John stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns What was this beast Master Mead saith that by this beast and his seven heads and ten horns we are to understand the Pope with the companies or associations of all those Princes that put themselves under his power all these were figured saith he by that beast rising up out of the sea At the 11th verse of the same Chapter Saint John saith I beheld another beast coming out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spake like a dragon Apocalyptical Interpreters have various opâ—nions about this second beast but whoever or whatever this or the former beast is to be sure they are some body the spirit of God represents them as terrible Behemoths and the Church hath no help nor comfort against them but that in the Text He that made them can make his sword approach unto them The Prophet Isaiah Chap. 27.1 speaks of the Lords sword and of the use he will put it to In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan the crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea that is overcome the devil and all his instruments who oppose and would destroy his Vineyard of Red wine that is his Church Thus we see how the Lord in all ages past hath and how we are assured concerning the Ages to come that he will make that good concerning mystical Behemoths which here he speaks concerning the natural Behemoth He that made him can make his sword approach unto him The Lord having thus far described Behemoth by several parts of his body and by his great strength or power proceeds to describe him further by the manner of his life or by his meat drink and lodging in the latter part of this context to the end of the Chapter Vers 20. Surely the Mountains bring him forth food where all the beasts of the field do play In these words we have the provision which God hath appointed for Behemoth and where Though he be a very great beast and therefore needs much food 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quicquid terra prosert ut sunt herbae arbores yet the Lord hath store enough for him and hath set him where he may feed his fill The Mountains bring him forth grass that is all sorts of herbage and green things And though this part of the description of Behemoth may serve the Hippopotame who as Bochartus saith feeds upon the Hills and Mountains such as they are which lye near the River Nilus as other Amphibions do the Morse especially in other parts of the world yet no man can deny but it doth as well that I say not much better agree to the Elephant that the Mountains bring him forth food The words are plain and need no explication Note two things from them First God provideth food for all creatures even for Behemoth He provides them food from the greatest to the least they are all at Gods finding And doth God take care for Behemoths for Elephants or as some determine it Hippopotames River-Horses and Sea-monsters Surely then as David spake Psal 111.4 He will give meat to them that fear him he will ever be mindful of his Covenant This Inference hath been made from other passages in the former Chapter I only remind the Reader of it here The Lord who provideth mountains of grass or grass upon the mountains for Behemoth hath mountains of provision for all his faithful servants Secondly Note God provides proportionable food for all hiâ— creatures Behemoth is a vast creature therefore God hath whole mountains for him to graze upon he is not shut up in a little pytle or narrow field he hath large mountains for his storeâ— and will not the Lord give proportionable supplies to his people according to all their needs If our needs be great his store is greater The world is mine saith God Psal 50.12 and the fulness of it He that is the fulness of all things and hath in his power and at his dispose the fulness of all the world will not let them of whom the world is not worthy want any thing that is good and expedient for them The mountains and valleys too yea deserts and hard rocks shall bring them forth food God will turn stones into bread and rocks into water rather than they shall want As David said Psal 34.10 The young Lions so I may say the Elephants do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing that is Lions and Elephants shall rather want than they Surely the mountains bring him forth food Where all the beasts of the field play This argues the milde nature and gentleness of Behemoth the Elephant as was shewed at the 15th verse he lives upon grass not upon flesh as Lions and Bears he lives upon grass and therefore all the beasts of the field play where the Elephant feeds for they know he will not eat nor feed upon them he eats only grass Natural Historians tell us that the beasts seem to rejoyce when they see the Elephant because they know he will not hurt them not only do they feed with him to satisfie hunger but play and sport for delight Hence Note First God can restrain the strongest and most dangerous creatures from hurting the weakest Mitissimus est Elephas neque illius congressum exhorrent caetera animalia sed laeta in iisdem pascuis versantur Plin. l. 69. c. 9. The beasts would have little heart to play where the Elephant feeds were he as fierce and cruel as he is great and strong Thus the Lord orders the spirits of powerful men or of men in great power into such meekness and gentleness that even the meanest live quietly and peaceably by them without fear of hurt as was toucht before The Church is set forth playing as it were not only where the Elephant a gentle beast feeds but where wilde and ravenous beasts feed Isa 11.6 7 8 9. The wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them that is the Wolfe shall not hurt the Lamb the Leopard shall not trouble the Kid yea saith that illustrious Prophecy vers 8. The sucking child shall play on the hole of the Asp the weaned child shall put his hand on the Cockatrice den they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea The care of God over his Church and servants appears two wayes First In hiding them from such as would do them hurt As it is said Jer. 36.26 when Baruch and Jeremiah had done
AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations CONTINUED UPON The Thirty-eighth Thirty-ninth Fortieth Forty-first and Forty-second being the five last Chapters of the Book OF JOB Being the Substance of Fifty-two Lectures or Meditations By JOSEPH CARYL Minister of the Gospel JAMES 5.11 Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is pitiful and of tender mercy LONDON Printed by M. and S. Simmons and are to be sold by Robert Boulter at the Turks-head near the Royal Exchange 1666. TO THE Christian Reader TO Those especially of the City of London who have been THE PROMOTERS Of this WORK SIRS THE end of a thing saith Solomon Eccl. 7 8. is better than the beginning thereof Not that all things end better than they begin some persons begin well and some things are begun well which end and are ended not so well that I say not very ill Through the All-disposing providence of God and the importunate call of not a few worthy friends I began this Work and now after twenty-four years travel making twelve stages in so many parts the whole is come forth I am come to the end of it And truly I might justly be reproved at least for dulness and indiligence or counted a very slow-paced Traveller had I spent that twenty-four years the best of my time and strength in measuring so short a journey But as I have this to say towards an Apology for my over-long stay in this work that I have had frequent diversions for a considerable part of that time quite from it so the whole time which I have spent in it hath been but a diversion or time I hope honestly stoln either from my rest or from that which was my more proper work And now that I have at last ended what I began all that I shall say of it is that I have ended it Whether I began it well or have ended it well and whether or no the end be better than the beginning is not for me to say Should I say that I began it well and have ended it well or that the end is better than the beginning it were a piece of most immodest pride and should I say the contrary of both or of either it might deservedly be called more than a piece of proudest modesty Such as it is from the beginning to the end 't is what my weakness with the strength of Christ given in what my small industriousness with the blessing given down from above could attain unto And I humbly give thanks to the Father of lights from whom every good gift and every perfect gift cometh for any light received or held out towards the understanding of this Book in which who sees not there are many things as the Apostle Peter saith of Saint Pauls Epistles hard to be understood so hard to be understood that though I am confident through the grace of God with me I have not wrested them to my own hurt or the hurt much less destruction of others as 't is there said the ignorant and unstable do the other Scriptures to their own destruction yet I am not ashamed to acknowledge that I fear I have not attained so clear an understanding about some of them as to clear them which hath been my desire with satisfaction to the understanding of others However if what I have attained to may be in any measure serviceable to the Church of God or helpful to any poor soul in an afflicted condition such was Jobs I have reached one great end aimed at and if God have any glory by it I have reached the greatest end which can be aimed at And though the work should be found to have many defects possibly mistakes in it yet the ingenuous Reader will candidly interpret them or charitably cover them knowing that failings are common to humane frailty in the best of men how much more in the meanest of them And I shall account it a great kindness if I may be friendly minded of those defects that so if ever any of these Pieces shall be admitted to come out again an amendment may be made and the Work grow up to more perfection This last Part now coming forth contains the whole transaction from first to last between God and Job none speaking but they two and Job but very little Elihu having finisht his speech in the close of the thirty seventh Chapter the Lord himself appeared at the entrance of the thirty eighth in a Majestick and tremendous manner bespeaking Job out of a vehement and tempestuous whirlwind and taking up the same argument which Elihu had so much insisted upon before for the conviction of Job carrieth him in discourse quite through the universe thereby farther to convince him by the view and consideration of his mighty and admirable works of creation and providence how ignorant and weak he was in himself how altogether unable and incompetent to contend with God and therefore how rash and inconsiderate he had been in not submitting how great soever his sufferings were more quietly to him And as Elihu said Chap. 35.11 That God teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth and maketh us wiser than the fowls of Heaven so doubtless one great scope which the Lord had in his eye throughout that discourse was to teach Job and with him us that his care was much more over him and is over us than over the beasts of the earth or the fowls of heaven And hereupon having shewed his own infinite power and wisdom as also his goodness and tender compassions in providing for all sorts of irrational living creatures he left Job and leaves us to make the Inference how watchful he is over how respectful to man a rational as well as a living creature Our blessed Saviour preaching upon the same subject to his Disciples expresseth the Inference Mat. 6.26 Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet yâ—â— heavenly father feedeth them are ye not much better than they And again vers 30. Wherefore it God so cloath the grass of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more cloath you O ye of little faith Jesus Christ saw it necessary to make these express applications to his Disciples who at that time were both of little faith and of little understanding But here the Lord left Job a wise and knowing man to pick or spell out his meaning and make application to himself while he told him so particularly how his providence at once over-ruled maintained The roaring Lion the wild Goat the wilde Ass the stubborn Unicorn the strong Horse the mighty Behemoth among the beasts of the earth the devouring Raven the proud Peacock the foolish Ostrich the swift winged Hawk and the high-soaring Eagle among the fowls of the air as also the formidable Leviathan among or rather representing all the fishes of the Sea
Lord reduced it to a certain place Secondly To that restraint which God laid upon it after this reducement that it should no more return to overflow the Earth Both these restraints or laws put upon the Sea are contained in this Context the former of them in the eighth and ninth verses As soon as the Sea issued out of the Earth God set up its doors and made it bands The latter of these the giving of a special Law that when it was shut in it should no more break forth but according to his appointment we have in the tenth and eleventh verses where it is said I brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors and said hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed So then here we have First Bounds and limits assigned by God to that vast and unruly Element the Water that the Earth might be habitable and useful both for man and beast And Secondly We have the Lord restraining all power or liberty which naturally it would have had and taken to violate or break those bounds For had not God given the Waters of the Sea such a special command though bounds had been assigned them they would quickly have broken their bounds These two orders of God differ much though not in the time when they were given out yet in the nature of the thing and both suppose the Sea in being when these orders were given out For when it is said vers 8. It brake forth as if it issued out of the womb this implieth its birth and nativity and when God saith He shut it up with doors this supposeth that it not onely had a being but that it was violent and furious and would have over-flowed all and regained as large a Territory as it possessed at first when it issued out of the womb of the Earth even the face of the whole Earth if the Lord had not bridled and restrained it Yet further and more distinctly to open the words in their Order Quis Haec vox recte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repetitur â—x versu 5. 6. Drus Vers 8. Or Who shut up the Sea with doers The disjunctive particle Or succeeds those disjunctives ver 5 6. Who did this Or Who did that Or Who a third thing concerning the Earths formation Here again Or Who shut up the Sea with doors The Hebrew is onely Shut up the Sea with doors the word who is repeated out of the fifth and sixth verses The Lord by this query or question put to Job would then have him and now us know that it was himself alone that did it It was the Lord who bridled the Sea and shut it up with doors As if he said Where wast thou O Job when I did this great thing as thou gavest no assistance towards the laying of the foundations of Earth and the fastening of the corner-stone thereof so tell me what assistance didst thou give me in bringing forth and setling the vast Sea Or at least if thou canst give me an account hâ—w these things were done and how they continue as they were done by an everlasting decree who hath shut up the Sea with doors was it I or thou or any other Creature Thus the Lord still brings Job upon his knees by humbling questions knowing that he was not able to take any of that honour to himself He poor man had no more to do in this great work than he had in the former and therefore he ought to submit to the works of God in providence whatsoever he was pleased to do seeing all the works of Creation were done by God alone without his counsel or assistance Who hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saepe est protegere aliqui legunt â—bsâ—psu vel circumsepsit ac si esset a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sopio cum siâ— a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tego obiego operio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem per samech significat ungere Drus Shut up the Sea with doors There is a two-fold rendring of that word translated Shut up We take it from a root which signifies to hedge in or compass about as also to protect because those things which are compassed about with strong hedges are under protection and safe from danger Water being a fluid body spreads it self over all the water cannot contain it self in itâ— own bounds fluids cannot but it must be bound it must be shut in or shut up The Lord shut up the Sea as the waters of a great River are shut up by flood-gates or as the waters upon which a Mill is built some carry the allusion to that are pent for the service of it and are caused by art to run gradually or by inches as the Master of that useful engine gives direction Thus the Lord shut up the Sea The Sea is a great Convention or Assembly of Waters as Moses spake Gen. 1.10 The gathering together of waters the Lord called Sea The Sea is a confluence or meeting of waters There may be a great water yet that not the Sea the confluence of all or many waters together that is Sea The waters being thus gathered or assembled by the Lords Summons or Command he hedged them in or shut them up Secondly Others render Who anointed the doors of the Sea Quis valvat maris inunxit Codur when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb They who give this Translation derive the word from a root which signifies to anâ—int Some Interpreters insist much upon this sense of the word and I find one who asserts it as the onely sense of it in this place Who anointed the doors of the Sea that is the passages by which the Sea issued forth And saith he the reason why other learned Interpreters pitch upon that Translation of shutting up the Sea with doors is because they knew not what to make of anointing the doors of the Sea nor to what practice such an expression should allude that the doors of the Sea were anointed whereas indeed that notion of the Word beaâ—s the fairest allusion and proportion to the Metaphor of Child-bearing begun in this and carried on as it were professedly in the next verse under which the Spirit of God is pleased to express the coming forth and original of the Sea Now saith my Author Quaerit dominus a Jobo quae lucina praesuerit parentis naturae puerperlo quan do est enixa mare Id. it is a thing commonly known both to Physitians and Mid-wives that those parts of the body by which the Infant comes into the world uâ—e to be anointed for its more easie passage Thus saith God to Job Didst thou anoint the doers of the Sea when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb It was my Mid-wisery my wisdom and skill not thine that brought the Sea into the World and gave it an easie birth or delivered the Earth of it without
lingers nor slumbers as to the Lords time though it may seem to have done both in theirs The wicked how long soever they escape judgement are not preserved from it but onely reserved to it as followeth in the fourth and ninth verse of that Chapter As the fallen angels are reserved in everlasting chains of darkness that is in chains that will hold them fast enough for ever unto the Judgement of the Great Day or to the Great Day of Judgement Which intimates two things concerning the fallen Angels First That their torments are not yet at the greatest nor their sufferings at the highest Secondly That their punishment is unavoidable for they can never break nor file off those chains As I say the fallen Angels are said to be reserved to judgement in chains of darkness at the sixth verse of the Epistle of Jude so at the 13th verse of the same Epistle it is said that to seducers and false teachers who cause many to fall The blackness of dareness is reserved for ever they have it not but 't is reserved for them Their present impunity is no assurance of their future indemnity From the latter part of the verse where the time of trouble is called The day of battel and war Observe First Obstinate and impenitent sinners make war in a manner with God himself Though they send not a Herald formally to defie him yet a resolved progress in sin let God say what he will and do what he will is a real defiance of him or a bidding him do his worst Gigantes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicti It was said of the old Giants men of great stature They were fighters against the Gods We may say men of all statures even dwarfs and pigmies for bodily stature raise war against the great God by presumptuous sinning Did not men make a war upon God by doing evil God would never make war upon them by sending evil Men are vain when they fall into sin but they are worse than vanity when they stand out in sinning Who saith the Lord Isa 27.4 would set briars and thorns against me in battel none but a mad-man will I would go thorow or as the Margin hath it march against them I would burn them together Can briars and thorns abide contending with God who is a consuming fire If God send forth an army of his meanest and most contemptible souldiers flies from the air lice from the earth even a mighty Pharaoh must call for a treaty and beg a parly If he command snow and hail much more lightning and thunder out of the clouds to fight against his enemies how soon are they overwhelmed and confounded 'T is best therefore never to begin this war and the next best is speedily to sue for peace Secondly Observe A day of battel and war is eminently a time of trouble There may be trouble where there is no war but where war is there cannot but be trouble War or the sword is not onely one of those four sore judgements but the first of the four with which God threatned Jerusalem to the cutting off or utter destruction of man and beast Ezek. 14.8 Every battel of the warrier is with câ—nfused noise and garments rolled in bloud Isa 9.5 Confused noises are the musick of a battel and bloody garments the bravery of it then prize peace pray for peace That as the Apostle directs 2 Thess 3.16 The Lord of Peace himself would give us peace alwayes by all means For though that may be doubted and queried which some have fully asserted That the most unequal peace is to be preferred before the justest war yet the justest war may bring though peace and honour at last yet in the mean time innumerable troubles and evils with it Thirdly Note God can make any creature hurtful and afflictive to us Snow is of great use and serves much to advance the fruttfulness of the earth and is joyned with rain in that effect Isa 55.10 As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud c. by the concurrent blessing of God So c. Snow as well as rain is a blessing to the earth not an affliction yea snow is used by some as a delicacy to cool their drink in hot Countries and seasons which use of it was first found out by that monster of men Nero saith Pliny who thus declaims and pâ—otests against his intemperance Heu prodigia ventris â—li nivem illi glaciem potant paenasque montium in voluptatem gulae vertunt Plin. l. 19. c. 4. l. 31. c. 3. O the prodigies of luxury some drink snow others ice and so turn the punishments of the mountains so he calls snow and ice as to present sense into their own pleasure or to serve their voluptuousness Now though the snow according to Gods appointment be profitable to the earth and is used by some men to serve their pleasures and please their sensual appetite yet God can make a scourge of it if he pleaseth and destroy both our profits and pleasures by it He can afflict us not onely with strong and stormy winds not onely with dreadful thunder and lightning but with snow which is soft as wool and hail-stones which usually children sport and play with He hath destroyed sinners not onely by lions and bears and such like ravenous beasts but with frogs and mice with lice and locusts as was toucht before There are two things which shew the mighty power of God in the Creature First That he can make the most devouring and destructive creatures harmless and hurtless to us Thus he stopt the fiery furnace from so much as cinging a hair or impressing the least smell of burning upon those three worthies Dan. 3.27 He also shut the mouths of those hungry Lions not onely from tearing and totally devouring but from touching Daniel to hurt him chap. 6.22 Secondly That he can make the most harmless and hurtless creatures to hurt us How powerful is God who can crush the strongest man on earth by the weakest of his creatures There was much of God in it that some of his people of old through faith out of weakness were made strong waxed valiant being 't is like before of a fearful spirit in fight turned to flight the armies of the aliens Heb. 11.33 34. And is there not much of God in it when any sort of creatures weak and inconsiderable in themselves are armed by him to conflict with and get the victory over his strongest and proudest enemies Fourthly Note God can make a time of trouble terrible He hath a reserve of snow and hail in his treasury against the time of trouble against the day of battel and war As God can make a day of trouble comfortable to his servants he can be a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest as rivers of water in a dry place and as the
verse Many Bulls have compassed me strong Bulls of Bashan have beset me round with those of the 21. which answer them Save me from the Lions mouth hear me we read thou hast heard me from the horns of the Reemims we rendred Unicorns as if the Psalmist intended under the word Reemim a sort of beasts much like in kind if not of the same kind with the Bullocks and strong Bulls of Bashan spoken of before as the learned Author endeavours there to make out more largely and distinctly to whom I refer the Reader By what hath been said I suppose we have made it appear plainly that the beast meant by this word Reem is an animal neer in kind to the Bull or Bullock which can be no other than a wild Bull or Bullock which is to other Bulls or Bullocks as wild Swine Bâ—ars or Sows are to those which are tame or live and feed about our houses But seeing there are several sorts of these wild Bulls or Bullocks we do not conceive the word Reem to be a common appellation which may be given to them all but that it signifies some one certain sort among them To find out which will not be hard to those who consider what the Scripture holds out concerning the beast there called Reem namely the eminent greatness of his horns and the eminent greatness of his strength both which are ascribed to him not only Deuteronomy 33.17 and Psal 22. but Psal 92.10 My horn shalt thou exalt like to the horn of a Reem i. e. Thou shalt exalt it greatly and strongly even like the horn of a Reem This makes it evident that this Reem cannot be that beast which Aristotle calls Bonasus nor that which later Writers call Bubalus or Bufalus we in English a Buffe which is so far from being better fitted by his horns for fight and force than our Bulls that his horns are indeed altogether unfit for either as Aristotle shews lib. 3. de part Anim. cap. 2. his horns being turned inward and one against the other and therefore as he saith lib. 9. Hist Animal cap. 45. are unuseful for his own defence The horns indeed of some of those beasts are of another fashion as Gesner describes them and also Scaliger Exerc. 206. Sect. 3. but all concludes them unfit to fight with because they all are either turned one against another or point downward Now though this beast which Aristotle calls Bonasus others Bubalus or Bufalus be of such great strength as also of such fierceness and untractableness as may well suit the description which the Scripture gives of the Reem yet the form and fashion of his horns will by no means comply with it notwithstanding it must be granted that they who have expounded Reem by that beast have spoken more probably and have come much neerer the truth than they who understand by it either the Unicorn or the Rhinocerote There remains two sorts of wild Oxen Bulls or Bullocks the Vrus and Bisons which latter is so like the Bonasus that by some he is taken for the same yet between the Bisons properly so called and the Bonasus of Bufalus their horns make a very remarkable difference What the form of the horns of the Bufalus is hath been shewed but the Bisons have them a little bowing in the top or point in which respect they are compared by Oppianus to brazen fish-hooks but in the rest or body of them they spread upward or stand right up and not so unfit to fight with insomuch that some have called them Lethâ—feros tauros deadly Bulls And though we grant to Gesner who denyeth the Bonasi and Bisontes to differ in specie that the difference which is between the horns of these two beasts is not sufficient to constitute a specifical difference between them yet when besides the difference in their horns there are other constant differences as namely that the beast called Bonasus doth not fight with his head but with his heels and runs away as soon as wounded as Aristotlâ— reports of him lib. 9. Hist cap. 45. whereas the beast called Bisons useth his horns only in sight and is not at all discouraged by being wounded but like a Boar or a Lion assaults his pursuers the more fiercely as is set forth at large by Sigismundus Liber in Muscovieticis therefore we may well conclude that there is a specifical difference between these animals Now though the beast called Bisons considering the greatness and strength of his horns as also his fierceness might be taken for the beast in Job called Reem yet he is not that beast because he may be tamed by the art of man and made to put off his fierceness as appears abundantly out of a good Author But as for the beast called Reem Pansoni as in Phocicis he never gives over the fierceness of his nature nor can he be tamed or brought to hand as appears fully by what God saith of him in this 39th Chapter of the book of Job In which when God had proposed the more remarkable properties of several creatures to the consideration of Job he brings in this beast called Reem only to set forth this property the unsubduable or untameable fierceness of his nature So that all that God saith of him may be reduced to this That the Reem can neither by the skill nor power of man be brought to the yoak nor made serviceable to man in any way when as many other wild beasts no less eminent than he for strength and fierceness even Lions Tygers Elephants Leopards Bears Rhinocerotes have laid down their immanity and become mild and have suffered themselves to be mannaged and governed by men yea and learn to acknowledge their Masters and serve them whereas such tractableness might rather be expected from the Reem he being of the Bullocks kind and living upon grass than from any of them all which except the Elephant and Rhinocerote are ravenous and delighting in blood and slaughter live upon spoyl and prey And that we may the more wonder at the unsubduable nature of the Reem the Lord shews the same to be in the wild Ass a weak and haâ—mless animal and which hath neither strength nor inclination to do hurt than which nothing can be said or imagined more wonderful that wild Asses whole flocks of which even a single boy will put to flight and chase yet will by no means be tamed whereas Tygers and Lions one of which will stand a band of armed men and sometimes put them to flight should notwithstanding be tamed even to yield servile obedience No other reason can be given of this but only because it hath seemed good to God the Author of nature to order it so Now in that God is pleased to discover the untameable nature of the Reem by these marks or signs namely that he scorns to plow the ground or do any work that belongs to Husbandry Hence it doth more clearly appear which we have above confirmed
the face of the sword drawn out against them no ratling of the quiver nor clashing of weapons could terrifie them they have not been affrighted with Lions Bears Tygers ready to devour them they have not been affrighted with the fiery furnace nor with the most exquisite torments that the wit or malice of man could invent Jesus Christ having instructed the Church his Spouse Cant. 1.8 what to do he at the 9th verse commends the Church in two things First For her courage Secondly For her beauty For her courage first at the 9th ver and in that respect he compares her to a Company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots But why doth he compare the Church to a Company of horses in Pharaohs Chariots I answer it is well known that the Kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh and Egypt was very famous for horses of war therefore Christ makes this comparison to shew that the Church bâ—ing directed to keep close to the shepheards tents must expect that the world or the false Church would vex and persecute her but faith Christ my spouse is like a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots that is she will be as valiant in this war in standing for the truth against all false doctrine idolatrous worship as the most valiant horses that ever were in Egypt or in any part of the world have been in any day of battle Experience we know hath made this good for the true Spouse of Christ though poor comtemptible and weak though women and even but children though helpless sheep and tender lambs yet in battles of suffering for Christ they have become as mighty as the mightiest war-horses they have withstood all the powers of the world undauntedly and made them admire their courage yea vexed and madded them with their courage Who but the Lord could arm his people with spiritual weapons with power and courage to overcome all their enemies or to over-overcome them as the word is Rom. 8.37 which we render more than conquerors over what over sword and nakedness and perils and danger and death we more then overcome all these saith the Apostle there though we are killed all the day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter as he speaks at the 36th verse And hence the Prophet said Zach. 10.3 5. that though the Church there called the house of Judah be weak like a flock yet the Lord makes them as his goodly horse in the battle Our late Annotators give the sense of the Prophet in those words expressly thus Now that the Lord hath turned his favourable countenance towards his people he hath endowed them with valour and strength so that of sheep they are become a great war-horse with which the Lord will overcome and trample down his enemies which may in part be understood of the Maccabeees victory but most perfectly of the whole Churches victories over the world and the devil This victory the Church obtains over the devil by resisting and over the world by suffering Thus far of the valiant horse The Lords discourse proceeds from this noble beast of the earth to those noble birds of the air the Hawk and the Eagle JOB Chap. 39. Vers 26 27 28 29. 26. Doth the Hawk flie by the wisdom and stretch out her wings towards the South 27. Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command and make her nest on high 28. She dwelleth and abideth on the rock upon the crag of the rock and the strong place 29. From thence she seeketh the prey and her eyes behold afar off 30. Her young ones also suck up blood and where the slain are there is she IN this context the Lord passeth from the beasts of the earth to give a further demonstration of his power and wisdom appering in the fowls of air and here we have two instances both in birds of pâ—ey The Hawk and the Eagle Job is first questioned about the Hawk in the 26th verse In which the Hawk is set forth two ways First In general by her flying Doth the Hawk flie by thy wisdom Secondly in special by the course of her flight and stretch forth her wings toward the South Secondly Job is questioned about the Eagle concerning which Queen among birds fix things are here expressly set forth or distinctly expressed First Her high flying or mounting upwards in the former part of the 27th verse Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command Secondly Her high nesting or making her nest on high in the latter part of the same verse doth she at thy command make her nest on high Thirdly She is here discribed by the choise of her abode dwelling or habitation ver 28. she dwelleth and abideth on the rock on the crag of the rock and in the strong place Fourthly We have here the sharpness of the Eagles appetite and her quick endeavour to get food for the satisfying of it in the former part of the 29th verse When she is abiding upon the rock upon the crag of the rock and in her strong place from thence she seeks her prey she is not idle there Fifthly She is described by the sharpness of her sight in the latter part of the 29th verse her eyes behold afar off As if the Lord had said though she dwells thus high upon the rock and the crag of the rock yet this doth not hinder her in the pursuit of her prey for her eyes behold afar off Sixthly and Lastly We have here the matter or nature of her own food and diet together with the food of her young ones We have here as I may say a Bill of the Eagles fare ver 30. it is blood and the flesh of the slain Her young ones suck up blood and where the slain are there is she That 's her chief food and diet the flesh and blood of the slain These are the particulars which the spirit of God layeth down in the descriptions boâ—h of the Hawk and Eagle From the whole I shall give only this general note as to the Lords purpose in speaking of these birds of prey the Hawk and the Eagle rather than of the Dove or of any other fowl of a more harmless nature I say the Lord doth this to shew that seeing his providence disposeth of and watcheth over these fowls of the air which are so able to shift for themselves and are in their kind so little useful to man then surely he will not neglect man nor any creature that is of necessary use to man Vers 26. Doth the Hawk flie by thy wisdom The word rendred Hawk comes from a root which signifies a feather or plume of feathers because feathers are the instruments by which the Hawk flyeth The same word signifies also to fly the Hawk being a fowl of such an excellent flight may well be exprest by a word which properly signifies flying The Hawk is numbred among the unclean birds in the Law of Moses which the Jews might not eat of Levit. 11.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
time of Behemoths making I made him the same day with thee for all the beasts of the earth were made upon the sixth day the same day in which man was made Fourthly Which I made with thee that is I made him to be with thee I did not make Behemoth as I made Leviathan to play in the Sea but I made him to be with thee on the Land that thou shouldst behold him and take notice of him or that he should be under thy hand yea not only so but contrary to the nature of wilde beasts to love thy company and to desire converse with thee to be guided by thee and in many things to act with a kind of reason and understanding like thee or as thy self and other men do Fifthly Which I made with thee that is for thee I made him for thy use I made him to serve thee Though he be thus great and vast yet he will be thy humble servant There will be occasion afterwards to shew further how serviceable and useful Elephants are to man Sixthly I made him with thee that is I made him as nigh to thee as any of the unreasonable creatures yea nigher to thee than any of the unreasonable creatures for I have made him excel them all as thou excellest him he is above other irrational creatures as thou art above all irrationals He next to Angels and men is the chief of my wayes The word made may import this also and so it is used 1 Sam. 12.6 The Lord advanced the Hebâ—ew is Made Moses and Aaron The Lord hath so made the Elephant that he hath also advanced him above all the beasts of the field I have set him as near the seat of reason as might be and not be rational In all these respects we may understand the Lord saying to Job concerning Behemoth I made him with thee He is thy fellow-creature and how great soever he is he is my creature I made him the same day that I made thee and I made him to abide in the same place with thee or where thy abode is I made him also for thy service and that he might be a meet servant for thee I have made him almost a partaker of reason with thee so far at least a partaker of reason that he will very obsequiously submit to and follow the conduct of thine and though he be the strongest beast on earth yet thou mayest find him acting more according to thy reason than his own force or strength There is yet another interpretation of these words given by Bochartus which favours his opinion that Behemoth is the Hippopotame or River Horse Whom I have made with thee Tecum vel potius juxta te or rather near thee or hard by thee that is in thy neighbour-hood in a Countrey which borders upon thine As if saith he God had said to Job I need not fetch arguments from far to prove how powerful I am seeing I have them at hand For among the beasts which I made in Nilus which is near thy Countrey Arabia how admirable is the Hippopotame And that the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies by or near as well as with he gives many examples Josh 7.2 Judg. 9.6 Judg. 18.3 Judg. 19.11 2 Sam. 6.7 2 Sam. 20.8 which the Reader may peruse and consider Thus the Elephant was made with man But how lives he how feeds he Not like man He eateth grasse as an Oxe From these words also the Authour last mentioned collects an argument for the strengthening of his interpretation The Oxe and Elephant saith he are alike labouring beasts and therefore no wonder if they feed alike or live upon the same kind of food but that the Hippopotame which is an aquatical Animal and abides for the most part in the bottom of Nilus should eat grasse like an Oxe this is strange and matter of wonderment Nor is it for nothing that he is compared to the Oxe whom he resembles not onely in his food but in the bignesse of his body and in the shape of his head and feet whence the Italians call him Bomarin that is the Sea-Oxe Yet these words may very well be applied to the Elephant It being not onely true that his food is grasse but a merciful wonder that it is so For â—â—d this vast creature live upon prey or the spoil of other beasts what havock yea devastation would he make to satisfie his hunger So that these words He eateth grasse as an Oxe may carry this sense As if the Lord had said Though I have made this beast so great and strong yet he is no dangerous no ravenous beast he doth not live by preying upon other beasts by tearing and worrying sheep and Lambs as Lions and Bears and Wolves do this great and mighty creature eats grasse lâ—ke an Oxe Thus God would have Job take notice what way he hath provided for the subsistence of the Elephant He eateth grasse as an Oxe yet not altogether as the Oxe His food is as the food of an Oxe for the matter both eat grasse but he doth not eat in the same manner as an Oxe Why how doth an Oxe eat by licking up the grasse with his tongue into his mouth as he is described Numb 22.4 but the Elephant gathers up the grasse with his trunk and then puts it into his mouth Naturalists give these two reasons why the Elephant cannot eat like the Oxe Ne ore pascatur adminuculo linguae ut boves impedit colli brevitas linguae quoque quae illi animali perexigua est interius posita ita ut eam vix videre possis Decerptam proboscideherbam dentibus quos utrinque quatuor habet commolit Arist l. 2. de Histâ—r Animal c. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pasco First Because of the shortnesse of his Neck Secondly The littlenesse of his Tongue which lies so far within his Mouth that it cannot easily be seen and therefore he crops the grasse with his trunk and putting it into his mouth grindes it with his teeth He eateth grasse like an Oxe He is like the Oxe as to what he feeds upon not as to the way of his feeding So then though the Elephant be so bulky and big-bodied yet by the Lords Ordinaâ—ion he is as harmlesse as a labouring Oxe he will not hurt any beast of the field This phrase Eating like an Oxe is used to set forth the peaceablenesse of his Nature Thus those blessed times are described when the power of the Gospel shall overcome the wrath and enmity which is in the Serpents seed against the seed of the Woman Isa 11.7 The Cow and the Bear shall feed their young ones and the Lion shall eat straw like the Oxe Lions will be quiet that is the spirits of those men who have been like Lions and Bears even they shall eat straw like the Oxe they shall not hurt the Lambs and Sheep of Christs flock and fold
chief in the word of God is the truth of it that which rules and reigns and holds as it were the headship in and throughout the word of God is the truth of it or Gods trueness and faithfulness in making it good and therefore the first thing which faith doth is to set to its seal that God is true true of his word or that his word is true John 3.33 The Greeks call honey the first of sweetnesses because it is the sweetest of all natural things Mel dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quòd dulcedine praestat rebus omnibus Now here when the Text saith he is the chief or beginning of the wayes of God we are not to take it of a beginning in time several creatures were seniors to Behemoth being made before him but in excellency which we render clearly He is the chief of the wayes of God But you will say how is the Elephant the chief of the wayes of God Are not Angels and men at least above him I answer There is a twofold chief First Absolute Secondly in its kind Behemoth is the chief of the wayes of God not absolutely not as if God had made nothing more excellent than the Elephant but in his kind that is among the beasts of the earth he is the chief and as we say bears away the bell from all the rest Behemoth is not only of the first three but like Adino the Tachmonite among Davids worthies he is the first of the first three among all the irrational creatures which move upon the face of the earth And though in some one thing many excel him yet taking him altogether he excels them all He is the chief of the wayes of God that is of the works of God The works of God are called his ways because he appears stands forth in his works as man doth in his way God did not appear at all til he did create then he appeared gloriously in all his divine perfections of power wisdom and goodness And as he appeared in the works of creation so he daily appeareth in his woâ—ks of providence as in his way for in them also it is seen how powerful how wise how good he is Behemoth both as to creation and providence is the chief of the wayes or works of God in his kind Angels and Men are indeed above him but as for other creatures Behemoth is the chief Thus the Lord having spoken of many particular excellencies in this creature recapitulates or sums up all that he had said like an eloquent Orator in these crowning words He is the chief of the ways of God Hence note First There is a difference as to excellency or there are degrees of excellency in the works of God God hath bestowed more upon some creatures than he hath upon others God bestowed most upon man in the first creation for how excellent soever he made any visible creature yet it is said of no creature he made him in his image after his likeness till he came to man and the new creature which comes in by redemption is far more excellent than man in his first creation Now I say as man is far more excellent than all earthly creatures he is next to Angels man is placed in the uppermost form of the visible world So among the creatures there are some that very much excel others here 's one called the chief of the ways of God himself This is not an Orators flattery the Spirit of God gives Behemoth this encomium this commendation he hath precedency by a divine right All creatures are not alike they cannot all be chief and there are none like this he is the chief of all Among the inanimate creatures there is a gradual difference 1 Cor. 15.40 There are coelestial bodies and bodies terrestial but the glory of the coelestial is one and the glory of the terrestial is another and all coelestial bodies are not alike for There is one glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another of the Stars and one Star differs from another in glory There are also various excellencies both as to kind and degree among vegetatives or plants What is a Nettle in the Ditch to Hysope in the Garden and what is the Thistle in Lebanon to the Cedar in Lebanon that 's one of the lowest and most ignoble plants this one of the highest and most honourable Consider animals What variety among the fish of the sea what is a Sprat to a Whale What variety among the fowls of the air what is a Sparrow to the Eagle What variety among the beasts of the earth what is a Bullock to an Elephant or an Ass to a Lion Coâ—sider â—ationals Men are not all alike some men do almost as much excel other men as all men excel beasts yea there is a difference in the same man his soul is more excellent than his body some parts of the body are more excellent than others some powers and faculties of the soul are more excellent than the rest The Apostle 1 Cor. 12.28 29. speaking of the Church shews how God hath put the guides of it into several ranks He hath set some in the Church First Apostles Secondly Prophets Thirdly Teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps governments diversities of tongues Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers do all speak with tongues are all workers of miracles are all chief are all in the first rank no some are in one condition some in another And thus it is in the world God hath set some Kings all others Subjects and among them some are Lords some Judges and Magistrates c. Are all Kings are all Lords are all Judges and Magistrates surely not To have all men of one order would put all men and all things too out of order There is a chief among beasts And those men are worse than beasts who acknowledge not a chief among men God is not the author of confusion as in all the Churches of the Saints saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.33 so I may say in all the Kingdoms of the world And if so I would only infer then let none be troubled that they are not chief no nor that they are not of equal rank with other men let us be content with our station though it be a low one 'T is best for us to be where God hath placed us and to be thankful for what God hath given us though in gifts and parts we are much inferior to many God doth not bestow a like measure of gifts no nor of grace upon all And though it may be a favour and a mercy to have outward preheminency above others yet to love or affect preheminency as the Apostle John taxed Diotrophes is very sinful The Apostle would have us covet earnestly the best gifts 1. Cor. 12.31 and he there minds us of a better thing to be coveted than the best gifts that is grace Faith hope charity to covet
as we say or do obeysance to Kings and to present them with crowns Sixthly Besides their teachableness their tractableness and gentleness is wonderful Some are apt to learn yet will not be governed will not be brought to good manners Elephants are highly commended not only because they are apt to be taught but ready to be commanded Whatever you bid them they presently obey There 's no creature so quiet so meek so submitting as the Elephant he hurts none unless provoked and will gently help the weak They who write the nature of the Elephant assure us that when once he is broken or tamed by man he is ever after obedient to him and gives him all manner of observance that he even forms himself to the disposition of his Master or Owner will take meat out of his hand like a little dog that he will as it were hugg and embrace his Master when he comes near and will suffer him without hurt to put his head within his mouth Seventhly He exceeds other beasts in usefulness He is not tractable only for a shew or for sport but he is for real service In times of peace he will do all manner of work till the ground carry burdens and he is of great use and service in time of war Eighthly This is admirable in the Elephant that being so vast a creature he hath such agility of body as was touched before he will express those gestures and motions which require greatest activity Ninthly The Elephant is highly commended for his modesty and chastity Tenthly For his faithfulness in any thing that he is charged with or ordered to do The faithfulness of the Elephant exceeds belief There are not only marveils but miracles reported by Historians worthy of credit concerning their fidelity to their masters or owners and their kindness and gratitude to those who have shewed them kindness Eleventhly The Elephant is famous for compassionateness to any that are in distress what use they can be of they will be to such Quintus Curtius reports how the Elephant of Porus an Indian King when the King being wounded fell down took him up tenderly with his trunck and set him again upon his back Twelfthy and lastly Elephants excel in longevity or length of life Diutissime vivit Arist l. 4. c. 10. de Hist Animal Strabo l. 15. They live not only long but very long the God of Nature having given them an excellent constitution or temperament of body Good Authors tell us they live commonly two hundred years some three hundred years and 't is reported some have lived five hundred years In all these respects we may conclude Behemoth the chief of the ways of God In many things he comes near to man and in others he much exceedeth him From all that hath been said of this mighty beast take these inferences First See the goodness of God unto man who hath made this vast strong creature mans servant and so ready to obey mans command to bear mans burdens and to till the earth for man which 't is said Chap. 39.9 the Unicorn will never do Will the Vnicorn be willing to serve thee Canst thou bind the Vnicorn in the furrows will he harrow the valleys after thee But the Elephant will do these services he is willing to serve man in peace and to assist him in his wars Though man be of little stature and strength compared to an Elephant yet God hath subdued the Elephant to the will and under the power of man Is not this a great argument of Gods great goodness to man And is it not a strong obligation upon man to be obedient and serviceable to God who hath made such a creature serviceable and obedient to him Secondly This shews us as the goodness of God to man so the over-ruling power of God who can make the greatest strength of his creatures which left to themselves might do abundance of mischief and be hurtful yet useful and helpful to us What a world of harm might the Elephant do yet as was said he never hurts any unless provoked Let us adore the power of God who over-rules the mighty strengâ—h of this creature causing him to lay it out in a way of helpfulness and advantage to mankind As we should take notice of the goodness of God when he over-rules men who have power to hurt from doing hurt as he did Laban who told Jacob Gen. 31.29 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt but the God of your Father spake to me yesternight c. Many may have power in their hands to crush us in a moment yet God stops them from such a use of their power this is a great argument of the goodness of God Some men would be like Lions or Bears if God did not check them as David was confident he would Psal 76.10 The wrath of man shall praise thee the remainder of wrath thou wilt restrain Many have great power and great wrath with it and what would they not do in their powerful wrath if God did not restrain all the over-plus and remainder of it which serves not to advance his praise Some have much wrath but no power these would do hurt if they could but they cannot do much hurt Others have much power but no wrath these will do no hurt yet they could A third sort have both they are full of power and full of wrath these both can and would do much hurt did not God bind or bound them stop them or restrain them Now I say as we should reverence that powerful goodness of God which meekens mighty beasts and keeps them from doing hurt so we should reverence and adore that power and goodness or good power of God which bridles evil men from doing hurt with their power Thirdly We may infer this by way of instruction from the premises Men who as to the matter and original of their bodies are but like to beasts are also exceeded by beasts in many bodily powers and abilities What is the strength of a man to the strength of an Elephant and what is mans age or the length of his life to an Elephants And whereas men have five bodily senses there are creatures that exceed them in all One creature hath a quicker ear Nos aper auditu nos vincit aranea tactu Vultur odoratu linx visu simia gustu another a more curious feeling a third hath a more piercing eye a fourth excels in smelling and a fifth in tasting Man is excell'd in his natural powers even by meanest animals This should humble us And if it should humble us that we are exceeded by them as to sensitive or bodily powers how should it shame us to be exceeded by them as to inward indowments as to understanding and vertue as to our morality and good behaviour Be not â—aith David Psal 32.9 as the horse and mule which have no understanding Yet Psal 49.20 man that is in honour and understandeth not is like
for his turn And the same saith another learned interpreter Armavit illum Deus manu seu proboscide quasi gladio validi simo Jun. Pisc following this Translation God hath armed him with a Trunk as with a strong and a mighty sword There is a truth in this Translation and interpretation and it hath the suffrage of many worthy men for it as the principal if not the sole meaning of these words God who made Behemoth hath also made him a Sword to defend himself with that his vast body should not be liable to every danger and affront Take one Note from this reading As God hath given the Creatures a being so means to protect and preserve themselves in their Being He that made him hath given him a Sword he hath not left him naked or unarmed Many creatures I mean of the irrational creatures have natural weapons horns hoofs teeth and claws to defend themselves with and offend those with that trouble them Others have only defensive Arms as it were for safety against annoyance shells and thick skins Many have neither offensive nor defensive armes who yet by their natural swiftnesse shift for themselvs by flight and out-â—un their dangers There for is no creature but hath some way or other for its defence As man the chief creature God hath given him Reason to provide all sorts of lawful means for his preservation and defence Take it also spiritually God having made any man a New creature gives him a Sword and means of defence to preserve himself in his spiritual being Every godly man hath spiritual weapons the whole armour of God for his defence against the Devil his spiritual enemy The Apostle leads us into Gods Armory and shews us what weapons God hath made for the spiritual man or for the preservation of man in his spiritual state and being Eph. 6.13 14 c. The Girdle of Truth the Breast-plate of righteousness Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace The Shield of Faith to quench the fiery darts of the Devil The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Thus God hath armed the New-Creature with a Sword he that made him hath made him weapons of defence and offence to save his soul from the wounds of temptation and to resist yea overcome the Tempter Thus as the Lord who made Behemoth hath made him a Sword so he hath provided weapons or means of defence for all other creatures for man especially and most specially for man in his spiritual condition that his immortal soul may be safe whatever becomes of his frail flesh or mortal body So much of and from that first Translation He that made him made his Sword to be near him Yet before I come to explain our own Translation I shall here again mind the Reader what learned Bochartus understands by the Hebrew word rendred Sword in reference to the Hippopotame He that made him saith he hath given him Harpen a sickle or crooked Sword Our Dictionaries render the word Harpe a Wood-knife as also a Sythe This crooked Sword or Sickle denotes saith he the long sharp and somwhat bowed teeth of the Hippopotame with which he doth as it were reap or cut down coâ—n and grasse when he comes on Land to feed as several Greek Poets by him named describe the manner of the Hippotame's feeding which must be granted complyeth well with the words in the next verse where 't is said of Behemoth The Mountains bring him forth food Yet I see no reason but that those great teeth of the Elephant which surely are no hurtlesse weapons as also his Promuscis or Trunk though commonly called his hand may be compared to and expressed by a Sword if that be true which good Authors say he doth with them The Second reading of the Text which Bochartus saith a very learned Interpreter perceiving the inconvenience of the former as to the Elephant took up is also ours He that made him can make his Sword to approach unto him His Sword That is his own Sword Gods Sword God hath a Sword and he can make his Sword approach Behemoth that is As strong as Behemoth is God that made him and gave him his strength can subdue him can pierce his skin though very hard and wound him to the very heart he can break his bones though they are like strong pieces of brass and bars of iron Quasi à Solo Deo sit occidendus Drus So then the meaning of the words according to our translation is plainly this As if the Lord had said Though Behemoth be very vast and big strong and torrible yet I can quickly bring him down Hanc expositionem respuere videtur verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accedere faciet applicabit quo nulla notatur hostilitas sed potius amica conjunctio Pisc and vanquish him Some oppose this translation and exposition because the Hebrew word which we render to approach is not applicable say they to an hostile approach but rather to an amicable and friendly approach Now to come upon one with a Sword is an hostile approach 't is to come as an enemy which say they that word will not well bear But I conceive this to be a mistake for in Scripture once if not oftner the word is used to denote an hostile approach or an assault 1 Sam. 17.40 where David encountring Goliah 't is said He took his staffe in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherds bag which he had even in a scrip and his sling was in his hand and he drew near or approached to the Philistim Now how did David approach the Philistim Surely not to salute him as a friend but ro destroy him as an enemy as in the issue he did Though the word commonly signifieth a friendly approach yet the Scripture applyeth it also to an enemy-like or violent approach and therefore that objection is of no force to invalidate our Translation or the Interpretation given of it He that made him can make his Sword approach unto him But what is this Sword that God makes to approach unto Behemoth I answer This Sword is any thing whereby God is pleas'd to subdue or destroy Behemoth or the Elephant whatever instrument God will use that 's his Sword or whether God will use any other creature to kill the Elephant that creature is his Sword 'T is said that the Rhinoceros his sworn enemy if I may so speak gets his sharpned horn under his belly and paunches him 'T is said also that the Dragon loving to suck or drink his blood kills him Now whether the Elephant fall by these beasts and serpents or be slain in battle and war by men he may be said to fall by the sword of God or that God makes his sword approach unto him The sword of God is the power of God put forth by this or that or any means
for the subduing or destroying of this mighty creature He that made him can make his sword approach unto him From this rendring and the interpretation given of it which is very plain and obvious Observe There is no creature so great so strong but God is able to subdue and conquer him He that made the creature can make his sword approach unto him God can master whatsoever he hath made Behemoth the Elephant is a creature of a vast bigness a creature of admirable strength yet down he comes down he falls as soon as ever God draws near with his sword The inanimate creatures the Sun the Moon the Stars the Seas the Earth are strong and powerful yet God can shake the Earth and calm the Sea he can seal up the Stars and stop both Sun and Moon in their course and make them stand still as a stone God who made the fire hot and burning can take away the burning heat of it which is so connatural to it And as he subdueth inanimate or liveless creatures so as here in the Text the animate or living creatures The Lord who hath made the Elephant the Lion the Bear the Tyger can quickly put a stop to the power and rage of any of them We may exemplifie it also in man a rational creature Some men in comparison of others are like Behemoths like Elephants great powerful and strong Nimrods of the earth mighty hunters The Lord can make his sword approach to any of them The Lord hath infinitely more strength and power in himself than he hath placed or planted in any creature For what is the stâ—eam to the fountain what is the light in the air to the light in the Sun The strength of the creature is but a stream or a beam issuing from God The strength of the Elephant is no more to God than the strength of a silly Mouse the strength of an Eagle no more to God than the strength of a Fly the strength of a Leviathan in the sea of whom in the next Chapter is no more to God then the strength of a Shrimp or Sprat God can soon destroy the roaring Lions the raging Bears the fierce Tigers the ravening Wolves of this world Nothing is strong before the strength of God or before the strong God Now if the Lord hath a power whereby he can quickly over-power the most powerful creatures then this teacheth us First Not to trust in the power of any creature Though you have an Elephant a Behemoth for your help do not trust in him The Lord that made him can quickly make his sword approach unto him the Lord can make him as weak as water and of as little use to you as a little child The strong shall be as tow and the maker of it as a sparke that is the work or idol which he hath made shall be as a spark to tow and they shall both burn together and none shall quench them Isa 1.31 How often are we called off from trust in any creature from trust in horses from trust in man There 's no help in the strongest creatures unless First God gâ—ves them strength and works with their strength Secondly There is no help in any creature if God sets his strength against him Therefore trust not in any creature Secondly This teacheth us Not to fear the power of any creature while God is with us If an Elephant a Behemoth be against us we need not fear him Thus the Apostle concludes while he puts that supposition Rom. 8.28 If God be with us who can be against us that is to hurt us His meaning is none can There are none in the world against whom so many are as against those with whom God is that is whom he owns loves and favours Christ told his Disciples of this Joh. 15.19 I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you But though they with whom God is are hated of the world or have the world against them yet the world cannot be so against them as to harm or hurt them for he that made them can make his sword approach to those that would that is they are fully in and under his power The Prophet useth this argument Isa 54.16 17. Behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work and I have created the waster to destroy Even the wasters of the world they that make spoil of all all they are of my creation I have made them and seeing I have made them surely I can hinder them in any of their wasting and destroying purposes and therefore the Lord in the next words gives a full and most comfortable assurance to the Church notwithstanding the skill of the Smith in making instruments and the strength of the Waster to destroy with them No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every thing that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord. The very ground upon which the Lord assured them that no weapon formed against them should prosper was because the Smith and the Waster too were both of them his creatures or of his making as the Text speaks of Behemoth God can make his sword approach beasts in the likeness of men as well as beasts in their own likeness And hence it is that the Holy Ghost expresseth all those powers of the world which should afflict the Church in several ages by the name of beasts all of Gods making Daniel in his 7th Chapter had a vision of four great beasts that came up from the sea whereof the first was like a Lion the second like a Bear another like a Leopard and a fourth dreadful and terrible and strong so exceedingly dreadful terrible and strong that as if no beast could be found like it it is not expressed by the likeness of any beast But what were these beasts 't is answered ver 17. These great beasts which are four are four great Kings which shall arise out of the earth that is four successions of Kings The Babilonian the Persian the Grecian the Roman powers were those great beasts Now the Lord who made them made his sword approach unto every one of them as the histories both of the Church and of the world hold clearly out The Lord who made that great Behemoth the Babilonian power and that great Behemoth the Persian power that great Behemoth the Grecian power as also that great Behemoth the Roman power hath made his sword in several ages and by several steps or degrees approach unto them So in the Revelation of Saint John the great beasts there mentioned what were they but the powers of the earth set against the true Church of God We read Revel 12.3 of a great red dragon this red dragon was the heathenish Romane power persecuting the Church Again Revel 13.1
as he lives King Benhadad being taken in war sent to King Ahab and submitted to him as a servant that he might have his life 1 Kings 20.32 Qui jure belli occidi potuit non duram subit conditionem si paratam mortem cum longa servitute commutat Sanct. Thy servant Benhadad saith I pray thee let me live But this Leviathan is so stout that he will not ask his life of any man nor will he serve any for an hour much less for ever Will he make a covenant with thee wilt thou take him for thy servant for ever That is will he become thy servant by covenant or thy covenant-servant Covenants bind servants to duty There are two things in a servants covenant First it obligeth him to work Secondly it assureth him of a reward Gods covenant with us assures us of mercy I will be to you a God I will pardon your sins I will do you good and then it requires duty You shall be to me a people you shall walk humbly and uprightly before me you shall serve me for ever Wilt thou take Leviathan to serve thee For ever But are any servants or shall any except God himself be served for ever why then saith the Lord Wilt thou take him for thy servant for ever Some are taken servants only for a year some for seven years others for life They who are servants for life are and may be called our servants for ever so that when the Lord saith Wilt thou take him for thy servant for ever the meaning is will he be thy servant as long as he liveth And indeed the life of a beast may well be called his for ever forasmuch as he hath no life after this life nor being after death The word rendred for ever comes from a root in the Hebrew which signifieth to hide or to be hidden because Eternity which is for ever in strict sense is altogether hidden and without end and if for ever be taken only for a long time indefinitely that 's a hidden thing too who knows when a long time will end if no end be assigned to it The life of man is his for ever in this world for how short soever it is no man knows the end of it and so to him it is a hidden thing In this sense also the life of a beast is a hidden thing as to the natural end of it and so his for ever Wilt thou take him to be thy servant for ever or Will he be thy everlasting servant Hence note All the creatures were made for mans service and were once his servants And therefore when creatures will not serve us especially when they rise against us we should remember as our fall in Adam so our own failings in the service of God The unserviceableness of the creature to us is a fruit and an effect of our unserviceableness and disobedience to God That word of God Gen. 1.28 which I may call the charter of mans Lordship over the creature reached Leviathan himself And God blessed them and God said be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the Sea c. that includes dominion over the Leviathan The Apostle James also Chap. 3.7 speaks of mans dominion over the fish of the Sea Every kind of beasts and of birds and of serpents and of things in the Sea is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind Man was originally invested with a power to tame not only things on earth but things in the Sea even the mighty Leviathan And when the Lord after the flood restored the world and renewed mans charter he put in this among the rest of his grants the subjection of the fish of the Sea Gen. 9.1 2. And God blessed Noah and his sons and said be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every fowl of the air and upon all that moveth upon the earth and upon all the fishes of the Sea into your hand they are delivered The very fish of the Sea shall fear and reverence you But as we quite forfeited the priviledge of the first charter by the first general fall so our after personal falls have doubtless much abated the priviledges of this renewed charter When we break commandements we weaken our interest in and lose the benefit of promises and priviledges Man by falling from the commands of God lost his command of the creatures 1. Imperium sui 2. Imperium suum or man by sin lost First the command of himself and then his command over the creatures Sin hinders our present enjoyments and will unless repented of by us and pardoned by God cut us off from our future hopes We should behold and bewail it as a part of that great curse fallen upon us by the sin of Adam and our own personal sins that many creatures refuse to serve us Will Leviathan saith God to Job make a covenant with thee will he be thy servant for ever That 's the fourth particular mentioned in the third and fourth verses wherein the unsubmissiveness and stiffness of this Leviathan is set forth he will not make supplications he will not speak soft words neither will he be thy covenant-servant for ever And as he is not for mans work so not for his sport Vers 5. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird wilt thou bind him for thy maidens Or as Mr. Broughton renders this latter clause Wilt thou tye him for thy young girles This verse holds out a further evidence of the stoutness of Leviathan Some creatures though they will not work yet they will play and make you sport but Leviathan is so stout that he will neither do you any work nor make you any sport Wilt thou play with him as with a bird The word signifies any small bird especially a Sparrow with which children use to play Leviathan will not play with man nor is he to be made a play or to be sported with When the Philistines had put out Sampsons eyes who was once as terrible to them as a Leviathan they called for him to make them sport and the Text saith Judg. 16.25 He made them sport though they quickly found he was not a man to be sported with We say proverbially 'T is ill jesting with edge-tools I may say 'T is ill sporting with Leviathan The vulgar Latine translation saith Numquid illudes ei ficut avi Vulg. Wilt thou cozen or ensnare him as a bird Canst thou entangle him as a little bird with lime-twigs or entice him into thy net and then make sport with him Leviathan is a great player and very game-some but he will not play at any game with us nor can we play at any game with him but Hazzard That he is very gamesom when and where he pleaseth the Psalmist tells us speaking of the great and wide
his people had given to the Lord. Tenthly Is all the Lords then use all as the Lords and not as your own Remember you are but Stewards God hath a title paramount to all you have do not use what is yours as your own but as the Lords you are but Stewards of the things you have in this world The Lord rebuked Israel Hos 2.8 9. for useing their riches their corn and wine otherwise than he had appointed they did not use them as Stewards they used all as Lords not as the Lords They thought it was their gold and their silver and their wine and their oil their wool their flax and they bestowed all upon an idol and prepared all for Baal See what the Lord saith in the next verse Therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wool and my flax All these are mine and you use them as your own and bestow them upon Baal Thus men bestow their gold and silver upon their lusts upon their pride and intemperance upon their revenge and uncleanness yea to adorn their idols take heed of applying your possessions to wrong uses God is the Lord of all and he will have an account of Lords as they have of their Stewards what they have done with all for they are but Stewards In the Eleventh place Then the Lord may give and take of all that is under heaven when he pleaseth and how he pleaseth to whom he pleaseth and from whom he pleaseth May not he do what he will with his own Mat. 20.15 If he gives to one he giveth but his own and if he takes from another he taketh but his own if he gives another much and you but a little you must be quiet and submit he giveth but his own If he give much of this worlds good to evil men if he adorn and beautifie them with all outward blessings who hath any thing to say against it what though men measuring things by their own reason see no reason yet let them know what he bestoweth is of his own not of any mans possession and if he bestow great things upon the unworthy he doth no wrong to those that are worthy much less to those who are as unworthy as they The benefits he bestows upon any are no wrong to others Upon this ground the Lord commanded the Nations quietly to submit to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babilon Jer. 27.4 5 6. Thus shall ye say to your Masters The Word was given by Jeremiah from the Lord to the Messengers of several Princes I have made the earth the man and the beast that are upon the ground by my out-stretched arm and by my great power and have given it unto whomsoever it seems meet unto me And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar c. And the beasts of the field have I also given to serve him and all Nations shall serve him c. Thus if the Lord gives he giveth his own and if he takes all away from any it is but his own thus Job quieted his spirit at first The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord. In the Twelfth place If all be the Lords under the whole heaven then be sure you pay your Land-lord your rent Shall we live in the Lords house and use the Lords land and not pay him his rent let us pay the Lord his rent for we are all Tennants and Tennants at Will Pay him his rent you will say what is that It is the rent of praise and obedience the Lord hath a service due to him for all In the Thirteenth place Let all the godly rejoyce All that is under the whole heaven is Gods it is in the hand of their friend and father all their enemies are in the hand of the Lord their tongues are the Lords and their power is the Lords and all they have is in the hand of the Lord and therefore no wonder if David concluded Psal 144.15 Happy are the people that are in such a case yea happy is that people whose God is the Lord for they have him who is Lord of all of all under the whole heaven Lastly If all be the Lords under the whole heaven then let us above all things labour to assure an interest in the Lord. To be able to say the Lord is our God is the surest way to a worldly estate if we have him who hath all we have all as one said If God be mine then all is mine 'T is the happiness of all the people of God that God is theirs This God is our God we have waited for him The Lord who is our God is the God of salvation Believers appropriate God to themselves they do not stand talking of gold and of silver of houses and lands but say they God is our God Keep close to God in Christ and he will keep you You cannot but have enough when you have God who hath all things under heaven yea and all things in heaven JOB Chap. 41. Vers 12 13 14 15 16 17. 12. I will not conceal his parts nor his power nor his comely proportion 13. Who can discover the face of his garment or who can come to him with his double bridle 14. Who can open the doors of his face his teeth are terrible round about 15. His scales are his pride shut up together â—s with a close seal 16. One is so near to another that no air can come between them 17. They are joyned one to another they stick together that they cannot be sundred THe Lord having spoken both of the quantity or greatness and of the quality or stoutness of Leviathan having also made application of both in the former part of the Chapter he now proceeds to a more particular description of him Vers 22. I will not conceal his parts nor his power nor his comely proportion We have here God speaking I saith the Lord will not conceal his parts There is a two-fold opinion about the connection or dependance of this verse Some joyn it with the former the eleventh verse Who hath prevented me that I should repay him whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine Now in case any one should stand forth with that boldness as to tell the Lord he had prevented him he had been a fore-hand with God Well saith the Lord Si quis me ante vertere aut superior me esse posset ejus laudes utique celebrarem Merc. if any will undertake this if any man dares affirm that he hath prevented me I will not conceal his parts nor his power nor his comely proportion I will do him no wrong I will not shadow nor obscure his worth I will set him forth in his fairest colours or paint him to the life in all that he is in all that he can say or do or shew himself to be in such a contest with
that he is terrible to others v. 25. When he raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid Yea Seventhly Such is his power That nothing can annoy him the sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold the spear the dart nor the habergeon ver 26. And Lastly Such is his power That he maketh the deep to boil like a pot he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment He maketh a path to shine after him one would think the deep to be hoary ver 31 32. Thus the Lord describes not only the parts but the power of Leviathan And in the Hebrew the word is plural powers which intimates the greatness of his power or that he is powerful in every part each part being full of power There is a two-fold power First of strength Secondly of authority Leviathan hath no power of authority though he be called a King over all the children of pride But he hath a mighty power of strength That 's here intended I will not conceal his parts nor his power Nor his comely proportion Or the grace of his disposition Non tacebo gratiam dispositionis ejus i. e. dicam quam concinnè membra ejus composita sunt That 's the emphasis of the Hebrew There is a two-fold disposition First Of the mind which we commonly call a mans disposition Secondly Of the body which consists in the right placing of the parts their symetry order and proportion Hence we translate fully His comely proportion Master Broughton renders it The grace of his frame that is the due composition and feature of all the members of his body Some expound these words Ironically Ironicè dictum cum enim horrifica sit immanissimi monstri dispositio conformatio totius corporis nihil in illo gratiae venustatis esse potest Cajetan As if when the Lord saith I will not conceal his comely proportion his meaning were his monstruous uncomliness But by their leave how great or vast soever any creature is there may be a comeliness and proportion or a due disposition of the members of his body as well as of a lesser or little one There are three things which make up the compleat natural comeliness of a creature First Distinction of members there must be parts Secondly Strength for the exercise of the parts Thirdly A due proportion of the parts one towards another that 's it which we properly call feature There may be beauty but no comeliness without a due disposition or proportion of parts and where there is a due proportion of parts there is comeliness how great soever any creature is All these concur in Leviathan First parts Secondly power Thirdly proportion and therefore he is though a Monster for bigness yet a comely creature I will not conceal his parts nor his power nor his comely proportion Hence observe First God hath bestowed excellent parts power and proportion upon all his creatures eminently upon some of them Whatsoever the Lord made he made it as 't is said in number weight and measure that is exactly The fowls of the Air the beasts and creeping things of the Earth the fishes of the Sea all of them according to their kind have excellent parts power and comeliness of proportion David speaking this in general brings it down to the particular under hand Psal 104.24 O Lord how manifold are thy works that is the works of Creation in wisdom hast thou made them all all of them even to the very Fly are wisely made in wisdome hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches vers 15. So is this great and wide Sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts there go the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein Leviathan is made in wisdom or wisely made the wisdom as well as the power of the great God is visible in the making and composure of him Secondly Observe God is pleased to set forth and in setting forth the particular excellencies of natural creatures I will not saith the Lord conceal his parts c. God who is without parts is seen in the parts of every creature and therefore he hath not concealed their parts Men do not light a candle saith Christ Mat. 5.15 and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick God hath lighted a candle for us to see himself by in making the parts of every creature and he hath put that light on as many candlesticks as he hath made discourses or discoveries of them in any part of the Scriptures and that he hath done eminently in the latter part of this Book of Job Now if God be thus pleased in declaring the parts of natural creatures How much more is he pleased in declaring the parts and excellencies or those most excellent and amiable parts of the new creature That is the excellencies of man in his inner man David saith Psal 147.10 11. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy and with them he is much taken He is infinitely more pleased in speaking of their parts and powers and comely proportion than in those of Leviathan or of any the most comely and beautiful creature in the world Jesus Christ could not conceal the parts the power not the comely proportion of his Spouse that is of his Church Cant. 4.1 2 3 4. Behold thou art fair my love behold thou art fair thou hast doves eyes within thy locks thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from mount Gilead thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn c. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet thy speech is comely thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks thy neck is like the tower of David thy breasts are like two young roes that are twins which feed among the Lillies Thus Jesus Christ you see was so far from concealing that he gave his divine rhetorick full scope to depaint all the lineaments parts powers and comely proportion of his Spouse the Church Jesus Christ was so ravisht with the beauty which himself had put upon the Church that like an amorous wooer he could not if I may so speak contain himself from crying up her comely proportion The rarest bodily beauty takes the heart and affects the eye of Christ no more than the gastly appearance of a rotting carcase unless he see spiritual beauty there too and where he sees that he is highly pleased though the body where such a soul lodges hath an appearance as little attractive or desirable as that of a rotting carcase Thirdly Consider the reason why the Lord insists so much in declaring the parts and powers of Leviathan the reason was that God might declare his own power it was not for Leviathans sake that God declared his parts c. but that he
of Leviathan in opposition to Israel Herod and Pilate once no good friends laid down all their animosities and cleaved close together like the scales of Leviathan to crucifie Christ and so have evil men in all ages to hinder the progress of his kingdome It is said Revel 17.12 13. of the ten horns which are there expounded to be ten Kings these have one mind They who seldome agree in their own affairs agree all in assisting the beast as 't is there said These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast The Scripture takes notice of this their union not as a good thing but as a strange thing that ten Kings of different nations of different interests and dispositions should agree in giving their power and strength that is their civil power the power of their kingdoms to the beast that is to uphold his kingdom which is doubtless the kingdom of Antichrist How may this shame those who profess a love to and themselves subjects of the kingdom of Christ for their divisions Godly men should cleave together as the scales of the Leviathan which cannot be sundred in that which is good And are not their differences and divisions their distances and breaches to be lamented which are so very great and wide that not only the thin circumambient air but gross circumventing bodies may come between them So far are they oftentimes from cleaving together in duty to God and man like the scales of Leviathan that they hang together as we say like ropes of sand The Evangelist Luke speaks of a time Acts 4.32 When all believers were like the scales of Leviathan Then the multitude of them that believed that is all they that believed were of one heart and of one soul Here they were not only joyned like the scales of the Leviathan but they were joyned as if they were all but one scale Godly men should carry it towards one another as members of the same body and acted by the same spirit They who have relation to those seven ones mentioned Ephes 4.4 5 9. should labour to be one should be found endeavouring as 't is there said ver 3. To keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Further by way of allusion The lusts of carnal men in general are like the scales of Leviathan sticking so close to them and one to another that the Spirit of God in the Ministery of his word finds no passage between till he makes one yea hardness of heart obstinacy and impenitency are expressed by this word Lam. 3.65 Give them O Lord saith he hardness of heart thy curse unto them Give them sorrow of heart so our translation renders it The Hebrew is Give them a shield upon their heart The word is the very same which is here translated scales the scales of Leviathan being as so many shields so strong and thick that nothing can enter It is sad when we have scales on our eyes It was said of Saul when in that vision he was stricken blind that before he received his sight scales fell from his eyes Ananias being sent to him said Acts 9.17 Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the holy Ghost and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales c. All men naturally have scales on their eyes It is sad to have a scale on the eye any thing that doth hinder the sight of spiritual things but how sad is it to have scales on the heart also To all impenitent persons their lusts are as so many scales and shields upon their hearts and they have so many scales upon their hearts and those such hard ones that nothing but an Almighty power can make entrance or impression None are in so much danger as they that are fenced and armed with these scales It is best for man to open a naked breast to receive every stroke which the sword of the Spirit the Word of God makes upon him JOB Chap. 41. Vers 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. 18. By his neesings a light doth shine and his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out 20. Out of his nostrils goeth smoak as out of a seething pot or caldron 21. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth 22. In his neck remaineth strength and sorrow is turned into joy before him 23. The flakes of his flesh are joyned together they are firm in themselves they cannot be moved 24. His heart is as firm as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone 25. When he raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid by reason of breakings they purifie themselves IN the former context the Lord spake of the covering or skin of the jaws and teeth of the face and scales of this Leviathan In this he proceeds yet further to draw out the description of this vast creature First By his strong neesings vers 18. Secondly By his shining eyes in the latter part of that 18th verse Thirdly By his flaming mouth vers 19. Fourthly By his smoaking nostrils vers 20. Fifthly By his fiery breath vers 21. Sixthly By his stiff neck vers 22. Seventhly By the firmnness of his flesh vers 23. Eighthly By the firmness and hardness of his heart vers 24. Ninthly By a twofold effect of all these even upon the mightiest of the sons of men when he appears to them or when they behold him in his motions First He makes them afraid vers 25. Secondly He causeth them to purifie themselves in the close of that verse In these particulars we have a prospect of the whole context I shall but lightly touch at the most of them and a little insist upon the last which we shall find most useful for instruction and admonition The four first verses hold out upon the matter the same thing Est frementis irascentisque oeti descriptio Bold namely the fierce and furious spirit of Leviathan discovered in his neesings eyes mouth nostrils breath all which are expressed by elegant metaphors alluding to or by comparisons made with light and fire with lamps and sparks with smoak and flame Vers 18. By his neesings a light doth shine The first thing described in the former context Sternutatio efficitur ex subtili vapore incluso in ventriculis cerebri conante natura vehementius expelre expurgare Galen l. 2. de sympt causis c. 2 3. Inter orandum bonum est signum sternutare Sernutamentum bonum est signum aegroto Dicta Rabbinorum Merc. was Leviathans terrible head the first in this is the power of his brain Naturalists teach us that neesing is caused by the thin and subtile vapours included in the ventricles of the brain which nature striving to expel and put forth causeth that which we
he called the name of the first Jemima He That is Job I say it was he Though some make a question whether it was he or no or whether Job gave the name or the people I shall determine it upon Job he Called the name of the first The Hebrew is he called the name of one Every first is one but every one is not first and therefore to distinguish who this one was we render the word First 'T is usual in Scripture to call that one which is First Thus spake Moses describing the works of creation Gen. 1.5 So the evening and the morning were the first day The Hebrew strictly is The evening was and the morning was day one Any day is one day the fift day was one day and the sixt day was one day as well as the first but the fift or sixth were not the first day therefore we translate for one day the first day Thee here he called the name of one that is of the first Jemima There is a two fold firstness First In order of time Secondly In order of honour First here is first in time The other two might equal yea exceed the first in worth and dignity but this was Jobs first-born daughter his first in time He called the name of the first Jemima Hence note First It is a duty to give names to our children 'T is not meerly matter of prudence 't is not humane invention to give names God himself gave the name to the first man God called him by the name which doubtless himself had given him when he called him Adam The proper name of the first man is a name common to all men Adam signifying red earth sheweth us of what matter all men are made And as God called the first man by that name Adam so Adam gave a name to the first woman his wife Gen. 3.20 He called his wifes name Eve because she was the mother of all living And as God gave the first man a name and he named the first woman so God appointed the first man to give names to all living creatures Gen. 2.19 The Lord brought all the beasts of the field to Adam to see what he would call them whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof The Lord would have nothing nameless or without a name surely then he would have men and women known by their names Abraham was once called Abram a high father but God changed his name and would have him called Abraham the father of a multitude Were it not for names we should be in a great confusion both about persons and things we could not distinguish men had we not names to call them by Nomon quasi notamon Shem quasi Sham positum and therefore the Latines say the word nomen signifying a name comes from notamen a word which signifieth a mark of distinction Whatsoever God is made known by is called his name in Scripture because men and all things else are known by their names Though some in a special manner are called men of name in Scripture Gen. 6.4 which we therefore translate men of renown and men of no account or reputation among men are called men of no name yet the poorest the obscurest man hath a name by which he is known and distinguisht from other men And as by names we distinguish persons at present so we preserve the memory of persons and of their actions and of their sayings whether good or bad for hereafter How can it be cold who did or who said this of that unless we had their names who said or did it Secondly He called that is Job called the name of c. Hence note It is the fathers priviledge to give the name to his children To give a name is an act of power and therefore the Lord as I shewed before brought all the creatures to Adam as their Lord Having said Gen. 1.28 Have thou dominion over the beasts of the earth and the fowls of the air and the fish of the sea He brought them to Adam as their Lord to receive their names Gen. 2.19 It is an act of great power either to give or to change names When Saul Acts 9. was converted or changed the Lord changed his name he was no more called Saul but Paul In signum herilis potestatis being now become the Lords servant and as it were one of his menial or houshold servents he gave him a new name The Prince of the Eunuchs changed the names of Daniel and his three companions He gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar and to Hananiah of Shadrach c. Dan. 1.7 Yet we read in Scripture that women very often gave names to their children 'T is conceived that Eve gave the name to Cain I have gotten a man from the Lord Gen. 4.1 yea as some expound her meaning in those words she thought she had gotten That man the Lord even the Lord Jesus Christ the promised seed Gen. 3.15 and then she had gotten somewhat indeed a possession to purpose as the name Cain signifieth In the history of Jacob we find the mothers Leah and Rachel still giving the name Gen. 29.32 33 34 35. chap. 30.6 8. c. 1 Sam. 1.20 But as it is well distinguished though the nomination was often from the mother yet the imposition or confirmation of the name Nominatio à matre impositio nominis à patro was always from the father the mother desired the name the father ratified it as is plain in the case of John the Baptist Luke 1.59.60 61 62 63. Friends present at his circumcision called him Zacharias after the name of his father his mother answered not so but his name shall be called John How was this matter determined They made signes to his father how he would have him called he must end the matter and he called for a writing table and wrote saying his name is John There have been many nominations from the Mother but the imposition ever was from the Father and usually the Father only is mentioned in giving the name Gen. 5.3 29. as also here in the Text 't is said of Job alone He called the name of the first Jemima and the name of the second Kezia and the name of the third Keren-hapuch I shall First Consider the signification of these names in the original Language Secondly Give some account why Job gave them these names for we must not think they were given as we say at a venture nor in a fancy He called the name of the first Jemima 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Diem Vulg. A Radicè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The root of this name in the Hebrew signifieth Day or the light of the day and so both the Septuagint and the vulgar Latine translate as if we should render it in English He called the name of the first Day He called the name of the second Kezia That in the Hebrew signifieth a Spice or