Lord reduced it to a certain place Secondly To that restraint which God laid upon it after this reducement that it should no more return to overflow the Earth Both these restraints or laws put upon the Sea are contained in this Context the former of them in the eighth and ninth verses As soon as the Sea issued out of the Earth God set up its doors and made it bands The latter of these the giving of a special Law that when it was shut in it should no more break forth but according to his appointment we have in the tenth and eleventh verses where it is said I brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors and said hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed So then here we have First Bounds and limits assigned by God to that vast and unruly Element the Water that the Earth might be habitable and useful both for man and beast And Secondly We have the Lord restraining all power or liberty which naturally it would have had and taken to violate or break those bounds For had not God given the Waters of the Sea such a special command though bounds had been assigned them they would quickly have broken their bounds These two orders of God differ much though not in the time when they were given out yet in the nature of the thing and both suppose the Sea in being when these orders were given out For when it is said vers 8. It brake forth as if it issued out of the womb this implieth its birth and nativity and when God saith He shut it up with doors this supposeth that it not onely had a being but that it was violent and furious and would have over-flowed all and regained as large a Territory as it possessed at first when it issued out of the womb of the Earth even the face of the whole Earth if the Lord had not bridled and restrained it Yet further and more distinctly to open the words in their Order Quis Haec vox recte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repetitur â—x versu 5. 6. Drus Vers 8. Or Who shut up the Sea with doers The disjunctive particle Or succeeds those disjunctives ver 5 6. Who did this Or Who did that Or Who a third thing concerning the Earths formation Here again Or Who shut up the Sea with doors The Hebrew is onely Shut up the Sea with doors the word who is repeated out of the fifth and sixth verses The Lord by this query or question put to Job would then have him and now us know that it was himself alone that did it It was the Lord who bridled the Sea and shut it up with doors As if he said Where wast thou O Job when I did this great thing as thou gavest no assistance towards the laying of the foundations of Earth and the fastening of the corner-stone thereof so tell me what assistance didst thou give me in bringing forth and setling the vast Sea Or at least if thou canst give me an account hâ—w these things were done and how they continue as they were done by an everlasting decree who hath shut up the Sea with doors was it I or thou or any other Creature Thus the Lord still brings Job upon his knees by humbling questions knowing that he was not able to take any of that honour to himself He poor man had no more to do in this great work than he had in the former and therefore he ought to submit to the works of God in providence whatsoever he was pleased to do seeing all the works of Creation were done by God alone without his counsel or assistance Who hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saepe est protegere aliqui legunt â—bsâ—psu vel circumsepsit ac si esset a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sopio cum siâ— a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tego obiego operio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem per samech significat ungere Drus Shut up the Sea with doors There is a two-fold rendring of that word translated Shut up We take it from a root which signifies to hedge in or compass about as also to protect because those things which are compassed about with strong hedges are under protection and safe from danger Water being a fluid body spreads it self over all the water cannot contain it self in itâ— own bounds fluids cannot but it must be bound it must be shut in or shut up The Lord shut up the Sea as the waters of a great River are shut up by flood-gates or as the waters upon which a Mill is built some carry the allusion to that are pent for the service of it and are caused by art to run gradually or by inches as the Master of that useful engine gives direction Thus the Lord shut up the Sea The Sea is a great Convention or Assembly of Waters as Moses spake Gen. 1.10 The gathering together of waters the Lord called Sea The Sea is a confluence or meeting of waters There may be a great water yet that not the Sea the confluence of all or many waters together that is Sea The waters being thus gathered or assembled by the Lords Summons or Command he hedged them in or shut them up Secondly Others render Who anointed the doors of the Sea Quis valvat maris inunxit Codur when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb They who give this Translation derive the word from a root which signifies to anâ—int Some Interpreters insist much upon this sense of the word and I find one who asserts it as the onely sense of it in this place Who anointed the doors of the Sea that is the passages by which the Sea issued forth And saith he the reason why other learned Interpreters pitch upon that Translation of shutting up the Sea with doors is because they knew not what to make of anointing the doors of the Sea nor to what practice such an expression should allude that the doors of the Sea were anointed whereas indeed that notion of the Word beaâ—s the fairest allusion and proportion to the Metaphor of Child-bearing begun in this and carried on as it were professedly in the next verse under which the Spirit of God is pleased to express the coming forth and original of the Sea Now saith my Author Quaerit dominus a Jobo quae lucina praesuerit parentis naturae puerperlo quan do est enixa mare Id. it is a thing commonly known both to Physitians and Mid-wives that those parts of the body by which the Infant comes into the world uâ—e to be anointed for its more easie passage Thus saith God to Job Didst thou anoint the doers of the Sea when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb It was my Mid-wisery my wisdom and skill not thine that brought the Sea into the World and gave it an easie birth or delivered the Earth of it without
hard labour This makes the sense of the whole Context run more clearly than our reading of it And so we have Sea-doors of two sorts in this Context In this eighth verse the doors of the Sea are the doors by which the Sea came forth and in the tenth verse we have the doors by which the Sea is kept in whereas according to our rendring the doors in both places are interpreted as keeping the Sea in and so there would be a mention of the same doors twice which though it may be admitted yet this latter seems to be the clearest as taking the first doors for those by which the Sea was let out or had its birth and the latter for those doors by which the Sea is kept within its bounds Who shut up the Sea with doors When it brake forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exivit cum impâ—tu The word which we translate to break forth signifies in other places of Scripture the breaking forth of a Child in the birth David useth it Psal 22.9 Thou art he that took me out of the womb there it is taken as Grammarians speak transitively here intransitively When it brake foterth noting a kind of rapture or violence as when Tamar was in travel Gen. 38.27 28. There were twins in her womb and it came to pass when she travelled that the one put out his hand and the Midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet threed saying this came out first and it came to pass as he drew back his hand that behold his brother came forth and she said how hast thou broken forth this breach be upon thee therefore his Name was called Pharez Thus the Sea brake forth violently as if it had issued Out of the womb Ex occulto divinae providentiae Aquin. Creavit deus terram non inanem sed gravidam aquis quae licet eodem temporis momento 〈◊〉 What Womb Some say of the Providence of God say others of the Decree or Counsel of God for that is the womb out of which all things proceed A third saith out of the Power and Omnipotence of God All these sayings are true either of these is as the womb out of which all things issue but these the Providence the Decree and Counsel the Power and Omnipotence of God are the Common Womb out of which all things issue whereas here the Lord seems to speak of some special womb out of which the Sea issued And therefore I rather adhere to that Interpretation which saith plainly that the womb out of which the Sea is said to issue was the Abysse or bowels of the Earth The Sea brake forth out of the bowels of the Earth as out of a womb The Earth is the Common Parent the Parent of the Sea the Sea was created in the bowels of the Earth or the Earth was created big with the waters of the Sea as a woman big with child and shortly after the Lord caused the earth like a woman with child to travel and bâ—ing forth the Sea So that the Lord doth here more distinctly open to us the manner of the Creation of the Sea than in the first of Genesis It is true the Element of Water hath its seat naturally above the Earth it being the lighter Element but as to the first conception of it this Scripture implies that its place was within the Earth and that it issued forth from the Earth The bowels of the Earth were the womb in which the Sea was conceived and out of which by the Word of the Lord it issued The waters were not at first created above the Earth as some have affirmed but they being created with the Earth and conceived within the Earth brake out of the Earth and invested or covered it all over and so continued in that condition till the third day and then the Lord commanded them to retire into certain vast channels now called Sea that so the dry land might appear Thus the Lord when the waters were issued forth disposed of them in their proper place According to this Interpretation we are to take these words of the time past Who is he that shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth that is after it had broken forth after it had issued out Who was he that then shut it up with doors This description of the Nativity of the Sea may be drawn out into these concluâ—ions First The Earth and Waters were created both together Secondly The Waters were at first created within the bowels of the Earth for saith the Text They issued forth they brake forth Thirdly At the Command of God the Waters were brought forth out of the Earth as a Child out of the Mothers Womb Psal 33.7 He gathereth the waters of the Sea together as an heap he layeth up the deep in store-houses Psal 104 vers 5 9. Bless the Lord c. who laid the foundations of the Earth that it should not be removed for ever thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment the Waters stood above the Mountains Fourthly The Waters being thus brought forth did at first cover the Earth and so would have continued if God had let them alone In the method of Nature things lie thus First The earth is lowest being the grossest element Secondly The water riseth above the earth as being more pure than that Thirdly The air is above the water as being much more pure than the water Fourthly The fire gets above all as being the thinnest and purest of all the elements and therefore the water issuing out of the earth would have continually covered the face of the earth if the Lord by his power had not ordered it off and shut it up with doors when come off according to our reading the words in this verse and according to the general reading of the tenth verse where the whole earth being covered with water the Lord brake up for it his decreed place and there kept it fast Thus David Psal 104.7 8. speaking of the waters above the mountains and over-flowing all presently adds At thy rebuke they fled at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away they go up by the mountains they go down by the vallies unto the place which thou hast founded for them There the Lord by David as here by himself sets forth his mighty power in the disposal of the waters to a certain place But if we take that other reading of this verse Who hath annointed the doors of the Sea then by doors we are not to understand that which stops the Sea from over-flowing the earth as in the tenth verse but for those passages at which the waters brake out of the earth as an infant from the womb which seems most distinct and clear And because the Sea is so huge a body so great a part of the world we may not unprofitably I hope before I pass from this verse consider a three-fold representation of the Sea or the Sea as a glass
than humane he commanded his chair to be set on the Sea-shore at the time of flood and sitting down thus bespake that Element I charge thee not to enter my land nor wet these robes but the sea keeping on its course he rose up and spake in the hearing of all about him Let all the inhabitants of the world know that vain and weak is the power of Kings and that none is indeed worthy of that Name but he that keeps both heaven and earth and sea in obedience Thirdly Then tremble at the power of God who can let the sea loose upon us in a moment We tremble at the sea if it break loose then tremble at the power of God who can let loose the sea It is he that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth the Lord is his Name Amos 9.6 Fourthly when the sea breaks bounds in any degree either when we see a storm at sea or a deluge at land let us go only to the Lord who onely can still the raging of the sea and put swadling-bands about it even as if it were a child God alone is to be invocated when the winds are tempestuous and threaten either a deluge at land or a wrack at sea Heathens invoked Neptune and Aeolus Popish votaries call upon St. Nicholas and St. Christopher Let us learn of the Disciples who fearing to be swallowed up of a tempest went to Christ and said Master save us we perish Matth. 8.27 The poor Mariners in Jonah called every one upon his God Jorah 1.5 but none of them called upon the true God It is Jehovah the Lord the true God onely that raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth up the waves of the sea and it is he that maketh the storm a calm Psal 107.24 25 29. Fifthly If the sea so vast and violent a creature receive the bridle from God and is bound up by him even as an infant in swadling-bands how much more should man receive the bridle from him The Lord saith to the sons of men hitherto shall ye come and no further hitherto your works and actions shall go and no further yet how do the men of the world over-flow and break their bounds The prophet makes this application clearly Jer. 5.22 23. Fear ye not me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it and though the waves thereof toss themselves yet can they not prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over it but this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart they are revolted and gone As if he had said The sea doth not revolt against my command but this people doth they are more unruly than the sea All the wicked at best are like the troubled sea that cannot rest as the Prophet speaks Isa 57.20 How much worser then are they than the sea when they are at worst Lastly We may hence infer for our comfort If the Lord hath put bounds to the natural sea what unnatural sea is there to which the Lord cannot put bounds There is a five-fold metaphorical sea to which the Lord hath said hitherto shalt thou come and no further Or at least he hath said though thou come hither thou shalt come no further This the Lord hath said First To the sea of mans wrath The wrath of man is a grievous sea and of that David saith Psal 76.10 The wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain Let men be as angry as they will let them be as stormy as a sea yet the Lord hath said hitherto shall ye come and no further For Psal 65.7 He stilleth the noise of the seas the noise of their waves and the tumult of the people Yea great men raging like the sea are sometimes stopt by very small matters such as the sea-sands The Chief-priest and Elders of the people were offended at Christ and therefore questioned his Authority yet forbare to answer his question as they had most mind to do it for fear of the people Matth. 21.23 26. Secondly He bounds the sea of the devils rage The devil is a sea in bonds We read of a special thousand years wherein it is prophesied that Satan shall be bound Rev. 20.2 yet indeed he is alwayes bound else no man could live a quiet hour for him nor have any rest from his furious temptations and vexations but his professed slaves and votaries Thirdly There is a sea of Affliction which we meet with in this world the Lord bounds that also and saith hitherto it shall come and no further 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it Fourthly The Lord sets a bound to the sea of prophaneness and ungodliness in the world that 's a sea that would over-flow all and that is a sea fâ—r whose over-flowing we have cause to pour out floods of tears Hence that prayer of David Psal 7.9 O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end Did not the Loâ—d put an end to the prophaneness and ungodliness of men they would be endless in prophaneness and ungodliness The unjâ—st knoweth no shame Zeph. 3.5 That is he is never ashamed of any injustice but would go on to do unjustly and wickedly in infinitum who knows how long Fifthly The Lord sets a bound to the sea of error and false dâ—ct ine the Lord saith Hitherto shalt thou c me and no further Error would be as extravagant and boundless as the sea if the Lord did not bound it Epiphanius in his treatise of heresies alludes to this Scripture for the comfort of himself and oâ—hers when he saw such a high-grown sea of error broken in upon the Church As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do such ungodly men withstand the truth of Christ but saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.9 They shall proceed no further Did not the Lord give a stop to the spirit of seduction that goeth out from the Devil and the false Prophet it would bring in a deluge of delusions upon the whole world and as Christ himself hath fore-warned us Matth. 24.24 deceive if it were possible the very Elect. But there is a bar and a bound for this sea also though they come hitherto to this and that person with their errors to this and that point of error yet they shall proceed no further and here even here their proud and poisonous waves shall be stayed JOB Chap. 38. Vers 12 13 14 15. 12. Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days and caused the day-spring to know his place 13. That it might take hold of the ends of the earth that the wicked might be
thus Now at length O Lord I know more fully than ever that thou hast a most just right and power to command and dispose of all things and that thou both dost and mayst effect whatsoever pleaseth thee nor ought any to murmur at much less resist thy counsels or dealings seeing every thing is and cannot but be just and righteous which thou dost We conclude then Job knew this truth before but not as he knew it now Hence note First Knowledge is a growing thing And it were well if we were all found growing in knowledge That 's the Apostle Peters charge 2 Epist 3.18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He puts both together There is a growth in knowledge as well as in grace and in proportion to our spiritual growth in knowledge is our growth in grace for though many grow much in notional and speculative knowledge who grow little in grace yet they cannot but grow much in grace who grow much in spiritual and experimental knowledge As a godly man groweth in knowledge so in grace too Knowledge is a growing thing The rising and encreasing waters of the Sanctuary were a type of the encreasings of knowledge those waters were first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck And as knowledge increaseth with respect to the several times and states of the Church for so that place Ezek. 47.3 4 5. is to be be understood so it is a truth that there is an increase of knowledge with respect to the state of every particular believer his knowledge is first to the ancles and then to the knees and then to the loyns and then to the neck As some points to be known are so easie or shallow that according to that clear and common similitude a Lamb may wade through them others so difficult and deep that an Elephant may swim in them so the degree of knowledge in the same person which at one time was very small and shallow at another time may be swelled into a great deep and he called a man of deep knowledge We have a general promise of such an increase Isa 11.9 The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea that is there shall be a wonderful increase of knowledge That 's also the import of Daniels Prophesie Chap. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Particular persons shall improve in knowledge and so shall the whole Church So then this increase of knowledge is of two sorts First it is a knowledge of more things and Secondly of every thing more We should labour to know more truths we must thus add to our knowledge For though it be true that every believer hath received the anointing whereby he knoweth all things that are of absolute necessity 1 John 2.20 yet he may come to the knowledge of more things which are exceeding useful and helpful to him Secondly We should labour to know every thing more as in the Text. Job knew before that God was omnipotent and could do all things but now he knew it more and so much more that the knowledge which he had before might be called ignorance compared with the knowledge which he had now received Then we increase our knowledge fully when we get the knowledge of more things and of every thing more Again we should labour to increase as in speculative so in experimental knowledge Speculative knowledge alone goes no further than the notion of what we know experimental knowledge finds and feels the power of what we know it subjects us or makes us subject to what we know the motions of the Will follow the light and dictate of the Understanding This is the best knowledge Knowledge which is felt and acted is better than that which is heard and declared What the Apostle John said of himself and his fellow Apostles who were personally present with Christ while here on earth with respect to their sensitive knowledge of him is most true of the spiritual and experimental knowledge which believers have of Christ now in heaven and they absent from him 1 John 1.1 That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you we declare that unto you which we have seen and felt 'T is a blessed thing when we can say that the things which we declare to others we have felt them and even handled them our selves Many as our usual expression is handle Texts and handle truths learnedly and excellently in a discourse who never handled no nor so much as toucht them by any experience of their sweetness or efficacy either in their hearts or lives Further consider in what way Job came to this proficiency in knowledge he had been a great while in the School of affliction before he said I know and I know to purpose that thou canst do every thing Hence note Afflictions and sufferings are a special means to increase our knowledge and wise us in the things of God The godly never increase more in knowledge than under the Cross under afflictions of one kind or another David saith Psal 119.71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes Did not David know the Statutes of God before doubtless he did he was all-along trained up in the statutes of God but when God took him into the School of affliction then he leaâ—nt the Statutes of God much better Let us consider what profiting we find at any time under affliction as to the knowledge of God and of our selves if we do not better our knowledge by one cross we may expect to meet with another and another till matters mend with us Solomon saith Prov. 27.22 Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a morter among wheat with a pestle yet will not his foolishness depart from him that is an obstinate sinner he is the fool there spoken of though extreamly afflicted is not bettered but a godly man profits by his affliction both as to the departure and riddance of his folly as also to his growth in spiritual experimental knowledge Once more which will give us a third note Job was not only in affliction but God taught him in his affliction Job had not only a rod upon his back but a tutor by his side His three friends had been long with him and spoken much to him but he learnt little by them When Elihu had been speaking to him he yielded somewhat to him though not fully but when once God undertook to tutor and instruct him Job learned amain and profited greatly in knowledge Hence note Then we profit indeed under afflictions when God teacheth us in our afflictions If we have nothing but the rod we profit not by the rod yea if we have
our thoughts to the praise of God to sing and shout his praises Did the Stars take them properly and did the Sons of God the Angels rejoyce when the work first began and is not the work to be rejoyced in now 't is finished Though sin hath sullied the work yet the glory of God is still transparent in it the power goodness and wisdom of God are gloriously seen in the things that are made Rom. 1.20 not onely were they seen but they are â—een to this day The creatures are still a glass wherein we may â—â—hold the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and God-head so that they who glorifie him not in and for those works will be found and left without excuse They are a book a volume consisting of as many leaves and lines as there are distinct sorts of creatures wherein we may read the great God plainly described to us and if so let us remember our fault this day Is it not our sin and shame that we are so little in admiring God for this work which set all the Angels in heaven a singing a shouting a wondring There are several things in the Works of Creation which well considered will soon provoke us to singing and to shouting First The multitude of Creatures Secondly The various kinds of Creatures Thirdly The beauty and excellency that is in the Creatures Fourthly The profit and the usefulness of the Creatures These laid together should draw out our praises and cause us to exalt the power wisdom and goodness of God manifested in and by his Creatures Lastly Consider what was iâ— that caused the Angels to â—hout for jâ—y when they saw this woâ—k of God begun Surely it was the appearance or manifestation of God shining brightly in the Work of Creation Hence Observe The discoveries of the power wisdom and goodness of God should stir up and engage every man and cannot but effectually stir up and engage those who are wise and good to rejoyce in God Somewhat of God is stamped or there are certain lines of his transcendent perfections drawn upon every Creature here a line of wisdom and there a line of power here a line of goodness and there a line of mercy the sight of these should cause us to shout for joy especially that this God the Creator of the ends of the Earth is our God for ever and ever and will be our guide even unto death How many lines have we of God in the World which we have not read much less studied and commented upon In how many things is God visible and yet we see him not nor acknowledge him as we ought Take onely these two things by way of inference from the whole First To be of a praising of a rejoycing spirit iâ—â—o be of an excellent spirit of an angelical spirit Let us imitate â—he Angels in praising God The Angels are called the Sons of God because they imitate him let us imitate the Angels in praising God so shall we approve our selves the Sons of God too Secondly Consider The Angels rejoyced at the laying of the foundations of the Earth The Earth was made for man Heaven was the Angels habitation they were well provided for if there had never been an Earth they had been provided for yet they shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the Earth for the use of man and beast Hence take this Inference It shews a good spirit to rejoyce at the good of others or to be pleased with that which is beneficial to others though it be no benefit to us This argues an excellent spirit an angelical spirit Some if they are well housed and provided for care not whether others are housed and provided for or no nor can they rejoyce at the good of others but as their own good is concern'd In glory we shall be like to the Angels our very bodies shall be like to the Angels living without food without sleep without marriage in Heaven we shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but shall be like the Angels O let us strive to be like the Angels in our minds now as we hope to have our bodies like the Angels hereafter even clothed as the Schoolmen call them with angelical endowments Unless our spirits are like the Angels here unless we have hearts like the hearts of Angels in this World we shall never have bodies like them hereafter or in the World to come JOB Chap. 38. Vers 8 9 10 11. 8. Or who shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb 9. When I made the Cloud the garment thereof and thick darkness a swadling band for it 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors 11. And said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed THe Lord having questioned Job about the Fabrick of the Earth and shewed the triumph and acclamations of Angels at it in the former Context He next leads him to the waters or carrieth him to the Sea there to consider his Works of wonder As Moses in the beginning of Genesis having summarily and in general spoken of the Creation of Heaven and Earth descendeth to particulars so here we have the Lord passing from one part of the Creation to another from the Creation of the Earth to that other great part of the Creation the Waters or the Sea Vers 8. Who shut up the Sea with doors c. In these words we have First The Creation of the Sea Secondly Its Constitution both set forth by most elegant Metaphors The Creation or Production of the Sea is shadowed by allusion to an Infant breaking forth out of the womb Vers 8. The Constitution or settlement of the Sea is carried on in suitable Metaphors to the end of the eleventh Verse Vers 8. Or who hath shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth c. We have here First The Birth or Nativity of the Sea Secondly What God did with the Sea when it was born and issued out of the womb Then God shut it in with doors and prepared garments and swadling bands for it then he restrained the rage force and fury of it and held it as his prisoner or captive in bonds As soon as an Infant is born it is bound up and swadled and as soon as the Sea as I may say was born or come into the World God took order with it and to keep it in order he provided doors to shut it in and garments to bind it up with What the Scripture speaks of Gods coercing the Sea may be reduced to two heads First To that restraint which he laid upon the Sea presently upon its Creation some say the first others the third day of the Creation according to that Gen. 1.9 God said Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so Thus the
shewing us three things First The Sea hath in it a representation of God himself in his divine perfections Secondly Of the World in its various motions Thirdly Of the heart of man in its vilest corruptions The Sea carrieth in it First A representation of God himself which may be taken in four things First In the hiddenness and unsearchableness of his wisdom Psal 36.6 Thy judgements are a great deep or a sea Rom. 11.33 O the depth of the wisdom and counsel of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out None can fathom this Sea there is not line enough in the understanding of Men and Angels to reach the bottom of God he is a sea without banks or bottom Secondly The Lord is as the sea in his goodness sending out so many sweet streams and feeding all the springs of the earth Psal 65.9 10. Thou visitest the earth and waterest it thou greatly inrichest it with the river of God which is full of water thou preparest them corn when thou hast so provided for it thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly c. Thirdly As all the rivers come from the sea and return to it so all good flows out and springs from God and all the glory of his goodness should return or be returned to him in praises and thanksgivings Fourthly The sea is such a vast body that though it sends forth water to feed the earth every where and though all the rivers flow back into the sea yet the sea is not at all abated by the water that it sends forth nor increased by all the water that returns to it So how much soever God gives out to the creature he gives out all yet he is no more emptied by it than the sea and whatsoever returns the creature makes to him they no more increase nor add to him than the sea is increased by the rivers falling into it there is no sensible appearance of the heightening of the waters of the sea by the greatest and vastest rivers that disburden themselves into it Secondly As the sea is an Emblem of the Living God in whom we live so of the world wherein we live First The sea is a very unquiet part of the world What storms what tempests are there upon the sea what rage and fury in the waves of it such an unquiet thing is this world hurrying up and down and inraged often by storms and tempests arising from the lusts and passions of men even to the swallowing up of all Secondly The sea is very unconstant it is now ebbing and anon flowing It is so with this world and all things in it our comforts are sometimes flowing and sometimes ebbing our peace comes and anon it goes we have some good dayes and more evil the dayes of darkness are many and the best meet with many of them in this world the world is full of changes the fashion of it passeth away Thirdly The sea water is a salt water an unpleasant water and such is the world though many drink greedily of it and would even draw it up as the Scripture speaks of Behemoth drawing up Jordan They who drink in worldly things as if they could drink up the whole world yet drink but salt and unpleasant water Aâ—gustine One of the Ancients notes it as a great mercy to man that God doth thus imbitter the world to us making it brackish and distastful And indeed God hath on purpose tempered the things of this world that they should not be too sweet and luscious for us or lest we should distemper our selves by them or surfeit upon them Thirdly The Sea is an Emblem of the heart of man especially of a wicked mans heart Man is a little world and the heart of man hath a sea of worldly vanities in it Isaiah 57.20 The wicked are like the troubled sea and the heart of a wicked man is the most troubled and troublesome part in him The heart unchanged is like the sea First For turbulency or troublesomness what is more unquiet than the heart of man no such natural storms upon the sea no such civil storms either at sea or land as there are carnal storms in the heart of man what a stir what broils doth the heart of man make many times Secondly The heart of man is like the sea as it is salt brackish and bitter through the hastiness and rashness of our spirits The Prophet Habakkuk calls the Chaldeans a bitter and hasty Nation chap. 1.6 Hasty persons are bitter persons perverseness peevishness and passions lodge in them Thirdly The heart of man hath waves in it full of pride like the sea what sea hath such proud waves as the heart of man hath O how do many even deifie themselves think and speak of themselves as if they were more than man It is said of the King of Tirus Ezekiel 28.2 that he set his heart as the heart of God how was that not that his heart was fashioned like the heart of God but he was lifted up in a self-sufficiency as if he like God needed no helper and as he thought he â—ad no need of help from any so he had no fear of hurt from any How often do such proud waves appear upon the sea of mans heart and who is there among the sons of men but finds these proud waves of his heart lifting him up beyond his sphere and condition And who but God can shut up this sea with doors when its sinfulness breaks forth as if it had issued out of the womb But leaving these metaphorical seas Acr marâ— impendet Graeci optime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multae enim nebulae solent oriri super mare Grot. Cum mare aliis aquis tanquam vestitu fasciis circumtegerem Jun. Quis illa densa vaporum caligine tanquam fasciis illud involvit Bez. Nubes passim a poetis dicuntur atrae nigrae spiceae imò interdum tenebrae nox Sanct. Nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ortumesta verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod significatin volvere fasciis seu linteolis quemadmodum solent involvi recens noti infantes Ezek. 16.4 Pisc I return to consider what the Lord said further concerning the Sea Natural Vers 9. When I made the cloud the garment thereof and thick darkness a swadling band for it As soon as the child is born and come into the world the Mother or Midwise provides sutable garments for it and a swadling band Thus the Lord continues the metaphor of child-birth I saith the Lord provided a garment and a swadling band for the new-born sea And as the Text tells us that the Lord made the sea a garment and a swadling band so it tells us what they were What was the garment made for the sea The Cloud When the Lord had separated the sea from the earth he made the clouds to cover it as garments do a child that comes naked into the world and the cloud is a fit
garment for the sea Clouds are water condensed and they dissolve into water and here the Lord having separated the sea from the earth made the cloud which is a kind of sea a sea in the air as a garment to cover and keep it warm And because a new-born child lest the limbs should not grow right hath not the liberty of its arms and feet for a time but is wrapt up with a swadling band therefore in pursuance of the Allegory the Text speaks of a swadling band prepared for the sea as soon as it was born But what was the swadling-band of the sea As the matter of its garment is a cloud so its swadling-band is thick darkness that is say some very dark clouds making this latter part of the verse but a repetition of the former because clouds are dark in themselves they are often expressed by darkness they are called black clouds and dark clouds yea sometimes clouds are called darkness So that the cloud and the thick darkness may be the same onely it is here exprest in different terms to shew the exactness of the Lords proceeding and the accurateness of his providing for the due ordering of the unruly child the sea And that the sea had at first such a swadling-band we find Gen. 1.2 Darkness was upon the face of the deep Hence First From the purpose of the Spirit of God as we may well conceive in representing the sea in such a dress a child in swadling-bands Note God can as easily rule and bind the sea a vast bulky body as a mother or a nurse can bind a little infant in swadling-bands And surely the Spirit of God would have us to take notice that though the sea be indeed such a giant such a monster as will make a heart of oak shake or a heart of brass melt yet what is it to God but an infant he can bind it and lay it to sleep even as a little child And if the great sea be in the hand of God as a little child what is great to God! and how great is God! What is strong to God! and how strong is God! What or who is too great or too strong for God to deal with Cannot God who hath swadled the turbulent sea provide swadling-bands to wrap up the stoutest and most turbulent spirits of this world Job â—pâ—aking of himself wondered that God should deal so with him chap. 7.12 Am I a Sea or a Whale that thou settest a watch over me The sea is a boisterous creature and had need be watched Am I a Sea or a Whale said Job Though a man be as a sea or a whale God can watch him and bind him from doing mischief Therefore fear not any power of the creature though a great sea while your behaviour is good but fear the Lord who binds the sea to its good behaviour Nations are before him but as the drop of a bucket Isa 40.15 A Nation confidered in it self is a mighty sea much more The Nations which indefinite is universal taking in all Nations yet they are all but as the drop of a bucket and how easily can we dispose of the drop of a bucket Even so easily can God dispose of those who are as the sea in opinion and appearance Secondly Consider what the Lord makes the swadling-band of the sea some strong thing no doubt the Text tells us it is but a dark cloud or a mist arising from the sea these are the bands with which God binds this mighty giant the sea Hence Observe The Lord can make weak and improbable means to do and effect the greatest things One would think we should have heard of some other matter even of adamantine chains to bind the Sea with but we see mists and fogs and clouds shall do it if God will Mists are but vapours gathered up and thickened a little in the air Is it not a wonder that they should get the upper hand of and bind the sea so that as soon as a mist riseth in the air by and by the sea is still There is indeed a natural reason why as calms are seldome without mists so mists can never be without calms because mists cannot endure nor live in the wind much less in a storm but must presently be dispersed or blown away by it yet 't is much that a mist or a fog or a cloud in the air should have a binding force upon the sea This was the Lords work to keep the sea quiet in its place And having considered this we are called to consider another Work of God whereby he keeps the sea from roving out of its place in the two verses following Vers 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors c. Here the Lord speaks of the second state of the sea according to one reading though according to ours of the first When the Lord had said Let the waters be gathered together into one place he prepared a place to receive the waters as when a man would have a place to hold water he digs or makes an earthen vessel or receptacle for it So when the waters issued out of the earth in their nativity the Lord gathered them together into a sea and prepared a stupendious pit or as some follow the allusion here of a new-born infant wrapt in swadling-bands he provided a great bed or cradle to put it into That vast concave into which the waters are put is somewhat like a cradle those channels I say which God made for the sea are as the cradle wherein it is laid The banks and shores are those bars and doors with which the infant is kept in his cradle What can be spoken more significantly than these similitudes to express the greatness of God who keeps in the sea by his power and leads it forth gently into several creeks and bosoms for the safety of Navigaâ—iâ—n and represseth its fury and violence by the sands and shores Thus saith the Lord I brake up for it my decreed place a hollow place for the holding of the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et fregi i. e. decidi vâ—l decreviâ—i per illâ— stâ—tutiâ—â—â—eum q. d. de iâ—â—â— decretum meum coâ—stitui cum ei limiâ—es sunt à me praefiniti Merc. Vocabulum terrâ— recte hic suppleri tum ipsa historiae veritas tum pâ—opria fignitiâ—atio vâ—rbi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evincit Itaque alii nâ—n recte cum vâ—rbo illo â—â—â—â—runt vâ—â—m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrâ—â—o defâ—â—it prepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pisc Cum difregi pro eo sâ—â— terraâ—â— decreto meo i. e. Alveos velut â—unas exaravi circummuâ—iâ—i Jun. Some translate And established my decree upon it for the word place is not expressed in the Text there it is only and brake up my decree but it is more clear to the general sense of the Text and to the particular sense of the
wrath but of this City the Lord said it is wholly oppression they are given up to oppression every one is oppressing and wronging his brother now when they sinned at this rate when their arm was thus high in wickedness then it was to be broken There is a righteous God that judgeth the earth and therefore the high arm of unrighteouness shall be broken JOB Chap. 38. Vers 16 17 18. 16. Hast thou entred the springs of the Sea or hast thou walked in the search of the depth 17. Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth declare if thou knowest 〈◊〉 all IN the former Context the Lord made a short dâ—gression from those questionings with which he had begun with Job concerning his Works the occasion whereof was the mentioning of the wicked who improved not but abused his works In this Context the Lord returns to his former way of interrogating Job and having questioned him about the birth or production of the Sea the bands and bounds of the Sea at the 8th 9th 10th and 11th verses he questions him here First About the depth of the unsearchable depth of the Sea vers 16 17. Secondly About the vast breadth of the Earth vers 18. Thereby to convince Job that he not being able to reach the depth of those mighty waters nor to comprehend the breadth of the earth was much less able to comprehend the depth of those counsels or the breadth of those ways of providence in which himself had been walking towards him That 's the general scope and sum of these three verses as also of all that follow as hath been shewed formerly The last thing about which the Lord put the question was the Light whereby hidden and secret things are discovered here the question is about things that lie out of the light about hidden and secret things all which yet are more plain and obvious to more open and naked before the eye of God with whom we have to do than the Noon-day light to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numquâ—d ingressus es vel penetrâ—stâ— Vers 16. Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea Hast thou Doubtless thou hast not nor hast thou any mind to enter into those springs Who hath Hast thou entred or penetrated the springs of the sea There is a twofold entring into the springs of the sea or into any thing that lies remote from us Fiâ—st A Local Secondly An Intellectual entring To be sure Job had not locally entred the springs of the sea and it was as sure that he was not able to make any perfect intellectual entrance thither When therefore the Lord asked Job this question Opartet judicem nosse ea de quiâ—us judicaâ—â—â— us est tu voâ—â— judicas de operibus mo is cum ea non noris â—atabl Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea it is as if he had said It becomes him that makes a judgement upon any matter to enter into it either locally to view it with the eye or intellectually to view it with his understanding but thou O Job hast neither of these ways entred into the springs of the sea and there dâ—scovered how the waters flow or rise up out of the earth how then canst thou make up a judgement about the waters and if not what judgment canst thou make up concerning my deep counsels concerning the secret springs of my judgements Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad plorâ—ta i. e. lacrymas mâ—riâ— Drus There is an elegancy in the word rendred springs which some derive from a root which signifies to weep or shed tears Hast thoâ— entred among the tears oâ— weeping places of the sea The same word in the Hebrew signifies an eye Aliqui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fluenta non a flendo sed a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perplexâ—m esse deducunt Et reddunt perplexitates mâ—ris Sensus eodem recidit sed Grammatica magis quadrat ut a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flevit destectatur Mâ—rc as also a spring or fountain because as the eye drops yea pours out tears David saith Rivers of tears run down mine eyes so springs pour out waters and are as it were weeping continually Others derive the word from a root which signifieth to be infolden or intangled and so they render it Hast thou entred into the perplexities or intricacies of the sea Pharaoh used that word in the Verb Exod. 14.3 concerning the people of Israel They are intangled or perplexed in the land he thought he had caught them in the briars and should have had his will or satisfied his lust on them The sense is much the same whether we read the springs or the perplexities and intricate places of the sea both tending to the same purpose to shew Job his utter incompetency and inability for such an adventure Hast thou entred into the springs Of the sea The sea is a consluence of many waters the great vessel which God prepared to hold the multitude of waters as was shewed before at the eighth verse onely take notice Mâ—re dicitur Jâ—mim voce deducta à Maiim transpositis quibusdam literis that the word which signifies the sea is composed of the same letters a little transposed with that which signifies the water The sea being the gathering together of waters and water being the substance of the Sea one word in substance serves them both in the Hebrew tongue Yet others say it alludes at least to a word signifying to make a noise or to roar seas and floods make a terrible noise and roaâ—ing David ascribes a voice to the floods Psal 93.3 The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voices These grammatical criticisms about words have their use giving some light about the nature and qualities of things But to the Text Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea And hast thou walked in the search of the depth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abyssus vorago altittulo expers fundi This latter part of the verse is of the same importance with the former The springs of the sea and the search of the depth have little if any difference and walking follows upon entring therefore the Lord having said Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea saith Hast thou walked c. But more distinctly what is the search and what the depth The depth is the sea where 't is deepest so deep that no bottom can be found by sounding The word rendred here search notes the last oâ— utmost of any thing and so the deepest of the depth which possibly may be called the search of the depth because how much or how long soever it is searched for it cannot be found out Mr. Broughton renders it The border of the sea the Vulgar Latine The last or
the Egyptians with all their learning could not tell the way how God parted the light then that it should be light in Goshen and darkness to feeling or darkness that might be felt in all the other parts of Egypt so who can give a reason of that distribution of Gospel light which God makes to some parts of the world while other parts of it sit in darkness and in the very shadow of death Secondly In that the Lord puts the Qâ—estion to Job Knowest thou c. for we are still to repeat those words in these questions though not exprest Knowest thou that is thou knowest not Hence Note Man is much in the dark about the light and how God distrubuteth disposeth and dispenseth forth the light Those things that are clear to our sense are often very obscure to our undeâ—standing Nothing more clear to sense than that the light is parted yet what is more obscure than this in what way and how the light is parted And as this parting of the light is marvellous so also in the effect of it held out in the latter part of the Verse Which scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth Some because the relative Which is not expressed in the Original take these words as a distinct question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ventum Orientálem seu trentem subsolanum signifiâ—at per synechdochen hic omnem ventum Sanct. Eurum ventum vehementissimum loco omnium ponit Scult Sol dicitur ventorum pater eurus dicitur subsolanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod sit sub regimine solis Knowest thou by what way the light is parted and taking up that again by what way he scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth But I shall speak of these words as intending this effect of light the scattering the East-wind The Hebrew Word signifies strictly the Eastern part of the World the Sun-rising and so the East-wind which riseth often with the Sun or upon which the Sun hath a great command and may be here put synechdechically for all the Winds Naturalists tell us that lightning which was the first interpretation doth raise the East-wind or causeth it to blow and that the light of the Sun or the Sun-rising hatâ— also an influence upon the wind or raiseth the East-wind is both the observation of Naturalists and an assertion which hath ground in Scripture The Sun is by some called the Father of the Winds and especially of the East-wind and the East-wind hath denominations both in the Greek and Latine Tongue as the Margin shews implying that it is much as it were under the dominion of the Sun It is said Jonah 4.8 that The Lord at the Sun-rising commanded or prepared a vehement East-wind to blow upon the head of Jonah As if the rising of the Sun had some power in the bâ—inging the East-wind and without all doubt the East-wind as one elegantly describes it at that time by Gods Call fought under the banner of the Sun and was confederate with him for the affliction of that angry Prophet Jonah The East-wind is a vehement wind a drying wind a scorching wind Exod. 14.21 When the Lord lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea it is said He commanded a strong East wind to blow all night and divided the Sea The East-wind it seems was the most proper instrument to serve the Providence of God in dividing or scattering and then in gathering the waters of the Sea as here the light is said to scatter the East-wind upon the Earth Mr. Broughton renders these words as expressing the natural aptitude of the wind to spread it self thus And which way the East-wind scattereth it self over the Earth That is which way it will scatter or in what Country it will blow The winds are of a most diffusive nature they scatter themselves they disperse and pass through the air with much violence and vehemence But I shall not stay upon that The main scope and purpose of the Lord in putting this question being onely this To shew that as the light take it either for the lightning or for the light of the Sun is in the hands of God so also that the wind even the East-wind is at his dispose too Hence Note Winds the most vehement and violent winds are under the power of God He who commands the light commands the winds Prov. 30.4 He gathereth the winds in his fist he comprehends them all in his hand 'Ts a wonderful expression of the power of God that he hath the loose winds as fast as a man hath that which he gripes in his fist and 't is at the opening of his hand that they pass forth Whatever natural causes there are of the winds we must look beyond them all at the power of God as the cause reigning over all other causes Christ John 3. treating with Nicodemus about that most spiritual Doctrine of Regeneration or the New Birth to shew how free an agent the Spirit of God is in it compares his workings to that of the Wind of which he saith vers 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth which yet we are not to understand as if the winds did blow at randome or were carried out by their own power and impression Christ speaks of the wind there as if it had a will or wilfulness rather but we are to understand it thus The wind bloweth where it listeth for any thing man can do or say to it let man say what he will let man do what he can the wind blows where it listeth The wind is not under the controul or command of any man no not of the mightiest Prince on Earth yet it bloweth not absolutely where it self but where God listeth The power and skill of all the men in the World cannot alter oâ— controul the wind Some indeed have traded with Witches for winds as if they had the command of them yet know it is onely the Lords chusing their delusions or his giving them up to those delusions and wickednesses which their hearts chuse if at any time any gain a breath of winâ— by trading with them We should onely look by faith and trade with him by pâ—ayer for the managing and disposing of the winds it is he that scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Knowest thou how the East-winds are scattered over the Earth or by what way the Lord scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Hence Note Secondly The way of the Wind is a secret to man as well as the way of the Light The Lord Christ sheweth mans ignorance with respect to the way of the wind John 3.8 Thou hearest the sound thereof but thou knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth Which we are not to understand as if when a man perceives the wind to blow he did not know whence or out of what part of the compasse it comes or towards what point it goes We know when it comes from the East and when it comes from thence we know
it goeth to the West and so when it comes from the North and goes to the South but we know not whence it comes and whither it goes as to the way of it we know not how it comes to passe or is brought about That 's done by the sole command of the Lord who hath the whole Creation at his beck and whose word every creature obeys moving and going where and when he himself gives order It is the Lord who by the light or by what means seems good unto him scattereth the East-wind or any other wind upon the Earth The next Question concerns the waters Vers 25. Who hath divided a Water-course for the over-flowing of waters The former Question was about the parting of the Light here we have a Question about the Division of the Waters Who hath divided c. The Hebrew Word for a River comes from this Root and so also doth the Latine Word Pelagus Quis dedit imbri vehementissimo cursum Vulg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rivus Pelagus nomen habet quod ex illo dividantur deriventur flumino which signifieth the Sea out of which Rivers are derived and divided into the Land From this word also the Elder or First-born Son of Eber was called Peleg Gen. 10.25 and the Text gives us the reason why he was so called For saith Moses in his days the Earth was divided that is it was distinguished into several Coasts and Countries and by several Names which before lay all as it were in one Common There have been too many hurtful divisions in the Earth that is of men on Earth ever since in another sense and are at this day It is sad to see the spirits opinions and practices of men so much divided but it was and is useful to have both the soil of the Earth and the body of the Water divided Here we have the division of the Waters Who hath divided a Water-course for the over-flowing of waters There is a two-fold division of water We read of the former in the description of the Creation Gen. 1.7 where the Lord divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament and it was so The division here intended is of the waters above theâ—e the Lord makes a division of the waters and gives them their courses The word rendred Water-courses signifies to ascend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ductus aquae or to be on high because the course of the water is from above or from on high Water moves alwayes from a higher place Water naturally floweth downward 't is a heavy body and cannot ascend naturally therefore the course of the water is from above Quis nisi ego cursum dat aquis è coelo defluentibus veluti percanales ab hominibus manu-factos Homines suos Aquae-ductus per terram efficiunt sed deus per aerem nubem distribuit Merc. Inundationem aquarum non terrestrium sed c. Merc. As men make Aqueducts Water-courses or Conveyances for water by artificial pipes of Lead or Wood as we see in this City or by Channels cut in the Earth so the Lord hath his Water-courses above he hath his Pipes his Channels in the Clouds Who hath divided a Water-course For the over-flowing of waters The Word signifies a great inundation or a pouring forth of water a Chataract Moses describing the Deluge saith Gen. 7.11 The windows of heaven were opened And when at any time it rains it may be said the Lord in some degree opens the windows of heaven We are not to understand as was toucht before this over-flowing of water of the waters flowing upon the Earth but of the waters flowing from Heaven down upon the Earth for the Lord speaks not of Floods on Earth to destroy but of plentiful and seasonable rain to nourish the fruits of the Earth as is clear from the 27th verse Now saith the Lord Who hath divided a Water-course for these waters that they might not come down as I may say in a full-Full-sea but as by or in pipes and channels to refresh the Earth The Lord hath his Water-works in Heaven as men have theirs on Earth This elegant Metaphor shadows out that certain Rule or Law of Nature which the Lord hath given those waters above when they are commanded to slow down for the use and service of Man and Beast here below The Lord enquires of Job for the Author of these upper Water-works Who hath divided a Water-course for the over-flowing of Waters Hence Note God makes a division of his stores and treasures of water in the clouds as himself pleaseth or the course of the water is directed by God where to fall and when As God hath divided the Earth to the Sons of men Acts 17.26 as he hath determined their times and the bounds of their habitation so he hath also divided the waters for the Earth the waters that are above and he proportions them according to his own will Amos 4.7 I caused it to rain upon one City and I caused it not to rain upon another God is so good that usually he causeth his rain to fall upon the jâ—st and upon the unjust Matth. 5.44 But he can cause the rain to fall distinguishingly and not promiscuously It was the saying of a Heathen in his fourth Book concerning the bestowing of benefits chap. 28. The gods give many benefits to unthankful persons Dii multa ingratis tribuunt sed illa bonis paraverant contingunt autem etiam malis quia separari non possunt Nec poterat lex casuris imbribus dici ne in malorum improborumque râ—ra defluerent Sen. de â—enef l. 4. c. 28. they provided them for the good but they fall to the share â—f the bad because it is impossible to divide them And instancing in rain he saith No law can be given to the falling showers or to the showers when they fall that they distill not upon the lands of wicked men Thus what that Scâ—ipture in Matthew saith God doth out of choice to shew his goodness that this Heathen said their Gods did but of necessity because they could do no otherwise If they sent rain upon the just the unjust must have it too he thought there was no avoiding of that but this Text in Job and many more up and down the Scripture teach us that God can put a law upon the showers of rain he hath his Water-courses and câ—n direct the rain to what place and persons he will he can command it to fall by his law when and where and upon whom he appoints God retains his sâ—veraignty for a distinct distribution of the wateâ—s though to declare his bounty and mercy he usually makes no difference but distributes it alike to all The Lord is so good that he feeds his enemies and nourisheth a world of wicked ones or the wicked world every day yet he retains his Empire over the clouds still and he divides a Water-course
of cold There have been such Frosts and Freezings that great waters mighty rivers yea some parts of the Sea have been turned into a stone Houses have been built upon these congealed waters and Battels have been fought upon them Strabo l. 2. The Army of King Mithridates overcame the enemy in a pitcht Battel upon the Ice And 't is fresh in memory how the late King of Sweden a few years since passed his Army over an arm of the Sea Danubius ripas golu jungit duratusque glacie ingentia tergo bella transportat Plin. in Panegyr in his wat with Denmark So fierce and violent is the cold in some parts of Muscovia that a mans spittle is frozen say some in its passage from his lips to the ground much more may it be so with cold water sprinkled in the Air. Now as the power of God is great in hardning that which is soft Concrescunt subitae currenti in flumine crustae Vndaque jam tergo ferratos sustinet orbes puppibus illa prius patulis nunc hospita plaustris Virg. l. 3. Georg. so in softning that which is hard He that turns water into a stone can turn stones into water So the Psalmist expresseth the miracle of bringing water out of the rock for Israel in the wilderness Psal 114.7 8. Tremble thou Earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob which turned the rock into a standing water the flint into a fountain of waters This is a glorious work the turning of a visible rock into water but the work of God is more glorious in softning a hard heart or in turning the rocky heart of an impenitent sinner or the invisible rock of an impenitent sinners heart into the waters of godly sorrow working repentance not to be repented of We should much more magnifie the power of God when we see hearts of stone melted and dissolved into those spiritual waters than when though that be a mighty work of God we see the natural waters turned into or as the Text gives it hid as with a stone or when we see as it followeth in the Text that The face of the deep is frozen That is the uppermost part of the deep is frozen and I conceive the Lord puts this in the face of the deep to shew that the cold hath not only power in the shallow standing waters but in that which is deep and deep to amazement so deep that it is called The Deep as if all other waters were but shallows compared with that So then not ponds only and rivers and shallow waters but the face of the deep where one would think the Frost could have no power is frozen The Hebrew is The face of the deep is taken The word notes taking as a Captive or Prisoner is taken Quasi ligata captivata esset The Lord takes the face of the deep Capâ—ive and holds it as his Prisoner during pleasure They who inhabit or travel to the Northern Climes have so mâ—â—h experience that the face of the deep is frozen that I need not further insist upon any proof of it nor shall I further treat of these effects of Cold Frost and Ice as considered in a natural way Onely for the close of all and a little improvement of them in a moral or spiritual way we may consider them in a twofold resemblance First Ice and Frost resemble all humane things The things of this world are they not like a Sea of Ice that is First Very slippery Secondly Very Uncertain how long they will last or continue Some conceive that the Sea of glasse like unto Chrystal which was represented unto St John in Vision Rev. 4.6 15.2 signified the state of the world which is like a Sea because of the tumultuousness of it and like a Sea of glasse because of the brittleness of it and a Sea of glasse like Chrystal because of the clearness and transparency of it to God he sees quite thorow it to him all things are naked and manifest Such a thing is the world 't is a frozen Sea especially for the slipperiness and uncertainty of it For though the Sea be turned into a stone yet no man knows how soon a Thaw may dissolve it back again into water The things of this world suffer sudden changes Though men have worldly estates like to mountains of stone or rocks yet the Lord can make these mountains these rocks melt at and flow down at his presence Isa 64.2 The greatest mountains of worldly power and riches which seem to be as hard as rocks as compact as mountains of Adamant are yet but like mountains of Ice before the Lord if he let forth but a little heat of his anger and displeasure against them they melt like wax before the fire or like a heap of snow before the Sun and slow down presently like water Should we see men building upon the Ice as some have done in a proper sense we would presently say they build upon a very unsure foundation They who build their hopes upon any person or thing in this world are no wiser and do no better than they who build upon the Ice All things here below are uncertain they may yea they must soon melt and pass away from us or we from them Secondly Ice and Frost the cold season of which the Text speaketh resembles a state of affliction and adversity that 's Ice that 's Frost As warm Sun-shine resembles a state of prosperity so Cold and Frost a state of adversity and so it doth in a four-fold respect Fiâ—st Because Frost or Cold is unpleasant and pinching to the body eâ—pâ—cially to weak and tender bodies No chastening saith tâ—â— Apostle Heb. 12.11 for the present seemeth to sense and slâ—â—â— to be joyous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but grievâ—us or as the Greek strictly seemeth to be of joy but grief Secondly Ice and Frost continue not they are but for a season a â—naw will come The afflâ—cted state of a godly man is unpleasing yet not lasting to be sure not everlasting Though some Fâ—oâ—ts hold longer than others yet none hold alwayes Summer will come and usually where winter is fiercest Summer Heyl. Geog. for a recompence is pleasantest Oâ— Modern Geographer having described the sharpness of Winter in Muscovia concludes thus Sâ—ch is their Winter neither is their Summer less miraculous For the huge Seas of Ice which in a manner covered the whole surface of the Country are at first approach of the Sun suddenly d ssolved the waters quickly dried up and the Earth dressed in her Holy-day Apparel such a mature growth of fruits such flâ—urishâ—ng of he bs such chirping â—f birds aâ— if it were a peâ—petual spring And that the Church of God after a sad and cold winter of affl ction is relieved by a sweet and comfortable manner of proâ—perity is set forth in the highest stâ—ains and most beautiful slowres of divine Rhetorick
of the Leviathan yet it is questionable what that creature is and to say the Crocodile is meant by Leviathan or the Whale is meant by Leviathan is only matter of opinion and the judgment of man Vers 1. Canst thou draw out Leviathan Our Translators say in the Margin a Whale or a Whirle-pool 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint render Canst thou draw out the Dragon As if by way of eminence Leviathan were the chiefest and greatest among all that are or may be called Dragons And say some the word Leviathan is the same with Thannin which in the Hebrew signifies a Dragon Insomuch that these two words Thannin and Laviathan are taken in Scripture promiscuously Psal 74.13 14. Thou breakest the heads Thanninim of the Dragons in the waters we put Whales in the Margin Arias renders the Text so then followeth in the next verse Thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces c. meaning in both verses Pharaoh and his Captains who pursued Israel not only to but into the red-Red-sea and were drowned Thus also these two words are used Isa 27.1 where Leviathan the piercing or crossing the sea like a bar Serpent even Leviathan the crooked Serpent whom the Lord will punish with his sore and great and long sword as 't is said in the former part of the verse is the same with the dragon that is in the sea whom he will slay as 't is said in the latter part of the verse Some of the Jewish Writers distinguish these two only in growth or greatness defining Leviathan to be a great Thannin or Dragon But as the word Thannin doth so signifie a Dragon that yet it is often applied to signifie Whales and Sea-beasts because they in some sort resemble the form and flectuation of Dragons thus 't is said Gen. 1.21 that on the fifth day God created great Thanninim Whales Now I say as in Scripture the word Thannin is rendred Whale so Whales and such like great fishes are in Scripture expressed by the word Leviathan And in one place possibly in more nothing else can be understood by the word Leviathan but the Whale or fishes of the Cetacean or Whale kind The Psalmist being wrapt into an admiration of the works of God or rather of God in his works speaks thus Psal 104.24 25 26. O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them them all The earth is full of thy riches So is this great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts There go the ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein Now though it be granted that in some places of Scripture oâ—her animals and for instance the Crocodile of Nilus may be understood by Leviathan yet in this place of the Psalm the Crocodile cannot be understood For the Leviathan there spoken of abides in the great and wide sea where the ships generally go Now though Nilus may be called a Sea as Lakes and great Rivers sometimes are in Scripture yet it cannot be called the great and wide sea 't is at most but a small and a narrow sea and therefore we find the river of Egypt that is Nilus and the great sea distinctly and distinguishingly mentioned Josh 15.47 So then it appears that the Whale is somewhere meant by Leviathan And forasmuch as there is an Emphasis put upon the Leviathan spoken of in the Psalm he being there called That Leviathan as if it had been said though there are other Leviathans such as are Dragons Crocodiles in other great waters yet the chief and great Leviathan of all is an inhabitant of the great and wide sea Now seeing the Leviathan described in Job hath such characters given of him as plainly shew that he is the chief Leviathan it may with fair probability be supposed that he is the Leviathan spoken of in the Psalm and if so then the Leviathan in Job cannot be the Crocoâ—ile for the Crocodile is not an inhabitant of the great and wide sea Facetae ironicae sunt interregationes quae habentur quinque primis versibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 interrogativum rectè suppletur ex collatione proximè sequentium Pisc Let that be considered as to the negative and what the whole Text in Job holds out for the affirmative I shall leave it to consideration as I pass through the several parts of iâ— Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a hook The first thing considerable in Leviathan is the greatness and vastness of his body which as was said is plainly intended in these words Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a hook or his tongue wâ—th a cord which thou lettest down As if the Lord had said Thou canst draw up some great fishes with a hook and line and if it should be told thee there is a fish so big that no man with hook and line is able to draw him out of the water thou wouldst say that must needs be a huge fish now such a one at least is Leviathan This the Lord would convince Job of in putting this question Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a hook Thou canst not Leviathan is too heavy for thy draught The interrogation is a negation Canst thou thou canst not draw out Leviathan with all thy strength if thou hadst the strength often men thou couldst not draw him out Little fishes yea very great fishes may be drawn out but Leviathan cannot he will break all thy tackling Further Canst than draw out Leviathan with a hook and line No nor with a cart-rope As if we should say to a man canst thou knock down an Oxe with a fillip of thy finger No nor with the force of thy fist And as this question Canst thou c. implyes that man cannot so it seems to intimate that God can as easily take up this huge Leviathan as any man can draw up a small even the smallest fish with hook and line or play with it in the water As he that made Behemoth can make his sword approach unto him Chap. 40.19 so he that made Leviathan hath a hook to draw him out with Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook Or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down If the fish bite the hook takes him by the tongue or jaws The Hebrew word is Canst thou take him with a cord which thou drownest That which is let down deep or far into the water may be said to be drowned in the water Unless the line or cord of the angle sink deep into or be drowned in the water the hook is useless and therefore the Angler hath a lead fastned upon his line to make it sink deep as well as a cork or quil to keep it from sinking too deep Canst thou draw out his tongue with a cord which thou drownest or lettest down Vnum hoc animal terrestre linguae usu caret Plin. l. 8. c. 25. The mention
he hath not concealed the parts c. of Leviathan from us Then certainly he will not conceal the knowledge of himself and of his Son from us We may get to heaven or be saved though we know not the creatures thus distinctly but without the knowledge of God in Christ we know no salvation Acts 4.12 If therefore the Lord hath acquainted us thus particularly with the knowledge of the creatures which is an inferior and not so necessary a knowledge doubtless he hath acquainted us with the knowledge of himself which is altogether necessary This is life eternal to know thee the only true God Deus non deficit in necessariis and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 It is an useful knowledge to know the creature to know the Leviathan but it is of absolute necessity to know God the Father Son and Spirit God hath not concealed himself from us nor his will from us neither what he would have us do and believe nor what he will do for us The Apostle Paul could say to the Church at Ephesus I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God Acts 20.27 The Lord hath not shunned to declare his counsel for our direction for our instruction for our caution and for our consolation he will not conceal the knowledge of himself from us in what is needful for us to know unto salvation The Lord having thus prefaced his purpose to declare the parts c. of Leviathan comes in the next words to declare his parts Vers 13. Who can discover or uncover as some the face of his garment That is his garment The word rendred face is redundant As to flie from the face of a man is to flie from a man and to flie from the face of the sword is no more than to flie from the sword The face of any thing strictly taken is the superficies of a thing or that which is uppermost The face of the earth is the upper part of the earth not the whole earth But here the face of Leviathans garment is his whole garment But then the question is what is this garment Quis potest illam è mari in siceum adducere nudam fistere coram hominibus Jun. Pisc Indumentum ceti vocat cutem qua tanquam indumento tegitur q. d. quis detraxit ei cutem quis exâ—oriâ—vit cum Drus Merc. I may give you a fourfold answer First Some learned Interpreters are of opinion that the Sea it self is here intended by this garment because the Whale doth as it were wrap himself in the waters as we do in a garment The Sea is his garment saith Mr. Broughton who can take that from him and bring him to Land Secondly Others conceive that by this garment we are to understand the skin of the Leviathan The natural garment of every creature is his skin At first mans not only natural but only garment was his skin and afterward his artificial garment was made of skins Who can discover the skin of the Leviathan that is who can fley off his skin and so strip him of his garment De balena scribitur quod oculi ejus gravi supercilâ—orum pondere operiuntur prominentia illa quasi vestiuntur nemoque audat corium illud quod facies indumenti appellatur attollere confestim à belluo vorandus Paraph. Paraemialis locutio esse videtur q. d. quis audet vel cuticulae ejus particulam detrahere ut de homine superbo iracundo dicimus ne pilum quidem barbae audes ei extrahere Bold Thirdly Others who interpret this garment the skin yet conceive it spoken not of the skin of his whole body but the skin about his face and which hangeth over his eyes which no man is so hardy unless he be fool-hardy as to open and take away Fourthly Some take these words as a proverbial speech who can take away a piece of his skin or touch his skin As we commonly say of a proud and wrathful man who dares touch him or pull off so much as a single hair from his beard I shall pitch upon the second interpretation that by the garment of Leviathan is meant his skin which is his natural garment There are many remarkable things spoken afterwards in this Chapter about the skin of Leviathan Here 't is called his garment Whence note God hath given every creature some kind of garment or covering The Whale hath his garment he could not abide the water without it All trees and plants have a garment the rind or bark they could not abide the air without it Every beast and bird hath a garment they could not abide either heat or cold without it 'T is said of man in the state of innocency that he was naked Gen. 2.18 And the man and the woman were both naked and were not ashamed yet they were not quite naked they had a natural garment though not an artificial one their skin yea they had a better natural garment than their skin their innocency and that was the reason why they were not ashamed Since the Fall mans natural garment is not enough to keep him from either cold or shame he must have an artificial garment over that nor is any artificial garment how thick or rich or costly or fashionable soever enough to keep him from shame he must have a spiritual one he must as the Apostle exhorts Rom. 13.14 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ he must put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.24 else he hath reason to be ashamed All are naked till they put on this garment Christ and his Graces And they that have put on this garment shall be cloathed with the garment of joy and glory Being cloathed thus we shall not be found naked as the Apostles word is 2 Cor. 5.3 The Lord hath bestowed a garment upon every creature and upon man garments of beauty and glory Who can discover the face of his garment Or who can come to him with his double bridle There is much contending about the meaning of these words or what is meant by this double bridle but I shall not make any stay about it The text may be read thus Who can come within his double bridle The Geneva translation is near ours Who can come to him with a double bridle But what is this double bridle First Some understand this double bridle as a part of Leviathan Intelligit oâ— aut labia quae diducta fraene duplicati spâ—ciem habent Drus Who can come to his double bridle or into the doubling of his bridle As the verdure or greenness of grass is put for green grass so say some the duplicature or doubling of his bridle is nothing else but his double bridle that is his jaws or mouth which have some resemblance to a bridle when they are opened or at their end Now according to this reading the meaning is who
him It is said of that Land-leviathan Alexander the Great before mentioned that he even leaped for joy when he was engaged in great dangers and hazardous attempts then he would say exultingly Now I see danger suitable to the greatnss of my spirit Jam video animo meo par periculum In such a sense it may be said here of Leviathan sorrow is turned into joy before him But whence was this surely from his strength and the confidence he had in it Hence note They who have great strength think themselves above sorrow and danger Leviathan is so strong that sorrow is turned into joy before him how full of joy or how joyful then is he as Christ saith Mat. 6 23. If the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness so if our sorrow be turned into joy to us how great is our joy Some good men have found it so according to their faith and most stâ—ong men hope it shall be so to them according to their pre umption A st ong man rejoyceth to run a race whereas a weak man is afraid of it going is grievous to him much more running Whatsoever we have strength to do if we have hearts also to do it we rejoyce to do it yea we are so apt to rejoyce in our carnal strength of any kind that the Lord by his Prophet Jer. 9.23 forbids it in every kind of strength in strength of understanding Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom he forbids it also in strength of estate Let not the rich man glory in his riches and lastly he forbids it in this particular strength of body Let not the mighty man glory in his might And there is great reason we should take heed of being found Leviathans in this seing none have been more oppressed and weakned with sorrow than they who upon confidence in self-strength have thought themselves above it or that it should certainly be turned into joy before them Further It will not be unuseful to consider That as here it is said Leviathans sorrow is turned into joy before him so it is promised to and the priviledge of all true believers to have their sorrows or that their sorrows shall be turned into joy before them John 16.20 Verily I say unto you said Christ himself that ye shall weep and lament and the world shall rejoyce here 's the case of Christs Disciples in this world they shall weep and lament that is they shall have cause to weep and many times shall actually weep and lament but your sorrow shall be turned into joy As ye shall rejoyce in spirit under those dispensations which have the greatest occasion and matter of sorrow in them or as Eliphaz said Job 5.22 At destruction and famine ye shall laugh ye shall laugh at destruction it self so at last all the very matter of your sorrow shall be turned into joy The most sorrowful things shall not now be able to swallow you up with sorrow and at last you shall not know by any then present experience any sorrowful thing All your tears shall be not only wiped off from but out of your eyes Christ will then renew that miracle in a metaphorical sense which be once wrought in a natural of which we read John 2. he will turn water into wine the waters of sorrow and tribulation into the wine of joy and consolation Which blessed priviledge is also clearly prophesied Isa 65.13 14. Lastly If by reason of Leviathans strength his sorrow is turned into joy surely the faithful who have the Lord for their strength may turn their sorrow into joy into such joys as none shall take from them or turn back or again into sorrows Thus far concerning the strength of Leviathans neck and the effect of it his joyful or merry life The next words shew him strong all over or in all the parts of his body Vers 23. The flakes of his flesh are joyned together they are firm in themselves they cannot be moved This compactness of Leviathans flesh argues an universal strength His flesh is so compact as if it were a molten thing or as the word rendred firm in the latter paâ—t of the verse signifies like brass or bell-mettal moulton in a furnace and cast into a body Such is the force of the Hebrew The flakes of his flesh are joyned Though Leviathan be a fish an inhabitant of the waters yet the Scripture calls the bulk of his body flesh So Levit. 11.10 11. All that have not sins nor scales in the seas and in the rivers of all that move in the waters they shall be even an abomination unto you ye shall not eat of their flesh In Scripture sence fish is flesh the Apostle useth the same language 1 Cor. 15.39 All flesh is not the same flesh that is it is not of the same kind but there is one kind of flesh of men and another flesh of beasts another of fishes The fish of the sea have flesh as well as the beasts of the earth And that which Job denied of his flesh Chap 6.12 we may affirm of Leviathans flesh His strength is as the strength of stones and his flesh as of brass As the scales of Leviathan without so now his whole flesh within is spoken of as if it were made of solid brass The very refuge the vilest parts of his flesh as the word which we translate flakes is rendred Amos 8.6 are firm and strong being joyned or glued fast together as the Septuagint express the significancy of the word by us rendred joyned And as it followeth They are firm in themselves they cannot be moved That is one part of his flesh cannot be taken from the other or he cannot be moved that is Leviathan is so strong that nothing can stir him or cause him to give ground unless himself pleaseth And as his flesh covering his bones is thus firm so is his heart covered and defended by both Vers 24. His heart is as firm as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone Corin omnibus animantibus spissum nervosum bend compactum est Arist l. 3. do part c. 4. Superior molo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicebatur ab inequitando The heart is the principal internal part of any creature and the flesh of the heart in every creature is harder than the flesh of any other part of his body the heart is a very compact and hard piece of flesh And the Lord would have us know that the heart of Leviathan is so hard that the heart of any other creature in comparison of his may be called soft and tender His heart Is as firm as a stone That is 't is extraordinary hard which is further intended by the last words of this verse Yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone Mills have two stones an upper which in Hebrew is expressed by a word which signifies to ride because it seems to ride moving
Hebrew word to interpret it of breaking up a decreed place for the sea than of establishing a decree for the sea which is a consequent of the former and therefore I understand it only of a fitting room for the sea here called a decreed place or a place determined a place not only sound out as convenient but determined and set I brake up for it my decreed place or my statuted place a place that I appointed by an ordinance of heaven that place did I break up for it that is I made a vessel or channel like a cradle big enough and broad enough and deep enough to hold the vast waters of the sea I brake up for it my decreed place Note First The Lord who made the sea made also a place for it The ordering and placing of all things is of God as well as the making of them God hath provided a place for every thing and put every thing in its place God is the God of Order And how comely and ordeâ—ly are all things while they are kept in and all persons while they keep in the place which God hath decreed for them and put them in The Elements do not ponderate are not burdensome in their place The sea troubles us not while it keeps or breaks not out from that decreed place which God at first brake up for it There is not the least worm but hath a decreed place And as God hath appointed men their time there is a decreed time for their birth and for their continuance in life they die also and go out of the world in a decreed time so there is a decreed place for every man and that two-fold First Of his habitation in what part of the world he shall live Acts 17 26. Secondly Of his station or vocation what part he shall act in the world to serve his generation or to get his living He that abides within the bounds of his calling abides in his place though he every day move or remove from place to place It is best for our selves and for others also to abide in our decreed places as it is a mercy to us all that the sea abides where God placed it If men break out of their places they may quickly do mischief like the breach of the sea To prevent which God brake up for it his decreed place and not only so but as it followeth in the close of this tenth verse Set bars and doors In the eighth verse we have only doors he hath shut up or annointed the doors of the sea but here we have bars and doors It is an allusion to strong Cities and Castles or to great mens Houses which have not only doors but doors barred and double lockt Bars strengthen doors and keep them fast and sure A strong door if not well lockt and barred may quickly be broken open therefore the Lord to make all fast tells us that when he had put the sea into his decreed place that it should no more return to cover the earth at its own pleasure or according to its natural bent for there is a desire that is a natural bent in the sea to be over-flowing all and to repossess the place from which it was at first with-drawn the Lord I say tells us that he then set doors and bars to keep it in and shut it up fast enough And if you enquire what is meant by these doors and bars with which 't is shut in Some answer The sands of the sea others the rocks clifts and banks these are bars and doors by which the sea is shut in But though these things are indeed as bars and doors to keep the sea from returning again yet that which is the great bar and door is the word of command from God as appears fully in the next verse Vers 11. And said hitherto shalt thou come Et dixi ei sc prosopopeia Dicere dei est jubere constituere quid fiat and no further The Saying of God is Gods Command and Law And said To whom To whom did the Lord speak He said it to the sea though a senseless creature a creature without reason yea without life yet the Lord said it and he said it to the sea and he spake it as angry with the sea As if he had said I see what a raging creature thou art what a froward ungovern'd child thou art like to prove therefore I say hitherto shalt thou come and no further We may take this saying of the Lord under these two notions Hebraei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro termino ponunt ut apparet Ezek. 41.15 ideo recte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vertitur hoc usque Câ—â—t First As expressing the firmness of what was done He said that is resolved determined and concluded made it a Law a Law like that of the Medes and Persians not to be reversed by any power Secondly He said as noting the facility of the work When the Lord took a course to shut up these doors and to put on these invincible bars what did he He said it and it was as soon done as said so that this word He said notes the infinite soveraignty and power of God that by a word speaking the matter was done He said Hitherto shalt thou come The Lord gives the sea line He makes it a prisoner but not a close prisoner He gives it a great scope large room to role and tumble its waves in Hitherto thou shalt come that is hitherto thou maist come It is not a Command that the sea should alwayes come so far but it is a dispensation or a permission that thus far the sea may come but no further As if the Lord had said I have drawn a line and I have set a mark I have given thee a bound so far to go hitherto shalt thou come But no further Rabbi Levi. The Hebrew is Thou shalt not add Thou shalt not go beyond the bound which I have set thee to destroy the earth A Jewish Writer gives a double exposition of this But no further First Of the waves and the waters in the midst of the sea When waves rise in the main ocean how high they may rise and toss the sailing ship we cannot tell but God knows Secondly Of the waves roaring at the sea-shore To both he saith Hitherto shall ye come and no further And here shall thy proud waves be stayed Why doth the Lord call them proud waves it is not because they are proud properly but by a Metaphor they lift up their heads as proud men do and are therefore called proud waves Thus Jethro spake of Pharaoh and his host Exod. 18.11 In the things wherein they dealt proudly the Lord was above them Pharaoh and the Egyptians like the proud waves of the sea thought to have swallowed up all Israel but God made the sea to swallow them up Proud men like mighty waves think to swallow up all but He is above them that saith to
the sea Here shall thy proud waves Be stayed The Hebrew is And here it shall set it self against the pride of thy waves As if the Lord had said if they come here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fluctus recte dicti quia volvuntur ventis Et magnos volvunt ad littora fluctus Dicuntur etiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fragore vel quod franguntur in littora scopulos vel quod inter se colliduntur my doors shall meet them my commands like bars shall stop them that they shall not be able to go a step further they shall not conquer my commands nor break down the doors nor dissolve the bars which I have set up The word rendred waves properly signifies a heap because waves role in heaps one upon the neck of another First In that this Text makes so particular a description of the provision which God made to keep the sea in order as soon as it was born he bound it up in swadling-bands and then brake up a decreed place for it and there set up bars and doors that it should come no further He put the sea under confinement Hence Note The sea left to it self would mischief all the sea would return and cover the earth quickly As soon as ever it brake forth out of the earth it covered the earth and so it would do again if the Lord should let it alone David took special notice of this work of God Psal 104.9 Thou hast set a bound that they the waters spoken of vers 6 7 8. cannot pass over that they turn not again to cover the earth Which plainly implieth that the waters would turn again to cover the earth and so recover their first liberty even to overspread the face of the whole earth did not God restrain and hold them in as was shewed before in the general explication of this verse Secondly Note The creature can go no farther than God permits or suffers Rational creatures often go beyond the commands of God but neither they nor any creature can go beyond the counsel of God They who transgress or pass over the line of his revealed will cannot pass over the line of his secret will The Lord secretly puts a stop to all creatures as here to the sea How extravagant soever mens spirits are or their practices are yet they are under an over-ruling power The sea hath continued under this command ever since God made it it hath gone no further than the Lord would Though it be a truth that the sea hath broken visible and natural yea artificial banks and bounds and bars yet it hath never broken those special invisible banks bounds and bars Deus non sibi eas rerum leges fixit quas nequeat ad tempus cum libot mutâ—re which God hath made for it his decree When God gave the sea visible banks and bounds and bars he did not intend them for banks and bounds and bars to his own will and therefore he sometimes bids the sea go beyond and break its visible bounds and bars He commanded a general deluge in Noahs time then all was sea no dry land appeared And though we have the Lords promise that he will never destroy the world how sinful soever by an universal deluge any moâ—e Gen. 9.11 yet Histories and experiences have told us there have been many particular inundations of the sea breaking its anciently known bounds and bars nevertheless it never did nor ever shall break the bars of this word hitherto shalt thou come but no further The divine pillar of this Ne plus ultra No further stands inviolable If the sea break bounds at any time 't is because God hath given it a special commission to do so for the punishment of men who break their bounds by sin The sea is still Gods prisoner and goes not out of those doors which God hath set up and barred without his licence it stirs not a foot from the decreed place which God broke up for it but as he lengthens its chain Thirdly Note To God alone that power belongs which keeps the sea within compass It is not the sands nor the banks nor the rocks that can do it The water is a very barbarous and head-strong element none can put a bridle into the lips of it but God himself A late Historian speaking of the siege of Rochel saith there was a stupendious dike made which might be called a bridle to the sea but God alone can make a bridle for the sea his word in the Text Hitherto shalt thou come and no further is the bridle Some dispute whether it be not a continued Miracle that the sea is kept within its compass We say miracles are discontinued and I conceive 't is beside the nature of a miracle to be continual yet without dispute 't is a continued marvel or wonder that the sea is thus kept in if the Lord should let it loose if he should remove the bar and unlock the door of that prohibition here given it but one hour no natural doors nor bars could hinder it from returning to cover the face of the earth Take a few inferences from the whole First The sea is Gods and he hath made it Psal 95.5 And he made it as to declare his own glory so to promote our good Psal 104.25 26. The earth O Lord is full of thy riches so is this great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts there go the ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein O magnifie God who hath made the sea so vast so wide so great yet so useful and commodious As the sea is a terrible creature so a beneficial creature bringing forth and feeding an innumerable company of beasts as the Psalmist speaks We may as soon number the sands as the shoals of fish bred and nourished in those mighty waters Secondly As the sea is the Lords and he made it so the sea is the Lords and he masters it Psal 89.9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them Glorifie the Lord in this No earthly potentate can coerce the sea Xerxes presumed he could tame the Heâ—espont a little brook comparatively to the Ocean but it would not obey him he disciplined it with three hundred stroaks for attempting his bridge of boats but it would not mend he cast fetters into it as if it had been his vassal but it would not be bound It is God who binds the sea That knows no Lord but him that made both it and the dry land It was proof enough of Christs Divinity that rebuking the winds and the sea there was a great calm This made the men marvel saying what manner of man is this surely he is more than man that even the winds and the sea obey him Matth. 8.26 27. When some Courtiers would have flattered our Danish King Canutus into a belief that his power was more
utmost of the depth Hast thou walked there We walk on dry land and in pleasant fields Et in novissimis abyssi deambulasti Vulg. i. e. in infimis ejus partibus Aquin. Some artificial parts of the earth are by way of eminence called walks because they are purposely fitted by art to walk in But who can walk in the searches of the depth Are there any under-water-walkes Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat aliquid quaerere investigare usque ad fundum nâ—vissimum To clear these words a little further we may consider two other readings or translations of them First Thus Hast thou walked in the depth by search that is Hast thou found out a way to go to the bottom of the sea by curious search and diligent enquiry Hast thou by thy skill discovered how deep the sea is Hast thou let down thy line and plummet to fathom it and then descended into it I know thou hast not An ad dimetiendum abyssum ambulasti Heb. in investigatione i. e. ad investigandum Codurc Secondly Hast thou walked to search the deep that is Hast thou gone down to the bottom of the sea and there discovered the secret and hidden paths of it I know thy answer must be Thou hast not Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea or hast thou walked in the search of the depth Hence Note First There are secrets or depths in the sea beyond mens searching or finding out The sea in many parts of it may be searched Some have been at the bottom of it many have let down a line to the bottom of it yet it is usual in Scripture to speak of the sea as a thing unsearchable or so deep that none can find the depth of it The sea is so deep that it is sometimes called the depth chap. 28.1 The depth saith that is the Sea saith it that is wisdom is not in me 'T is also called the deep Luke 5.4 chap. 8.31 That is very deep which is called the deep and that 's of an unsearchable depth which is called the depth Such a depth so deep is the sea that no man knows how deep or what the depth of it is Now if we cannot reach the depth of the natural sea then which is the scope of this place surely there are depths and secrets in the ways and counsels of God which no man can earch or find out David Psal 139.9 speaking of the Omso presence of God saith Whither shall I go from thy presence If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea there shall thy hand find me There is no depth no breadth but God can find it out but how little of the depth or breadth of God can we find out Psal 36.6 Thy judgements are a great deep that is thou O Lord dost terrible things in judgement as angry yet such righteous things as just and wise that 't is very hard for any and impossible for the many or most of men to see the reason of them And doubtless it was the deep of his own divine judgements that God intended to lead Job to when he spake here of the depth of the Sea We read what the Apostle was forced to when he was but as it were dipping his feet into this sea of the Counsels and Judgements of God even to cry out O the depth Rom. 11.33 As if he had said I dare not enter into the springs of this sea nor into the search of this depth O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out This was Davids express Confession concerning the providential way of God His way is in the sea and his path in the great waters and his footsteps are not known Psal 77.19 Goings upon the water leave no print behind them we cannot observe a track in the sea God walks sometimes as upon the land we may easily discern his footsteps and see wheâ—e he hath gone But he often walks as upon the sea where no man can see his paths nor are his footsteps known The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth Psal 9.16 Profunditas maris rei obscurissimae ignotissimae humanae intelligentiae soli deo perspectae symbolum yet his judgements are seldome known they are a great deep a sea The sea is a clear emblem of all obscure and unknown things especially of those ways of God which are too deep for our discovery and lie beyond the reach of our knowledge And indeed as soon may we hold the sea in the hollow of our hand or lade it dry with a Cockle-shell as comprehend the deep counsels of God and the mysteries of providence by which they are acted and effected in our shallow understanding Onely what we cannot attain either by sense or reason we may understand by faith as the Apostle saith We do that the worlds were made by the Word of God Heb. 11.3 Who is able any other way than by believing to enter into those springs or walk in the search of those depths Secondly Learn this from it There is nothing a secret unto God That which here is denied to Job is to be affirmed of God Job knew not those secrets but God knew them Job himself said chap. 9.8 God treadeth upon the waves or as the Hebrew is the heights of the sea Here the Lord intimateth that he walketh in the depth of the sea Both set forth his glory God commands from top to bottom he treads upon the waves aloft he walks in the depths below nothing can escape either his Power or his Eye It is the sole priviledge of God to walk in the search of the sea that is to find out and plainly to discern the most secret things And by him the most unsearchable depths are searched out or rather are known to him without search He knoweth even the depth of mans heart which is the greatest depth in the world next to the depth of his own heart God enters into the springs of that sea the Sea of mans heart and walketh in the search of that depth There are innumerable springs in the heart of man which bubble up and send forth their streams of good or evil continually all which the Lord sees more plainly than we see any thing that is done above ground or in the open light Moses doth not onely report Gen. 6.5 That God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth that is that his outward practises oâ— conversation was very wicked buâ— that he saw every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onely evil continually Consider God saw not onely the thoughts of man but every imagination which is the least thing imaginable of mans thoughts He saw as the word which we render imigination properly signifies every figment every little creature which the thoughts of mans heart was
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 generavit in Hiphil de viro tantum Merc. is applyable to either Parent man or woman in a different Conjugation as Grammarians speak but in the Conjugation here used it is proper only to the man and therefore they who translate who hath conceived wrest this Text and depart from the Original sence of the word as here expressed in which the Metaphor of or the Allusion to a Father is still continued Who hath begotten The drops of dew The Lord doth not ask who hath begotten the Dew but the drops of Dew Drops are very small things yet the great God who made the mighty waters of the Sea makes also the small drops of Dew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guttas tantum hic extat Sunt qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exponunt quasi fluctus quod in magna abundantia fluctuum more ros effundatur c. Merc. Ros est vaporis terrae propinqui noctúque resrigerati in aquam concretio Some derive the Original word which we render drops from a Root that signifies a flood as implying that though the Dew falleth in single drops yet being fallen there is much of it even a flood of it Others deriving the word from at least judging it hath near alliance with a word signifying a drinking Cup or a Vial render who hath begotten the Cups or Vials of Dew We heard of the Dew at the 19th verse of the 29th Chapter where Job to set forth the prosperity of his former condition said The Dew lay all night upon my branches Vapours drawn up from the earth in the day by the heat of the Sun are returned in Dew by the moderate coolness and stilness of the night The remote efficient cause of Dew is the heat of Heaven raising vapours from the earth The next efficient cause of Dew is the temperate coolness and quietness of the night for if the night be windy the Dew falls not and if the night be very cold the vapours are congealed and hardned into a frost 'T is only in temperate seasons that we find those dâ—ops of Dew hanging like so many Orient Pearls upon the grass leaves and Flowers at once adorning and refreshing them Vapores sereno tempore medium aeris regionem ascendentes resolvuntur frigore in guttas tenues Arist l. de mund c. 1. Plin. l. 2. c. 60. We may take notice of two things in the falling of the Dew First It falls very silently Secondly very abundantly No man hears the Dew fall nor can any number the drops of Dew which fall Hushai used both these allusions in that piece of loyal counsel which he gave for the defeating of the counsel of Achitophel 2 Sam. 11.12 where he advised Absalom te gather all Israel from Dan to Beersheba as the sand which is by the sea for multitude and so saith he we will light upon him as the Dew falleth upon the ground that is we will come so silently upon him and in such numbers even as the drops of Dew upon the ground that he shall not be able to avoyd us no more than he can avoyd the Dew which in one and the same instant falls upon the field or Country all over An Army comes with an intent to fall upon the enemy like a storm yet it may be said to come and fall upon him like a Dew both because it comes alwayes like a multitude and because it comes somtimes very silently to surprize him at unawares Who hath begotten the drops of Dew Hence Note as before of the Rain so here of the Dew God is the father of the Dew as well as of the Rain The Dew differs not much from the Rain both are of the same nature and they have the same Father and he will be own'd in the Dew as well as in the Rain The Prophet Haggai reproving the returned Jewes Chap. 1.10 for their neglect in not building the Lords House represents the Lord thus speaking to them Because of my house that is wast and ye run every man to his own house that is you eagerly and violently running is a violent exercise pursue your private ends and interests not minding nor promoting my honour and worship Therefore the Heaven over you is stayed from Dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit The want of Dew makes many wants If we want but the Dew of Heaven we shall quickly want the fruits of the Earth We usually take notice of the want of Rain but we seldome take notice of the want of Dew or pray for the falling of it nor do we give thanks for it as for Rain when we see it fallen and sweetly filling the bosome of the earth Yet the with-holding of Dew though Dew be a less mattâ—r than Rain is a greater Judgment than the with-holding of Rain for 't is a sign that the Judgment of drought is at the height or in the perfection of it when the Lord doth not only with hold the Rain which is the greater mercy but the Dew too which is the lesser O how dry must the earth be when it hath not only no plentiful showers of Rain but not so much as a drop of Dew And therefore when the Prophet Eliah would shew the extreamity of the Famine which was coming upon Israel he made that high protest 1 Kings 1.17 As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be Dew nor Rain these years but according to my word Not only shall ye have no Rain but no Dew and when the Heaven is stayed from giving Rain or Dew the Earth must needs be stayed from yielding fruit or food And so great is the Lords care in disposing the Dew of Heaven that Solomon tells us Prov. 3.20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up and the Clouds drop down Dew As if he had said The Dew doth not steal down upon the earth without Gods knowledge not a drop of it destils upon the earth without his orders and privity And when 't is said By his knowledg the Clouds drop down Dew it hath this in it God knows what moysture is meet for the earth whether little or much Dew or Rain though I conceive we may take the word Dew in this Text of the Proverbs synechdochically for any or all the moysture that falls from Heaven as by the breaking up of the depths in the former part of the verse we are to understand all the moysture which riseth from and is conveighed up and down in the lesser or greater Channels of the eaâ—th The Lord doth so much know how useful and beneficial the Dew is to the Earth that it is said to drop down by his knowledge as if the Lord did exercise a very special knowledg about it The Clouds are Gods Vessels which being lockt up by him keep in their precious liquoâ— and being opened by him pour it down in Rain drop and destil it down in Dew whereof Solomon in the place last cited
are is a secret to man Knowest thou them saith God to Job There are some Ordinances of heaven or some things for which heaven is ordained which are easily and commonly known such are the changes of seasons with the division of night and day of winter and summer There are also sec et Ordinances and Orders given to the heavens according to which they produce many unexpected and extraordinary â—ffects here on earâ—h as Drought and the consequent of it Famine Infection in the air and the consequent of it Pestilential diseases and Mortality Who knows these ordinances of heaven and if these are so unknown then we may conclude First If man know not such like secret Ordinances of heaven surely he is much less able to understand the secret counsels of heaven We know but litle of those things that are commonly seen and felt among us but there are reserves which we cannot know at all Secondly We may hence also conclude If the heavens have their statutes and Ordinances as to their motion c. then much more hath man statutes and ordinances according to which he should move The heavens never move but according to ordinances Let us be sure that whatever we do à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praefectus ideo non nemo praefecturam vertit Drus. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod Augustinus interpretatur commutationes coeâ—i we have an ordinance or word of God for it either express or consequential If the heavens be under such a rule shall we think God hath left man at random or without a rule how to speak and think and do in this world It is dangerous to move without an ordinance much more to move against an ordinance we should take heed of acting besides a Law much more of acting against a Law Knowest thou the Ordinances of heaven and as it followeth Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth Cast thou set his force upon the earth Ponere dominium est facere ut dominetur quasi dominum constituere Hoâ— homo non facit sed solus Deus Drus. So Mr. Broughton translates To set the dominion is to make one have dominion and as it were to appoint a Lord or Governour in the earth This is not mans work but Gods As if God had said to Job Canst thâ—u give power to or impower the Stars to rule day and night to cause diversity of weathers and of seasons to which all things here below must submit or with which they must needs comply The word which we read Dominion signifies an under dominion an inferior dominion it signifies a Magistracy or power under a Power The Hebrew language hath two words the one signifying the power of a Judge who gives the rule of the Law and the other Qui simplicitèr judicat sententiam pronunciat dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sed executor qui judicatum exequitur cogit refractarios obedire sententiâ—â— judicis dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here used signifying the power of a Sheriff who sees execution done A person may be in power and have great command yet not the first or chief command The Heavens have not a supream or an absolute command over the earth but a dominion by way of administration they have and that a large and great one Heaven hath a dominion so far as to execute and fulfil that which God the supream Judge orders determines and gives forth both concerning persons and things here on earth The heavens have a ministerial dominion respecting most changes wrought in this world Their ministry respects not only the constant and usual changes of times and seasons barely considered but they have also a ministry with respect to those usual and rare changes which according to the appointment of God befal the persons and conditions of men in this world Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth Thou canst not but I can and have I have set and determined what dominion the Heavens shall have upon the earth or how they shall exercise their dominion Hence observe The Heavens have a power on the earth Some Astrologers give them a power of doing all on the earth as if both our lives and livelihoods depended wholly upon the Aspects of Planets It is not this mans endeavour say they nor that mans skill but all flows from the Stars These make or put the Heavens which are Gods work into the place of God himself they put the heavens into the place of the God of Heaven All things are in the hand of Heaven say they We say All things even the Planets themselves are in the hand and at the dispose of God We grant and this Text proves that the Heavens have a great power upon the earth we cannot but see and feel what the Sun doth upon the earth we see it distributes the year into four seasons Summer and Winter Spring and Autumn we see it makes Equinoxes twice in the year when days and nights are of an even length and as many Solstices in one of which dayes are of greatest length and nights in the other We see how the Sun brings forth several effects in those several seasons even the generation or corruption of natural things We know also that as the North draws the Magnete or Load-stone so the Sun the Heliotrope a flower so called because it follows the motion of the Sun It is said also that the Sun hath a great power upon the Cock who therefore croweth about midnight as if he did then congratulate or welcom the return of the Sun from the Antipodes to our Hemisphear Though these instances are not demonstrative or concluding yet they are probable evidences of the Heavens dominion in the earth Further 't is generally agreed that the Moon hath a great Power upon the waters causing the ebbing and flowing of the Sea as also upon those inhabitants of the Sea Shelfish because they are observed to increase with the increase of the Moon and to decrease at the wane of it Nor may we deny the heavens have a dominion upon the bodies of men for though we subscribe not to those fancies of Astronomers who have fixed a special star as ruling the special parts of mans body as you see in Almanacks who tell us also That in the body of man the Sun answers the heart Mars the gall Jupiter the liver Mercury the mouth and tongue Saturn the head though I say we subscribe not to these no nor to those other sentiments of theirs who ascribe a special dominion to the seven Planets over the seven ages or stages into which the course of mans life is commonly divided that is First Infancy to the dominion of the Moon Secondly Childhood to Mercury Thirdly You h to Venus Fourthly Adolescency or the young mans state to the Sun Fifthly Compleat manhood to Mars Sixthly Old age to Jupiter Seventhly extream or decrepid old age to Saturn yet doubtless
the clouds above may hear thee and so powerfully that they will obey thee Any man the meanest man may lift up his voice toward the clouds but no man no not the mightiest man can lift up his voice to the clouds and be heard that is be obeyed by them Thou canst not command the clouds Though a man speak and speak aloud though he lift up his voice as God bid the Prophet to his people like a Trumpet to the clouds yet the clouds will be deaf at his voice as deaf as sinners commonly are at the voice of a Prophet though lifted up like a Trumpet The voice here intended is an effectual voice such a voice to the clouds is proper and peculiar to God alone Numquid descendet ad te pluvia imperio â—uâ— Vatabl. whose power and Empire is so great and large that he can stretch forth his voice to the clouds far and near all the air over and cause them both to appear at his call and presently to empty themselves and pour out their waters according to his direction upon any coast or quarter of the earth The text is singular Canst thou lift up thy voice to the cloud canst thou lift up thy voice to any one of them as it were by name We render it plurally Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds to any one or to all of them That as it followeth abundance of waters may cover thee As if the Lord had said If I lift up my voice to the clouds they presently dissolve and melt and abundance of waters flow down to cover man and beast to cover the fields the corn the grass nor is it any marvel if the clouds those thin and upon the matter liquid bodies melt and slow down at the voice of God whenâ—s at his voice the mountains flow down and the rocks themselves even the hardest rocks are melted into waters or give forth abundance of water Num. 20.8 Eliphaz said to Job at the 22. Chap. of this book and the 11. Vers Abundance of waters cover thee The words are the same there and here but the sence is very different Eliphâ—z meant it there of metaphorical waters the waters of affliction with which God covered yea almost over-whelmed and drowned Job But the Lord speaks here of natural waters Job could not call to the clouds and get abundance of those waters to cover him nor was he able in a way of command to get one drop of water from the clouds The words are plain and the scope of them obvious even to convince Job yet further of his inability and frailty or that he ought to leave God to the government of the world to the government of Persons Families and Nations for as much as himself was not able to govern a cloud nor to order out the least shower of rain Hence Note Man hath no absolute or soveraign power over any creature Clouds will not be commanded cannot be commanded by the greatest and mightiest of the sons of men Job was a great Prince himself yet he could not neither can the greatest Princes of the world command a shower nor a drop of rain to fall from the heavens Man cannot command the clouds to rain either when he will or where he will or how much he will these powers belong to God alone Yet in one sen e man may lift up his voice to the clouds and abundance of waters will cover him There is a twofold voice of man Fiâ—st A commanding voice And secondly A praying voice Let man lift up his commanding voice to the clouds as long as he will he shall get down no rain but if man by faith lift up his praying voice to the clouds that is to God in whose hand the clouds are he may get rain yea abundance of waters to cover him Zach. 10.1 A k ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain so the Lord shall make bright clouds and give them showers of rain to every one grass in the field At the voice of man humbly praying the Lord makes bright clouds or as our Margin hath it lâ—ghtenings which fore-run black clouds to those God gives showers of rain and those showers of rain give every one grass that is they cause all sorts of Vegetables to spring and flourish in the fieldâ— both for man and beast This was one of the cases which Solomon put in his prayer at the dedication of the Temple for the Lords answering of prayer 1 Kings 8.35 When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against thee if they pray towards this place and confess thy name and turn from their sins when thou afflictest them then hear thou in heaven and forgive the sin of thy servants c. and give rain upon thy land When the clouds are lockt up when they are as brass over our heads prayer moves the Lord to open them or to melt them down into showers for the refreshing and fructifying of the earth The Apostle James Chap. 5.17 18. tells us that â—lias covered the earth with abundance of rain by lifting up his voice in prayer Elias saith he was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months And he prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit The holy history makes the same report 1 Kings 18 45. And it came to pass in the mean while that the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain c. If we would have rain we must ask for it and lift up a praying voice to God who commands the clouds it is a vain thing for us to lift up a voice to the clouds in our own name to command them to give us rain in the season of it And as this is true of the clouds and rain so of all creatures Their powers and vertues their efficacies and influences are not at our command but if we look up to God and wait upon him in prayer he can command them all to give out their vertues both to serve our necessities and accommodate our delights Now as in this question God shews Job his insufficiency to command water so in the next to command fire from the clouds Vers 35. Canst thou send lightnings that they may go and say unto thee here we are What lightning is hath been shewed once or twice already in this and the former Chapter and therefore I shall not stay here in any discourse either about the nature or the wonderful effects of lightning But the Lords manner of speaking and his purpose in speaking here about the lightning is very considerable and calls for further discourse Canst thou send lightnings that they may go c. As if the Lord had said If thou canst not prevail with the clouds to send rain canst thou prevail
and resideth everlastingly in himself he now undertakes Job for the same ends by putting him questions about the living creatures and those of three forms or sorts First About the beasts of the earth Secondly About the fowls of the Air. Thirdly About the fish of the Sea The Lord gives particular instance or makes inquiry about thirteen kinds of living creatures whereof seven abide upon the earth five in the air one in the waters The seven creatures inquired about which abide on the earth are First The Lion Secondly The wilde Goat Thirdly The Hind Fourthly The wilde Ass Fifthly The Vnicorn Sixthly the Horse and Seventhly The Elephant under the name of Behemoth as is most generally conceived The five creatures inquired about that live in the air are First The Raven Secondly The Peacock Thirdly The Ostrich Fourthly The Hawk and Fifthly The Eagle Of the third sort namely such as live in the water or in the Sea Job is questioned only about one the Leviathan or the Whale a creature of a vast magnitude of so vast a magnitude that take all the other twelve creatures and joyn them together the Leviathan exceeds them all in magnitude as will appear in the description given of him at large in the one and fortieth Chapter The Lord in this latter discourse with or questioning of Job seems to descend or to put matter of easier resolution to him than he had done before and doubtless he doth yet he doth it for the greater and fuller conviction and humiliation of Job As if the Lord had said If O Job thou findest thy self puzled and unable to give any tolerable answer and resolution to the questions which I have proposed about the whole bulk or body of the earth and Sea or about those great things that are wrought in the heavens and in the air then consider how thou art able to answer my questions about these lesser things which are also near unto thee the beasts of the earth fowls of the air and the fish of the Sea The Lord even in these works makes manifest his glorious perfections far exceeding the reach and apprehension of man as well as in yea more than in those other works of his mentioned before There are two things especially of which the Lord would convince Job with respect to these living creatures First Of his care and providence in the provision that he daily makes for them Secondly Of his power and wisdom in the extraordinary strength and strange qualities which he hath bestowed upon them and indued them with in some of which they much surpass man the master-piece and master of the whole invisible Creation The general scope and aim of God in putting questions to Job about these living creatures seems to answer a secret doubt which some might have concerning his pâ—ovidence True the Lord governs the Heavens the Stars the Thunder the Lightnings the Rain but doth he look after things below Yea the Lords care and providence about inferior creatures is very great condescending to the very wilde beasts of the earth Ego qui omnio justa dispensatione procuro circa te tantum O Job videbor injustus Philip. to the fowls of the air as also to the fish of the Sea and hence the Lord would have Job understand that surely he had a much greater care of him and of the affairs of the children of men Who can but conclude That if the Lord hath such a respect to these irrational creatures which live only the life of sence then much more hath he a care of man and among men of good men who are his children and of them most of all in their afflictions and troubles So that the Lord by these questions seems to bespeak Job thus How comes it to pass that thou shouldst so much as doubt whether I take care of thee or no when I take care of and look to the wilde beasts of the earth to the fowls that flie in the air yea to the fish that swim unseen in the Sea Or thus Am I thus solicitous to look after Lions and Goats Hinds and Vnicorns the Ostrich and the Peacock c. am I so careful to look after these creatures Vt disâ—at Job Deum non saevum esse in suos qui tam beneficus sit in feras Chrysost many of which are of very little use to man and some of them a trouble to man and dost thou think I will not have a care of thee learn therefore from what I now question thee about that I can never be cruel to thee or forgetful of my faithful servants who am mindful of the bruit beasts and ravenous birds This seems to be the general tendency of the Lords discourse with Job continued from the close of this 38. Chapter quite through the 39. a great part of the 40. and the whole 41 Chapter Having thus given a prospect of the whole I shall now proceed to the particular animals here named and to that first which is not only named in the order of the Text but is looked upon also as first in dignity a King among beasts the Lion Vers 39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion The Lord speaks thus because the Lion is a beast of prey he liveth by hunting by hunting catching and seeding upon other beasts the Lion is a Nimrod in the world a mighty Hunter Naturalists say he is so curious in his diet that he scorns to feed upon any carcase that he hath not hunted and killed himself or that hath not been hunted by a Lion He will not touch a carcase that lies dead in the field but what he feeds upon is what he conquers and kills and that therefore it is here said Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Lion thou needst not he is able enough to hunt for himself Yet some Travellers report that there is a little beast called Jackal somewhat bigger than a Fox who usually doth that service for the Lion to hunt the prey for him and may be called the Lions Hunter Purchas Pilgr Mr. Purchas in that Book called his Pilgrimage â—â—â—s us this relation The Lion saith he hath the Jackal for his Vsher which is a little black shag-haired beast about the bigness of a Spaniel which when the evening comes hunts for his prey and coming on the foot follows the scent with open cry to which the Lion as chief hunter gives diligent ear following for his advantage If the Jackal set up his chase before the Lion comes in he howls out mainly and then the Lion seizeth on it making a grumbling noise whilst his servant stands by barking and when the Lion hath done the Jackal feeds on the relicks Thus far that industrious collector of observations from most of the remote parts of the world And though neither Pliny nor any natuâ—al Historian no nor any Interpreter upon this Text that ever I met with have given any intimation that the Lion hath such a servant
John stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns What was this beast Master Mead saith that by this beast and his seven heads and ten horns we are to understand the Pope with the companies or associations of all those Princes that put themselves under his power all these were figured saith he by that beast rising up out of the sea At the 11th verse of the same Chapter Saint John saith I beheld another beast coming out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spake like a dragon Apocalyptical Interpreters have various opâ—nions about this second beast but whoever or whatever this or the former beast is to be sure they are some body the spirit of God represents them as terrible Behemoths and the Church hath no help nor comfort against them but that in the Text He that made them can make his sword approach unto them The Prophet Isaiah Chap. 27.1 speaks of the Lords sword and of the use he will put it to In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan the crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea that is overcome the devil and all his instruments who oppose and would destroy his Vineyard of Red wine that is his Church Thus we see how the Lord in all ages past hath and how we are assured concerning the Ages to come that he will make that good concerning mystical Behemoths which here he speaks concerning the natural Behemoth He that made him can make his sword approach unto him The Lord having thus far described Behemoth by several parts of his body and by his great strength or power proceeds to describe him further by the manner of his life or by his meat drink and lodging in the latter part of this context to the end of the Chapter Vers 20. Surely the Mountains bring him forth food where all the beasts of the field do play In these words we have the provision which God hath appointed for Behemoth and where Though he be a very great beast and therefore needs much food 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quicquid terra prosert ut sunt herbae arbores yet the Lord hath store enough for him and hath set him where he may feed his fill The Mountains bring him forth grass that is all sorts of herbage and green things And though this part of the description of Behemoth may serve the Hippopotame who as Bochartus saith feeds upon the Hills and Mountains such as they are which lye near the River Nilus as other Amphibions do the Morse especially in other parts of the world yet no man can deny but it doth as well that I say not much better agree to the Elephant that the Mountains bring him forth food The words are plain and need no explication Note two things from them First God provideth food for all creatures even for Behemoth He provides them food from the greatest to the least they are all at Gods finding And doth God take care for Behemoths for Elephants or as some determine it Hippopotames River-Horses and Sea-monsters Surely then as David spake Psal 111.4 He will give meat to them that fear him he will ever be mindful of his Covenant This Inference hath been made from other passages in the former Chapter I only remind the Reader of it here The Lord who provideth mountains of grass or grass upon the mountains for Behemoth hath mountains of provision for all his faithful servants Secondly Note God provides proportionable food for all hiâ— creatures Behemoth is a vast creature therefore God hath whole mountains for him to graze upon he is not shut up in a little pytle or narrow field he hath large mountains for his storeâ— and will not the Lord give proportionable supplies to his people according to all their needs If our needs be great his store is greater The world is mine saith God Psal 50.12 and the fulness of it He that is the fulness of all things and hath in his power and at his dispose the fulness of all the world will not let them of whom the world is not worthy want any thing that is good and expedient for them The mountains and valleys too yea deserts and hard rocks shall bring them forth food God will turn stones into bread and rocks into water rather than they shall want As David said Psal 34.10 The young Lions so I may say the Elephants do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing that is Lions and Elephants shall rather want than they Surely the mountains bring him forth food Where all the beasts of the field play This argues the milde nature and gentleness of Behemoth the Elephant as was shewed at the 15th verse he lives upon grass not upon flesh as Lions and Bears he lives upon grass and therefore all the beasts of the field play where the Elephant feeds for they know he will not eat nor feed upon them he eats only grass Natural Historians tell us that the beasts seem to rejoyce when they see the Elephant because they know he will not hurt them not only do they feed with him to satisfie hunger but play and sport for delight Hence Note First God can restrain the strongest and most dangerous creatures from hurting the weakest Mitissimus est Elephas neque illius congressum exhorrent caetera animalia sed laeta in iisdem pascuis versantur Plin. l. 69. c. 9. The beasts would have little heart to play where the Elephant feeds were he as fierce and cruel as he is great and strong Thus the Lord orders the spirits of powerful men or of men in great power into such meekness and gentleness that even the meanest live quietly and peaceably by them without fear of hurt as was toucht before The Church is set forth playing as it were not only where the Elephant a gentle beast feeds but where wilde and ravenous beasts feed Isa 11.6 7 8 9. The wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them that is the Wolfe shall not hurt the Lamb the Leopard shall not trouble the Kid yea saith that illustrious Prophecy vers 8. The sucking child shall play on the hole of the Asp the weaned child shall put his hand on the Cockatrice den they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea The care of God over his Church and servants appears two wayes First In hiding them from such as would do them hurt As it is said Jer. 36.26 when Baruch and Jeremiah had done
that service commanded them by the Lord Jehoiakim was angry and sent to take them but saith the Text The Lord hid them So the Lord moved Obadiah to hide his Prophets by fifty in a cave from the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel 1 King 18. Now as the Lord keeps his servants by hiding them from those who are enraged against them so Secondly By meekning their spirits as he doth the Elephants towards the beasts of the field shewing them much kindness and suffering them in a sort to play before them that is to enjoy great tranquility The Psalmist saith it was the Lord who turned the heart of the Egyptians to hate his people and to deal subtilly with his servants Psal 105.25 And 't is doubtless of the Lord that any shew them favour and deal kindly with them Again from these words Where all the beasts of the field play Note Secondly A playing life is the life of a beast All beasts would live so wilde beasts do live so As it is said of the Leviathan in the Sea Psal 104.26 There go the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein A life of play is a beastial life It is said Zach. 8.5 in a way of promise That boyes and girles should play in the streets but men and women must work it were a shame to describe them playing The life of man is not a playing life but a labouring life How beast-like do they live who as it is said of the people of Israel Exod. 38.6 Eat and drink and rise up to play that 's just like a beast feed on the mountains and then play upon the mountains Let us follow Solomons councel Eccles 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might We have seen Behemoth feeding let us now see him lodging and reposing himself Vers 21 22. He lieth under the shady trees in the covert of the reed and fens the shady trees cover him with their shadow the willows of the brook compass him about These two verses hold forth the manner of Behemoths repose how and where he takes his ease He lieth under the shady trees c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et cubo dormio saepius cubo nam dormio potius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Drus Some of the Jewish Rabbins read these two verses with an interrogation Negative thus Doth he lie under the shady trees in the covert of the reeds do the shady trees cover him with their shadows or the willows compass him about Implying that Behemoth is so vast a creature that he can hardly find trees to shadow him or willows of the brook to compass him about But though Behemoth be a great and tall beast yet I nothing doubt but there are trees in and about the places which he frequents great and tall enough to shadow him from the Sun when he stands upright yea and reeds of a sufficient height to be a covert to him when he lieth down And therefore as it was an over boldness in those Rabbins to put an interrogation where they found none so there is no need that an interrogation should either be found or put there Indeed Bochartus who judgeth reeds much too low to make a covert for the Elephant tells us out of Aelian That Elephants go by very great trees as we by standing corn and that some of them they are taller than trees Which I conceive Aelian l. 7. c. 6. can be understood no other way than by a high strain of Rhetorick But suppose it true in plain and proper sense yet this gives the learned Bochartus no advantage to which end he alleadgeth that of Aelian for the accommodating of this part of the description of Behemoth to the Hippopotame rather than the Elephant because he tells us from several Authors first Bochartus part poster l. 5. c. 15. p. 755. that the Hippopotame is not only three times bigger than the horse but secondly that he is of equal ability with the Elephant and for the most part greater Whence it is saith he that some Writers compare the Hippopotame with the Elephant both in strength and stature or prefer him before the Elephant which reports saith he although they be a little stretcht yet 't is manifest that the Hippopotame comes behind few animals either in bigness or stature that is tallness of body And if so then the Reeds of the Fen fit him as ill for a covert as the Elephant yet I am enough satisfied that they may very well fit either of them And though the Elephant usually sleepeth standing and rarely lyeth down to sleep yet which is not denied he if sometimes or at any time lyeth down to sleep 't is sufficient to answer the purpose of this Text which saith vers 21. He lyeth under the shady trees in the covert of the Reeds and Fens And Vers 22. The shady trees cover him with their shadow the willows of the brook compass him about 'T is usual with and even natural to cattel of all sorts Sicut aquas odere cupressi Juglandes castoneae ita non nisi in aquot sis proveniunt salices alni popali Plin. l. 16. c. 18. Elephas amat amnes quamvis fluviatile non sit tamen riparium dici potest Arist l. 9. c. 46. to seek shelter under shady trees when the fiery heat of the Sun offends them and as Behemoth seeks out any sort of shady trees so it seems he hath a peculiar delight in and possibly a phancy to The willows of the brook Willows are so called because they mostly grow near to brooks and always prosper best in marish or moorish-grounds Some trees will not grow in watery places such are the Cypress and Chest-nut-trees others will not grow well any where else such are the Aldar and the Poplar trees Willows especially Willows love brooks and Elephants love both brooks and Willows if those ancient Natural Historians mentioned in the Margen mis-report them not Elephantes gaudent amnibus manimè circa fluvios vagantur cum alioquin nare propter magnitudinem corporis non pâ—ssunt Plin. l. 8. c. 10. The Elephant saith one of them loveth rivers and though he be not a river Animal yet he may be called a river-side or river-bank Animal and saith the other Elephants are greatly pleased with rivers and wander much about streams of water though they cannot swim by reason of the greatness of their bodies That is I confess a rare notion and singularly subservient to his opinion that Behemoth is the Hippopotame which the learned Author so often already mentioned gives us namely that by the word rendred brook we are here to understand the river Nilus in Egypt And therefore he translates the Text not as we The Willows of the Brook but The Willows of Nilus compass him about And that the Hebrew word Nahal signifieth Nilus he puts beyond contradiction by quoting many express places of Scripture where it
Leviathan There 's a continual fire in his mouth then what is in the kitchin of his stomack for the digestion and concoction of his meat If sparks of fire leap out of his mouth as out of the mouth of a furnace then we may conclude there 's a great fire kept within Vers 20. Out of his nostrils goeth smoak We had fire before and now comes smoak We usually say Where there 's smoak there is some fire and surely where there is so great a heat there must be or hath been some smoak Out of his nostrils goeth a smoak Fumus est der adustus ex multitudine caloris Aquin. What is smoak 'T is air adust say Phylosophers Much heat draws out the airy part of the fewel and turns it into smoak Leviathan having such a fire in his bowels needs must smoak go out of his nostrils which are as a double chimney to vent it or to keep the metaphor in the Text Smoak goeth out of his nostrils As out of a seething pot or caldron The Hebrew is a blown pot because blowing makes a pot seeth quickly and fiercely A Caldron is a great vessel wherein much may be sodden or boyled at once and boyling sends out a great fume or smoak The Hebrew word rendred Caldron properly signifies a copper or brazen Kettle in which dying stuff is boyled for the colouring of cloth It signifies also a pond and so a great vessel like a pond as that in the Temple was called a Sea for its greatness Vers 21. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth This verse with the former three tend all to one purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ahenum reddidimus ex conjectura propriè ahenum magnum instar stagni quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur Drus Leviathans heat is so vehement that his breath kindleth coals The Hebrew is His soul or life kindleth coals The soul and life of irrational creatures is the same and both are but breath His breath kindleth coals that is his breath is so hot that it will even kindle dead or unkindled coals Mr. Broughton renders His breath would set coals on fire The breath of the Whale is not only compared to a great wind issuing out of a pair of bellows which soon kindleth a spark into a great fire but is it self here compared to a fire by a strong Hyperbole like that which concludes this matter And a flame goeth out of his mouth That is a heat as from a flame or such a heat as a flame giveth These four verses may be improved for our use in two things First to inform us how terrible some creatures are There is nothing which is not terrible in this His mouth sends out a burning lamp and sparks of fire smoak goeth out of his nostrils coals are kindled by his breath and a flame goeth out of his mouth What 's the meaning and import of all this not that Leviathan hath these or doth these things indeed but in his wrath for this is the description of an enraged Leviathan he appears as if he were nothing but heat and would set the very element of water on fire and turn the very billows of the Sea into burning flames Secondly If the Lord hath put such a fierceness into this creature when he is angry what is there in the Lord himself when he is angry The Lord in his anger is described like this Leviathan Psal 18.7 8. Then the earth shook and trembled the foundation also of the hills moved and were shaken because he was wroth what follows There went up a smoak out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured coals were kindled by it The words are almost word for word the same with those in the Text. The Lord is set forth as ushered by fire Psal 50.2 3. Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God hath shined Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him Again Psal 97.2 Clouds and darkness are round about him vers 3. A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about that is he destroyeth his enemies in his anger as if he consumed them by fire Once more Isa 33.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrites who among us shall dwell in the devouring fire who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Thus the Scripture speaks of the Lord in his wrath And doubtless the flaming anger of Leviathan when provoked is but like a warm Sun-shine compared with the provoked anger and hot displeasure of God against presumptuous sinners Who is able to abide his wrath who in sin can dwell with those everlasting burnings who unpardoned can stand before the devouring fire and flames of the Lords displeasure Thus we have the discovery of Leviathans furious heat he is all in a flame Now the Lord having shewed what work Leviathan makes with his mouth and nostrils which belong to his head he comes next to his neck Vers 22. In his neck remaineth strength and sorrow is turned into joy before him Leviathans head is strongly joyned to the rest of his body by his strong neck yet some question whether the Whale hath any neck or no because no distinction which in other creatures is visible appears between his head and his body The learned Bochartus makes this another argument against the Whale and a little reflects upon Diodate who joyning fully with him in opinion that Leviathan is the Crocodile yet le ts go this hold yielding that the Crocodile hath no more neck than the Whale as the neck is taken strictly for that discernable distance between head and shoulders and though he himself grants that several other Authors by him alleadged say the Crocodile hath no neck yet he answers 't is safer to credit Aristotle who saith the Crocodile hath a neck and gives this reason for it because those animals which have no neck at all cannot move their heads whereas the Crocodile by the testimony of Pliny and others can turn his head upwards or hold it up backwards to bite his prey To this some answer and I conceive their answer may satisfie in this Point That how little or how undiscernable soever the space is between the head and the body of any animal the very joyning or coupling of them together may be called his neck and in that sense the Whale hath a neck as well as the Crocodile To this I may add that the shorter the neck of any animal is the stronger it is and that complies fully with what is here said of the neck of Leviathan In his neck remaineth strength The Hebrew is Lodgeth And so Mr. Broughton renders In his neck alwayes lodgeth strength that is he is alwayes strong very strong neckt his neck is so stiff and strong that strength it self may seem to have taken up its residence there That 's the
elegancy of the Hebrew So then these words shew the great strength of Leviathan A stiff or thick neck signifies both strength of body and stoutness of spirit Naturalists say Qui collum habent grossum fortes sunt imbecilles autem qui illud habent gracile Aristot in Physiognomicis those creatures are very strong that are thick neckt as Bulls c. and they are weak that have thin slender necks The Scripture intimates the stiffness and unyieldingness of mans will to the commands of God by the stiffness of his neck Psalm 75.5 Lift not up your horn on high speak not with a stiff neck that is with a neck that will not bow to the Lords yoak nor obey his commands Humble ones bow their heads to worship God and yield their necks to his will For though to bow down the head like a bull rush for a day be not the Fast which God hath chosen Isa 58.5 for that is but an out-side repentance and they who do so may still remain stiff-spirited and pertinacious in their sins yet the bowing of the head hath in it the appearance of a bowed or humbled heart and a stiff neck is the badge of a proud impenitent one To speak with a stiff neck is to speak arrogantly Hannah in her Song 1 Sam. 2.3 useth this language to the stiff ones of the world Talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogancy come out of your mouth we put in the margin let not hardness come out of your mouth that is let it not appear at your mouths that your hearts are hard that your spirits are high and stiff speak no more as if you were Leviathans as if you could not bow your necks 'T is good to have a neck strong to bear but there is nothing worse than a strong neck that will not bow yet the strength of Leviathans neck seems rather to imply his courage than his pertinacy as it followeth In his neck remaineth strength And sorrow is turned into joy before him There are three other readings of these words which I shall name and come to our own Ante cum exilit moeror Jun. i. e. moerore afficit omnes obvios ac si de illis triumphans exultaret moeror effectus ab ea humonitus dictum Jun. First Some thus In his neck remaineth strength and before him danceth fear Several of the learned insist much upon this translation and their meaning is this all that come near Leviathan or within sight of him are afraid all the fish in the sea and all the mariners upon the sea that see him dance or hast away for fear as if fear caused by him triumphing over them danced before them He makes such a combustion by stirring the waters and rolling in them that be frights every living thing he meets with none dare stand him Secondly Master Broughton renders it thus Before him danceth carefulness that is as himself glosseth he takes or hath no care meeting with any fish to feed upon that his taking thought is a gladness He is so strong that he knows he can master all the fish that comes near him and can have prey enough for the taking to satisfie his vast stomack and fill his belly therefore he takes no care for tomorrow before him danceth carefulness Christ saith to his disciples take no thought for the morrow It were well if such carefulness danced before us as Leviathans cares dance before him We say of some men they sing care away and all carking heart-cutting and dividing cares should even dance away before all men The Apostles counsel is 1 Cor. 7.32 I would have you without carefulness as much as to say let carefulness dance before you or put it from you use the means and be not solicitous about successes or issues The moâ—e we live by faith the less we live in care or the more our cares dye and they whose hearts are full of faith cannot but have their heads emptied of cares Some say we have a great family many bellies to fill and backs to cloth how can we be without carefulness Consider one Leviathan needs more food than many families yet he takes no care God provides for him though he know it not and will he not provide for those that know him therefore let carefulness dance before you That 's a good reading for our use and comfort Thirdly Others translate thus before him passeth pennury Faciem ejus praecedit egestas Vulg. The meaning of that reading is wheresoever Leviathan comes he leaves nothing but pennury behind him he devours all before him and all little enough scarce enough for him all the fish he meets with all in the sea he eats them up the sea hardly affords enough to fill his huge belly satisfie his hungry appetite As 't is said of Behemoth he thinks he can draw up Jordan that is all the waters of Jordan so Leviathan thinks he can draw up the sea that is all the fish in the sea so that how much soever he meets with he looks upon it as pennury at most as but enough for him So that this translation Before him passeth pennury may have or bear these two interpretations Either First That he makes all pennury where he comes as it s said of the Turkish wars where the Grand Signiors horse treads the grass will not grow he treads down and spoils all Or as 't is said in Scripture of those enemies The land was before them like the garden of Eden and behind them as a desolate wilderness Or Secondly That he thinks all to be but pennury and scarcity how plentiful soever it is that is before him That which may suffice many is scarce a morsel or a mouthful for him as if all the fish in the sea could not serve him for a break-fast As 't is said of Alexander the Great when he had conquered the known world he was as hungry and sharp-set as ever he looked upon all as pennury and wished there were another world for him to conquer Thus plenty is pennury to Leviathan he is an unsatiable gulf that 's a third reading our own saith Sorrow is turned into joy before him The meaning I conceive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exultavit Mont. vertetur in laetitiam Pagn Quicquid solicitudinem aliis parit excitat exhilerat ipsius animum Bez. is this Leviathan is so strong and powerful such strength remaineth in his neck that nothing can daunt him or bring down his spirit nothing can trouble him much less terrifie him he fears nothing he fears none and if any object of sorrow present it self to him 't is presently his joy That which hath greatest matter of sorrow in it is to him matter of sport or he makes a sport of it he even rejoyceth in the midst of those things that makes others sad he either makes nothing of them or no such thing of them as they appear to others Sorrow is turned into joy before
afraid Hence Note First Great dangers may put the stoutest into a fear Natural fear is a passion or perturbation of the mind raised by the appearance or our apprehension of some eminent or imminent evil ready to take hold of us or fall upon us And as some are of so fearful a nature or are made so fearful by a secret judgement of God upon them that they are afraid where no fear is Psal 53.5 and being pursued with their own guilt flee when no man pursueth Prov. 28.1 or as another Scripture speaks At the sound of a shaken leaf so it is natural to all men to fear in case of real and apparent danger especially if the danger be like a Leviathan very great or if a Leviathan raise himself against them And therefore Jesus Christ himself being in our nature and cloathed with flesh though sinless flesh began not only to be afraid but amazed Mark 14.33 a little before his passion when he saw that greatest Leviathan the Devil together with many great Leviathans raising themselves to swallow him up And if when a Leviathan raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid how shall the mighty be afraid when God raiseth up himself that 's the design of God in this passage The holy Prophet gave this caution to all men Zach. 2.13 Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation As if it had been said the Lord now shews himself he was before as one asleep or laid down upon his bed but now the Lord is raised up What then Be silent O all flesh The mightiest have reason then to be silent How silent There 's a twofold silence First from speaking Secondly from boasting That charge in the Prophet is not to be understood of a silence from speaking but from boasting as if it had been said Be in fear and reverence for the Lord is raised up out of his holy habitation Another Prophet tells us that at the Lords appearances the mighty shall tremble and be afraid Isa 2.19 having said a little before The loftiness of man shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of man shall be made low He adds They shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth When the Lord ariseth to shake this world by his judgements he will make the mighty tremble and run into the holes of the rocks to hide themselves from his dreadful presence If a creature a Leviathan causeth the mighty to fear when he ariseth how much more may the mightiest of the world fear when God ariseth and therefore that prayer of David Psal 68.1 Let God arise let his enemies be scattered let them that hate him flee before him may well be resolved into this conditional proposition If God ariseth his enemies shall be scattered and all that hate him shall flee before him This may teach the mean and poor of the earth to fear him who can make the mightiest afraid When God is angry the mighty cannot then much less can mean underlings stand before him When Leviathan raiseth himself the mighty are afraid And by reason of breakings they purifie themselves Mr. Broughton saith by reason of shiverings But what are these shiverings or breakings Leviathan breaks the waves and waters The waves of the Sea Confractiones vocat quando Leviathan elevando se fluctus excitat qui propterâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellantur quod se invicem frangant are expressed in the Hebrew tongue by a word which signifieth breakin gs because they break themselves one against another as also possibly because Ships are broken by the waves And when 't is here said By reason of breakings they purifie themselves the meaning may be this by reason of the waves and troubled waters which Leviathan makes when he bestirs or raiseth up himself they purifie themselves Nor doth Levithan break the waves and waters only but whatever comes neer him he breaks and shivers to pieces if a Ship be in his way he breaks it as some have been taught to their cost by sad experience By reason of breakings They purifie themselves The mighty are afraid when he raiseth himself up and seeing him make such work they purifie themselves What 's that There are various understandings and expositions of this clause Aliqui verbum purgant exponunt aberrant i. e. Ita percelluntur metu ut animis toti cancidunt nec sciunt quid agant Merl. Peccant i. e. errore se obstringunt ut nesciant quid faciant Nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut Graecè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur qui aberrat à scopo Drus First The word rendred to purifie properly signifies to erre or to wander out of the way and it notes as outward erring or wandring that of the body when we know not whither to go so inward wandring that of the mind when we know not what to do The mind or understanding wanders often and roves up and down we know not whither In this sense several understand the words By reason of breakings they wander they are struck with such a fear and amazement that they run about like men distracted and out of their wits or they suppose it of Mariners know not how to guide the Ship nor how to handle their sails and tacklings Some chiefly insist upon this interpretation By reason of breakings they wander or know not what to do next to help or save themselves from perishing A man in streights usually saith I know not what to do They who are in much fear of suffering in any kind seldom know what to do in any way for their own safety and often take the unsafest way running themselves further into danger while they endeavour to escape it This is a proper and profitable exposition and we may note this from it Great fears causeth great distractions Every worldly fear hath somewhat of distraction in it and in proportion to the fear is the distraction therefore great fear must needs cause great distraction When men in a storm mount up to heaven and go down again to the depths 't is said Psal 107.26 27. their soul is melted because of trouble they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end their wit cannot go a step further with them nor their reason conduct them any longer We say in the margin All their wisdom is swallowed up He that fears Leviathan will swallow him up may soon find his wisdom swallowed up Wise and mighty men may be mightily puzled in great dangers and utterly disabled to make use either of their wisdom or of their might Good Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.12 when a great enemy was invading him cryed out O our God wilt thou not judge them for we have no might against them neither do we know what to do we are bereft
soft on the ouze or mire but laying as it were sharp stones upon it shews what he can endure without hurt And so I conceive these words He spreadeth sharp-pointed things upon the mire may be thus understood and read He spreadeth himself upon sharp-pointed things as if it were upon the mire Secondly We may expound this verse as to the falling off of darts cast and stones slung at him or as to the breaking of swords and spears upon his scales when assaulted with them As if it had been said If you cast darts or sling stones at him they do not enter but drop down under him or if you assail him with sword and spear the sword breaks the spears point is snapt off and falls under his body Thus he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire or spreadeth the mire all over with sharp pointed things As after a well-fought battel at Land we may see the field spread over with pieces of swords and spears and other broken weapons so is the bottom of the Sea could you see to the bottom of it after a skirmish or day of battel with Leviathan This is a probable sense but I rather take the former as shewing the hardness of his skin and scales by his insensibleness of any sharp or hard thing that he rests himself upon All that I shall add is this It were well for us if in this case we could be like Leviathan if we could harden our selves or inure our selves to hardships to lye with sharp stones under us Surely our flesh is much too tender and soft and our skin too delicate for the endurance of a lodging upon hard stones and sharp pointed things The Apostle gives a sutable word of advice to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.6 Do thou endure hardship as a good souldier of Jesus Christ We should labour to endure hardship and to fare hard and to lye hard Edmond a Saxon King in this Land was called Iron-sides I fear there are few Iron-sides among us such I mean as are fit and ready to endure hardship to suffer hard things at Christs call and for his Name sake We should be content as the Church once was Psal 68.30 to lye among the pots yea as Leviathan upon the pot-sheards in that behalf The old Martyrs were patient while they lodged in a coal-house and russeled among the straw Though the Lord doth not exercise with such hardships yet 't is the duty of every Christian to get his heart into readiness and willingness to endure them Though all the followers of Christ are not honoured with sufferings for him yet they who have nor at least who pray not that they may have a spirit of suffering are not worthy to follow him nor to be called his Disciples Mat. 10.38 Mat. 16.24 Luke 14.26 Vers 31. He maketh the deep to boyl like a pot he maketh the Sea like a pot of ointment As Leviathan troubles Sea-men so he troubles the Sea Totum oceanum turbat Jun. he macerates and vexeth the waters he disturbs the whole Ocean where he is or wheresoever he comes This is illustrated by a double similitude First of a boyling pot He maketh the deep like a boyling pot Secondly He maketh the Sea like a pot of ointment Or as Mr. Broughton renders it He sets the Sea as a spicers Kettle that is all in a sume and foam Spices mingled in a kettle to make ointment boyl vehemently upon the fire any liquor boyling is moved and the more it boyles the more it moves Thus Leviathan blustring in the deep causeth it to look like a boyling pot or like a pot of ointment This shews the force of Leviathan he makes such a bussel that he as it were raiseth a storm in the Sea a fiercely boyling pot over the fire much resembles the Sea when the waves foam and the waters are enraged by the winds The mighty power of God is set forth in Scripture calming the Sea when 't is stormy and raising storms when it is calm as might be shewed in many Scriptures Leviathan can trouble the Sea when God hath made it quiet but he cannot quiet nor calm it when God hath made it stormy Leviathan is of a turbulent nature and he deals only in storms his restless spirit will not let the Sea rest he makes it boyl like a pot c. That which is said of Leviathan in his turmoiling the Sea may well represent the spirit of wicked men who in this are like Leviathan they as the Prophet speaks Isa 57.20 are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest and as themselves are like the troubled Sea having continual tumultuations in their own breasts so they often make others like a troubled Sea I shall not here omit what the learned Bochartus takes notice of in this verse both for and against his Assertion That Leviathan is the Crocodile First Though it cannot be denied that the Whale makes a greater stir in the Sea and troubles the waters more than the Crocodile the Whale being much the greater of the two yet he conceives the latter part of the verse where 't is said He makes the Sea like a pot of ointment very peculiar to the Crocodile For saith he many Writers commend the fragrancy or sweet smell which the Crocodile sends forth much like that of musk or the Arabian spices insomuch that some think Amber-greese is taken from that Animal And hence he concludes it may well be said that he where he comes makes the Sea like a pot of ointment which gives a fragrant smell then especially when stirred as Leviathan is here said to stir This is indeed a rare observation and such as Bochartus might well say he could not enough admire that the Ancients should give no hint at all of his testimonies for it being from Authors of somewhat a late date which the Reader may peruse for his fuller observation if he please I would not raise any suspition about the truth of the thing which Bochartus saith cannot but be true it being asserted by the unanimous vote of people of all Nations Indians Arabians Egyptians Assyrians and Americans All that I shall say to it is only this That the Text in Job having this scope to describe the turbulency of Leviathan in the Sea seems not to respect the savour or smell of the pot of ointment but only the troubled motion or ebullition of it when 't is boyling over the fire And in that respect the Whale maketh the Sea like a pot of boyling ointment as much as yea more than the Crocodile The second thing which Bochartus takes notice of in this verse is an objection which may be raised from it against his opinion The Lord speaks of Leviathan as being in the Sea and which is a word of the same significancy in the deep Now the Crocodile is not a Sea-animal but a River-animal therefore Leviathan is not a Crocodile To this he answers First That the River Nilus is called the
me So the Lords servants have often had experience of his power and goodness in delivering them or as 't is here expressed concerning Job of turning their captivity take one instance for all Psal 34.4 6. I said David sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears This poor man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles The Lord who doth us good when we pray for others cannot but do it when we pray for our selves The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends But some may ask will the Lord turn any mans captivity when he prayeth for his friends whose prayer and what prayer is it that obtains so high a favour I answer in general It is the prayer of a Job That is First The prayer of a faithful man or of one who is perfect and upright with God It is not the prayer of every man that prevails with God Jam. 5.16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man only availeth much Nor is it the prayer of a meer morally righteous man that availeth he must be an Evangelically righteous man that is a man estated by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ Secondly As 't is the prayer of the faithful so the prayer of faith as it is the prayer of one in a state of grace so of one acting his graces especially that grace of faith It is possible for a man that hath faith not to pray in faith and such a prayer obtaineth not Jam. 1.5 6 7. If any man saith that Apostle lack wisdom we may say whatsoever any man lacketh let him ask of God but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for let not that man the man that wavereth think that he shall receive any thing that is any good thing asked of the Lord. To ask without faith may bear the name but is not the thing called prayer and therefore such receive nothing when they ask Thirdly It is the prayer of a person repenting as well as believing Job was a penitent he repented in dust and ashes for the evil he had done before he obtained that good for his friends and for himself by prayer If my people saith the Lord 2 Chron. 7.14 Which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes there 's compleat repentance then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their Land there is compleat mercy Some pretend at least to be much in believing yet are little if at all in repenting and humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God How can their prayers prevail for the turning away of their captivity who turn not from iniquity If I said David Psal 66.18 regard iniquity in my heart his meaning is if I put it not both out of my heart and hand by sound repentance God will not hear me that is he will not regard much less favourably answer my prayer It is a piece of impudeâ—câ— I am sure such a piece of confidence as God will reject and wherein no man shall prosper to expect good from God by prayers while our evils are retained or abide in our bosoms unrepented of God hath joyned faith and repentance together woe to those who put them asunder They who either repent without believing or believe without repenting indeed do neither they neither repent nor believe nor can they obtain any thing of God by prayer But the prayer of a faithful man made in faith and mixed with sound repentance will make great turns such a one may turn the whole world about by the engine of prayer But what is there in such a prayer that should make such turns and move the Lord to change his dispensations or our conditions I answer First Such prayer is the Lords own Ordinance or appointment and he will answer that When we meet God in his own way he cannot refuse us he seals to his own institutions by gracious answers Secondly As prayer is the Ordinance of God so he hath made promise to hear and turn the captivity of those that pray as was shewed before Promises are engagements to performance God will not be behind hand with man as to any engagement For as he is powerful and can so he is faithful and will do whatever he hath engaged himself to do by promise A word from the God of heaven is enough to settle our souls upon for ever seeing his word is settled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 Half a promise or an half promise an it may be Zeph. 2.3 from God is better security than an absolute promise than an it shall be yea than an oath from any of the sons of men Thirdly Prayer honours God Our seeking to him in our wants and weaknesses in our fears and dangers are an argument that we suppose him able to help us that all our ruines may be under his hand Such a seeking to God is the honouring of God and therefore God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him and call upon him Our coming to God in all our wants shews that he is an inexhaustible fountain so thick a cloud thar we cannot weary him nor he spend all his waters how much soever he showers down or spends upon us He can distil mercies and drop down blessings everlastingly We often want vessels to receive but he never wants oyle to give It is the glory of Kings and Princes that so many come with petitions to them that they have many suiters at their gates may possibly burden them but undoubtedly it honours them doth it not signifie that he hath a purse to relieve their necessities or power to redress their wrongs and injuries O thou that hearest prayer is a title of honour given to God Psal 65.2 To thee shall all flesh come As God hath said Psal 50.15 they that call upon him shall glorified him for help received so they do glorifie him by calling upon him for help No marvel then if he turn a Jobs captivity when he prayeth Fourthly Prayer is the voice of the new creature The Lord loveth that voice 't is musick the best musick next to praise in his ear Let me hear thy voice Cant. 2.14 that is let me hear thee praying or thy prayer-voice let me see thy countenance for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely The Lord delighteth in prayer therefore the Lord will turn the captivity of a Job when he prayeth Fifthly Prayer is not only the voice of the new creature but it is the voice of the Spirit with the new creature The Spirit himself maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.26 'T is the holy Spirits work to form requests in our hearts to God As the Spirit it self witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8.16 so he prayeth in the spirits of Gods children The prayer of a believer hath the power of the holy
God is here compared to a Mother for the same reason for which he was before compared to a Father We are to note saith Aquinas upon this place that Cold is the cause of Ice which is a feminine or womanish quality but the cause of rain and dew is heat which is a masculine or manly quality And therefore the Lord speaking of the generation of rain and dew useth the word Father and about the generation of Ice and Frost he useth a word most proper to the Mother Out of whose womb came the Ice The word rendred womb signifies the whole belly yea the whole body Thus Psal 132.11 Of the fruit of thy body c. The Hebrew is belly so the word is used Gen. 15.4 2 Chron. 22.21 but according to our Translation it strictly relates to the Mother as if God would take upon him both sexes and be as the Father of the rain and dew so the Mother of the Ice and Frost The Ancients insist much upon this setting forth the glory of God in the former verse as a Father and here as a Mother out of whose womb the Ice comes and they tell us of some who never had Scripture light Clemens Alexandrinus l. 5. Strom. Docet Deum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Orpheo vocatum that yet did speak of God according to this Notion calling him Mother-Father They looked to God and honoured him as having not onely the power of a Father but the care of a Mother conceiving nourishing nursing and educating the Creature as a Mother doth her children and therefore called God Mother-Father and so much this change of the word in the Text doth imply Out of whose womb Came the Ice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gelu Radix evulsit pilos quia gelu terram gramine arbâ—res plantasquefolits dejectis quasi glabrat Yet this manner of speaking signifies no more than this that Ice and Frost are caused and brought forth by the power of God The word rendred Ice comes from a root which signifies to make bald or to pull off the hair because when Frost and Ice come they quickly pull off the leaves from the trees and the flowers from the hearbs they mâ—ke all bare-headed and so Ice hath its denomination from that effect Out of whose womb came the Ice And the hoary frâ—st of heaven who hath gendred it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Texit operuit The word rendred hoary frost signifies to cover over because the â—oary frost covers all over The trees and hearbs all things above ground aâ—e covered with the hoary frost therefore it hath its name from covering and here the Lord calls it The hoary Frost Of Heaven Because the cold which makes the hoary Frost comes from the Air which is oâ—ten in Scripture called Heaven Hence Note The Lord will be acknowledged as the Author of Ice and Frost They are the effects of his power and declaration of his glory and therefore the Lord calls such-like meteors to praise him Psal 148.8 as evidences or pâ—â—ofs of his power and wonderous works Psal 147.16 17. He scattereth his hoar Frost like ashes he casteth forth his Ice like morsels who can stand before his cold The Lord takes the Ice and Frost and Cold to be his it is not onely his Sun but his Ice and his Frost he scatters his hoar Frost like ashes The Frost is compared to ashes in a threefold respect first Because the hoar Fâ—ost gives a little interruption to the fight Iâ— you scatter ashes into the Air it darkens the light so doth the hoaâ—y Frost Secondly hoary Frost is like ashes because near in colour to ashes Thirdly 'T is like ashes because there is a kind of burning in it Fâ—ost burns the tender buds and blossoms Vnde pruinae nomen è perurendo quod fruges perurit vocant Carbunculationem iâ— nips them and dries them up The hoary Frost hath its denomination in the Latine Tongue from burning it diffeâ—s but a very little from that word which is commonly used in Latine for a coal of fire The cold Frost hath a kind of scotching in it as well as the hot Sun Unseasonable Frosts in the Spring scorch the tender fruits which bad effect of Frost is usually exprest by Carbunculation or blasting Frost is sometimes a great benefit and sometimes a great scourge when it comes opportunely and in season 't is a great benefit but if it comes in the spring of the year if it comes when the youth of the spring buds and blossomes are put forth it proves very detrimental and kills that hopeful spring of the Earth which the warmth of a benigne Sun and wind had invited out The Frost of a few nights hath spoiled the hopes of Husbandmen and Vine-dressers for the whole year Frost is both a benefit and a scourge whether it proves the one or the other it is God who gendreth it and must therefore be acknowledged in it As in this 29th verse Goâ— declares himself the Author of the Frost and of the Ice and in opening it somewhat hath been said of their effects so in the next verse one remarkable and very forcible effect of the Frost is held forth that we may learn and 't is no more than our exâ—erience and eye-sâ—ght have often taught us what Cold or Frost can do Why what can it do It can tuâ—n water into stones Such is the power of Cold that it hardens the liquid water like a stone Ice in its very first appearance hath the resemblâ—nce of a stone and being very thick as in long Frosts 't is like a rock like a mountain of stone Thus tâ—e Text speaks Vers 30. The waters are hid as with a stone That is when extream cold freezes the waters into Ice the waters are not seen they are loâ—kt up and as it were paved over with a stone or the waters seem to suffer a strange metamorphosis and leaving their natural liquidiâ—y and softness are condensed or hardened into râ—cks such is the force of cold Some express it actively not as we The waters are hid but the waters hide themselves like a stone Thus Mr. Broughton expresseth it Naturalists tell us that in some cold Countries Nives in Chrystallum durantur Plin. l. 37. c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Aqua frigore conâ—reta where there are great falls of snow and rain the snow and rain grow into such a hardness that you cannot reduce them into waâ—er Chrystal say they is nothing but water hardened by câ—ld And thus water is more than hid as with a stone for it becomes a stone Hence Note The Lord can make wonderful changes in Nature What is more fluid than water more moveable than water it was of old grown into a divine Proverb Gen. 49.4 Vnstable as water yet this unstable body can the Lord change into a stone and make it hard as a rock Histories are full of strange reports concerning the effects