ſpreadeth his clouds upon it. gi-e. To wit,from our view, that its luſture and glory ſhould not reach us, and ſo dazle our fight; he covereth it with a Cloud, ſas the next words explain it. Or, He holdeth faſt, or binds together, or ſirength- ens it, that it may be able to bear that burden. 7 Either s. This lower Air, which is as the face or open part of the Heavens, which is often calledGod's Throne,as Pſal.1 1.4. 1/a.66.1.4mes 9.6. Or 2.The appearance or manifeſtation of the Heaven of Heavens, where he dwelleth, whoſe Light and Glory is too great for mortal eyes, which therefore by Clouds and other ways he hides from us. 10 * He hath compaſſed the waters 5 with bounds ?,
E 33* 7*-+ until the day and night come to an end «. RE s To wit, of the Sea ; for of the upper Waters coming out of the end of Clouds he ſpake before. 7 Which are partly the Rocks and Shores, br with 32d principally God's appointment made at the firſt Creation, and wrkneſs renewed after the Deluge, Ger. 9g. 11, 15« that the Waters ſhould * Not overwhelm the Earth : See Job 38.8,10,11. Pſal. 104.3. Fer.s. 22. #1. e. Unto the end of the World, for ſo long theſe viciſh- tudes of Day and Night are to continue, Gen- 8. 22: and 9. gs Oc. Fer. 5.22. and 3T. 35, 36. 1x The pillars of heaven x tremble,
ed at his reproof y.
x Either 1. Thoſe Mountains which by their height and ſtrength may ſeem to reach and ſupport the Heavens, as the Poets ſaid of 4r- las; forthis is a Poetical Book, and there are many Poetical Ex- prefſions in it. Theſe tremble ſometimes by force of Earthquakes, or by God's glorious appearance in them, as Sinai did. Or 2. Holy Angels, but they are not ſubje& either to trembling orto Gods re- buke. Or, 3. The heavenly Bodies, as the Sun, and Moon, and Stars, which, as they may ſeem in ſome ſort to ſupport, ſo they do certain- 1y adorn the Heavens >» And we know Pillars are oft made, not to f port, but only for ornament ; as the two famous Pillars of the Tehple, Fachin and Boaz, 1 Kings 7. 21; And theſe oft-times ſeem to tremble and be aſtoniſhed, as in Eclipſes or Tempeſts, and ter- rible Works of God in the Air, by which they are frequently ſaid to be affeQed and changed, becauſe they ſeem ſo tous ; and many things are ſpoken in Scripture according to appearance : See 1ſa. 13. 30. & 24.23. Joel- 2.10,31. Mat- 24929, Oc. { Either 1- When God re. buketh them : For God is ſometimesſaid in Scripture to rebuke the lifeleſs Creatures ; which is tobe underſtood figuratively of the To- kens of God's anger in them. Or 2. When God reproveth not them, but men by them, manifeſting his diſpleaſure againſt ſinful men by Thunders, or Earthquakes, or prodigious Works,
12 * He|| divideth the fea z with his power, and by
his underſtanding @ he ſmiteth thorough 7 the proud 6. z He ſpeaks either 1. Of God's dividing the Red-ſea for the 1/ra- elites to paſs over : and conſequently the Hebrew word Ruhab,which here follows, and is tranflated pride, or the proud, is meant of Z- gypt, which is oft called Rahab, as Pſalm 87. 4. and 89. 10. Ja. 5r. - Burt it ſeems moſt probable that that Work was not yet done, and that Job lived long before 1ſ-ae!'s coming out of Egypt. Or ra- * ther 2. Of the common Work of Nature and Providence, in raiſing Tempeſts, by which he breaketh or divideth the waves of the Sea, by making deep Furrows in it, and caſting up part of the Waters into the Air, and ſplitring part of them upon the Rocks and Shores of the Sea. 4 1. e. By his wiſe Counſel and Adminiſtration of things, ſo as may obtain his own glorious Ends. 6 Either 1. The Whale, which is called King over all the children of pride, Job 41. '34. and which is ſometimes by force of Tempeſts caſt upon the ſhore. Or rather 2+ The Sea, which is fitly called proud, as its Waves are called, Job 38. 11. becauſe it is lofty, and fierce, and {welling, and unruly ; which God is ſaid toſmire when heſubdues '»ÞC: = g, and reſtrains its rage, and turns the ſtorm into a calm. $ Ho, 13 By his* fpirit he hath garniſhed the heavens 4; croſſing like is hand hath formed the + crooked ſerpent e. & bar- c Either 1. By his Divine Vertue or Power, which is ſometimes "Ia; 27. 2. called his Spirit,as Zach. 4.6. Mate 12. 28. Or 2. By his holy Spirit, . to which the Creation of the World is aſcribed, Gen. 1. 2. ſob 33.4. Pſalm 33. 6. d Adorned or beautified them with thoſe glorious Lights, the Sun, and Moon, and Stars. e By which he underſtands either 1. All the kinds of Serpents, or Fiſhes, or Monſters of the Sea. Or 2. The moft eminent of their kinds, / 29y0g em the Whale, which may be here not unfirly mentioned (as it is after- wards more largely deſcribed) amongſt the glorious Works of God in this lower World ; as the garniſhing of the Heavens was his no- blet Work in the ſuperiour viſible parts of the World. Or 3. An
and
and are aſtoniſh-
Tfa:51.15- Dr,ſtilleth h: 38.11. j Heb:
P ae
being moſt eminent, as taking up a conſiderable part of the Nor- thern Hemiſphere, may well be pur for all the reſt of the Conſtel- lations or Stars wherewith the Heavens are garniſhed. Thus he per- ſiſteth ſill in the ſame kind of God's Works, and the latter branch explains the former. Andthis ſenſe is the more probable, becauſe Job was well acquainted with the Do&rine of Aſtronomy, and knew the nature and names of the Stars and Conſtellations, as ap- pears alſo from Chaprer gt 9. and 38. 31. 14 Lo, theſe are ps f of his ways g, but how lit- tlea portion is heard of him þ? but the thunder of his
power 5 who can underſtand ? f Or, the extremities, but ſmall parcels, the outſide and viſible wuk:; How glorious then are his inviſible and more inward Per-
3 0 B.
v3
know, and of what is in him, or 1s done by him! 7 Ejthe ;
mighty and terrible Thunder, which is pA mentioned ry nent Work of God ; as Job 28-25. & 40-9. Pſalm 29.3- & 77-18. Or 2, Of his mighry Power, which is aptly compared to Thunder, in regard of its irreiiſtable force, and the rerrour which it cauſeth to wicked men : This Metaphor being uſed by others in like caſes: as among the Grecians, who uſed to ſay of their vehement and POWer- ful Orators, that they did zhunder and lighten; and in Mark 3. 174 where powerful Preachers are called Sons of Thunder«
CHA P. XXVII.
He will not renounce his integrity, 1-----=6, The charattcr of an hypucrite