The Eye and Wheel of Providence, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of God's Providence to be ſeen in the Seas: in the Nature of them. An Objection anſwered. Of the ſaltneſs of the Sea, and the Reaſons thereof. Of the bounds of the Sea: of the Fiſhes of the Sea, of their multiplication, of the ſeveral ſorts of Fiſhes taken in every monethmonth: Of their proviſion. An Objection anſwered.
FRom the Heavens I ſhall deſcend to the Sea, and therein Gods Providence is very remarkable: The Sea is a gathering together of many waters, Gen. 1.10. it is the common receptacle of flouds and Rivers; and as the Liver in the body by the veins ſendeth bloud to the whole parts of the body, ſo doth the Sea ſend water to all the parts of the earth. Solomon tells us, That all waters come from the ſea, Eccleſ. 1.7. He compaſſeth the whole earth as with a girdle, and bedeweth the world with his pleaſing ſtreams. In the depth of the earth there be many concavities which breed winds,Weems obſerv. natur. & moral. theſe winds lift up the waters, the waters again preſſe down the winds, which being thus preſt down, ſeek a paſſage through the earth, making a way for the Sea to runne through the veins thereof; and becauſe of the continual ſtrife between the Sea and the winds, therefore the water in ſprings and fountains never faileth, and coming back to the fountains, then they run back again to the Sea. Ariſtotle's opinion will not hold here, who ſaith. That the water contendeth to runne to the loweſt place; and if the waters ſhould have this viciſſitude of courſe from the fountains to the Sea, from the Sea to the fountains, then the ſame place ſhould be both higher and lower, than it ſelf: but ſome parts of the Sea are lower than the fountains, and into them the fountains ſend forth their ſtreams to runne. Other parts of the Sea are higher than the fountains, eſpecially in great ſtorms and tempeſts, which mount up the waves of the Sea to Heaven, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh, Pſal. 107 25, 26. and they by ſecret channels ſend forth ſprings of water to ſupply the fountains,Cotton Expoſit. in Eccleſ. 1.7. as a Learned Divine hath well noted.
This is further noted by Strabo, Strabo.concerning the ſituation of the waters, which if we conſider the quality of their matter, ought to be placed in the middle between the earth and the Air, whereas the ſame are now included and diſperſed within the earth, to the end they might be no hindrance either to the fruitfulneſs of the ground, or to the life of man; neither are all things ordained only for their proper ends, but alſo for the good and benefit of the whole Univerſe, as appeareth particularly in the water, which againſt its own proper nature is moved upward, that there ſhould be no gaping vacuity in the world, which is ſo compoſed, that the parts thereof do mutually uphold one another.
Queſt. If all waters come from the Sea, how is it then that the waters in Rivers are ſweet and freſh, and that the waters in the Sea are ſalt?
Reſp.That the earth through the veins whereof the waters paſs to the fountains, doth percolate and ſtrain the Salt out of it, and ſo thoſe waters by reaſon of the length of their courſe, and their diſtance from the Sea, loſe their ſaltneſs, therefore ſome fountains of water are ſalt as the Sea, that are neareſt to the Sea, the pores of the earth being more open between the Sea and them, which alſo is the cauſe of the flux and reflux of ſome of them. God hath made the Sea ſalt by the fervent heat of the Sun, which ſucks out the ſweet and thin ſubſtance thereof, and this being eaſily drawn up, all the tarter and groſſer parts thereof remain behind. Hence it is, as Pliny Plin. Nat. Hiſt. l. 2. c. 100.noteth, that the deep water toward the bottome is ſweeter, and leſs brackiſh, than that which is above in the top; and ſurely this is a better reaſon of that unpleaſant taſt that it hath, than that the Sea ſhould be a ſweat continually iſſuing out of the earth The learned have obſerved, that God hath made the Sea ſalt for divers neceſſary uſes:
1. To keep it from putrefaction, which is not neceſſary in Rivers, becauſe of their continuall running, as alſo becauſe of the celerity of their motion.
2. Salt waters agree beſt to the nature of thoſe great Fiſhes, (being both hotter and groſſer) that are bred and nouriſhed in it, which is not ſo neceſſary to the Rivers breeding ſmaller Fiſhes It is likewiſe an evident Argument of Gods Providence, that the Ocean being higher than the Land, doth not overflow his Banks. Aſtronomers and naturall Philoſophers can give no ſubſtantiall reaſon hereof; but out of the Scriptures we may anſwer in a word, that Gods Decree hath bounded and barred it in: all the wild Beaſts of the world might more eaſily be tamed than the Sea, yet God ruleth and over-ruleth it in a moſt wonderfull manner; he hath ſhut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth, as if it had iſſued out of the womb; he made the Cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkneſs a ſwadling band for it; he eſtabliſhed his Decree upon it, and ſaid, Hitherto ſhalt thou come, and no further, and here ſhall thy proud waves be ſtayed, Job 38.8, 9, 10. Fear ye not me, ſaith the Lord, that have placed the ſand for the bound of the Sea, by a perpetuall Decree that it cannot paſs, and though the waves thereof toſs themſelves, yet can they not prevail, though they roar, yet can they not paſs over it, Jer. 5.22. Chryſoſtome ſaith,foreign. Chryſoſt. in Cor. Homil. 4. foreign Baſil. Hexam. Homil. 4. The Lord hath walled about the Sea with the ſand, with a very weak thing doth he bridle the rage of it, even with the ſand, which a poor weak ſilly worm can creep over. The Lord ſits upon the flouds, and ordereth them, and though they roar and lift up their waves, yet the Lord on high is mightier than the mighty waves of the Sea, Pſal. 93.3, 4. The Sea is in the hand of God, as a little Babe is in the womb of his Mother, ſo that the Child lieth not more ſtill in his Mothers womb, than doth the Sea within his bounds; and though it make a great noiſe, and be toſſed with winds and tempeſts, and ſwell and threaten to overwhelm the earth, yet cannot it get over its bounds. Likewiſe God uſeth the miſts and clouds to reſtrain the Sea, that it ſhall not paſs out of its limits, as ſwadling bands are to keep in a young Babe, who would fain pull out his arms and legs to make ſport, but he is ſo held in with his ſwadling cloathes, that he is forced there to abide as a priſoner.Calvin in Job. 38. The miſts and clouds are nothing but vapours engendred in the air; and herein Gods Providence appeareth, for as ſoon as a miſt ariſeth, by and by the Sea becometh calm, though before tempeſtuous, and thus they get the upper hand of the Sea: thus God reſtraineth the Sea from ſwallowing us up, tying up the Sea, even as a little Infant that is tyed in ſwadling clouts. When mention is made of the floud that once drowned the whole earth except eight perſons, it is ſaid, Gen. 7.11. that all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows or floudgates of Heaven were opened, ſo as the waters were not reſtrained but let looſe: by that dreadfull judgement of the deluge, God ſhewed us (as in a mirrour) that which ſhould have been continually upon the earth, had not he miraculouſly reſtrained the waters.
Woodw. Childs patrim. Seafaring men are neither inter vivos, nec inter mortuos: they are between the living and the dead.Conſider we further Gods Providence in the Ship that ſaileth upon the Sea, which reeleth to and fro upon the waters like a drunken man: ſometimes it is carried down into the great deep, then mounteth up again, and is carried ſate to his harbour. Gods work is as admirable in ſteering and conducting this ſinking tottering Veſſel, (whoſe paſſengers are in deaths door often) to their deſired Haven, as it is in thoſe Creatures that live in the Ocean, their proper Element. They that go down to the Sea in Ships, that do buſineſs in great waters, theſe ſee the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep, Pſal. 107.23, 24.
The Pſalmiſt having ſaid that the earth is full of the riches of God, ſaith further, ſo is this great and wide Sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, &c. there go the Ships; there is that Leviathan whom thou haſt made to play therein; theſe wait all upon thee, that thou maiſt give them their meat in due ſeaſon; that thou giveſt them, they gather, thou openeſt thy hand, they are filled with good, Pſal. 104.24, 25, 26, 27. From the little Anchoie to the great Whale,Apua. Gods Providence is wonderfull. By reaſon of the great multitude and diverſity of Fiſhes that are there to be ſeen, even many Heathens were conſtrained to ſay, that whereas men ſaw many miracles upon the Land, the Sea was the true ſtorehouſe of the wonders of nature. Is it not almoſt an incredible thing, that ſo great a Creature as the Whale ſhould live in the water? for in all probability he ſhould come forth to prey upon the Land, and there ſhould not be food to ſuffice him in the water.
The fruitfulneſs of the Fiſhes in the Sea proceedeth from Gods ſpeciall bleſſing; for when the waters brought forth the Fiſhes abundantly after their kind, God bleſſed them, ſaying, be fruitfull and multiply, and fill the waters in the Seas, Gen. 1.21, 22. for being in a moiſt element, they do moſt eaſily conceive,Plutarc. l. 5. Sympoſ. quaeſt. 10. by reaſon of the abundance of humour, which is greater in the female Fiſhes than in the males, and therefore the female kind of Fiſhes are bigger commonly than the males. Some kind of Fiſhes bring forth twice in a year, ſome three times, ſome ſix times in a year, and that in great abundance: the moſt wiſe Creator would have them thus fruitfull, partly by reaſon of the vaſtneſs of the Element which they muſt repleniſh, viz. the water, which is far greater, and more ſpacious than the earth, which (beſides animals) is ſtuft with vegetables; and partly, that there might be variety and plenty of them for man to feed upon Ambroſe ſaith,Ambroſ. Hexam. l. 5. c. 10. that Fiſhes by infinite numbers, out of many places, from ſundry creeks of the Sea, with a joynt flote as it were, make towards the blaſts of the North-wind, and by a certain inſtinct of nature haſten into that Sea of the Northern parts, ſo that a man that ſaw the manner of them, would ſay a certain tide were coming down from the current, they ruſh ſo forwards, and cut the waves as they paſs with a violent power through Propontis into Pontus Euxinus. And Alſted ſaith,Alſted. Theol. Natural. part. 2. there are often ſuch multitudes of Fiſhes in the Northern Sea, that Ships are ſtopt by them. And Camden maketh mention of one ſort of Fiſhes, viz. Herrings,Cambden's Britan. deſcript. of Yorkeſhire. which in ſome ages paſt kept as it were their ſtation only about Norway, but now in our time, not without the divine Providence, (as he well noteth) do ſwim yearly round about this Iſle of Brittain by skulls in very great numbers: about Midſummer they ſhoal out of the deep and vaſt Northern Sea, to the coaſts of Scotland, hence come they to the Engliſh Eaſt coaſt, and from the midſt of Auguſt to November, is the beſt and moſt plentifull taking of them. Beſides we read in holy Writ, that when Peter let down his Net into the Sea at Chriſts word, they incloſed a great multitude of Fiſhes, and their Net brake, but they loſt not the Fiſhes, but by the help of their fellows that were in the other Ships, they brought off ſo many Fiſhes to ſhoar, as were even ready to ſink two Ships: and the phraſe of breaking in Scripture, ſometime ſignifieth abundance, as Prov. 3.9, 10. where Solomon pronouncing a bleſſing upon ſuch as ſhall beſtow their goods on pious uſes, ſaith thus, Honour God with thy ſubſtance, and with the firſt fruits of all thy increaſe, ſo ſhall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy preſses ſhall burſt out with new wine; that is, thou ſhalt not need to fear to be brought to beggery, but it ſhall procure thee an abundant bleſſing.
And here the providence of God is further manifeſted, that at certain times certain kinds of Fiſhes do enter in or go out of the Sea; and that which is yet more wonderfull, new ſorts of Fiſhes are taken almoſt in every MonethMonth, eſpecially in places near the Sea-coſt; and herein Gods goodneſſe appeareth, that ſuch multitudes of Fiſhes of ſeveral kinds ſhould draw near to the Sea-ſhores,Plin. Nat. Hiſt. l. 9. c. 12. and in many Moneths be taken for the uſe of man; and more admirable it is, that thoſe creatures that live and breed in the water, be not all covered and clad alike: For as Pliny noteth; ſome have a skin over them, and the ſame hairy, as the Seals: others but a bare skin, as the Dolphins: ſome have a ſhell like a bark, as the Tortoiſes, and in others the ſhell is as hard as a flint, and ſuch be the Oyſters, Muſcles, Cockles, and Winckles: ſome be covered over with cruſts or hard pils, as the Locuſts: others have ſharp prickles: ſome be ſcaled, as the ordinary Fiſhes: others be rough-coated, as the Soals: ſome have a tender and ſoft skin, as the Lampreys: others none at all, as the Porcontrell. Of theſe we may ſay with the Pſalmiſt, O Lord, how manifold are thy workes, in wiſdome haſt thou made them all, Pſal. 104.24.
Moreover! God's providence is remarkable in ſuſtaining and feeding ſuch multitudes of Fiſhes, as are in the vaſt Ocean: ſome feed upon earth, ſome on mud and ſlime: others feed on ſea-graſſe or ſea-weed: ſome will eat herbs and roots, and others will feed upon fleſh when they meet with it, and all of them are exceedingly refreſhed with ſoft rain and gentle ſhowrs that fall upon the Sea; by the ſhowrs of rain that fall upon the Ocean St Auſtine ſtops the mouths of thoſe Atheiſtical Epicures that diſputed againſt Gods providence:Auguſt. Comment. in Pſal. one Argument they brought was, what reaſon could there be that it ſhould rain on the Sea, which needeth no water, where there is a confluence of all waters, and at the ſame time the earth is parched and gapeth for want of rain, and gets it not, where then is providence? Poor creatures, ſaith he, that cannot ſee the end of things; ſo blind they are: Are there not Fiſhes living in the Sea for God to nouriſh? Oh how do they leap, ſport and play, and rejoyce at the ſweet rain; they can ſuck the ſweet water out of the ſalt Sea; Here then is the reaſon, ſaith he, why it raineth upon the Sea, where is no want of water, and it raineth not upon the earth that thirſteth for it, even for the puniſhment of man's ingratitude and wickedneſs.
And here one thing more may be obſerved as to Gods providence concerning the Fiſhes of the Sea; in that the Fiſhes were ſpared in the deluge from deſtruction, as reſerved in their own Ark and element, when all creatures beſides except thoſe that were in Noah's Ark were utterly deſtroyed from the face of the earth;Clapham Manual. Bibl. doctr. and under the Law the Ceremonial Sacrifices, eſpecially, the matter of the Burnt-offering was fleſh with its adjuncts, as the fleſh of Beaſts and Birds, but of Fiſh …ever; which was reſerved for man's ordinary uſe▪ no one kind of them being appointed for ceremonial ſervice; as a Learned man hath well noted. But why God would not that any Fiſh ſhould ſacramentally die, I know not, excepting for that earth had ſinned, and earth muſt ſatisfie; and Fiſh is not of the earth as Beaſts and Birds are, but ſubſtantially of the waters: That any corporeal ſubſtance ſhould not be of the earth, Philoſophy cannot admit; as for the waters bringing forth Fiſh and Fowls in Gen. 1. it is underſtood as of the womb bringing forth, but materially derived from the earth under; yet ſome Chymiſts would have water the originall element of all. But of this over-curious Queſtion onelyonly by the way.