hee leaves that to be understood And what or whom can wee understand but God or the power of God by whom or whereby dead things are formed as well as living things for all things whether animate or inanimate receave their being and forme from him Dead things are formed from under the waters Hence note That all things are produced in their beings by the power of God Dead things as well as living things gold and silver minerals and gemms are formed by God as well as men or beasts And as they were of God in Creation at the beginning so there is a continuall putting forth of the power of God in the continuing or renewing of them God is dayly forming rich and rare things in the secret Cabinets of the earth and from under the waters And the inhabitants thereof That is as dead things are formed under the waters so are the inhabitants thereof or those living things that dwell in the water wee put in the Margin with the inhabitants who are they The inhabitants of the water are the fishes they are bred and abide in the water As if he had sayd Those precious stones and minerals called dead things are formed from under or in the waters as well as the fishes who are the proper inhabitants of the water Mr Broughton reades thus Dead things are formed under the waters and places neere them that is in the mountaines and hills in the clifts and rocks are these precious things formed But I rather take our reading and so the Text gives a further illustration of the power of God who as he formeth dead things under the waters so living things or the inhabitants of the water Hence note The power of God is great in forming the fishes of the Sea And the greatness of it will appeare if we consider three things about them First Their number as to us the fish of the Sea are infinite in number there is no sort of creatures that multiply so fast as fishes doe therefore when God created the inhabitants of the water we read Gen. 1.21 how emphatically their encrease is exprest And God created great Whales and every living creature that moveth which the waters brought forth aboundantly after their kinde The waters did not bring them forth by any power of their owne but they were brought forth in the waters by that power which God had planted in the waters for that purpose Now it is not onely sayd that the waters brought them forth but the waters brought them forth aboundantly implying that fish doe multiply and bring forth more then other creatures and therefore when the Spirit of God would shew a great increase of men 't is sayd They shall increase like fish Gen. 48.16 Jacob blessing the children of Joseph prayed thus Inter omnes bestias nihil est foecundius piscibus igitur trāffertur ad multiplicationem immensum The Angel which redeemed mee from all evill blesse the ladds and let my name be named on them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth The Originall is Let them grow or multiply like fishes into a multitude in the midst of the earth or let them be as numerous upon the land as fishes are in the Sea And we finde in the sacred History how the blessing and providence of God made good this history For of the sons of Joseph Manasseh and Ephraim were numbred eighty five thousand and two hundred men meete for warre Numb 26.34.37 which exceeded the encrease of any one Tribe beside How wonderfully doth the Lords power appeare not onely in those infinite sholes of lesser fishes but in the greater also Who is able to report the number of these Sea-inhabitants or of the fishes who people the Sea Secondly If wee consider their various kindes that also sheweth forth the great power of God Naturalists observe that there is no creature upon the earth but hath as I may say its representative in the Sea besides those that have nothing like them on the earth so various are their kindes Thirdly Many of these inhabitants of the waters are wonderfull for the vastnesse and greatnesse of their bodyes the greatest of all living creatures are in the Sea Psal 104.25 So is this great and wide Sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts The Psalmist calleth the fishes beasts and there are small beasts in the Sea and great beasts even of a stupendious greatnesse The greatest beasts of the earth are as nothing compared to them The Elephant is little to the Leviathan Naturalists have written much of this subject the numerousnes variousnes and vastnes of these water-Inhabitants So that wee may see much of the Majesty and power of God as in these things that are formed under the waters so in those that are formed in the waters Job descends lower yet in the next words Vers 6. Hell is naked before him and destruction hath no covering 'T is questioned what is here meant by hell Some expound hell of the lowest parts of the earth so Master Broughton The lowest earth is naked before him and the lost that is that which seemes to be lost and condemned as himselfe Glosseth it hath no covering Secondly Hel is often put for the grave Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not leave my soule that is me in hel that is in the grave nor wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption Thirdly It is most usually taken for that prison or place of torment where the Lord detaynes all those in hold that have rebelled against him and dyed impaenitently in that rebellion In this third sence we may interpret it here as I conceive most suitably to the scope and purpose of Job in this place Hell is naked before him That is it is fully discovered to him he sees who are there and what is done there he observes all passages there even in that bottomlesse pit of hel as wel as in heaven or upon the earth As if Job had sayd to Bildad You told me that God maketh peace in his high places I tell you God hath to doe in hell or in the lowest places The lowest hell is naked before him The Apostle speaketh in this phrase Heb 4.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe The words are an allusion unto bodyes which being stript and uncloathed all see what they are there may be many deformities blemishes and scarrs yea ulcers upon the body undiscerned while 't is cloathed or covered but when naked nothing is hid All things are naked before God that is he as plainly discernes what they are as wee discerne what a body is that stands naked before us Hell is called darknesse and utter darknesse yet it is light to God And destruction hath no covering Here the same thing is againe repeated
from the waters which were above the firmament Where by the firmament we are to understand that vast space which is extended or stretched out from the earth up to the clouds commonly called The ayre and by the waters above the firmament those raine-waters bound up in the clouds These upper waters are the waters of which our divine Philosopher here sayth that God bindeth them up In his thicke clouds Though clouds are much thinner then the water which they hold 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 densitas as Naturalists teach us yet they are thicker then the common ayre or they may be called thickned ayre and therefore the Hebrew word for a cloud is derived from a roote that signifyeth Thicknes And though we have a distinction of clouds into thicke and thinne comparing one with another yet all clouds compared to the ayre are thicke and compared to the waters all are thinne Besides the Hebrew word signifyes clouds indifferently as wel thinne as thicke or rather clouds Generally without any determination or restriction eyther to thick or thinne And therefore the text is best translated without an Epithete In his clouds or if any Epithete were given It would advance Jobs scope and purpose most to translate it In his thinne clouds for the thinner the cloud is the greater is the power of God and the wonder the more wonderfull in making them the Continent of such mighty waters But we translate wel Hee bindeth up the waters in his thicke clouds It may here be enquired why the clouds are appropriated unto God in such a speciall manner by calling them His clouds I answer the clouds are His not onely First In that common sence in which all things in the world are his because he maketh and disposeth of them for that use to hold the waters which the heate of the Sun exhaleth or draweth up in vapours from the earth But they are called his clouds Secondly Because God is sayd to use them as Princes doe Horses of State or Charets of triumph to ride upon Isa 19.1 Behold the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud as also because the Lord to shew the unsearchablenes incomprehensiblenes of his wayes and counsells in governing this world and in ordering the affaires of his chosen people is often expressed in Scripture as dwelling in a cloud or covering himselfe with clouds Psal 18.11 Hee made darkenes his secret place his pavilion round about him were darke waters and thicke clouds of the skies And againe it is no sooner sayd Psal 97.1 The Lord reigneth but in the very next verse it is sayd Clouds and darkenes are round about him righteousnes and Judgement are the habitation of his throane that is his administrations are alwayes full of righteousnes though seldome full of clearenes they are alwayes cloathed with equity though usually cloathed with obscurity His way and his dwelling is in the clouds and therefore also the clouds are his He bindeth up the waters in his thicke clouds Some Philosophers hold that the cloud doth not so much hold the water as is water and that the cloud is dissolved into water when it raineth others that the clouds hold water like a spunge which being pressed yeelds it out againe But Jobs Philosophy lifts up the glory of God most which maketh the cloud as a vessel or garment in which the waters are bound and yet see the wonder The cloud is not rent under them The waters being of a mighty bulke and weight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discidit rupit secuit in duas partes usurpatur de quavis violeÌ„ta ruptione aut segregatione rerum ante hac cohaerentium might easily breake their way through the clouds did not God both bind and ballance them as Elihu speakes Chap. 37.16 Doest thou know the ballancing of the clouds To his ballancing to his binding we must ascribe the not renting of the cloud As binding in the former clause noted an act of power and force in God so this word renting noteth a power and force in the water It is sayd Ps 78.13 God rent or divided the Sea that his people might passe through And this word is used 1 Chron 11.18 concerning those mighty men who fetched David water from the wel of Bethlem And the three brake through the host of the Philistines And thus would the waters naturally breake through the clouds but they are forbidden The cloud is not rent under all that weight for God holds it together and makes it as firme as brasse Hence observe It is an eminent a wonderfull act of divine power by which the waters are contained and stayed within the clouds The mighty power of God is seene in keeping the waters of the Sea in compasse by the sands and shoares but it is a greater act of power to keepe the waters of the ayre in compasse by the clouds There are three things very wonderfull or there are three wonders in this detention of the waters First That the waters which are a fluid body and love to be continually flowing and diffusing themselves should yet be stopt and stayed together by a cloud which is a thinner and so a more fluid body then the water It is no great matter to see water kept in conduits of stone or in vessels of wood and brasse because these are firme and solid bodyes such as the water cannot penetrate nor force it selfe through but in the Judgement of nature how improbable is it that a thinne cloud should beare such a weight and power of waters and yet not rent nor breake under them When Peter had enclosed a multitude of Great fishes in his net even an hundred fifty and three Joh. 21.11 we find this added as a wonder And for all there were so many yet was not the net broken How much more may this be added as a wonder that such a multitude of waters should be held in a cloud and yet the cloud not broken Hac sane est ex illis naturae mirabilâ—bus quae assiduitate vituerunt yea though the cloud be tossed and driven with feirce and raging windes This is one of those wonders in nature which is therefore onely not wondered at because it is so common and which because it is continually done few enquire into or admire the power by which it is done Secondly As it is a wonder that the cloud is not rent with the weight of the water so that the cloud is rent at the speciall order and command of God At his word it is that the clouds are lockt up and by his word they are opened As in spiritualls so also in naturalls Nulla gutta descendit ex illis donec veniat verbum ejus mittat illas per plateas Moses Gerund He openeth and no man shutteth he shutteth and no man openeth It is not in the power of all the world to rent or open a cloud though the earth be parcht and all things that live languish
so for the probation or tryall of others Christ saith Math 10.35 I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter with her mother and the daughter in law against her mother in law and a mans enemies shall be they of his owne house Such divisions the Lord makes on the earth that it may appeare how strongly and immoveably his faithfull ones are united unto him As we are to ascribe our union so our divisions to God it is he that ordereth all these things though they flow from the corruption pride and selfeishnesse of men When there are divisions and emulations among us we shew our selves as the Apostle speakes 1 Cor 3.3 and walke as men But God sheweth himselfe righteous and acteth as God He divideth the Sea by his power And by his understanding he smiteth through the proud The dividing of the Sea was ascribed to the power of God in the former part of the verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est ictu deprimere ut quum paxillus ictu corpori solido imprimitur and here his smiting through the proud is ascribed to his understanding The word signifies to strike so as to destroy or kill to strike dead Isa 30.26 Numb 24.8 God striketh home when he striketh the proud But who or what are the proud ones whom God smiteth through The word is Rahab as was toucht before in the generall interpretation of the verse signifies two things first strength so some render it here By his understanding he smiteth through strength that is those things which are strongest The very weakenesse of God is stronger then man and therefore there is nothing so strong but God can quickly smite it through or destroy it Secondly it signifyeth pride because men usually are proud of their strength whence that caution Jer. 9.23 Let not the mighty man glory in his might Any kinde of strength is apt to make man proud the strength of his estate and purse is a great temptation to pride strength of body strength of parts strength of wit and understanding which is the highest and noblest naturall strength puts on to pride yea so strange are the wayes and methods of temptation the very strength of grace or spirituall strength hath blowne up some with pride For though humility flow properly from the strength of grace and the more grace the more humility yet upon a presumption of the greatnesse and strength of their graces some have been proud and high-minded that is they have not lived in such dependance upon Christ as they ought Our strength lyes much in the sence of our weakenes because then we goe out of our selves to Christ for strength that is the meaning of the Apostles confession When I am weake then am I strong 2 Cor. 12.10 And they who are strong in themselves must needs be weake because the strength of God goeth out against them And therefore it will not be unprofitable for us before I come to the speciall explication of the proud here intended to meditate upon and make use of this Scripture in the full latitude compasse of the word For whosoever he is that is proud whether he be proud of his naturall or civill or supernaturall strength let him looke to himselfe God understandeth him and by his understanding he will smite through the proud The proud man is alwayes in danger of falling though because of his pride he least of all men eyther feareth or suspecteth a fall How can they be safe against whom God hath declared himselfe an enemy There 's no armour of proofe against the stroakes of God if God smite as an enemy he smiteth through and so he alwayes smiteth the proud Saul attempted more then once to smite David to the wall with his Javelin yet David avoyded his blow and got out of his furious presence But when God casteth his Javelin at the proud they shall not escape a smiting through and nayling to the wall By his understanding he smiteth through the proud But more distinctly who is the proud in the text whom God smiteth through First Some say the Devill He indeed is the proud one his pride was his fall from God and God hath smitten him through for his pride Secondly Others understand by the proud the whale in the Sea Et scientia stratus est cetus 70 i. e suo imperio subegit thus the seventy translate and by his knowledge he hath destroyed the Whale or Leviathan of whom the Lord saith in the 41th Chapter of this booke v. 34. He is a king over all the children of pride Intelligentia sia percussit Gigantus Targ Thirdly The Chaldee paraphrase sayth He hath smitten through the Giants Which whether it be meant of the Whales who are Giants among the fishes of the Sea or of Giants who are like Whales at land bigger and more formidable then the rest of men the sence is the same both agreeing in this that God can quickly destroy and subdue those who are greatest strongest and so proudest in this world But leaving all these suppositions I shall conclude Fourthly That by the proud we are rather to understand the strong and mighty waves and waters of the Sea in their greatest hight and pride This holdeth fayrest correspondence with the former part of the verse He divideth the sea by his power that is Percutit i. e. domat compescit superbiam maris Drus Sua potentia scâ—nâ—it mara intelligentia sua compescit ejus ferociam Tygur Cum deus tranquillat mare percutere et â—onculcare videtur superbum Pined He rayseth stormes and so divides the waters and when the Sea is in its greatest rage then by his understanding he smiteth through the proud the proud waves aad so maketh a calme The sea in it selfe especially in its swellings and stormings is a proud creature and that title or epethite of pride is often given to it we reade Psal 124.5 of proud waters and Job 38.11 of the proud waves at the 13th verse of the Epistle of Jude we reade of raging waves of the sea and Luke 21.25 of roring waves of the sea The Prophet Jer 12.5 speaketh of the swelling of Jordan so that when Job sayth by his understanding he smiteth through the proud we may clearely interpret him of the sea-waves then which nothing in appearance is more proud and swelling and therefore when God allayeth and guideth the high-growne waves of the Sea he may well be sayd to smite through the proud Hence note God knoweth how to bring downe the Sea in its greatest rage and pride God doth it by his understanding as wel as by his power As God hath power enough to divide the Sea and make it stormy so he hath understanding enough to calme and quiet it We read Math 8.23 24 25 26 27. That Christ being entred into a ship with his Disciples a great tempest arose insomuch that the ship was covered with the
Church Lest saith he such a one should be swallowed up with over-much sorrow Sorrow of any sort even sorrow for sinne may possibly have an excesse or an over-muchnes in it and when ever it hath so beyond the end for which it serves for sorrow is not of any worth in it selfe but as it serves to a spirituall end When I say sorrow hath such an excesse then not onely the comforts but the gifts and usefullnes of the person sorrowing are in danger to be swallowed up by it Secondly Water doth not onely swallow up but enter in while it covereth the body it fills the bowells Thus affliction like water fills within as well as covers without David complaines that his afflâ—ctions did so Psal 69.1 Save me O God for the waters are come in unto my soule Not onely have these waters sweld over mee but they are soakt into mee Inward or soule-afflictions as well as outward and bodyly afflictions are set forth by waters Psal 109.18 As he cloathed himselfe with cursing like as with his garment so let it come into his bowells or within him like water and like oyle into his bones Liquids penetrate so doe afflictions Thirdly As the water is not mans proper Element hee lives and breathe in the ayre not in the water So affliction is not our proper Element though it be due to our sinne yet it is not proper to our nature Man was not made to live in affliction as the fish was made to live in the water and therefore as it is said The Lord doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the Children of men Lam. 3.33 'T is as it were besides the nature of God when he afflicts the children of men So it is sayd Heb. 12.11 No chastning for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous Man is out of his Element when he is under chastnings Hee was made at first to live in the light of Gods countenance in the smiles and embraces of divine love As man is out of his way when he sins so he is off from his end when he suffers He was not designed for the overwhelming choaking waters of sorrow and judgement but for the sweete refreshing ayre of joy and mercy It often proves a mercy in the event to be covered with these waters To be covered with them that we may be washed by them is a mercy but onely to be covered with them especially as Eliphaz here saith Job was to be deeply covered with them is a deepe and soare affliction Abundance of waters cover thee Hence note That as God hath treasures of mercy and abounds in goodness so hee hath treasures of affliction and abundance of wrath As God hath abundance of waters sealed up in the Clouds as in a treasury and hee can unlocke his treasury and let them out whensoever he pleaseth eyther to refresh or overflow the Earth so hee hath abundance of afflictions and hee can let them forth as out of a treasury when he pleaseth And as wee read Ezek. 47. that the waters of the Sanctuary those holy waters were of several degrees first to the Ankles secondly to the knees then to the Loines and then a river that could not be passed over abundance of waters Thus also the bitter waters the waters of affliction are of severall degrees some waters of afflictions are but Ancle-deepe they onely make us a little wet-shod there are other waters up to the knees and others to the Loynes and others wee may rightly call abundance of waters a Sea of waters I am come into deepe waters saith David Psal 69.2 or into depth of waters where the floods overflow mee And having sayd Psal 42.6 O my God my soule is cast downe within mee He adds in the next words v. 7. Deepe calleth unto deepe at the noyse of thy water-spouts All thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me Where by deepe to deepe by waterspouts by waves and billowes he elegantly sets forth his distresse in allusion to a Ship at Sea in a vehement storme and stresse of weather when the same wave upon whose back the vessel rides out of one deep plungeth it downe into another Thus the afflicted are tossed and overwhelmed in a Sea of trouble till they are at their wits end if not at their faiths end Take two or three Deductions from all these words layd together Wee see by how many metaphors the sorrows of this life are set forth even by snares and feares and darknes and waters Hence note First That as God hath abundance of afflictions in his power so hee hath variety of wayes and meanes to afflict the sonnes of men eyther for the punishment of their sinne or for the tryall of their graces If one will not doe it another shall if the snare will not feare shall if feare will not darknes shall and if darknes will not the waters shall and if waters of one hight will not doe it hee will have waters deepe enough to doe it abundance of waters shall doe it hee hath variety of wayes to deale both with sinners and with Saints Secondly Consider the inference which Eliphaz makes Therefore snares c. are upon thee That Is because thou hast done wickedly in not releeving and in oppressing the poore therefore snares have entangled thee This though false in Jobs particular case yet is a truth in General And it teacheth us That There is an unavoydable sequell between sinne and sorrow Looke upon sinne in its owne nature and so the sequell is unavoydable sinne is bigge with sorrow as affliction burdens the sinner so sinne is burdend with affliction Sinne hath all sorts of affliction in its bowells and wee may say of all the evills that afflict us they are our sinnes Sinne is formally the transgression of the Law and sinne is virtually the punishment of transgressors Many I grant are afflicted for tryall of their graces as hath been shewed before but grace had never been thus tryed if man had not sinned Sinne is the remote cause of all afflictions and it is the next or immediate procuring cause of most afflictions Would any man avoyde the snare let him feare to sinne would he avoyd feare let him feare to doe evill would he keepe out of darkness and not be covered with abundance of waters let him take heed hee drinke not iniquity like water let him have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darkness God tells the sinner plainely what portion he is to expect Say woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 3.11 Wee may as well hope to avoyd burning when we run into the fire or dirtying when we run into the mire as to escape smarting when we run into sinne Yet more distinctly wee may consider all those evills comprehended under those words in the Text Snares darknes c. eyther in reference to wicked men or to the Saints Snares and darknes upon the wicked are the
vulgar and improper sence even those things that never had life may be called dead Mr Broughton renders strictly not dead things but things without life are formed under the waters The Hebrew word may come from a twofold roote and so hath a twofold signification First to heale and cure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dolorem mitigavit sanavit transferturper MetaphoraÌ„ a corpore ad animam ut sig remittere peccata and in Scripture it is transferred from the healing of the body to the healing of the soule in the remission of sins because as the wound of the body is healed by the salve so is the soules wound namely sinne healed by remission or forgivenesse The word is used in this sence Isa 6.10 Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes least they see with their eyes and heare with their eares and understand with their heart and convert and be healed that is pardoned Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 debitis dissolutus laxus languidus it signifies to be dissolved or loosened to be weake and languishing wee translate it dead because things that are dead are weakened and dissolved and therefore death is called a dissolution As Paul sayd Phil. 1.23 I desire to depart or to be dissolved that is to dye and the same phrase is used for death 2 Cor 5.1 Wee know that when the earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved c. Againe by the figure Antiphrasis frequent in Scripture this word as it signifies dead and weake things so also strong and lively things yea those that are strongest or most lively and therefore Gyants who are the strongest of men are expressed by this word Deut. 2.11 The Enims dwelt therein in times past Ecce Gigantes gemunt sub aquis Vulg a people great and many and tall as the Anakims which also were accounted Giants c. And the vulgar translates so here Behold The Giants groane under the waters Giants are called Rephaim in the Hebrew which word in the roote signifies to weaken not from their nature but from their effects not because they are weake but because they weaken others Giants are so strong that the very sight of them makes others weake and faint or pulls downe men of strength and might It is sayd that Saul and the whole Army of Israel were dismayed when they saw Goliah and greatly afraid they were weake before the Giant There is much labouring to make out this sence of the word here some understand it of the Giants before the flood Behold the Giants groane from under the flood Those Giants were indeed overthrowne by the waters and so they conceave that Job alluded unto them but I shall not stay upon that interpretation Others expound the text of those Gyants whose proper element is water the mighty fishes of the Sea the Whale the Leviathan spoken of in this booke of Job Leviathan is a Sea-monster a Sea-gyant of huge dimensions Naturall Historians and travellers describe the vastnes of the Whale or Leviathan to wonder and amazement And 't is granted that in these Gods power is much seene But I shall lay by this exposition also because I conceive fishes are spoken of in the next words where they are called the inhabitants thereof that is of the Sea or waters Againe this word Rephaim is often put for the dead or those that are departed this life Psal 88.10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead shall the dead arise and praise thee There are two words used for the dead in that verse one is the ordinary word the other is that of the Text. Solomon Pro. 2.18 shewing how dangerous it is to have to doe with the adulteresse sayth Her house inclineth unto death and her paths unto the Rephaim or the dead The house of Adultery and uncleanenes is the Gatehouse to death it is not a house raysed up but bowed downe her house enclineth unto death and she who is the governesse of rather the miss-governeness of the house will by her ill life bring thee among the dead even among those who are twice dead corporally dead at present and spiritually dead for ever But that which I shall rather pitch upon according to our translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that by these dead things are meant such things as never had any life Mr Broughton expounds his translation Things without life of those precious things that are formed under the waters Amber and pearle and goodly stones These dead things are found under the waters and there they are formed Gods providence reacheth to the furthest places even to the bottome of the Sea and lowest earth which seeme to be as cast off So he glosseth and so doe other Interpreters Incipit dei providentiam poâ—entiam describere a rebus subterraneis initio sumpâ—o Merc concluding that Job is here setting forth the power of God in forming minerals and pretious stones under the waters or in the deepes and so riseth in his discourse by degrees to higher things As if he had sayd O Bildad what doest thou shewing me the power and providence of God in the high places where he maketh peace I can tell thee that the same power and providence of God are extended to those things which are wrought in the bowels of the earth and at the bottome of the Sea and so are furthest removed from our sight And whereas we say Dead things are formed there that word properly signifies to bring forth children or any living creature Job 39.1 2. Knowest thou the time when the wilde Goates of the rock bring forth or canst thou marke when the Hindes doe calve Canst thou number the moneths that they fulfill or knowest thou the time when they bring forth yea The Eternall Word and Wisdome of God speakes of himselfe in the language of this Word Pro. 8.25 Before the mountaines were setled before the hils was I brought forth It signifieth also to be in paine and groane for paine because child-bearing causeth much paine and groaning So the word is used in a metaphoricall sence Deut 2.25 This day will I begin saith the Lord to put the dread of thee and the feare of thee upon the Nations that are under the whole heaven who shall heare report of thee and shall tremble and be in anguish because of thee they shall be in anguish as a woman travelling with child and pained to bring forth Whence that translation takes its ground The Gyants groane under the waters And as it signifies to forme and fashion the child or any living thing in the womb and then to bring forth so it is applyed to the forming of things that have no life Ps 90. â—2 Before the mountaines were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God Dead things are formed But by whom here is no power exprest Job sayth onely they are formed
with a garment and that the waters stood above the mountaines and were in the progresse of the worke of creation sent downe by the valleyes into the place which God had appoynted for them having I say made this excellent description of the waters in creation he concludes with the poynt of providence now in hand v. 9. Thou hast set a bound that they may not passe over that they turne not againe to cover the earth In which words the Psalmist gives us three things clearely concerning the waters First that once he meanes it not of the deluge but of the chaos the waters did cover the whole earth till God by a word of command sent them into their proper channels that the dry Land might appeare secondly that the waters have a natural propension to returne backe and cover the earth againe Thirdly that the onely reason why they doe not returne backe and cover the whole earth is because God hath set a bound that they cannot passe They would be boundlesse and know no limits did not God bound and limit them Wisedome giveth us the like Elogium of the power of God in this Pro 8.29 He gave to the Sea his decree that the waters should not passe his commandement What cannot he command who sendeth his commandement to the Sea and is obeyed Some great Princes heated with rage and drunken with pride have cast shackles into the Sea as threatning it with imprisonment and bondage if it would not be quiet but the Sea would not be bound by them They have also awarded so many stroakes to be given the Sea as a punishment of its contumacy and rebellion against eyther their commands or their designes How ridiculously ambitious have they been who would needs pretend to such a Dominion Many Princes have had great power at and upon the Sea but there was never any Prince had any power over the Sea That 's a flower belonging to no Crowne but the Crowne of heaven There are two things which are more peculiarly under the command of God first the waves of the Sea secondly the heart of man And because God is able to rule the waves of the Sea take two or three inferences from it Thus First That he is able to rule and command the heart of man Solomon makes the paralel in this Pro. 21.1 The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of waters he turneth it whether soever he will And as he turneth both whether soever he will so he stayeth both wheresoever he will Most men at some times some wicked men at all times are like the raging Sea when it canot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt Isa 57.20 who could live by these raging Seas these raging waves of the Sea at once foaming out their owne shame and threatning to swallow up others in destruction did not God compasse them about with bounds did not he say here shall your proud waves be stayed If God did not bound the sea of some mens Spirits they would not know much lesse keepe any bounds they would neyther know nor keepe not onely the bounds of religion and piety but not the bounds of reason and civility Secondly God is able to rule and put a bound to the rage of the multitude who in Scripture are compared to Waters Rev 17.15 The waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and Nations and tongues And these are as apt to swel and be enraged with vaine passions and discontents as the sea is by windes and stormes Psal 2.1 Why doe the heathen rage rage as the sea and thus they will rage sometimes though they know neyther why nor wherefore So againe Psal 93.3 4. The flooods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voyce the floods lift up their waves which as it is true literally and properly so it is as true and so I conceave there intended figuratively and improperly or mystically and spiritually that is peoples and nations like floods lift up their voyce they lift up their waves as if they would overwhelme all But what followeth v. 4. The Lord on high is mightier then the noyse of many waters yea then the mighty waves of the Sea that is the Lord can quickly check and stop the rage of a people when or though they swel like a furious boysterous Sea And we finde David putting both these together by way of Exposition Psal 65. where exalting the power of God as he is the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of them that are afarre off upon the Sea v. 5. He addeth v. 6 7. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountaines being girded with power Which stilleth the noyse of the Seas the noyse of their waves and the tumult of the people David joynes the noyse and waves of the Seas and the tumult of the people together eyther implying that he meant the tumult of the people by the noyse of the Sea or that it is an act of the same power to still the tumult of the people and the noyse of the Sea Thirdly God is able to stop those seas of error and give a bound to those floods of false doctrine which are ready to overflow the face of the world The Sea or Flood of the Arrian heresie which denyed the Deity of Christ or made him barely a Man by nature onely cloathed with wonderfull powers and priviledges this heresie I say like a sea or flood had almost over-whelm'd the whole world yet God compassed those Blacke waters with bounds and gave them a commandement which they could not passe and though in this Age they seeme to returne and strive to over-flow the earth againe yet both the waters of that heresie and of all other damnable heresies as the Apostle Peter calls them 2 Ep 2.1 which abound in these dayes and threaten us with a fearefull inundation are compassed with bounds which they shall not exceed The Apostle speaketh of some in his time 2 Tim 3.8 9. Who as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so did they also resist the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate or as we put in the Margin of no Judgement concerning the truth But they shall proceed no further So the Apostle prophecyed of them as if he had sayd They have a mind to proceed further their will is to oppose truth and propagate error in infinitum without end But they have now gone to the utmost of their line they are come to their border to their bound they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be made manifest unto all men as theirs also was that is it shall appeare to all men that the doctrine which they stood up for was nothing else but a bundle of folly and that the doctrine which they withstood was the truth and wisedome of God Fourthly Then the Lord is able to stop and bound the floods the seas of affliction trouble and persecution which are ready to
heaven proper and the pillars of heaven in a figure tremble at or are astonished at these loud reproofes Hence observe The greatest strength of the creature trembleth at the angry dispensations and appearances of God As the lifting up of the light of Gods countenance puts joy into the heart more then corn wine the best things of this world so the darkenes of Gods countenance puts more trouble and sorrow into our hearts then gall and wormewood the worst of the world can doe David describes at large in what a kinde of hudle and hurry the world was in such a day Psal 18.13 14 15. Then the earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the hils moved and were shaken because he was wroth The Lord also thundered in the heavens and the highest gave his voyce hailestones and coales of fire he sent out his arrows and scattered them and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them then the channels of waters were seene and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke O Lord at the blast of the breath of thy nostrills What David there spake of thunder and lightning and hayle-stones hath been visibly effected for the destruction of the enemyes of the people of God and for the deliverance of his children The history of Joshuah gives us a famous instance at the 10th Chapter and though it be not recorded that David obtained victoryes by such immediate helpes from heaven yet it is not improbable considering the tenour of this Psalme that he did And we have a notable instance of a victory obtained by Thunder and lightning in the History of the Church whence that Christian Legion of Souldiers who had earnestly prayed that God would appeare for their help was called The Thundering Legion But whether we expound this context in the Psalme literally and strictly as expressing what God did for David in this kinde Or figuratively as expressing onely thus much that God did wonderfull things in one kinde or other in helping David against his enemyes or whether we understand it mystically of what God doth to and for the soules and spirituall estates of men yet it holds forth in all the utter inability of man to beare up when the Lord shewes himselfe in any terrible demonstrations of his presence Againe Psal 104.32 He looketh on the earth and it trembleth he toucheth the hills and they smoake There is a twofold looke of God First there is the looke of Gods favour and thus Saints often pray that God will looke downe from heaven upon them this looke is the releiving yea the reviving of the soule secondly there is a looke of displeasure an angry a frowning looke when clouds and stormes are seene in the brow Thus in the Psalme God is sayd to looke on the earth frowningly childingly and then it trembled he toucheth the hills and they smoak that is they are as all on-fire The natural hils smoake at Gods touch and so doe the metaphoricall hills when God toucheth the great men of the earth they smoake presently they fret and fume till they breake out into a flame of rage heating and vexing both themselves and all that are neere them Isa 50.2 Behold at my rebuke I dry up or I can dry up the Sea I am as able to doe it now with a word of my mouth as I once did it for the deliverance of your forefathers Exo 14.21.29 I make or I can make when I will with my rebuke the rivers a wildernesse that is as dry as a desert or wildernes useth to be their fish stinketh because there is no water and dyeth for thirst What strange worke doth the rebuke of God make By that he drieth the sea by that he maketh the river a wildernes and as he doth this by the power of his reproofes upon the sea and rivers natural so upon the sea and rivers mysticall He can dry up those worldly helpes which seeme as inexhaustible as the sea and as lasting and constant to us as a river which is fed with a continuall spring And when any power riseth up against us as deepe and dangerous as the sea as wel supplyed and seconded as a river yet we need not feare for God can presently dry it up and make us a passage over it or through it Yea they who are as well bottom'd and foundation'd as the earth shall quickly feele the effects of his power Psal 114.7 Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the God of Jacob. But some may say if the earth trembleth at the presence of God then the earth must alwayes tremble for God is alwayes present or what is the presence of God there spoken of I answer as there is a presence of God that maketh all those that enjoy it to sing for joy In thy presence is fullnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 so there is a presence of God that is very terrible to the creature yea that presence of God which is comfortable to his people is terrible to his enemyes for when the Psalmist had sayd ver 2. Judah was his Sanctuary and Israel his dominion that is a people sanctifyed to him and governed and protected by him presently it followeth The sea saw it and fled Jordan was driven backe The mountaines skipped like rams and the litle hils like lambs The Psalmist perceaving all things in such a trembling fit and confusion seemes to wonder what the matter was and therefore puts the question What ayled thee O thou sea that thou fleddest yea mountaines that ye skipped c And presently maketh answer Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord As if he had sayd the cause of all this terrour and trouble among the creatures was nothing else but the presence of God And if the very sence-lesse creatures were sencible of his wrathfull presence how much more must man both be sencible of it and stoop unto it This the Lord insinuates by a cutting question Ezek. 22.14 Can thy heart indure or can thy hands be strong in the day that I shall deale with thee I the Lord have spoken it and will doe it The Lord by his Prophet speakes there to a people that had a double strength they were strong hearted and they were strong handed they had much force or outward power and they had much courage or inward power but neyther hand-strength nor heart-strength neyther force nor courage shall avayle you in that day saith the Lord that I shall deale with you after the dealings of an enemy in wrath and Judgement God strengthens the hands of his servants and encourageth their hearts to endure his severest dealings with them But when he commeth to deale severely with those who are rebellious and wicked their hearts who are stoutest among them shall not be able to endure nor can they strengthen their hands They who have strengthned their hearts and hands most to commit sin shall be
he could not make instance so many yeares before he dyed unless prophetically concerning that miraculous division of the red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptians Besides this another argument is alledged to invalidate this interpretation because all along Job instanceth in the generall works of God what he doth in the heavens in the earth in the ayre and here in the Sea so that it doth not seeme probable that Job should descend to the mention of that particular providence of God to the Israelites though that may serve for a glorious proofe illustration of the poynt upon which Job hath so long insisted The workes of God in ordering the workes of nature beare the resemblance of his workes among the children of men His repressing the raging of the Sea looketh like his repressing the rage of the wicked who are like the troubled Sea He divideth the Sea by his power We may take that act two wayes eyther first as dividing is used in an ordinary sense to cut out and part one thing or one peece of a thing from another It is a great and powerfull worke of God to divide the Sea or the whole bulke of waters to severall parts of the world and for the accommodation of severall Countries At first the waters covered the whole earth all was a great deepe and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters Gen. 1.2 Nothing was to be seene or there was no face of any thing but water And therefore as it is sayd Gen. 1.7 that the Lord separated or divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament So Gen. 1.9 God said let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appeare and it was so and God called the dry land earth and the gathering together of waters he called Sea And as that Scripture in Genesis sheweth that the Sea is the Gathering together of waters so other Scriptures shew that the waters of the Sea are divided or run out in severall Divisions The 104th Psalme is a continued meditation of the mighty power of God put forth both in creation and providence where the Psalmist having sayd of God v. 5. Who layd the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed for ever he addeth v. 6 7 8. Thou coverest it that is the whole earth with the deepe as with a garment the waters stood above the mountaines that is the waters were higher then the highest mountaines But what did God then at thy rebuke they fled at the voyce of thy thunder they hasted away that is when thou didst speake powerfully and strongly to them as with the voyce of thunder they goe up by the mountaines they goe downe by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them thou hast set them bounds that they may not passe over that they returne not againe to cover the earth As the waters are now put into one great vessel so they are caryed out in severall great channels all the world over for the conveniency of trafficke and for the more easie entercourse of nation with nation Mr Broughton expounds his translation fully to this purpose Of a Generall water he made many and he translates the latter part of the verse fully to that sence And by his wisedome he parted the maine water or pride that is the proud Sea that threatneth to drowne the land So that though the Sea be but one body of waters yet it is divided into many members and receaves different names according to the differing names whether of Islands or Continents whose shoares it washeth Secondly Others expound this division of the Sea of the violent motion of the Sea So He divideth the Sea is he maketh the Sea rage and waters rise up against waters as persons or nations doe when they are divided among themselves Sometimes the Sea is as if it were all of one peice in union and concord all is calme and quiet by and by the Lord divides the Sea sets wave against wave flood against flood water against water as if the Sea were broken into a thousand factions It is sayd in that mysticall Scripture Dan 7.2 That the Prophet saw in his vision by night and Behold the foure winds of heaven strove upon the great Sea That is there were great troubles and commotions raysed in all parts of the world which vexed divided and turmoyled the nations even as the Sea is when boysterous winds especially when all the winds are let out of prison to strive and contend with one another Men make many fights at Sea and God many times makes the Seas fight Which fightings and dividings of the Sea are a cleare embleme of all the divisions and fights which arise among men and are acted eyther at Land or Sea Hence note The divisions stormes and ragings of the Sea are by the power of God The Psalmist is much upon this Psal 107.23 24 25. They that goe downe to the Sea in ships that doe busienes in great waters these see the workes of the Lord in the deepe for he commandeth and rayseth up the stormy winde which lifted up the waves thereof where note they are lifted up by Gods command they mount up to the heaven they goe downe againe to the depths their soule is melted because of trouble Jon 1.4 The Lord sent out a great winde into the Sea and there was a mighty tempest in the Sea Jere 10.13 God is said to bring the winde out of his treasure and Prov 30.4 To gather the winde in his fist The winde is sent out and the winde is gathered in 't is treasured up and 't is disbursed out by his owne appoyntment to serve his providences and designes towards men both in mercy and in Judgement We may hence inferre that As the Lord divideth the Sea so the Earth When men are all of a minde all as one man he can sever and divide their spirits and then cause them to dash against one another like the waves of a tempestuous Sea The old world was of one minde but the Lord came downe and divided them when he saw them united in that worke Gen. 11.6 The people are one and they have all one language and this they begin to doe and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to doe so the Lord confounded their language and scattered them abroad They were building a Babel to secure themselves against a second deluge and to get them a name lest they should be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth Therefore God brought their feares upon them and scattered them We lay our selves most open to that judgement which we labour most to prevent in a sinfull way As there are divisions among men which are their sin so God sends divisions among men which are their punishment And as God sends divisions among men for the punishment of some
God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night he made the starres also and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth God in Creation did with the light as he did with the waters which being made were divided the waters above the firmament were divided from the waters under the firmament and the waters under the heaven he gathered together into one place Gen. 1.9 God prepared a certaine great vessell into which the waters were called and gathered that they should not spread over the earth as they did at first which gathering together of the waters God called Seas Gen. 1.10 Thus the light which was spread and scattered through the ayre over all the earth God gathered into severall vessells Pulchritudo es ornamenta coeloruÌ„ stellae sunt sicut terrae animantia et plantae Sanct and the gathering together of light he called Sunne Moone Starrs which are as Job here calleth them the garnishing of the heavens Moses epitomiseth or briefly summs up his larger narrative of the Creation in these words Gen 2.1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them that is they were finished not onely as to their essentials but ornamentalls not only was the foundation layd the walls and pillars the beames and rafters of that goodly structure set up and perfected but all the furniture of it was brought in and the beautyes of it compleated Now as gemms minerals plants trees and all living creatures are the Garnishing of the Earth and the host of God there so the Sunne Moone and Starrs are the garnishing of heaven and the host of God there David speaketh of these distinctly Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth All creatures whether placed in heaven or earth are for their number their strength their order their readynes at a call or command the host of God Earthly Princes shew their power in their hosts and armyes of what power God is both his acts and his hosts aboundantly declare And as these creatures are the armyes or host of God in heaven and earth so they are the Adornings and Garnishings of heaven and earth Job in this place speaketh onely of the former By his Spirit he hath Garnished the Heavens Onely here take notice that some expound the word Spirit for the winde which bloweth in the ayre and so render the text thus By his winde hee garnisheth the heavens As if this were Jobs meaning that God sending forth the windes dispelleth and scattereth those clouds foggs and mists which often cover the face of the heavens and hinder our beholding their glory and garnishings According to this interpretation the garnishing of the heavens is nothing else but the removing of that which obscureth the Garnishing of them And it is true that when the heavens are maskt over with clouds and darknesse God by the winds cleareth the ayre and so reneweth the face of those heavenly bodyes But I passe by this and shall onely insist upon the former exposition of these words as being more sutable with Jobs scope and more expressive of the power and Glory of God in the great things which he hath wrought for us By his Spirit hee garnisheth the heavens Hence learne First We ought joyntly to acknowledge and give glory to the Father Son and Spirit in the worke of Creation Solomon in his advice to the young man sayth Eccl 12.1 Remember thy creators in the dayes of thy youth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creatorum tuorum Mysterâ—um Sanctae Trinitatis Pisc Wee translate in the singular number creator but the Hebrew is plural Creators intimating the mystery of the Holy Trinity as Moses also is conceaved to doe in that plural expression Gen 1.26 And God sayd let us make man in our image after our likenes And though this be added in a way of Eminency when the particular creation of man is set downe yet we are to understand it so generally of the whole worke of Creation and as of the worke of Creation so of all other divine workes towards the creature Redemption is the worke of the Father and of the Spirit as wel as of the Son and sanctification is the worke of the Father and of the Son as wel as of the Spirit The three persons worke together onely they have a distinct manner of working according to which each worke is chiefely attributed to that person and so creation is specially appropriated to the Father Redemption to the Son and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Seing then all Three worke together in all things towards us All three ought to be equally and eternally honoured worshipped loved and obeyed by us By his Spirit he hath garnished the Heavens Secondly Observe The heavens are full of beauty God hath not onely made them but adorn'd them What a rich and Royall Canopy hath God hung over the heads of poore wormes dust and ashes God did not thinke it enough to give us a house unlesse he gave us also a pleasant house he was not satisfied in setting up a large fabricke for us unlesse he also furnished and garnished it for us God hath made the world not onely usefull but contentfull to us he hath fitted it not onely for our necessity but delight The earth is beautifull but the heavens exceed in beauty The heavens are the Ceiling of our house and the Starres are like Golden studs and sparkling Diamonds in that Ceiling We may inferre three things from the Garnishing of these heavens First If the heavens which we see are so glorious what are the heavens which no eye hath seene If God hath thus discernably adorned the first and second heavens how unconceaveable are the ornaments of the third heavens If nature hath so much beauty in it how beâ—utifull a thing is Glory If God hath prepared such heavens as our eyes see for those who hate him then surely eye hath not seene eare hath not heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to understand what those heavens are which God hath prepared for them and for them alone who love him The light of these visible heavens is but darkenes to that inheritance of the Saints in light The Moone-light if I may so speake of that state shall be better and more illustrious then the Sun-light of this and the light of the Sunne shall be sevenfold as the light of seven dayes in that Great day when the Lord shall perfectly bind up All the breaches of his people and heale the stroake of their wound God who by his Spirit hath garnished these heavens will be himselfe with his Son and Spirit the eternal Garnishing of those heavens Secondly Seing God hath been so bountifull and munificent as to Garnish the heavens for us even for us by his Spirit seing he hath provided such
they are sayd to take skin and all They who are so unmercifull that they will not leave a ragge to cover the skin are justly charged with that unmercifullness which will not leave so much as their skin to cover their flesh yea as it followes in the same place that they would gnaw their bones they will have all Cloaths skin and bones from another rather then not have enough for themselves Cruelty joyned with Covetousnesse knows no bounds Eliphaz having thus shewed some of those particular evills which he supposed Job had done proceeds to shew what Good he had not don Sins of omission render a man as foule and vile as sins of commission doe He that doth not the good which he ought and can doth evill Vers 7. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drinke thou hast withheld bread from the hungry Thou hast not given water to the weary Water is a very Common thing and the word which is here used takes in all naturall waters the whole Element of water Seing then water is not under lock key but lyes open to all commers how comes it to be any mans gift I answer first If we understand the words literally strictly yet somtimes especially in some places to give a cup of water to drinke or a bucket of water to wash in is no small charity to a wearied traveller But secondly I conceive Job is taxed with not giving water to shew his refusing to doe the smallest charity So wee finde it expressed Matth. 10.42 when Jesus Christ would assure us that the least office of love or respect which we doe to a distressed Saint to a Beleever upon that account as he is a Beleever Non inania in eos etiam levia quae sub frigidae aquae nomine designat officia esse decerint Hilar. shall be rewarded hee gives it in this language Whosoever shall give to drinke to one of these little ones a Cup of Cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you hee shall not lose his reward As by one of these little ones he meanes any the least of Beleevers or righteous Persons so by the gift that he speaks of water or Cold water a Cup of Cold water he meanes the least of favours Cold water is a cheape commodity and a little cold water onely a cup of it cannot as some things cannot because they are worth so much be prized because it is worth so little yet he that gives but this little thing this almost nothing in the name of a Disciple hee shall not lose his reward So here to set forth the hardness of Jobs heart as Eliphaz conceived he puts it in these termes Thou hast not given water no not cold water to those that are weary As if he had said thou hast not onely denyed a feast or a banquet of wine which might put thee to some cost and charges but thou hast denyed then water cold water which is not chargeable at all which doth not so much as put thee to the cost of a little fire to heat it or of any ingredient to mix with it thou hast denyed them this cheapest charity venit vilissima rerum Hîc aqua Horat Sat 1. An old Poet speaking of a place where water was sold saith That which is lowest prized a thing of no price water is sold here Thus farre hast thou O Job saith Eliphaz fallen below the Law of love Thou hast not given water And to whom did he not give it The next word answers that Querie To the weary That is thou hast not given water to them to whom it doth most properly belong or who had perfect need of it the weary the thirsty There are some to whom wee may very well refuse to give water or any other refreshment of nature they have enough if not too much already not onely in possession as the rich but in use or abuse rather as the intemperate and the drunken To give water to such is to powre water into the Sea but thou hast not given it to the weary not to those who are like the dry and parched ground In that the matter of charity is placed in water observe That charity is accepted and uncharitablenes condemned in the smallest matter It is not the quantity of the gift but the affection of the giver it is not the quantity of that which is denyed to be given but the heart of him that denyes it which the Lord takes notice of be it much or be it little that is given if it be given with an honest and willing minde the Lord accepts it and be it much or be it little that is denyed if it be denyed with a churlish and uncharitable spirit the Lord is displeased with it and the lesse that is which is denyed the more sinfull is the denyal the more is the Lord displeased with it When crusts or crums of bread which fall from our Table are denyed when a cup of cold water is denyed how cold is charity and is it not crumbled into a lesser nothing then those crums Wee should honour the Lord with our substance and our charity should not onely have cost in it but liberality in it how doe they honor God with their substance who will hardly give to him that is to his poor the shadow of their substance If the Lord should command us to give some great thing to testifie our charity should we not doe it how much more when he saith give but water to the weary for my sake and I account you charitable Secondly Note That Churlish and hard hearted Persons stick at small matters as well as at great It is supposed Acts 5.15 that the very shadow of Peter was healing to the sicke There are some so hard-hearted that they would hardly bestow their shadow upon the poore to doe them good It troubles them to part with the least Imaginable Benefit or to doe the least Imaginable courtesie not onely great things but small things even the smallest things the chippings of their loafe the parings of their apple yea the very huskes which their swine eate as the letter of the Parable concerning the prodigal intimates Luk. 15.16 are stuck at as too much for them who have nothing And thus the heart of a wicked man is stated to the whole businesse of obedience his heart is as much against obedience in a small matter as in a great he is so farre from swallowing the camell of holy duty that he straines at the very gnats of it and if a mans spirit be against obedience it selfe in its owne nature if his spirit be unsutable to it let it be a duty of the least or lowest degree he cannot but sticke at it The servants of Naaman the Assyrian sayd to him Had the Prophet bid thee doe some great matter wouldest thou not have done it how much more when he saith unto thee Wash in Jordan and be
people Stupidus esplanè nisi tua scelera harum tuarum calamitatū aquae more inundantium obruentium causam esse vides Merc heare ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes What were these eyes and eares that were to be made heavy and shut Surely they are to be understood not of Organicall but of intellectuall eares and eyes But who was to shut these eyes A holy Prophet And how was hee to shut them By prophecying or speaking to them in the Name of the Lord. The proper worke of the Word is to open the eyes and enlighten the minde But when a people have long shut their owne eyes against or onely dallyed with that transcendent mercy the light then God which is the severest judgement shuts their eyes and darkens them with light Of this Judiciary darkness some interpre◠the present Text as if Eliphaz had sayd there is a worse plague upon thee then all those spoken of even blindness and confusion of minde so that thou canst neyther see what brought thee into them nor how to finde thy way out but art as a man under water or in the darke amuzed in these thy afflictions not knowing what to doe or which way to turne thy selfe Secondly Darkness taken improperly is Externall so a state of sorrow and affliction is a state of darkness As before snares so here darkness notes any troublesome condition or the trouble of any mans condition And when to darkness this is added Darkness that thou canst not see it may import the greatest degree of darkness even darkness in perfection or as the Scripture speaks thick darkness yea outer darkness There is a darknes in which wee may see a darknes which hath some kinde of light in it but when darknes is so thicke that we cannot see that is that we cannot see any thing in it as we commonly say of extreame darkness 't is so darke that a man cannot see his hand then 't is perfect darkness Light is not properly seene but 't is the medium or meanes by which wee see much lesse is darknes seene it being properly that which intercepts and hinders sight yet 't is rare to meete with darknes which hath not some mixture or tinctures of light or with such darknes as in which nothing at all can be seene yet such was this metaphoricall darknes with which he supposed Job was muffled up I have more then once in other passages of this Booke met with and explained this terme shewing how and why afflictions and troubles are expressed by it and therefore I shall not now stay upon it Onely here take notice Gentiles idem sentire gustiebant dum non eosdem in prosperis quos in adversis adibant deos In prosperis quidem solē Jovem opulentū Minervam Mercurium Apollinem hos omnes quasi lucis secundarum rerum largitores at in adversis tellurem Neptunum alios malorum depulsores nocte multum potentes quasi tenebrarum ipsi domini essent Bold That the old Heathens had such conceptions of darkness And therefore being in a prosperous state they had recourse to the Sunne to Jupiter Minerva Mercury their Idol-Deities as the dispensers of light and comfort but being under sufferings and sorrows they made their applications to the Earth to Neptune and others whom they vainely beleeved were Rulers of the Night and Lords of darkness as if these could command and chase away all evills from them Scripture Language is full of such Descriptions about men in sorrow Darkness that thou canst not see And abundance of waters cover thee * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quamvis multitudinē aut inundationē significat cum celeretate quadam strepitu The word rendred abundance signifies a company or troope of waters which meete and march together even as horses prepared for battell and ready to give the charge So the word is translated 2 Kings 9.17 A Watchman from the Tower sayd I see a company And that was Jehu with his troopes who came marching furiously with the revenge of God in his hand upon the house of Ahab And so Ezek. 26.10 By reason of the abundance of their horses their dust shall cover thee thy walls shall shake at the noyse of the Horsemen and of the Wheeles and of the Chariots Reade the same use of the word Isa 60.6 The multitude some read the inundation of Camels shall cover thee They shall come in such abundance that they shall come like a floud and shall be as the gathering of many waters Troopes of Horses and Camels rush together as many waters And waters rush and throng together even as many horses Thus here abundance or an Army of waters come in upon thee and cover thee Waters in Scripture frequently signifie afflictions Isa 43.2 When thou passest thorow the waters that is thorow great afflictions I will be with thee Psal 18.16 Hee drew me out of many waters That is out of many afflictions Psal 66.12 Wee went through fire and water but thou broughtest us forth into a wealthy place Fire and water note all sorts of afflictions hot and cold moyst and dry And some conceive that water in a metaphoricall sence is so often used in Scripture to signifie affliction because water in a proper sence did once afflict the whole world As the generall Judgement upon the world at the last day shall be by fire so the first generall Judgement upon the world was by water it was a floud of waters by which the Lord destroyed the old world Likewise Pharaoh and his Host of Aegyptians which was the second most Eminent Judgement that ever was in the world were overwhelmed by the waters of the red Sea Thus Moses sang Exo. 15.4 5. Pharaohs Chariot his host hath he cast into the Sea his chosen Captaines also are drowned in the red Sea The depths have covered them they sanke into the bottome as a stone And againe v. 10. The Sea covered them they sanke as Lead in the mighty waters Water being the Element and the Instrument which God hath so often used in his angry dispensations towards sinfull men it may emphatically expresse any dispensation of his anger Yet if we consider the very nature of the thing it selfe it carrieth significancy enough to be the Embleme of saddest and soarest affliction First There is in water a swallowing power as water is easily swallowed so it swallowes all up Man cannot subsist in it when it is most peaceable and he can hardly escape out of it when 't is enraged Sorrow and affliction are swallowers also unlesse mercy appeare and moderate them they drowne and overthrow all The Apostle useth that expression when he adviseth the Corinthians 2 Ep 2.7 To forgive and comfort the incestuous person whom according to his advice they had formerly Excommunicated or cast out from fellowship in the
flock and brought in a Kid to make the savoury meat for Isaac Now the Apostle Paul to advance the freenes of grace doth not only instance in those two persons but useth a phrase of speech which savours so much of that passage that though he had not named the men yet every man who knew the Scriptures must needs understand both of whom and of what he meant it It is not of him that willeth c. that is it was neyther Rebeckaes will to have it so nor Jacobs hast which appeared in his running to the flock to have it so that gave him the Blessing but it was of God that shewed mercy And as it was then so it is now though a man be as willing as Rebeckah or though he make as much speed as Jacob for his blessing yet all comes freely by the grace of God Thus the frequent usage of Scripture shewes us how much the Spirit of God delights to lead our thoughts by the light of some one word a great way back into the consideration of what hath been done and written of old for our instruction The words of the text now under discussion Whose foundation was overflowne with a flood are surely an allusion to some particular persons or action in the dayes of old and they may be applyed three wayes First To the drowning of the whole world in the time of Noah by a flood when the Lord opened the windowes of heaven and overwhelmed both man and beast in those mighty waters which universal judgement is by way of eminence called The Deluge or The Flood unto this very day Secondly They may have respect to the overthrow of Sodome and Gomorrah which Cities though they were destroyed by fire yet it was with a flood of fire The Text saith expresly Gen. 19.24 Then the Lord rayned upon Sodome and upon Gemorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven and he overthrew the Cities all the plaine c. They were overflowne with a flood of fire Thirdly Hunc locum a v. 15. ad v 20. omnino respicere ad dimersionem Pharaones Egyptiorum non levibus suadeor conjecturis Pined The allusion may be carried to the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the red Sea They also were overflowne with a flood The waters of the red Sea which stood up as a wall for Israell to passe thorow at the Command of God returning upon the Egyptians swallowed them up them and their Chariots and their horses The enemy sayd thus Moses describes that fatal overthrow Exod. 15.9 10. I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoyle my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my sword my hand shall destroy them Thus the enemy raged foamed with revenge like a tempestuous Sea and had opened all the sluces of his will to overflow them And when the enemy had thus breathed out his wrath in a foure times repeated I will Then the Lord did blow with his wind the Sea covered them They sanke as lead in the mighty waters So then the words may relate to any of those three signall Judgements to the drowning of the old world with a flood of water to the destruction of Sodome and Gomorrah with a flood of fire or to the overthrow of Pharaoh and his Egyptian host in the red Sea But more particularly for the explication of these words whose foundation was overflowne with a flood Whose foundation This word foundation taken in a proper sence referres to a materiall building And the foundation of any building is the stability and strength of it by foundation in a metaphorical sence Ea omnia quae illis velur fundamenti loco erant in quibus spem praesidium ponebant c. Merc wee are to understand all those things by which the state of persons or things is upheld and here whatsoever wicked men support beare up themselves by as a building is borne up by the foundation is to be understood as their foundation So their power their riches their councell their wisdome their friends and confederates whatsoever I say is the support of their worldly State that 's their foundation And thus it is here said their foundation was overflowne With a flood In two of the former Instances to which the allusion was made their foundation was overflowne by a flood properly taken If wee take it more generally for all wicked men who at any time have been overthrowne wee may say that they have all been overflowne by a flood metaphorically For so First The displeasure of God by what meanes or instrument soever put forth is called a flood whether is be by sword or by famine or by pestilence it is a flood Esa 8.7 Wee read warre Compared to a flood Now therefore behold the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river strong and many what were these waters Even the King of Assyria and all his glory the King of Assyria with his Armyes in which he gloried or which he counted his glory were the waters of the river strong and many and hee shall come up over all his channells and goe over all his hands that is the former Limits of his Dominion And he shall passe thorow Judah hee shall overflow and goe over There The Sword is Compared to a flood or to a mighty river which beares downe all before it The same Prophet speakes againe in the same Language Esa 59.19 When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him as if it had been said The enemy shall come rushing in like a mighty torrent but the Spirit of God like a more mighty winde shall blow and rush upon him causing him to recoile and give back or as our Margent hath it put him to flight Againe Ezek. 13. The Prophet foreshewes the approaching calamity upon those who had seduced the Jewes into a vaine security which is there called the building of a wall with untempered morter A wall he calls that prophecy because it promised safety and defence but he calls it also a wall built with untempered morter because that false prophecy was a weake prophecy and should shortly fall The manner how he gives us in the notion of the Text vers 13. Wherefore thus saith the Lord God I will even rent it with a stormy winde in my fury and there shall be as an overflowing shower in mine anger c. that is wrath shall be upon it the Babylonian Army was the special judgement in which that wrath was expressed and that shall be as an overflowing shower Great and continuall showers will try the strongest buildings and quickly overthrow the weake A wall of untempered morter is no match for a storme As our Saviour also assures us in the close of his Sermon on the Mount Matth. 7.27 where all those evills troubles afflictions sorrowes and persecutions whether sent upon such as are really
come to such so to stay and abide with them As good comes so good continues according to the command and commission which it hath from God Thus he promised in the Prophet Isa 48.18 in case his people had harkned to his commandements Then had thy peace been as a River and thy prosperity as the waves of the Sea Thy peace and prosperity had not been as a Land flood or Brooks of water which faile in summer when we have most need of them all worldly things are apt to doe so but they should have flowed perpetually as a river doth which is fed by a constant Spring or as the Sea doth which is the feeder of all Springs A godly man gets not onely a large portion of good things but a lasting portion yea a portion of those good things which are everlasting by acquainting himselfe with God And because by acquaintance with God so much good comes to us Therefore Eliphaz presseth Job further to it in the next verse Vers 22. Receive I pray thee the Law from his mouth and lay up his words in thine heart Receive that is learne from his mouth he that teaches gives Dat Magister quando docet capit discipulus quando discit Drus and he that learnes receives and the Hebrew word which we render here to Receive signifies not ordinary receiving but receiving with an earnest desire yea it implyeth a kinde of violence in desire such as they have who take spoyles in warre They fly upon the spoyle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbum hoc ad praedam quae cum violentia tollitur referri potest and catch it with as much eargernes as they wonne it with courage So Receive the Law from his mouth David saith I have rejoyced in thy word more then they that finde great spoyles Psal 119.162 O how strongly did his heart run out to the word And there is an Elegancy also in it that this word which signifies to receive the Law Ex hac radice dicitur doctrina 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quase accepta vel accipienda quia sc lex debet accipi grato lubenti animo doth also signifie the Law or doctrine to be received Prov. 4.2 I give you good doctrine forsake you not my Law The word which is there used for doctrine is the same that â—s here rendred to receive the reason is because wholsome doctrine â—s worthy to be received and ought to be received willingly chearfully and gladly and therefore the Gospel which is the highest and most precious doctrine is called an Acceptable doctrine This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all Acceptation 1 Tim. 1.11 The Gospel is worthy not onely of Acceptation or of great but of all Acceptation and that from all men even from the Greatest And so also is the Law for as shall be opened further afterwards the Law in this place comprehends the Gospel also Receive the Law at his mouth Further The word which we expresse Receive is rendred by some to buy we may connect both sences here Receive the Law as a thing bought and carry it home with thee That of Solomon Prov. 23.23 suites it well Buy the truth and sell it not Truth is a Commodity the trade whereof goes but one way all Civill Trades and Merchandizes are continued by buying and selling but this spirituall trade is continued by buying onely without selling it will be our profit to have this Commodity alwayes upon our hands or rather alwayes in our hands Thus here Receive the Law at a price buy it and keepe it not that the Lord doth expect any price from us or that vve can bring any thing to him valuable for it We buy it when vve take paines for it vvhen vve doe our utmost endeavour to receive the truth vvhen vve receive the truth not onely as it is offered and brought home to us but vvhen we goe out for it and seeke after it in all the meanes vvhich God hath appoynted as conveyances of it that 's buying the Law of truth Receive the Law Againe We may profitably consider a double derivation of that word vvhich vve trenslate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 explorare aut circumquaque lustrare quia lex universa est diligentèr observanda ne qâ—is in uno offendat Law Some say it is from a roote that signifies to behold or Contemplate to Consider to looke about and the Lavv is vvell exprest by a word of that sence because the vvhole Law is diligently to be observed and considered looked into and meditated upon vvee are alwayes to behold it and that in every part For the vvhole Lavv is copulative and he that offends in one part offends in all David speaking of the righteous man Psal 1.2 saith hee meditates in the law of the Lord day and night What 's meditation but the Inward view of a thing or the beholding it with an Intellectuall eye meditation is the continuall turning of things over in the minde to behold the excellencies and perfections that are in them A radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est pâ—uere irrigare quare commune fere idem est nomen pluviae Doctoris legislatoris Secondly Say others it proceeds from another radicall vvord that signifies to raine and that not onely some small drissling dewing raine but full showers or as we say to powre downe and in the Hebrew the same vvord signifies to raine and to teach because teaching by the vvord is like raining or the sending dovvne of raine The Apostle Heb. 6.7 alludes to it For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft upon it c. by the earth he meanes those vvho heare the vvord or doctrine vvhich comes dovvne upon them like raine to soften their hearts and make them fruitfull There are tvvo other Texts of Scripture very suitable to this Exposition Esay 30.20 Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy teachers be removed into Corners any more but thine eye shall see thy teachers Thy teachers shall not be removed so wee render but strictly from the letter of the Hebrew we may read it thus 〈◊〉 elongabit â—â—viam Though the Lord give thee the bread of adversitie c. yet shall not thy raine be removed from thee It may seeme strange that they should have the bread of adversity and the vvater of Affliction and yet have also raine vvhich naturally causeth the earth to bring forth bread and fills the pooles vvith vvater But the Prophet vvho speakes of corporall bread and vvater in the former part of the verse speakes of spirituall raine in the latter making this so full a compensation to the people of God for the want of other tvvo that they should have no cause to complain of it As if the Prophet had said Though you are cut short in outward things yet you shall not
the skie So the face of the earth is the superficies or upper part of the earth and the face of the waters is the upper part of the waters The word in the text is plural faces he is swift upon the faces of the water that is when he hath murtherd committed Adultery and robbed at land when the Earth is weary of him then he betakes himselfe to the Sea and turnes Pyrate There is a truth in this Velocitêr manâ— se ad mare recipiunt Vatab Levis est ad nâ—tandum sive remiganduÌ„ super faciens aquae Targ some men make such a progresse in wickednesse they try all trades of sin upon the earth and then trade sinfully upon the water defileing both earth and water both sea and shoare polluting all the Elements with their abominations And in pursuance of this exposition the two other Clauses of the verse are thus expounded Their portion is Cursed in the earth that is they who live at land Curse them when they are gone to Sea fearing lest they should take their ships spoyl them of their goods by pyracy And then he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards that is he will come no more on shoare he will not live at land vineyards by a synecdoche of the part for the whole being put for any kinde of home or land possession of which vineyards in many places are the chiefe he who lived by dressing and planting the earth now takes another course of life hee beholdeth not the way of the vineyards he will labour no more in a Country life he will not get his liveing by the sweat of his face but by the face of the waters What cares he to get wine by dressing of vineyards when he can get whole Shiploads of wine upon the waters And having got a smatch of the sweetnes of robbing at Sea he will worke no more aland We have too much experience of it that when a man hath once given himselfe up to stealing he cannot abide labouring He is better pleased with an easie life that is sinfull then with an honest life that is painefull and because ease pleaseth him more then honesty therefore he will not behold the way of the vineyards nor the way of the Corne feilds nor of the pasture grounds Ad piratas referre divinare est ex proprio cerebro cum hic tantum de infesâ—â—toribus agâ—orum mentio fiat non navium aut maris Pined for all these are wayes of labour But I shall not Insist upon this Interpretation it may suffice onely to name it And though as to the thing it selfe as also to the practice of many this be a truth yet it is scarsely probable that Job had that practice in his eye Secondly Wee may here conceave that Job is describing the miserable and unsetled Condition of the murtherer of the Adulterer and of the Theife hee is swift upon the waters or swift as the waters say wee Mr Broughton renders He is lighter then the face of the waters The Hebrew particle serves eyther reading as or upon He is swift or light upon the face of the waters that is he is as a light thing that swimmeth upon the face of the waters light things swim there things which are of no worth of no price as strawes or chips or feathers or the foame which is light and hoven swim upon the face of the water Mr Broughton translates thus He is lighter then the face of the waters The sence is the same for as those things which swim upon the face of the waters are light so also is the face of the waters Every blast or puffe of winde moves and tosseth up the face of the waters Levitas pro velocitate sumitur leve enim facile movetur quod facile movetur velox est He is swift or light upon the face of the waters The Hebrew word which we render swift in our translation signifieth also light because those things that are swift in motion are light wee say of one that is slow paced hee is heavie heel'd and that he is a heavy man or that a heavy beast which is slow of foot all swift things are light The meaning of this Interpretation is that a wicked man is a Contemptible Creature what is hee when he hath done all those mischiefes before specifyed and walked to wearynes in all those sinfull wayes Proverbialis loquutio ad exprimendum aliquid quod flocci penditur fere nihil est Bold Leves erunt ut res quae super aquas natant fluctuabunt abibant diffluent The best account which we can give of him is this Hee is light or as a light thing upon the face of the water which is a Proverbiall speech to Expresse that which is nothing worth Thus the destruction of the King of Samaria is expressed Hos 10.7 As for Samaria her King is cut off as the foame upon the water or as the Margin hath it upon the face of the water that is though he be a great King yet he shall perish as a very light and contemptible thing even as a little foame and froth or as a buble upon the water Hence observe Wickednes makes men Contemptible and vile they are but as light things upon the water In the 21th of this booke v. 18. the wicked are sayd to be as stubble before the fire and as Chaff before the whirle-winde So David Psal 1.4 speaking of the wicked in general saith They are like the chaffe which the wind driveth away Stubble and chaffe are light things and they are also worthles things what 's the stubble worth or what the chaffe What is the chaffe to the wheat such are wicked men in comparison of the Godly The Scripture doth even strive for Expressions as I may say to set forth the lightnes the vanity Indeed the nullity the non-entity the nothingnes of men given up to their lusts David Psal 62.9 speaking of them who trust in oppression and become vaine in robberie saith they are vanity and a lye and that to be layd in the ballance they are alltogether lighter then vanity And Solomon putting the tongue of a Godly man and the heart of a wicked man together into the ballance gives this determination between them Pro. 10.20 The tongue of the just is as choyce silver but the heart of the wicked is little worth The heart is there taken in the highest sence for the best thing that the wicked man hath for though where the heart is nought it is the worst thing that a man hath yet the sence of the proverbe is to shew that the best thing that a wicked man hath is of little worth and therefore the instance is made in that which he accounts his chiefest treasure his heart for by the heart all that man hath within him all the powers and faculties of the soule with their best and richest furniture are understood all these saith Solomon in a wicked man
are little worth so that take him at his best and in his best he is but trash or as a trifle Sin is a reproach both to persons and nations as honour is a mans weight in the esteeme of others so reproach abates his weight makes him light upon the balance Since thou wast precious in mine eyes thou wast honourable saith God Isa 43.4 holynes adds honour and weight to our persons sin makes us light and then we are lightest when we make light of sin sin is a weight that presseth us downe yet they who sin most weigh least in the esteeme of God and of all good men Sin will quickly sinke the soule like lead under water even to the bottome of the water yet the sinner is as a light thing that swims upon the top or face of the water This is a profitable sence of the words Thirdly Others expound these words as a description of the wicked mans shifting and running from place to place for feare of pursuers or that being conscious to himselfe or selfe-condemned in his owne conscience he is as the Lord threatned Cain Gen. 4.14 a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth swift as the waters of a streame which glide along and never stay in one place or he is upon the earth as a light thing upon the waters continually moved and tossed up and downe But I passe from this And conclude Fourthly That wee may rather understand these words as a description of the spirit and temper of a wicked man in reference to his sinfull actings or the fulfilling of his lusts Hee is swift or light as the water or as the light things upon the water that is hee is a man very unsetled he is hurryed to and fro there is no stability eyther in his wayes or in his spirit He abides not in one place nor doth he abide in one minde He is full of Inconstancy he is constant in nothing but in his unconstancy and it must needs be so if we Consider First his lusts within How can he but be swift as the water who hath such windes blowing and striving in him A carnal man is hurryed with stormes and tempests rising in his owne minde as the winde tosseth and rolleth the waters of the Sea or light things upon the water so the lusts of evill men toss and tumble them up and downe Pride tosseth some and Covetousnesse tosseth others luxury and wantonnes tosse thousands into a thousand vanities and sinful wayes as the windes tosse the waves of the Sea Lusts are strong and boysterous lusts are many and numerous he that serveth any one of them is a slave to them all and must goe upon their errand whethersoever they will send or rather hurry him Secondly Carnal men must needs be swift as the water or light upon the water very unconstant and unsetled if we Consider the temptations that blow upon them from without For though our owne lusts are temptations and every man as the Apostle James saith Chapter 1.14 is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed yet our lusts also are tempted or our lusts are drawne away and enticed by temptation Man is apt enough to sin of himselfe alone if once God leave him but he is seldome left to himselfe alone to sin by the Devill and most usually he is tempted with a kinde of violence unto sinne his lusts which are a fire are blowne and kindled by Satans breath and he is driven to doe evill by vehement blasts of temptation Temptations blow upon Saints they blow strongly upon them Satan breathes out a mighty wind to make them swift as the water unto sin but they have received a power to resist and stand fast They are founded upon the rocke Jesus Christ Though the winde moves the water yet it cannot move the rock they that are founded upon Christ are in their proporion firme as Christ himselfe is firme 'T is true Saints are many times grievously shaken with temptations but the wicked are tossed and overwhelmed by them They are swift as the water or as the lightest thing upon the face of the waters when strongly moved by temptation Dying Jacob called Reuben his first-borne unstable as water Gen. 49.4 though wee will not number him among the wicked yet hee did a very wicked act and in reference to that though he was a great man and a Patriarke the head of the Tribe yet in reference to that act he received this Character unstable as water And if he was so unstable when hurryed by passion and temptation how much more are meer wicked men so when they meet with such temptatioÌ„s For as they are not fixed in any thing that is good as was touched at the 13 â—h verse They know not the wayes of light nor doe they abide in the pathes of it if at any time they stumble upon the doing of that which is right yet they abide not in the doing of it they are light as the water unstable and unsetled in all good wayes So though they are fixed as to the subject in doing that which is evill yet they are extreamly tossed and swiftly moved both to and in and after the doing of it Againe As this similitude implyes The easines of evill men to be moved by temptation unto sinne even as easily as water or the lightest things upon the face of the water are moved by the winde So it implyeth also their speedyness and activity in sinning The water moves swiftly sinners are like swift ships upon the water they make speed to doe evill or to trade upon any forbidden coast but they are very sluggs to any thing that is good or to trade upon any coast where they are bidden A learned Interpreter insists much upon the emphasis of this Expression to shew not onely the swiftnes but the feircenes of a wicked mans spirit in sinning hee is swift upon the face of those waters and is carryed on with full sayles in sinning hee runs so swiftly and treads so lightly that he might run even upon the surface of the water and not sinke Those creatures which are very swift leave little Impression behinde them they that goe slowly tread heavy and unlesse they be upon firme land fall in It is sayd in the 8th of Daniel v. 5th Concerning the hee-goate who represented Alexander the Great That he touched not the ground Alexander was extreame swift in his Conquests hee Conquered the world in as little time as another could have traveld over it His motto was Without delay or I doe all by making no delay He was swift upon the face of the earth De facilitate peccandi atque velocitate ad castanduÌ„ quamcuÌ„que sceleris occasionem intelligi posse videtur Tam leviter in terra figunt pedem ut etiam super aquas incedere passe videantur Sanct Thus wicked men are light upon the face of the water that is they are swift and fierce for the attayning of their
able to number them And hee sayd unto him so shall thy seed bee Gen. 15.5 that is thy seed shall be numberlesse as the Starres are numberlesse Thirdly By these Armyes wee may understand not onely the Angells and the Sunne Moone and Starres that heavenly host but any creature yea all the creatures from the Elephant even to the worme that creepeth upon the ground or to the fly that buzzeth in the ayre or to the lice that breede out of corruption All these are the Armyes of God and by these he can doe his worke as well as by the Angells in heaven What were the armyes of God with which he made warre upon Pharaoh were they not flyes and lice and such like contemptible creatures mustred together at his command therefore the Text may well say Is there any number of his armies God can leavy an army upon the earth not onely of men but of beasts and not onely of Lyons and Elephants the stoutest and greatest beasts but of the weakest and meanest and not onely of the weakest and meanest among living creatures but of the very Inanimate creatures the stones in the feilds the winds in the ayre the waters of the Sea yea the sand of the Sea and the very dust of the earth are the armyes of God if hee give them commission and send them forth God and the weakest creature are an overmatch for the strongest creatures 'T is no matter how meane the meanes is or how inconsiderable the instrument so it be in the hand of God so it be of Gods providing and goe forth at his bidding God can leavy an army where he will and out of what he will and it shall doe the deed Now if all things or any thing may be his army no marvayle if it be sayd Is there any number of his Armyes Hence observe All creatures are the host the Armyes of God They may be called his Armyes in a threefold consideration First Because of their multitude a few cannot make an army There are many creatures of every kinde how many then are all of every kinde put together Secondly They are his Armyes because of their order The greatest many out of order doe not make an Army but a throng or heape Armyes are martiall'd and disciplin'd trayned and taught An Army is an ordered company all the creatures are in order by nature and when God calls they are in order as it were by Art Thirdly They are his Armyes because as God hath a power to command them so they are ready to obey him They as the Centurion in the Gospel sayd of his Souldiers goe when God sayth goe they come when he sayth come and if he bid them doe this or that they doe it Souldiers must neyther refuse nor dispute the commands of their General The most violent and boysterous creatures are obedient to the call of God stormy winds and tempests fullfill his word Psal 148.8 Hee speakes to the lightnings and they say heere are wee Job 38.35 The very thunder which seemes to be all voyce is all eare at the voyce of God The Angels are so ready to goe that they are sayd to fly and their readines to doe the will of God in heaven is made the patterne of our doing it here on earth The Scripture speakes often of them as of an army employed in warres eyther to destroy the wicked or to be a guard to the people of God We have an illustrious example of the latter in Jacobs case Gen. 32.2 And when Jacob saw them hee sayd this is Gods host and hee called the name of that place Mahanaim that is two hosts or companies And it might be so called because Jacobs company or little host and that company of Angels who were Gods host sent out to convoy him in safety did both encampe upon the same ground or rather because the Angels divided themselves into two companyes The one encamping and marching before him as his Vantguard the other behind him or in his Reere That so he might see himselfe every way protected and might be filled with a full assurance of safety That God hath such numerous Armyes alwayes at hand and under command is First A very comfortable hearing to all that love and feare God The Apostle sayth Rom. 8.31 If God be for us who can be against us that is none can Though many be against us opposingly yet none can be against us prevaylingly We may say also if the Lord be for us who will not be for us If God be our helper we cannot want helpers not onely because the helpe of God is enough without any more but because if he be our helper we shall have many more When we see our selves utterly destitute of all helpes and helpers yet God hath an army of helpers he hath auxiliary forces ready for us Psal 34.7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that feare him and delivereth them David speaketh as if one single Angel were a whole Army The Angel of the Lord sayth he encampeth he doth not say the Angels of the Lord encampe about them that feare him and indeed every Angel of the Lord is more in power then a whole Army of men yet here possibly is meant that Angel who is the Lord The Angel of the Covenant who as Captaine General with his Army of created Angels encampeth about them that feare God And if so then they need not be afrayd 2 Kings 6.16 17. When the servant of Elisha cryed out for feare Elisha answered feare not they that be with us are more then they that bee with them And Elisha prayed And sayd Lord I pray thee open his eyes that hee may see and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and hee saw and behold the mountaine was full of horses and Charrets of fire round about Elisha And thus it is often with us though wee discerne it not Wee have many invisible succours in our visible dangers And as that the Angels are our helpers in eminent and extraordinary dangers is very comfortable so also that they are so against ordinary common or every-day-dangers Psal 91.11 12. Hee shall give his Angells charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes They shall beare thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foote against a stone that is lest thou take hurt in thy dayly workes and travels Secondly These Armyes are a terrour to all those who rebell and rise up against God or are enemies to his people Hee that resists God hath as many enemyes as there are Angells in heaven or starres in the firmament or stones in the earth or beasts in the feild so many enemies hath he and if God appeare as Captaine generall none shall be able to stand before his armyes though he levy them of Grasse-hoppers or flyes or wormes or lice How should the greatest feare to provoke God who can make them fall by that which is least For as David acknowledged Psal 33.16 17.
redeemer c. that stretcheth forth the heavens alone and spreadeth abroad the earth by my selfe Hence note As the heavens in creation so the heavens in their dayly motion are stretched out and ordered by God Isaiah 40.22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grass-hoppers that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtaine and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in The Prophet entitles God to this with a speciall emphasis It is He that doth it as if he had sayd God doth it and none but he and in this he eminently declares that He is God Who ever stretched out such a curtaine or canopy as the heavens who ever pitched such a tent to dwell in This is a tent or a Tabernacle which though it shall be changed yet as the Prophet speakes of Sion in her beauty and glory Is 33.20 Shall not be taken downe not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neyther shall any of the cords thereof be broken Againe Consider the heavens have no outward support They are stretched out over the empty place Which demonstration of the power of God will be more cleared and hightned in the next words And he hangeth the earth upon nothing If any say heaven is a thin body there needs no great matter to keepe that up What will they say to the earth which is a grosse and heavy body a body of an unconceivable weight who can count or cast up the weight of the earth or how much the earth weigheth God not onely stretcheth out the thinne heavens over the empty place but he hangeth the earth that mighty masse of the earth upon nothing he hath not so much as a pegge in the wall so the word signifieth to hang it upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appendit suspendit He hangeth the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est nomen compositum ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quid quasi dicas nihil quicquam Drus Philosophi rationem reddunt quod illa sit in suo centro in quo res naturalitèr quiescunt ideoque terra ponderibus librata suis quiescat When he sayth the earth we are to understand both earth and water the whole terrestiall globe This he hangeth upon nothing The Original word is a compound which in its parts may be rendred not any thing at all that is nothing But how can any thing be hung upon that which is nothing if it hang it must be upon somewhat Philosophers tell us that the earth hangeth upon its Center and so is poysed by its own waight and cannot moove which Center or imaginary point is nothing But the Scripture sayth the earth hath a foundation And David Psal 24.2 tells us expressely what that foundation is The earth is the Lords and the fullnesse thereof the world and they that dwell therein for he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods According to this Scripture the Sea is the foundation of the earth the floods are the basis of it How then doth Job affirme that He hangeth the earth upon nothing That indeed which David affirmes may seeme very strange that the earth should be founded upon the sea and established upon the floods is the sea a fit foundation for the earth and can that which is stable and unmoveable be established upon that whiâ—h is the Embleme of instability floods and waters Jacob sayth of Reubâ—n Gen. 49.4 unstable as water and can floods or waters be the whole earths establishment the earth is rather the foundation of the water and many Philosophers tell us that the sea is higher then the earth and therein is the power of God seene that hee holds in the sea as with barrs or as with a bridle lest it overwhelme the earth how is it then sayd the earth is founded upon the sea I answer the word that wee translate upon signifieth by neere together with so he hath founded it upon the sea is by the sea Super flumina est juxta vel secus flumina quis enim terram initifluminibus dixerit Drus or neare the sea that is the sea and the land are next neighbours they dwel so neere each other that the one seemes to dwel upon or be the foundation of the other There are waters within the earth whence it is sayd that at the time of the Flood Gen. 7.11 as the windows of heaven were opened so the fountaines of the great deepe were broken up and wee read of the waters as placed under the earth Exod 20.4 yet if we say the earth is upon the waters sence contradicts it and if wee consider the whole globe together wee cannot say which is uppermost for in a spheare or round figure there is neyther uppermost nor lowermost but all the parts are equall and alike being placed one by another not one upon another So that the text in the Psalme which saith the earth is founded upon the seas doth not at all dash against nor contradict this of Job which sayth He hangeth the earth upon nothing Againe There is another Scripture that seemes to oppose this and from which we may inferre that surely the earth hath somewhat to sustaine it Psal 104.5 Who layd the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed for ever Wee put in the margin Hee founded the earth upon her basis if the earth be founded upon a basis or pillar then it doth not hang upon nothing I answer the foundation or basis in the Psalme doth not oppose the earths hanging upon nothing for the foundation or basis which upholdeth the earth is not any created power without or extrinsicall to the earth God did not build the earth as wee doe houses first laying the foundation and then seting up the walls and roofe there is no such thing imaginable in the worke of God But the foundation or basis of the earth is the infinite and invisible power of God who made the earth The will and word of the Builder is the pillar which sustaineth this building The thin ayre is all the appearing foundation of the earth For as the heavens hang over the ayre so the earth hangs in the midst of the ayre What then is the basis and foundation of the earth I answer which may be the poynt of observation from these words The earth is upheld by the infinite and allmighty power of God The earth hath no pillar but hangs like a ball in the ayre we should looke upon it as a miracle did we see a little ball but of an ounce weight hanging in the ayre without support Non fundamâ—ntis suis nâ—xa subsistit terra nec sulchris sâ—isstabilis perseverat sed dominus statuit terram fundamento voluntatis suae continet Amb Hexam 6. the ayre will scarce beare a feather throw a feather up into the ayre and it will descend unlesse kept up
and proper to it Further as God hideth his glory from man because he is not able to beare it all so he hideth much of that from him which he is able to beare both to make him hunger and thirst the more after it and to draw him into the greater reverence and estimation of it We usually esteeme that more which is veyled and under a cloud then that which is very cleare and openly revealed and according to our present state and frame that is most reverenced by us which is most concealed from us When a cloud hath dwelt a while upon the Sunne we desire the more to see the face of it and are the more affected with the sight of it God will not hold backe the face of his throne from us in glory nor will he ever spread a cloud upon it and yet we shall have fresh desires after it and high valuations of it everlastingly But while we dwel in this corrupt and corruptible flesh wee are apt to neglect that which is alwayes with us especially if it be alwayes alike with us And therefore as the wise and gracious God will not let us see his throne here at all in the full glory of it because we cannot beare it so he will not let us see that glory of it continually which we are able to beare lest we should grow eyther carelesse of it or unthankfull for it It is even best for us that we have but a darke and imperfect sight of God in this world both in reference to what he is and to what he doth or first in reference to himselfe in his nature and Excellencyes Secondly in reference to his wayes or workes in their speciall reasons and ends As our darkenes cannot at all comprehend the light of God so God is pleased to cover much of his own light with darkenes that we should not comprehend it How many glorious truths are there the face of which he holdeth backe from many of his precious servants how often doth he spread a cloud as upon the truths which he sendeth in his Word so upon the graces which he hath wrought in us by his Spirit so that the soule is not onely hindred from beholding what is without but what is within and is so farre from beholding the glorious perfection of God and his workes abroad that it cannot so much as discerne any of the gracious workes of God at home He spreadeth his cloud upon it Vers 10. He compasseth the waters with bounds untill the day and night come to an end Job having described marvaylous acts of divine power in the heavens descends againe to shew his marvayles in or about the Seas and mighty waters He compasseth the waters with bounds The word which we render to compasse Proprietas pecaliaris verbi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est lineam vel circulum describere quasi circino Forte etiam in dicatur eodem circumdandi verbo unum effici globuÌ„ ex terra et aqua atque unum idem utriusque elementi esse centrum Pined signifyeth properly to draw a line or make a circle as Mathematicians doe with a payre of Compasses so that it notes the shutting up or circumscribing any thing to a certaine place or measure beyond which it cannot move And thus God compasseth the waters At the 8th verse Job shewed how God compasseth the upper waters the waters in the ayre He bindeth up the waters in his thicke clouds Here he sheweth how God by the same almighty power compasseth about the lower waters the waters of the Sea The Hebrew is The face of the waters as in the former verse The face of his throne The face of the earth is the upper part of the earth Gen. 1.29 I have given you every herbe bearing or seeding seed which is upon the face of all the earth And so the face of the waters is the upper part of the waters because the upper part of the water as also of the earth lyeth open to the eye as the face of a man doth And it may therefore be sayd that he compasseth the face of the waters because though the whole body and bulke of the waters swel and rage yet the face or upper part of the waters is that which at any times breaketh over and overfloweth And therefore the face of the waters onely as to us is compassed about with bounds The word noteth a legal bound a statute or decree and is frequently used in Scripture especially in the 119th Psalme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stanuum constitutie dec câ—etum sign ficat praecepti constantiam durationem nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est insculpere seu incidere lapidi ligno vel Metallo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septu for the Law or rule which God hath given man both for his worship and continuall course of life And hence the Prophet Jeremiah speaking to the Jewes about this thing useth another word to signifie the bound of the Sea and the word which here we render Bound is there rendred Decree Jer 5.22 Feare 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 perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it And there is so much of a Law or of an appoyntment in it that the word is applicable to any thing which is put under a certaine law or appoyntment So it is put for an appoynted time in the 14th Chapter of this booke v. 13th and for appoynted foode in the 23d Chapter of this booke v. 12th as here for an appoynted space or circle within which as within a wall or with gates and barrs the waters of the Sea are kept He compasseth the waters with bounds Hence Note First The Sea is bounded by the power of God As God hath given man understanding to provide a bit and a bridle for the mouth of the horse and mule which have no understanding lest they come neere unto him Psal 32.9 that is neerer to him then they should or neere to him not to serve him or be used by him but to kicke him or tread upon him Thus God himselfe who is infinite in understanding hath put a bit or bridle into the mouth of the Sea which is further from understanding then eyther Horse or mule lest it come neere to drowne and overwhelme us Neyther shoares nor sands neyther cliffs nor rockes are the bound and bridle of the Sea but the Decree and command of God Observe Secondly It is an unanswerable argument of the glorious power and soveraignetie of God that he is able to compasse the waters with bounds Who shut up the Sea with dores was Gods humbling Question to Job in the 38th Chapter of this booke v. 8.10 11. and sayd hitherto shalt thou come and no further here shall thy proud waves be stayed The Psalmist Ps 104. having shewed how at first Gen. 1 1. the whole earth was covered with the deep as
rule and governe the floods for a while but he ruleth and governeth them alwayes he sitteth upon them king for ever even untill day and night come to an end Thirdly note The waters shall never totally overflow the earth As God hath given them a bound so such a bound as shall keepe them in compasse for ever And as we have an assurance in the power of God that he can keepe or compasse the waters with bounds to the end of the world so also we have his promise and his faithfullnes engaged that he will maintaine those bankes and bounds and keepe them in such repayre that the waters shall never prevaile over them Gen. 9.8 9 10 11. And God spake unto Noah and to his sons with him saying and I behold I establish my Covenant with you and with your seed after you c. neyther shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood neyther shall there be any more a flood to destroy the earth And as mankinde is under this promise of freedome from an universal deluge so every godly man may rise up to this assurance that no waters of any sort can wet so much as the sole of his foote or the hemme of his garment but as they have leave and commission from him who hath compassed the waters with bonnds untill the day and night come to an end JOB CHAP. 26. Vers 11 12. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe He divideth the Sea by his power and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud JOB still proceedeth in the enumeration and illustration of the mighty works of God what he doth in the clouds and what in the heavens was shewed from the former context Here Job tells us what the Lord doth with the heavens He who made the heavens and stretched out the North over the empty place can make these heavens totter in their place and tremble when he pleaseth The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe There are three things to be enquired into for the opening of this verse First What is meant by the pillars of heaven Secondly How the pillars of heaven may be said to tremble and be astonished Thirdly What we are to understand by the reproofe of God Columnae coeli i. e. Angeli contremiscunt Aquin Angelos vocat columnas coeli quia sâ—ilicet eorum officio admâ—nistratur motus coelorum Aquin when he sayth they are astonished at his reproofe The pillars of heaven tremble There are various opinions about these pillars first many of the Latins hold that these pillars of heaven are the Angells by whose assistance say some Philosophers the motions of the heavenly bodyes with their orbes or spheares are guided and maintained And doubtlesse as the Angels have great employments upon and about the earth so also in and about the heavens and therefore may not improperly be called the pillars of heaven in which sence also the Angels are called the powers of heaven as some interpret Math 24.29 where Christ prophesieth that immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes the Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall not give her light the starrs shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken Many of the antients interpret those powers of heaven by the Angels as if the Lord would doe such things in that great day as should trouble and astonish not onely men on earth but the Angels in heaven who may be called the pillars of heaven as some eminent men for parts and power are called the pillars of the earth And wee may suppose them pillars of heaven not for the strength and sustainement of heaven Stabilitaâ—eÌ„ permanenteÌ„ in natura angelorum intelligamus nemine Columnarum Philip but for the beauty and ornament of it As we see many pillars in stately Pallaces which are not placed there to beare up the weight of those buildings but only to adorn beautifie them Or Angels may be called the pillars of heaven because of the firmenes and stability of their owne nature not as if they were any firmenes or establishment unto heaven Secondly By these pillars of heaven are conceaved to be meant the high mountaines of the earth which seeme to touch the heavens according to sence and so to sustaine and beare them up as pillars but this opinion not being grounded upon any truth in nature but onely upon a popular errour though it be a truth that even these supposed pillars of heaven tremble at the reproofes of God I shall not insist at all upon this interpretalion Thirdly These pillars of heaven say others are the ayre for as the lowest parts of the earth are called the foundations of the earth because the foundation of a building is layd lowest so the lower parts of heaven the ayre which is sometimes called heaven yea the firmament of heaven Gen. 1.20 may be called the pillar of heaven 'T is true also that the Lord maketh dreadfull combustions by stormes and tempests in the ayre insomuch that those pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe But I shall not give this neyther as Jobs meaning here Terra tota velut orbis totius fundamentum ac firmanentum Merc Fourthly By the pillars of heaven others understand not the ayre or the mountains but the whole body on globe of the earth Thus David speakes 2 Sam. 22.8 Then the earth shooke and trembled the foundations of heaven moved and shooke because he was wroth where the foundations of heaven in the latter part of the verse may be expounded by the earth in the former part of the verse For if we consider the whole fabricke of the world together then the earth seemes to be the foundation or pillar of heaven And frequent experiences in all ages especially in some parts of the world have felt and reported the trembling of the earth We commonly call it an Earth-quake and Philosophers teach us that the reason of it in nature is the strength of vapours included in and striving to make their way out of the bowels of the earth And as this trembling of the earth hath a reason in nature so it is often caused by speciall command from God as a reproofe of the sinfullnes of man or to awaken him from his sin yet Fifthly I rather conceive that this phrase The pillars of heaven is used onely in a generall sense and not particularly intended eyther of Angels or mountains of the ayre or of the earth but that the pillars of heaven are the strength of heaven the strength of a building consists in the pillars that beare it up take away the pillars and it falls downe as Sampson sayd to the lad that held him by the hand suffer me that I may feele the pillars whereupon the house standeth and when he had once moved them the house fell Judg. 16.26.30 so that when Job sayth the pillars of heaven tremble the
doe so no more how much more should all that see feare and doe so no more Thirdly What shall we say of those who not onely heare and see the reproofes of God but feele them also and yet tremble not when the rod is upon their backs a sword in their bowels judgements round about them and death climbing up at their windowes yet they are not astonished they are not onely word proofe but judgement proofe they are not sencible of what they feele they are smiteen yet not sicke sorrow and griefe of heart toucheth them not though they are smitten for their sins and peirced with many sorrows They are so farre from being troubled at the remembrance of former sins while they smart under present afflictions that with wicked King Ahaz they sin yet more against God in the time of their affliction They are so farre from turning as wisedome counselleth us Pro 1.23 at the verbal reproofes of God or at the reproofes of his mouth that they will not returne while he reproves them with his hand Surely at last the trembling pillars of heaven shall reprove them who tremble not nor are astonished at the reproofes of God Vers 12. He divideth the sea by his power and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud The generall scope and sense of this verse is an illustration of the power and wisedome of God by a twofold effect first by dividing and vexing the mighty waters of the sea with boystrous winds and stormes secondly by stopping and appeasing them when they are in their highest rage and proudest fury as if they were smitten to death First He divideth the sea by his power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 movit commovit volvit per Antiphrasin quievit The word which we render to divide hath a twofold signification in a contrariety as is frequent in the Hebrew First to move and roule to stirre up and trouble as the waters and waves of the Sea are by the winds which doe so move and stirre them as that they seeme to divide and cut them asunder and cause them to dash one against another and so it is applicable to the Sea in a storme secondly Virtute sedavit mare Sept Virtute ejus quiescit mare Vatabl it signifyes to quiet and appease and so it is applicable to the Sea in a calme The seventy render it so here He hath appeased the Sea by his power and a learned Hebrician gives the same sence By his power the Sea is quiet And 't is indeed an act of the same power to quiet the Sea to hush the winds and command a calme as to rayse stormes upon the sea or to put the sea into a storme but I shall not prosecute that sense in this first part of the verse because the latter part of it speakes rather of that poynt as will appeare in the opening of it And so the whole verse giveth us a compleate description of the mighty power of God upon the mighty waters first in causing their rage and fury secondly in causing them to be still and quiet The exercise of which two powers cary a compleate Empire and Dominion over the Seas He divideth the sea There is a generall interpretation of the verse which I shall touch before I pitch upon that which I conceave most proper This division of the Sea and smiting through the proud is supposed to be a description of Gods dealing with Pharaoh and his Aegyptians when he brought the people of Israel out of Aegypt at which time the History telleth us that he divided the sea by his power and by his understanding he smote through the proud or through Rahab The division of the Sea is unquestionable Exod. 14.21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the Sea and the Lord caused the Sea to goe backe by a strong East-winde all that night and made the Sea dry land and the waters were divided The latter part of the verse is as cleare in the plaine signification of it to the same worke of providence for then By his understanding did God smite through the proud And the word Rahab which we translate proud is often used in Scripture to signifie Aegypt Thus Psal 87.4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me that is of Aegypt and Babylon as if he had sayd those places which have been the greatest enemyes to the people of God shall desire to joyne with the people of God Sion shall have converts from Aegypt and Babylon And the reason why Aegypt is expressed in Scripture under this word ariseth from both significations of it first strength for Aegypt was a very strong Nation and therefore the Israelites were reproved for going to them for helpe and relying upon their strength which though great in it selfe yet should be to them but a broken reed secondly as it signifyeth pride or the proud men are usually proud of strength and Aegypt being a strong Nation was also a very proud Nation yet this Aegypt this Rahab strong and proud shall fall downe and humble her selfe before the Lord. And though now Aegyptians be strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel yet of them it shall be sayd that they were borne by a second or new spirituall birth in Sion We have the like sence of the word and almost the same phrase of speech with this in Job Ps 89.9 10. Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them then followeth in the next words Thou hast broken Rahab as one that is slaine that is Aegypt thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arme And againe Isa 51.9 Awake awake ô arme of the Lord put on strength The Psalmist sayth Thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arme the Prophet prayeth Awake awake ô arme of the Lord As in the ancient dayes in the generations of old art thou not it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon art not thou it which hath dryed the Sea c. Which plainly hints the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea Job also seemes to ayme at that noble and notable act of divine power and understanding And the words of the text as all must grant without any straine or trouble are applicable to it The onely difficulty lyeth in this because it is not agreed upon by any Chronologers who have searched strictly and critically into those times that Job lived after the departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt Haec accipere de decem plagis Egypti vix permittit aetas Jobi quem moâ—tuum putâ—nâ— eo anno quum Iâ—aelitae egâ—essi sunt ex Egypto Drus Non plaet haec referre ad divisionem maris rubri in Egypto Isâ—aelita ingratia quia ante illud eÌ„pus credimus fuisse J b generalitèr potius loquitur de dei operibus Merc yea some affirme that Job dyed that very yeare when the Israelites departed out of Egypt and if so then
if the meaning of these words His hand hath formed the crooked serpent Draco volans were this God hath wrought and formed by his power wisdome all those fiery meteors that are often seene as it were flying and shooting in the ayre to the wonder of many and the astonishment of not a few There are the treasures of the snow and of the hayle there God prepareth a way for the lightning of the thunder Job 38.22.25 Some learned interpreters insist much upon this Exposition placing the crooked serpent in the heavens eyther the upper or lower as hath been shewed under foure distinct titles nor can it be denyed but that the hand of God hath wrought all these things much lesse can it be denyed that the working of these things is a great argument and demonstration of the power and wisedome of God which is the purpose of Job in this place therefore I shall not totally lay it aside Neyther yet will I leave it with the reader as the speciall meaning of this place for this reason because I much doubt whether those poeticall phancyes in giving such fictitious names to the Starres of heaven as The Lion the Beare the Bull the Dragon the Serpent c. of which Philosophers and Astronomers have made use were at all borne or ever so much as heard of in those elder times in which and before which Job lived For though both in the 9th Chapter of this booke v. 9. as also in the 38th Chapter v. 21 22. many Names are given to the Starres which both the Greeke and Latine translaters and we following them in the English render by those poeticall names yet The Original Hebrew words beare no allusion at all to those phancyes As for instance The Hebrew word which we render Arcturus Chap 9.9 hath nothing at all in it signifying The Tayle of a Beare But here in this text the word properly signifyeth a crooked serpent and therefore to place it in the heavens as a Starre when as in the times when this was written there is so little if any probability at all that any such apprehensions were taken up by any or any such allusive names given to the Starres seemes to me somewhat improper There is another veine of interpretation carrying the sence of these words His hand hath formed the crooked serpent to quite another poynt for 't is conceaved by the Authors of this opinion that as Job gave instance before in the workes of God above his highest workes in nature the garnishing of the heavens so hee now giveth instance in his workes below or in his lowest workes This general interpretation is delivered two wayes distinctly First That as God hath garnished the heavens so he hath made and now governeth hel too His hand hath formed the crocked serpent that is the Devill That which favoureth this opinion and hath possibly cast the thoughts of many upon it is that in Scripture the devil is often called a serpent yea a crooked serpent and that he acted a serpent as his instrument in the first temptation Gen. 3.1 Now the serpent was more subtile then any of the beasts of the feild which the Lord God had made and he sayd unto the woman that is The Devill in or by the Serpent sayd unto her c. He hath wel deserved to be called a Serpent who acted his first malice against mankinde by the helpe of a Serpent And for his thus early making use of a Serpent he is called not only a serpent but that old Serpent Rev. 12.9 The great Dragon was cast out that old Serpent called the Devill and Satan which deceiveth the whole world he was cast out into the earth and his Angells were cast out with him The hand of God hath formed this crooked serpent To cleare which some interpret the former part of the verse in complyance with this sence for the good Angells thus By his Spirit he hath Garnished the heavens Spiritus ejus ornavit coelos Vulg i. e. coelestes spiritus ornamētis scilicet spiritualium denorum Aquin Et obstetricante manu ejus eductus est coleber tortuosus Vulg that is he hath bestowed excellent gifts upon the Angels who are the great ornament of heaven and may tropically be called heaven as men are called earth And as holy wise just and faithfull men are the ornaments and garnishings of the earth so the holy Angels are the garnishings of heaven they having such mighty power and excellent gifts Now saith this interpretation as God garnished the heavens with good Angels so he brought forth the crooked serpent the Devill by his working power Not as if they who stand up for this exposition did affirme that God did make the Devill by his immediate hand as he did the good Angels and the rest of the Creatures for when God saw every thing that he had made behold it was very good and therefore the crooked-serpent as taken under this Notion for the Devill who is the Evill one could not be of his making Therefore though the Devill according to his original or general nature as an Angel was formed of God yet the crookednes of his nature as wel as of his wayes which properly and formally denominate him a Devill was of himselfe he having turned away from God and defiled that state by the freedom of his own will in which he was created pure and had society with his fellow-Angels Eduxit deus diabolum è medio Angelorum Aquin till God for his sin did as it were pull him and his Adhaerents from the midst of them and as the Apostle Jude saith v. 6. Hath reserved them together in chaines of darknesse unto the judgement of the great day But I conceave that Job is not here speaking of an Allegoricall or Metaphoricall serpent such a one as the Devill is but of a reall and proper one And therefore I lay by this exposition as unsutable to the text in hand And conclude that Job having in the former part of the verse set forth the power and wisedome of God in garnishing the heavens his meditation descendeth in this latter part of it though not so low as hel yet as low as the waters especially the waters of the Sea and there sheweth us the hand of God at worke both in making and destroying in forming and wounding the crooked serpent For the Hebrew word which we render hath formed signifyes also to wound and so we translate it Isa 51.9 Awake awake O arme of the Lord c. art not thou it which hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon yea it is so translated by some in this text of Job His hand hath wounded the crooked serpent Which cometh neere that of the Prophet according to the bare literal reading Isa 27.1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the peircing or as we put in the Margin the crossing like a bar serpent even Leviathan that crooked