Paraphrase on the Book of Job, Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII.
1. BEsides these foresaid works of1. At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place. God which wee come short of in our understanding and capacitie; there is yet one speciall one that sets him forth extraordinarily, which I never heare, nor can so much as thinke of but my heart trembleth, and is put out of it's bias at the consideration of the wonderousnesse and terrour of it.
2. Namely, the thunder, which I2. Heare attentively the noise of his voyce, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. would have thee considerately to weigh and hearken to, which is, as it were, the very voice and speech of God, speaking his power and Majesty to man, and commanding feare and reverence from him.
3. How wonderfull is the noise3. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightening unto the ends of the earth. thereof, which by his powerfull dispensation, is heard both farre and neere; and in like manner doth he send forth his terrible lightenings farre beyond our discerning, even, as it were, from one end of the earth to the other.
4. And wee see, how that so soone4. After it a voyce roareth; hee thundereth with the voyce of his excellencie, and he will not stay them when his voice is heard. as ever the lightening is over, presently the thunderclap ensueth, and then immediately upon the cracke he powreth forth the aforesaid drops of raine, in a most vehement and impetuous manner, not gently distilling them, as at other times; all which together, wonderfully set forth God to our amazement.
5. I cannot enough make mention5. God thundereth marvellously with his voyce, great things doth hee, which wee cannot comprehend. of this terrible voyce of God, which he so marvellously uttereth in the thunder, besides which, other great and wonderfull things he doth, which wee are no more able to judge of and understand than this:
6. For it is onelyonly his power that6. For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small raine, and to the great rain of his strength. causeth the snow to fall upon the earth in that quantity which it doth, and onelyonly by his appointment is it that it lies there till the time come that it melt away: likewise by the same power and appointment it is, that we have sometimes the small distilling Aprill-showers, and other sometimes the tempestuous stormes of raine, throwne out of a mighty hand, so differently befall us.
7. By the snow lying upon the earth,7. Hee sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his worke. and by the rainie weather, he hinders all men from going abroad about their occasions as at other times, and makes them keepe house, that so he may give every man occasion to see and consider his all-disposing hand and providence in things, who forceth them from their imploiments, and on whom they are compelled to wait, till they be set at liberty, to goe about their businesses.
8. Thereby also hee compells the8. Then the beasts go into dens, and remaine in their places. wilde beasts to lie dormant in their dens, till hee let them loose, and give them a fit season to hunt their prey.
9. Out of the South-parts of the9. Out of the South commeth the whirlewind: and cold out of the North. world he hath ordained the strongest winds to blow, and out of the North the coldest.
10. By which winds sent of God,10. By the breath of God, frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitned. to that end, it is that the frost befalls us, whereby the broad waters are contracted and condensated into a lesser roome.
11. Also by squeezing the raine out11. Also by watering hee wearieth the thicke cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud. of the cloud upon the earth, he utterly drawes it dry, and consumes it quite away to nothing, be it, or seeme it never so thicke and large; and with the wind he blowes the bright empty lightsome cloud to pieces, which hee brought together, and scattereth it by piece-male hither and thither in the aire.
12. And all that motion of the12. And it is turned round about by his counsells: that they may doe whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth. clouds which we see passe and repasse over our heads, is ordered his wisdome, so that they are thereby directed to the end and use whereunto he hath ordained them, yea, wheresoever they are disposed throughout the whole heavens, it is in relation to the earth beneath.
13. Hee sends them on his errand13. Hee causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy. whithersoever they goe, and wheresoever they settle, for either they are sent for correction and punishment to carry unseasonable and superfluous raine, or else they are sent to fat and fruiten the land which hee meanes well unto, or else in time of drought they are sent in mercy to relieve them that cry unto him.
14. Marke well these things, O Job, 14. Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.let them not passe carelessely out of thy minde, but weight and consider all and every the wonderous workes of God.
15. And for thy humbling, call to15. Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine? minde thy inequality and distance, with so great a God: Dost thou know the time which was from eternity, or wast thou called to counsell when hee thus decreed and disposed all things, and made the transparant clouds? which doe not darken the light as others doe, but serve to reflect it upon us the brighter.
16. Dost thou know how the great16. Dost thou know the ballancings of the clouds, the wonderous workes of him which is perfect in knowledge. and ponderous clouds come to hang in the aire? Canst thou fathome the depth of that power and wisdome that is in these wonderous workes of God? who is onelyonly wise, yea, perfect in wisdome.
17. Canst thou comprehend the17. How thy garments are warme, when he quieteth the earth by the South-wind? power which he shewes in heating the aire, so that thou canst not endure thy clothes on thy backe, when the season is, that he refresheth the earth with the summers sunne and the warme Southerne winds, in stead of the cold nipping Northerne blasts?
18. Wast thou with him, or hadst18. Hast thou with him spread out the skie, which is strong, and as a molten looking-glasse? thou any hand in spreading out the heaven over our heads? which is round of forme, and consequently of a most strong and perfect frame, and for it's matter cleare and transparent, like a polished brasen looking-glasse.
19. Now thou hast heard this of19. Teach us what we shall say unto him; for wee cannot order our speech by reason of darknesse. him, I appeale to thee; if any man know how to dispute or fault the actions of such a God; for we cannot tell what to allege against him, because we cannot see the depth of his reach and wisdome in things.
20. Methinks a man as I am, should20. Shall it be told him that I speake? if a man speake, surely hee shall be swallowed up. feare to have it come to the eares of such a God, that hee hath beene so foole-hardy, as to open his mouth in such a way; for, if hee should be disposed to answer him (whatsoever hee is that speakes) he would certainly be confounded, and be made to sit downe with sinne and shame.
21. And now, the very true reason21. And now men see not the bright light that is in the clouds: but the wind passeth and cleanseth them. of mens over-daring in this kinde, is, because they take no notice of these wonderfull workes of God, as of the shining and transparant substance whereof he hath framed some clouds, and made them helpfull to the light; nor of his skill in causing this, which is by ordaining the winds to refine them from their black and watry mixture, and causing them to blow for that purpose.
22. And how hee sends dry and22. Faire weather commeth out of the North: with God is terrible Majesty. frostie weather by the winds which blow out of the North, which scatter the clouds, and purge the aire: Did they, they would then understand that God is of awfull and terrible Majesty, not to be dealt withall in such a manner.
23. And indeed, he that is Almighty23. Touching the Almighty, wee cannot find him out: he is excellent in power and in judgement, and in plenty of justice; hee will not afflict. (which God is) we must need thinke is too deepe for us to fathome, and too high for us to reach; for hee is every way transcendent, excelling in power and in wisedome, and abounding in justice in all that ever hee does: Hee will not causelessely afflict nor unjustly punish any man.
24. Therefore he lookes that men24. Men doe therefore feare him: hee respecteth not any that are wise of heart. should feare his rod, and be humbled under it, and not dispute his blowes, this is not the way to come off well with him, who will never shew favour to any man, that through the overweening pride of his owne wisedome affects a way of reasoning the matter with God, as thou dost, Take heed therefore.