Exposition of Job 8-10, Commentary on Job · Chapter 9 · Verses 5-10 · Verse 6
Verſe 6. Which ſhakes the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
This is a ſecond inſtance, but in higher expreſſions of the ſame power of God.
foreign, i.e terram univerſam. Sept.Which ſhakes the earth out of her place.
He had ſaid before, God removeth mountains. Mountains are great bulky bodies, but no mountain is ſo great as the Globe of the whole earth. Now (ſaith he) the Lord doth not only ſhake mountains, ſome great parts of the earth, but if he pleaſeth he can take up the whole earth, and throw it out of its place, as a man would take up a little ball, and throw it into the air, He ſhakes the earth out of her place.
The word which we tranſlate to ſhake, foreign Non ſignificat motum naturalem, ſed commotionem quandā ex metu, trepidationem, tremorem. Didacus Aſtunica putat hunc locum illuſtrari poſſe ex ſententia Pythagoricorum, exiſti mantium terrā moveri natura ſua. Copernieus.ſignifies a violent motion of the minde, cauſed either by fear (Deut. 2.25.) or grief (2 Sam. 18.33.) we read of a trembling heart from both (Deut. 28.25.) It is alſo applied to civill ſhakings and commotions by the troubleſome ſpirits of men (Prov. 30.21.) For three things the earth is diſquieted. And to unnaturall ſhakings of the earth by the power of God (2 Sam. 22.8, &c.) So in the text.
Some expound this of a naturall motion. Thoſe men have (ſurely) a motion and turning in their brains, who tell us that there is a continued motion of the earth, that it turns and never ſtands ſtill; they would ground the motion of the earth upon this Scripture, tranſlating thus, Which moveth the earth in her place. But the text tels us, that the earth hath pillars and not wheels. Pillars are made for reſt, not for motion.
Further, This text ſpeaks of it, as of an act of Gods anger, therefore no ordinary act appointed in nature; and the word notes a violent motion, not a naturall. But we need not ſtand to refute this motion. As when ſome denied all motion, a Philoſopher to prove it, roſe up and walked: So when any affirm or give reaſon for this motion, we may ſhew their ſenſes that the earth ſtands.
This ſhaking then is extraordinary, the Lord who made the earth firm upon pillars, can make the earth move, as if it went on wheels.
This he doth, firſt, by earthquakes, theſe ſhake the earth (as it were) out of her place, and make it tremble. Hiſtories are full, and many mens experience can give inſtances of ſuch terrible ſhakings of the earth. This earthquake is not meant here, for there is a reaſon in nature for that. Philoſophers diſpute much about it, and tell us, when there is a ſtrong vapour included or impriſoned in the bowels of the earth, that vapour ſeeking vent maketh a combuſtion there, and ſo the earth ſhakes. This, indeed, ſhews the mighty power of God, but it is in a naturall way, whereas the text ſeems to imply ſomewhat more, ſomewhat beyond the learning of Philoſophers and Naturaliſts.
Beſides, the text ſaith, He ſhaketh the earth [out] of her place.
Whereas an earthquake ſhakes the earth in her place, and cauſes it to tremble upon the pillars thereof.
But did God ever ſhake the earth out of her place? We muſt underſtand the text conditionally. We have not any inſtance that the Lord hath actually done ſo, but this ſuppoſition may be put. The Lord can remove mountains and ſhake the earth, not only in, but out of her place. We finde ſuch conditionall expreſſions often put in Scripture, not as if the things ever had been, or ever ſhould be done, but if the Lord will, he is able to doe them (Amos 9.5.) The Lord God of Hoſts is he that toucheth the land, Terrificam capitis concuſſit ter que quater que ; Caeſariem cum qua terrā mare ſidera mo…it. Ovid. Met.and it ſhall melt; that is, if the Lord doe but touch the land he can melt it. As the three children caſt into a fiery fornace, had not ſo much as a garment, or a threed about them touched with it, becauſe the Lord forbad the fire to burn: So, if the Lord bid a ſpark but touch us, it ſhall melt and conſume us, as if we were caſt into and continued in a fiery fornace. As a word made, ſo a touch ſhall mar the world, when God will; yet he hath not done thus unto this day. So in the text, He ſhakes the earth out of her place, imports what God can, not what he hath or will do. Note from it,
That the Lord is able to doe greater things, then ever he actually hath done.
He hath not put the earth out of her place, the earth is where it was, but he can diſplace it. God hath never acted any of his attributes to the height, for they are infinite; he never acted power ſo high, but he is able to act it higher: He hath never acted mercy in pardoning ſo farre, but he is able to act it further, a greater ſinner then ever yet was pardoned, may be pardoned. A greater enemy then ever was overcome, may be overcome. He hath runne with foot-men, and they have not wearied him, and he is able to contend with horſes: in a land of peace he was never wearied, and he knows how to wade thorow the ſwellings of Jordan. It is comfortable to conſider, that the Lord cannot only doe the ſame things again, which he hath done, but he hath never done to the utmoſt of what he is able to doe: he can out-doe all that he hath done, as much as the ſhaking of the whole earth out of her place, is more, then to remove a mountain, yea, or a mole-hill of earth.
And the pillars thereof tremble.
We have the pillars of heaven, Chap. 26.11. here of the earth.
The pillars.foreign Columna erecta, a ſtando dicta.
The word in the originall ſignifies to ſtand upright, to be erect, becauſe pillars doe ſo. There are two ſorts of pillars, upon which there is a different interpretation of the word.
There are, firſt, Supporting pillars. And
Secondly, Supported pillars. Or, there are pillars for ornament; and pillars for ſtrength. We ſet up pillars or pinacles upon the tops of great buildings for ornament, and they are ſupported pillars. We may call mountains ſuch pillars: for, as when ſome ſtately palace is built, great pillars or pinacles are ſet upon the towers and battlements: ſo the Lord having framed the earth, hath ſet up mountains, as great pillars for the adorning of it, He ſhaketh the earth, and the pillars thereof tremble; it is true of theſe upper pillars, the mountains they tremble. But I take it rather to be meant of ſupporting pillars, under-pillars, which bear the frame above, and are as the baſes or under-props of the earth (Pſal. 105.) Who laid the foundation of the earth; the earth hath a foundation; the Hebrew is, He hath founded the earth upon her baſis, alluding to a building. Moſt buildings have their foundations in the earth; but ſome upon it, being raiſed upon pillars. So Hannah (1 Sam. 2.8.) in her Song, The pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath ſet the world upon them.
What are theſe pillars that the Lord hath ſet the world upon? or where ſhall we finde them?
David ſhews us (Pſal. 24.1, 2.) The earth is the Lords, and the fulneſſe thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein: for he hath founded it upon the ſeas, and establiſhed it upon the flouds. It is ſtrange that pillars of liquid water ſhould bear up the maſſie earth; the earth ſeems rather to be the pillar and foundation of the waters. Some interpret (ſuper) which ſignifies, upon, by prope or juxta neer, he hath founded it upon the ſeas, that is, He hath founded it by, or neer the ſeas. But take it in the letter, and it is a truth: for the ſea is as much the pillar of the earth, as the earth is the pillar of the ſea; earth and ſea being a globe and round, the ſea is as much under the earth, as the earth is under the ſea. Thus the pillars of the earth are waters, And the earth is eſtabliſhed upon the flouds.
Further, If you would know what theſe pillars are, hear what Job ſaith, (Chap. 26.7.) where he aſſures us that God hangeth the earth upon nothing. We are not to think that the Lord in framing and building the earth did firſt ſet up pillars, and then ſet the earth upon them, for the earth hangeth as a ball in the midſt of the air, without any pillars under it. Hence Jobs Philoſophy teaches us, That he hangeth the earth upon nothing; there are no materiall or viſible pillars to ſuſtain it.
What is then the pillar of the earth? What is it that ſupports and bears it up? The reall pillar of the earth it is the power of God. But the power of God cannot tremble? How then doth he ſay, When he ſhaketh the earth, the pillars thereof tremble?
Terrae columnae, infimas terrae partes ſignificant, quae reliquam terrae molem impoſitam ſuſtineat; haec ſunt veluti fundamenta & fulcra terrae.In this place therefore we may expound the pillars of the earth, for the lower parts of the earth, and ſo, though the whole globe of the earth taken together be neither higher nor lower, yet in the parts of it from any point, ſome are higher, and ſome are lower, ſome above, and ſome beneath; upon what ſuperficies ſoever we are, the under parts thereof are (to us) the pillars of the earth. So the meaning is, He ſhaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble; that is, he ſhaketh it ſo terribly, that if it had any outward viſible pillars, thoſe pillars muſt needs tremble.
Quo pacto terra firma & immota conſiſtit? quidnā pro vehiculo habet? cujus rei adminiculo fulcitur? rationi nihil occurrit cui innitatur, ſi divinam voluntatem exceperis Greg Nazianz Orat. 34. Suis l brata ponderibus fixa manet.In this we may obſerve, the great power of God in upholding the earth. We ſee what the pillars of the earth are, the ſuppoſed pillars are no other then the lower parts of the earth; and the true pillar of the earth is no other, but the power of God: there are no other buttreſſes or pillars upon which the earth is ſet, or by which it is ſuſtained; This huge weight of the whole earth and ſeas, is borne up by the thin air. Is not this an argument of the mighty power of God, that the air which is a body ſo weak, that if you throw a feather up into it, it will not ſtay there, but deſcend, yet the whole maſſe or globe of earth and waters hangs there? God poiſeth it meerly by its own weight: For he weighed the mountains in ſcales, and the hils in balances, Iſa. 40.12. He upholds all things by the word of his power, And hath built this great Caſtle in the air. Could we enter into the ſecrets of nature, and ſet our faith a work by our ſenſes about theſe things, we ſhould be raiſed above all fear in the greateſt difficulties. If we ſaw but a bullet, or a piece of lead of a pound, yea of a peny weight, lifted up and hang in the air without any thing to ſupport it, we would conclude it a miracle. What thinke you, when all the lead, and iron, and braſſe, and ſtone that is in the world hang in the air without any viſible ſtay?
I finde ſome interpreting this clauſe as the former, in a figurative ſenſe, He ſhaketh the earth, that is, States, Kingdoms and Common-wealths; And the pillars thereof tremble; that is, they who ſeemed to be their ſtrongeſt ſupporters tremble and ſhake. This is a truth, and a profitable one for our meditation. To clear this,
Firſt, We finde the earth in Scripture often put for States and Kingdoms (Iſa. 24.20.) The earth ſhall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and ſhall be removed like a cottage, and the tranſgreſſion thereof ſhall be heavy upon it, and it ſhall fall and not riſe again. The earth ſhall doe this: what earth? He doth not mean the naturall earth☜ upon which men tread, but the people who tread upon the earth, or that Common-wealth, wherein people are united and governed, theſe ſhall reel to and fro, and be removed like a cottage: As if he had ſaid, you thought your State and Kingdome was ſetled like a ſtrong Caſtle, but I will take it down, as a man takes down a little cottage, raddl'd only with a few ſticks and reeds. Or the meaning of it is, your Common-wealth that hath been founded by the wiſdome of ſo many Law-givers,Fundavit legibus urbes. and is eſtabliſhed in ſo much riches and power, ſhall be removed as a poor cottage, thorow which every puff of winde findes a paſſage. The ſtrongeſt Kingdoms and Bulwarks of the earth, are but as thatcht cottages, when God takes them in hand.
Secondly, Pillars are as often taken in a politicall ſenſe, Pſal. 75.3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are diſſolved. How comes it then to paſſe that they are not utterly deſtroied? It follows, I bear up the pillars of it; that is, I maintain Governours and Magiſtrates, ſome in places of power and authority, by whom ſhaking, tottering Kingdoms are upheld. Our experience teaches us this; We live in a Nation, of which we may ſay, Our earth with the inhabitants thereof are diſſolved, we are a broken and a ſhattered people; yet the Lord bears up our Pillar, * the Parliament, the politique pillar of our Nation; we had long ago lain in the duſt, if God had not borne up this pillar. The chief counſels of the adverſary have been to weaken and undermine, to ruine and pull down this pillar. They (like Samſon) have taken hold of our two pillars, and bowed themſelves with all their might (Judg. 16.28.) but neither have they proved Samſons, nor proved us Philiſtines.
Further, There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars; men of eminency in knowledge and learning, in parts and piety; Theſe are pillars of the Church of God. So the Apoſtle cals James and Peter, foreign.Gal. 2.9. As the Church it ſelf is the pillar of truth: ſo ſome particular members are pillars of truth, bearing it up, and holding it forth, as pillars doe the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths. As theſe pillars are of Gods ſetting up, ſo of Gods bearing up. In great ſhakings of the earth, Common-wealth-pillars tremble, and Church-pillars tremble, yea they would fall, did not the Lord ſuſtain them with his hand.
From all, learn the inſtability of the creature. If that which is the baſis or foundation of all outward comforts be ſo eaſily ſhaken and toſt up and down, what are the comforts themſelves? If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter, who can ſtand faſt? When the Saints feel the world ſhake and tremble under them, their comfort is, They have received a Kingdom that cannot be ſhaken. Neither man nor devils have any power to ſhake it, and God will not ſhake it: nay, with reverence we may ſpeak it, the Lord cannot ſhake that Kingdom, for it is his own: he cannot doe any thing to his own wrong or diſhonour. Earth may, but heaven ſhakes not, neither ſhall any of the pillars thereof tremble for ever.
We have ſeen two acts of the mighty power of God; firſt, in removing thoſe mountains, thoſe great maſſie parts of the earth. Secondly, In ſhaking the whole maſſe of the earth.
Now the thoughts of Job grow higher, and he aſcends from earth to heaven, and brings an inſtance of the power of God there, in the 7th verſe.