but upon the fourth day. Stars ſhould
here is but one Star known Or rather 2. the ſons of God,as it here follows,rthe
latter Clauſe of the Verſe being explicatory of the former,as 13 moſt f Scripture,to wit, the An-
as even Men of eminent note,
al, as living Creatures, Herbs and Tees &c. Or artificial,as Houſes |
things in it have the comfort and benefir of the Light, bur ſo have
U 3.
not the wicked. # 7; e, Their portion of Light: That Light which is enjoyed by others is withholden from them;either . by their own choice, becauſe they love and chooſe darkneſs rather thar light; or by the judgment of God, or the Magiitrate, by whom they are cut off from the light of the living,as it 1s called Job 33: 30: orat leaſt de. prived of their Peace,and Comfort, and Proſperity, which frequent- Iy goes under the name of Light 3n Scripture,and may be ſo called here by anelegant alluſion to the natural Light of the Sun mentio. ned before. « Their great ſtrength which they uſed tyrannically to the oppreſſion and cruſhing of others. 16 Haſt thou entred into the || ſprings * of the ſea 2 or haſt thou walked in the ſearch of the depth y ? x Heb: the Tears; i; e: the ſeveral ſprings out of which the Waters of the Sea flow as tears do from the eyes. y Haſt thou found out the !***: utmoſt depth & bottem of the Sea,which in divers places could ne- Heb. werpe ver be reached by the wiſeſt Mariner, or the longeſt Cables? Ang ** ; how then canſt thou farhom the depths of my Counſels ? | 17 Have * the gates of death been opened unto « ad Pſcg: 13 theez ? or haft thou ſeen the doors of the ſhadow of death a? 2 Haſt thou ſeen,or doſt thou perfe&ly know the place and Nate ' of the Dead ; the depths and bowels of that Earth in which the ge. | Nerality ofdead men are buried; or the ſeveral ways and methodsof Death; or the various ſtates and conditions of men after death?a The ſame thing repeated. I8 Haſt thou perceived the breadth of the Earth 6b ? declare c if thou knoweſt it all. b Doſt thouexa&ly know the whole Compaſs and all the parts of the Earth,and the ſftareand quality of all Countries, and of the men & things in them*cGive me an anſwer to theſeQueſtions,whichis far moreeafter to do,than te anſwer me to many other Queſtions which I could put ro thee about my ſecret Counſels and Providences, and the Realons of my dealing with thee as I do. I9 Where is the way 4 where light dwelleth e > and as for darkneſs where is the place thereof ? d Or rather, the place, as the next Clauſe explains it, and the Hebrew Phraſe will bear. e 7; e. Hath its conſtant and ſettled abode For in the place where Jeb lived, & in moſt other parts of the inha- bited Worldzit is like a Traveller that cometh & goeth continually every day. This may be referred, either 1. to the places under the two Poles, where firſt the light, and then the darkneſs continues for ſix Months together. Orrather 2+ ro the Sun the Fountain of Light. And as this is a Poetical Book, ſo this may be a Poetical Exprefſion andQueſtion, Whither goes the Sun when it departs from this Hemiſphere? Whereis the Tabernacle and the Chamber in which both ſacred. as Plal, 19. 4, 5. and profane Poets ſuppoſe the Sun to reſt ? Doſt thou know the place where the Sun when it ſets may be found, and whence thou canſt fetchit back again. For it is to be carefully obſerved that he ſpeaks not here of a bare and fime ple knowledge of this matter. which was plain and eaſe to Job, and many others,who were not ignorant that the Sun was the Fountain of Light, from whoſe approach Light comes, and by whoſe dee parture darkneſs is cauſed ; but of an operative Knowledge, even ſuch as could and did enable him to take it ro the bound thereof, as it follows v:20.And withal heſeems here to ſpeak notonly of the daily courſe and motion of the Sun, and the viciffitude of Day and Night, butallo and eſpecially of the firſt produ&ion of the Light which was before 70b was born, as is evident from wv: 21. And this makes the Queſtion moredifficult and more conſiderable, the ſenſe whereof may be this : Seing there was a time when there was no- thing but groſs and comforrleſs Darkneſs upon the face of theEarth, what way came light into the World ? Which was the place where Light dwelt at that time, and whence it was ferched? and whence came tharorderly conſtitution and conſtant ſucceſſion of Light and Darkneſs ? Was this rhy work? Or waſt thou-privy to it, or a Counlſellour or Aſſiſtant in it ? Or was it not done by me alone icng betore thou nadſt a beeing. 20 That thou ſhouldeſt take itf || to the bound there- _. of g, and that thou ſhouldeſt know hb the paths to the iO +
houſe thereof z >
fi: e: Taking, bring or lead its asthis Verb is oft uſed, as Exod; 25: 2. Fſal. 68.29, compared with Eph; 4: 11. 1 Kings 3: 24. and 17. lo. Hoſea 14: 2. And many other ſuch pregnant Verbs there are in the Hebrew Language having the ſignitication of two Verbs in- cluded in one. And this zt refers principally to the Light, and ſecon- darily to Darknejs,as the conſequent of the other. g 7: e. Its whole courie from the place of its abode whence it is ſuppoſed to come, to the end of its journey which itis to go. Didſt thou dire& or guide the Light or the Sun,that he ſhould at firſt take, and afrerward con- ſtantly continue in that courſe which now it holds ; that it ſhould gofrom Eaſtto Welt, and rife ſometimes in one point or part of the Heaven,and ſometimes in another,% that its days journey ſhould be longer in one ſeaſon of the year, and ſhorter in another ? This regular and excellent courſe muſt needs be the effe& of great Wiſe dom. And whoſe wiſdom was it? thine or mine? þh To wit, pra= Qtically, ſo as to direQ or lead it in the manner now expreffed.
; Where thou maiſt find it, and whence thou maiſt fetch it. 21 Knowelt thou it becauſe thou waft then born? or