingdom of the devil, and all creation with
it. The earth must submit to be trodden and to be cultivated by many
a wicked one, to whom it must yield subsistence. Likewise is this
submission true of the elements--air, fire, water--all creation
having its cross, yet hoping for the end of the dispensation.

5. There is a refined and comforting perception in the apostle's
exposition where he represents the entire creation as one being, with
us looking forward to entrance upon anot