ap. I | | | I Evemng, 2n1 by Morning the ſucceeding light or day, which may rezionab!y be ſuppoſed to continue the other rwelve hours,or there- aboucs. And this ſeems the truer Opinion, 1. Becauſe the dark- n= »as before the light, as the Evening is put before the Mormrg,v. e.and 8.and aferwa.ds. 2.Becauſe this beſt agrees both with the vul- * Sir; and with the Scripture uſe of the terms of Evening and Morning. 3. Becauſe the Jews who had the beſt opportunity of knowing the mind of God in this matter by Moſes and other ſucceeding Prophers, begun both their common and ſacred days with the Evening, As 13 confetſed, and may be gathered from Levit. 23. 32. p Did conſti- tute or make up the firſt Day; Day being taken largely for the na- tural Day ; conſiting of 24 hours: Theſe were the parts of the firſt Pay ; ind the like is to be underſtood of the ſucceeding days. Moreover, God who could have made all things at once, wasplea- ſed todivide his work into ſix days, partly to giveus occaſion more diſtin&ly and ſeriouſly to conſider God's works ; and principally to lay the foundation for the weekly Sabbath, as is clearly intimat- _ ed, Gen: 2, 2, 3: and Exod. 20.9, 10, IT. "ig TO. = J And God ſaid, * Let there be Fa firmament 9 ' Jer.ro.r2, in the midit of the Waters r, and let it divide the Wa-
© & 51: 15. ters from the Waters,
{ 7 Heb.cx- 4 Or, An Extenſon, or a Space or place extended, or ftretched aut and '# Laos. ſpread abroad like a Tent, or Curtain. » (7.e. ) Between the Waters, tho' not exattly in the middle place ; as Tyrus is ſaid to/ir,
Mw @ATNR
* 6 ka
| þ or be ſcituated in the malt of the Seas, Ezek. 28. 2. Though it was 8 but : little ſpace within the Sea. Bur of theſe things ſee more in 7 the next Verſe. ; | Y.
. 7 And God made the firmament 5s, and divided the k Waters, which vere under the firmament, from the Wa-
þ ters which were above the firmament ?, andit was ſo «.
'T s The Firmament here is, Either. 1. The Starry Heaven ; ſo'cal-
E | led, not from” its folidiry, butfrom its fixed, durable, and in a ſort
& 1ncorruptible and unchangeable nature. Or, 2. The Air; called
| here, The expazffon, or extenjion ; becauſe it 1s extended far and
wide, even from the Earth to the third Heaven ; called alſo, The
Frrmament, becauſe it is fixed in its proper place, from whence it
cannot be moved, unleſs by force. # The waters under the firmament
are Seas, Rivers, Lakes, Fountains, end other waters in the bowels
* of the Earth. The waters above the Firmament, or above the Heavens,as
s they are called Pjo!. 143. 4. are cither, 1. A Collection or Sea of
Waters placed by God aboveall the viſible Heavens, and there re-
ſerved for ends known to himſelf. "Or rather, 2. The Waters in
the Clouds; forthe Clouds are called Waters, Pſal. 18.11. and 194.
2. and are faid to be in Heaven, 2 Sam.'21+ 10. Matth. 24. 30. and
the produttion thereof is mentioned as an eminent work of God's
Creation, Jo» 35.5. and 36: 29. Pſal.147.8. Prov. 8.28. which there-
fore it is not credible,tharMoſes in his Hiſtory of the Creation would
omit, which he doth, if they be not here meant; and theſe are
| Tightly ſaid to be above the Frmament, 7. e. the Air, becauſe they
are above a confid-rable part of it. » As God commanded and or-
| dered it, ſo it was done and ſettled. |
, S And God called the Firmament Heaven : and the | Evening and the Morning were the ſecond day.
| *Jobi26. 9 4 And God ſaid, * Let the waters under the Heaven
T9,
an D223 E323. 5.
ro And God called the dry-lavd Earth, and the ga- | thering tcecther of 'the Waters he called Seasz: and | Gor law that 3: vas g00d 4.
2 Nor $ca, but Seas ; becauſe ofthe differing quantity and nature beth of ſeveral! Seas, and of the Rivers, and other leffer Colle&ions o© Warers, all which-the Hebrews call Seas, a The ſeparation-of the W.ters was begun on the ſecond day,' v. 6, ©&c. but nor perfteCted
. G's - a . oh ti] th's Third day : Therefo:e God's approbation of that work is not ment.oned there, but here only.
3Heb, rey. 11 And God ſaid, Let theearth bring forth þ F : acr Graſs, grals c, tie nerÞ yielding Seed 4, and the fruit tree & Gr. Erb, yieiding fruit after his kind e, whoſe Seed 3s f in it {ſeif & g, upon the carth : and irwas fo, b The ſen is, For the preſent Ict it afford matter,out of which T will make Graſs, ( as Man's Rib afforded matter, - out of which God made Woman } :. and for the future ler it receive vertue or power of producing it out of rhat Matter which I have made, and {vited to that end. c That which groweth of it {elf without Seed, or manuring, and is the food of Beaſts. & For the propagation of thei; ſeveral kinds, to wit, mature and perfe& Herbs, which alone yield Seed. So afterwards God made Man, not in the tate of child- 3» hood, bur of grown and perfect Age. ez. e. According to the ſe- * vera] kinds of Frtits. f Now is by my conftitution,and {hal be for BY the future. & z. e. In ſome part of ir ſelf, either in the Root, or Branch, or Leaf, or.Bud, or Fruit. The ſenſe is, Which is ſuffi- cient of it ſelf for the propagation of its kind,withoutany conjun&i- on of Male and Female. | 12 And the earth brought forth graſs, and herb yielding Seed after his kind ; and the tree yielding fruit, whoſe feed was in it ſeif}, after his kind : and God ſaw that it 98s good hþ. | þ This clauſe is ſo often added, to ſhew that a!l the Diſorders, evil and hurtful qualities that now are in the Creatures, are not to be imputed to God, who madeal! of them goed ; but ro Man's fan, which hath corrupted their nature, and perverted their uſes
Wo <——— — i —— JD... Is
_e
-*
2: »» .
: 13 And the eveningand the morning were the third - | ,
I9.
irmament of the Heaven, to divide F the day +4 from Pal. x36:
che night: andletthem befor ſigns /, audfor ſeaſons »,
and for days », and years. + Heb. be- ; To wit more glorious Lights - than. that created the firſt Day, tween che
which probably was now condenſed and reduced into theſeLights; Day gnd
which are higher for place,/more illuſtrious for Light, and more between the
powerful for influence than that was. Note here, "i hat Herbs and Nzhy,
Trees were created before the Sun, whoſe influence now is necefſa-
ry for their produCttion, to ſhew that God doth not depend upon
the means, or upon the help of the Creatures in his Operations. k
z, e. The artificial day conchighs from Sun-riſing to Sun-ſetting. 7
For the deſignation and diſtin&ion of times, as months, week;,c.