Commentary on the Holy Bible

evil of a. sinful way, and the benefit of righteousness; and supply what thy friends have omitted in their discourses with thee.

Verse 6. Look unto the heavens]' These heavens, and their host, God has created; the bare sight of them is sufficient tcr show thee that God is infinitely beyond thee in wisdom and ei^cellenpe.

Behold the clouds] U^ptW shechdkim, ihe ethers, fVulgate, atherui) from pHBT shachak, to contend, fight together: the agitated or cdnflicting air and light; the strong agitation of these producing both light and heat. * Look upon these, consider them deeply, and see and acknowledge the perfections of the Maker.

Vwse 6. If thou sinnest] God is not benefited by thy righteousness, nor injured by thy iniquity, howsoever multiplied it may bei

oppressed to cry; they cry out "by reasoii of the arm of the mighty.

11 Who } teaeheth us more than the beasts of ttie* earth/ and maketb us wiser, than the fowls of heaven?,

12 "* There they cry, but ^ none giveth answer,, because of the prfde of evil men..

To a man Idee thyself i^ thy wickedness: - And (6 the son of man, thy rigjiteousness:

And thou mayest benefit both by diy righteousness; - But God thou canst neither hurt nor profit. ".

'the wicked rich oppress the wicked poor; these cry aloud beca;Use* of their oppressors; but they have no relief, because they call not upon God/'

Who giveth songs in the night] ' This is variously translated. *' Before whom, the high angels give praise in the. night. '^^rCfiALDEs.

A holy soul has continual communion with God: night and day its liapptness is ^at; and God, from whom it comes, is the continual subject of. its songs pf praise.

Verse 11..' Wi&o teacheth us more than the beasts] "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master^s crib; but Israel doth not- know mcy my people do. not consider;" Isa. i. 3. Beasts, birds j fotols, and in many cases pond-fishes^ know and seem thankful to the hand that feeds Uiem; while man, made much more noble than they, gifted with the greatest powers, privileged with,the most 'important benefits, considers fiot the Lord, nor discerns the operation of his hand. - Quad- 16^

15 But now, because iVtf not 50, "^jie hafli 'visited in his anger;:yet 'he knoweth ct liot in great extremity:

16 ^ Therefore doth Job open bis moutk in YAin; he muItipUeth words without. luipw^ ledge.

rupeds, reptiles, a^id fowls, have mov^ gratitude to tfaeii masters than man has to his G^bd.

.Verse 13. There they cry] They bewail their calamities, but sorrow not. for the cawe of them; ' they- cry against their oppressors^ but they eaU n^ upon God.

Because of the pride of evil fiien.] Ox ^^^0 migpenepf frbmthe face, presence, or influence, of the pride ii wicked men. They cry fo/ deliveraiice from Uie pride of wicked men; but they are ^ot U^v^ bedaose thsf cry not ta God.

Verse 13. Surely Qod will not hear wmiiy] Be will not attend to «uch v^ cries; they cry /rom their *- oppressions, but they cry not to God. ^

Verse 14. Thou sayest thou shalt not see bbi] •8ev«eral MSS. have *^Thoa shalt not see me,'* and th0 Septuagint, and one other, " Thou shalt not see us sV but without the points, nilts^n, the original.'may be read see him or see us, the third person singolar^ of (he first person plural.

Yei judgment is before him] Rest assured that God has not forgotten either to punish or to saver; tfaofefore trust in him; choose to be a monument of his mercj^i rather than of his justice....

Verse 1&. But — because it.is not so] Rather* '« But now,' because hie visiteth not in his anger.-.Tkia.Ss more literal than the Versions generally ptofoadd; and the sense of the place appears to be this: Beeame vengeance is not speedily executed on an evil work, therefore are the hearts of the children of men aet ja. them io.do iniquity. This is, in effect^ Ihe chaise which Elihu brings against Job.

Verse 16. Therefore doth Job open his punUhin'vam\ God will ezeouta vengeance when it may best aerre the ends of his justice, providence, and meicy. The delay of judgment is no proof that it shall net be 0xe^ cated; nor is the.deferring of mercy any proof thai * God has forgotten to be gracious.

He multiplieth words without knowledge.] However this may apply to Job, it most certainly applies, fesf strongly and generally to the wprds, not vnly qf Job's three friends, but to those also of Elihu himself. The eoQtc^ is frequently a strife of words.

JSZAv vmdieates God^s justiety and h^ promdentiai and gracious dealings wit^ men^ 1-9. Promises of God to ike obedient^, and t'hreatemngs' to the disobedient; also -promises, to the poor and afflicted, 10-16. Smndry proofs of Gad's mercy, with mitabli exhartttions and cautions, 17-33.

3 I wilt fetch jny knowledge from afar, and wilt ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

NOTES ON CIUP. XXXVI. / yen« 1. Elihu also proceeded] Mr! Heath gives \ good sommary of this chapiter. Elihu goes on to lay before Job the impropriety of his behaviour towards God, and desites him to consider how vain it wiD prfrve. • That Cod Almighty will never yield* the point; that he wilt administer impartial justice to. all men, ver." 2—6. l^hat the general course of his providence ii to faroor the righteous: and that tnoogh *he may Bonietimes correct them in ]ov€, yet if they submit patieiltly to his fatherly corrections, they shall enjoy an maflner of pio8i>erity; but if they be stubborn, and win not snbmil, they ^ill only draw.down greatet] poofii of his displeasure, vcr. 7-rl6^ He tells him that, had he followed the former course,- he had pro-, baUy, before now, been restored to his for^ier condition; whereas, by persisting in the latter coni:ser he was^ in a fair way of becoming a signal example of Divine joatice, ver. 17, 18. He therefore warns him td use the present opportunity! lest Odd should cut him off while he was in. a state of rebellion agaiifst htm; for with God neither wealth, power, nor any other argument that he could use, would be of any avail, ver. 18- 26. That God was infinitely powerful; there was no resisting him: and infinitely wise, as sufficiently' appeared by his works; there was, therefore, no. escaping oat of his hands. That his purity wiis so great (hat the son, in his presence, was more dim than the smalleat ray of light when compared to that grand luminaiyj that his holiness was inanifesf by his aversion to ioiqliiCy; and his gdodness, in supplying the wants of his cremtores.

Verse 3^. That I have yet to speal on God's behalf.] I have other proofs to allege in behalf of GodV justice and providence.

Vcr* 3. / will fetch my knmoledge from afar] prmoS lemerachok, " from the distant place," meaning pn»bibly both remote antiquity &nd' heaven; see below. I wiU 8h6w thee that all antiquity and experience are on my side. I can bring proofs frofn the remotest ages and from the nlost distant countries to demonstrate that God^s infinitely wise, and can do nothing foolish or erroneous; that he is infinitely powerful, and can bring all the purposes, of his wisdom to effect; that ho is infinitely good, and ^an will nothing, and can do

6 He preservelh not the life of the wicked: but givclh right to the * poor.

nothing that is not good in itself, and well calculated to Ao'good to his creatures. And I shall aho# that his operations in the heavens and on the earth prove' and demonstrate the ^hoje. ^. '

And will ascribe' righteousness lo my Maker.] By proving the above pointy, the rigliteous conduct of God, and his gracious government of the world, will be fully established.

That Elihu brings his knowledge from afar — from every part of the creation^ as well as from the J)ivine nature^— is evident from the end of tjie chapter. 1. Tho. omnipotence of God; — God is great, 2. The eternity of Ood;— We know him not, the number of his years cannot be found out, ver.' 26. 3. Fronx the economy of Gai in the atmosphclre, in dews, rain, vapour, and the irrigation of the earth; — He maketh small the drops, &c., ver.* 27^ 28. 4.« III the thunder and lightning, by v^hich he perfbrips such wonders in the atmosphere, and executes such.jud^ents in 'the world; — Also who can understand the. noise of his tabernacle f He spreadeth his light upon it. He judgeth the people, &c., ver. 29-33.

Verse 4. My w&hds shall not be false] My words shall be truth without falsity.

He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.] " The perfection of knowledge is wTth thee." Thou art a sensible, well-inforpaed man, and will be able to judge of what I say.

Verse 5. God is mighty, and despiseth not any] He reproaches ho man for his want of knowledge. If any man lack wisdom, he may come to Gael, who giveth liberally, and, upbraideth not. L^prefer this to the pas* sive sense, will not be despised.. \

He is mighty] Literally, ** He ik mighty in strength of heart;" he can never be terrified nor alarmed.

'Verse 6. He preserveth not the life] He will not give life to the wicke^; all such forfeit life by their transgressions.

But giveth right] Justice will he give to the afr fiicted or humble, D'^J;,* aniyim. ' '

Verse 7. He withdraws th not his eyes] Exactly similar to those words of David, Psa. xxxiv. 15: "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous."

But with kings are they on the throne] I think the words should be read thus: — ** But with kings upon

Ante I. oiymp. they Oft the ihronc; yea, he doth AnuTu. c' cir. establish them for ever, and they ''^^' ^ are exalted.

8 And « if thei/ be bound in fetter^, arid be holden in cords of affliction;

9 Then he showeth them their woA, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.

10? He x)peneth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that -.they return from iniquity.. ^ • •• -

1 1 If they obey and serve him, they shall ' spend their days in prosperity, and their years.in pleasures.. *

12 But it they obey not, ^ they shall perish

the throne shall he place them; and tliey ^hall be exalted for ever." The Word D^-K^'i vuiyeshihem, he will establish or place them, should be added to the first clause, as 1 have done; and then the sense becomes much elearen. Instead 'of nXiS lanetsach, far ev^i perhaps to victory would be a betted sense: *< But with kings upon the th^ne will he place Chem; and they shaU be exalted or triumph to victory.^' Iliis is precisely the 'same idea, and conveyed in nearly the. same words, as that of Our Lord: — " To him that overcometh will I grant 'to sit with me in mj throne, even as I also overcame^ and am set down with my Father in his throne;'^ Rev. iii. 21. ** Unto him tha^t loved usj -and washed us from our sins in his own,blood, and hath made as kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory," &c.; Rev. i. 5, 6.

Veine 8. And (/"Ihey be bound' in fetters] These are means which God uses, not of punishment^ but of correction,. •.,

Verse 9. He showeth them their \Dork] He shows them the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

That they have exceeded.] n^on* yithgabbaru, " that they have strengthened themselves," and did not trust in the living God; and therefore they would not help themselves when trouUe came.

Verse 10. He openeth tdso their ear] He gives them to understand the reason why they are thus corrected, and commands them Xo' return from those iniquities which have induced. him to visit them with affliction's and distresses..

- Verse 1 1. If they obey and serve him] There may appear in the 6ourse of Providence to be some exceptions to this general rale; but it is most true, that this is literally or spiritually fulfilled to all the genuine followers of God. Every tnan is happy, in whatsoever citcumstances, whose heairt is unreservedly dedicated to his Maker.

13 But the hypocrites in Ante u, c* dr. heart ^ heap up wrath: they cry.. not^ when he biiideth them..

14 ™ They'* die in youth, and tfaeir life is among the ^ unclean. -

15 He delivereth the p poor in his afQiction, and openeth their ears in oppressibn.. *

16 Even so would he have remoyed three out of the strait ^ into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and 'that 'which shquld be set on thy table should, be full of * fatness. •

17 But thoii hast fulfilled ahe judgnient of.

of the Hebrew nD;?''n StC^3 beshelach yaaboru, is, ** By a dart they shall pass by.^' They shall be in. ccnii:: nual dangers, and often /a// before they have lived out hair their days. Mr. Good translates,: They pass bff as m arrow. The VuLffATs: Transibunlper gladiun^ /* They shall pa89 away by the sword."

Verse 13. But the hypocrites iiuheart] ^fiiricAail* pheyfihe profligates^ the impious^ those who havtl pel* ther the/orm nor the power of godliness..The'Aypo- "crHe is he whp^ has the form but not the power, though he wishes to be thought za inwardly righteous as he is outwdrdly correct; and he takes up thQ profesuoa of religion only to serve secular ends. This is not tfa% meaning of the word in the book of Job, where it ibsquently occurs. • *

They cry not] " Though he. binds them, yet diey cry not^' They are too obstinate to humble themselv€9 even under the mighty' hand of God. -

Averse 14. ^They die in youth] Exactly what the psalmist says, "Bloody and deceitful ' men shall not live out half their days,'' Psa. Iv. 23. Literally, fl^ words of Elihu are, " They shall die -in the yoilUi of their soul."

Their life is among the unclean.] D^CnpS bakei^ eshim, among the whores, harlots, prostitutes, mad sodomites. ' In this sense the word is used, though it also signifies consecrated persons; but we)mow MhH in idolatry characters of this kind were conseisrated to Baal and Ashtaroth, Venus, Priapus, &o. Mr. Good translates, the rabble. The Septuagint: Their lifo shall be wounded by the angels.

Verse 15. And openeth their eftrs in oppression.] He will let them know for what end they ate afWictad, and why he permits. them to be oppressed. The wwd hy yigel might be translated he shall make them exuU^ or sing with joy, in. oppression; like the three Hefarewa. in the burning fiery furnace.

Verse IQ^ Even so would he have removed thee] tf thou hadst turned to, obeyed, and served him, thy present state would have beeb widely different from what it it..

. betoare lest he take thee away with his stroke-: then " a great raiisom cannot • deliyer thee. " *

19. * Will he esteem thy riches? no, hot gdd, nor all the forces bf strength.

20. Desire not the night, when the people, are cut off in their place.

ike wicked] Kb thoa art acting like the Wicked, so God deals with thee as he deals with them. ' Eliba is not a whit behind Job's other friends.' None of them seems to have k'nowB any thfng of the pemnssion given by. God to Satan to afflict^and torment an innocent man. r. - ' Terse 18. Because there is wraiK\ This is a time. is which God tr punishing the wicked; take heed lest dioa llMB cat off in a moment. Redeem the time*; the dqrs.aie eyil.

Verse 20. Desire noi the night] Thou hast wished fg death; (here called night;) desire it not; leave that with God. If- he hear thee, and send deat/i, thou mayest be cut off in a way at which thy soul would shudder.

Verse 21. Regavd not iniquity] It is sinful to entertain such wishes;.it is an insult 'to the providence of God. He sends affliction; he knows this to be best for thee: but thou hast preferred (/«aM to affliction^ thereby setting thy wisdom against the wisdom of God. Many, in affliction, long for death; and yet they ixb noi prepared to appear before God! - What madness is this! If he takes them at their wish, they are rained for ever. Affliction may be the means of the^ sdration; the wished-for death, of their eternal destmetlon.

Verse 23. God exalteth by his power] He has bronghl thee low, but he can raise thee up. Thou ait not yef ont of the reach of his mercy. Thy afflictioo is a proof that lie acts towards thee as a mercifa] Parent. He knows what is best to be done; be teaches the.e bow thou shouldst suffer ttnd improre. Why sin against his kindness? Who can teach lUe kimf

Verse 23. Who hath enjoined him his way f] Has God taken instractioos from any man how he shall gn?em the world t-

Thim hast wrought iniquity f] Who can prove, la the whole compass of the creation, that there is one thing imperfeet, superahundant^ or out of its place J Who can show that there is, in the Course of the Divine proyidence, one unrighteous, cruel, ot unwise

22 Behold, God exaltetfr by his ig;^-^*i;^; power:. • who teacheth hke him? Ante i. oiymp..

23 ^ Who hath enjoined hina AnteU. c* cir. his way? or * who Can say,. ^^' Thou hast wrought iniquity?

24 Remember that thou ^ magnify his work, which men behold..

25 Evepy man may see it; man 'may behold it afer off. ^. • ' '

26 Behold, Gpd is great, and we • know him aot^ *" neither can the number of his years be scarclied out.

27 For he « maketh small the drops of water:

act 1. All the canning and wickecfne»3 of man have never been able to find out the smallest' flaw fti the work of God.

Verse 24. Remefnier that thou. magnify his work] Take this into consideration; instead of fretting against the- dispensations of Divihe providence, and quarrelling with thy. Maker, attentively survey his works; consider the operation of ijis hands.; and see the proofs of his wisdom in the plan of all, of. his power in the productiof\ and support of alf, and of his goodness in the end for w hich all have • been -made, and to which every operation in. nature most obviously tends; and then magnify his work. Speak of him as thou shali find; let the visible works of thy Maker prore to thee his eternal power and Godhead, and let nature lead thee to the Creator.

Verse 25. Every man may see it] He who says he can examine the earth with a philosDphio eye, and the heavens with the eye of an astronomer, and yet says hje Cannot see in them a system of infinite skill and contrivance, must ^^e ignorant of science, or lie against his conscience, and be utterly unworthy of confidence or respect.. - _ Verse 26. God is great] He ib omnipotent.

We know him not] He is unsearchable. ' Neither can the number of his years be searched out.] -He is eternal.

These tliree propositions are an ample foundation for endless disquisition. 'As to paraphrase and comment, they need none in this place; they are too profound, comprehensive, and sublime.

Verse 27. He maketh small the drops of water]. This appears simply to refer to evaporation, and perhaps it would be better to translate ];^y yegaroj " ho exhales;^' detaches the smallest particles of the aqueous mass from the surface inf order to form clouds, as reservoirs for the purpose of furbishing rain for the watering of the earth. God Lb seen in little things, as wefl 2La great things; and the inconceivably little, as well as the stupendoudy great, are equally the work of Omnipotence.

They pour down rain] These exceedingly minnte drops or vapour become collected vol clouds;'9xA then, whea agitated by winds, &c., many partielea

29 Also can any understand the spreadtngs of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?

being united, they become too^heavt/ to be. sustained by the air in whiclT they before were suspended, anil so fall down in rain, ^hich is either a mtj/, a drizsde, a shower^ a stormy or a waterspout^ according to the influence of different winds, or the presence and quantilm of the electric fluid, Ajid all this is propprtioned, HK^ le-edo, *' to its vapour," to the quantity of the fluid evaporated B.nd condeuBed: into clouds.

Verse 28. Which the chmds do drop] In proportion to the evaporation will be the- clouds or. masses of volatilized and suspended vapour; and in proportion to this will be the quantum of rain which in difierent forms will fall upon the earth.

There is a remarkable addition to this verse in the ^eptuagint, I shall insert the Vhole verse: Tvji^ovrai 7raAa(CJ/<ara, ecKiaat de ve^jj ent apv^n^ PpoT9' upgv edero Knjveaiv, oidaai ie Koirij^ ra^iv em rovTotg naaiv ovk e^iuTarai aov ij diavoia, ov6€ diaXkacasrai oov if Kopdia-Ano aofiaToc y "The rains descend, and the cloiids coyfer with their: shadows mQltitudes of men: he hath appointed to animals> to know* the order of their dwellings^ - At the contemplation of these things is not thy* mind transported) and thy- heart ready to part from thy body 1"

Verse 29. Can any understand the spreadihgs oJ[ the clouds] Though the vapour appear tp be fortuitously raised, and subject, when suspended in the atmosphere, to innumerable accidents, to. different winds and currents which might drive it all to the sandy deserts, or direct its course so that it should fall again into the great deep from which it has been exhaled, without watering and refreshing the earth; yet so does the good and wise providence of God manage this matter, that every part of the arable terrene surface receives an ample supply; and an every place, where requisite, it may be truly said that ^* The rain cometh down, and the snow from* heaven, and water the earth, and cause it to bring forth and bud, that it may minister seed to the sower, and' bread to (he eater." '

In Egypt, where there is little or no rain, the earth is watered by the annual inumlation of the Nile; there, because this system of evaporation is not necessary, it does not exist. Who can 1&ccount (dt this ecohon^. 1 How are these clouds so judiciously and effectually spread through the atmosphere, so as to supply the wants of the earth, of men, and of cattle 1 I ask, with Elihu, " Who can understand the spreadings of these clouds V And I should kke to see that Volunteer in the solution of paradoxes who would step forward and say, / am the man,.

The noise of his tabernacle?] By the tabernacle we may understand the whole firmament or atmospheric expansion; the place where the Almighty light upon It, and covereth '^ the^ Ai»te4.oiyii^ bettom of the sea. *- AntTu.c.'cir.

seems mpre particularly lo dwells whence he selids forth the t;a\n of his strength, vLud the tkunder of his power, * '..

The noise must refer to the blowing 6f winds and tempests, or to the claps, peals, and rattUng of thunder, by means of the electfie fluid.

Verse ZO* He spreadeth his light upon it] Or^ as Mr.- Good translates, " He throweth forth from it his flash." These two verses may both have an idluaioa to the sudden rarefaction of fliat part of the atmosphere whence the thunder proceeds, by4he agenoj of the electric fluid; the ritshing in of the air on each side 'to restore the equilibrium, which the passage of the ^e had before destroyed. The noise pn>« duced by this sudden rushing in of the air,' as w^ «• that occa^oiied by. the ignition of the hydrogen gasf which is one of the. constituents of water, is the thunder of his tajkmacler^i^.,, th6 atmosphere, where God appears, in such cases, to be manifesting iiis presence and his power. * ^...

Elihu says that God spreadeth his light uppf^ it. This is spoken in reference to the flashes and concfcations of lightning id the time of thunder stonns; when, even in a dark night, a sudden flash illaminates for a moment the surface of the earth under that j^lace.

* And covereth the bottom of the sea.] He doth whatsoever it pleaseth him in the heavens abpve, in the earth beneath* in -the sea; and in all deep places. Yea, the depths of the sea are as much under hia control and influence as the atmosphere, and its wh(^ collection of vapours^ meteors, and galvanic and ele^ trib fluids.

Verse 31. By them judgeth he the people] He makes storms, tempests, winds,- hurricanes, tornadoes, thunder and lightning, drought and inundation, the instruments of his justice, to punish rebellioDs nations.

He giveth meat in almndance.] Though by thefe he punishes offenders, yet through the same, as instruments, lie provides for the wants of men and animals in general. Storms, tempests, land harricaneeji agitate the lower regions of the atmosphere, disperse noxious vapours, and thus render it fit for respivatum; and without these it would soon become a sta^nan^ putrid, and deadly mass, in which neither animals coiild live, nor vfegetifcbles thrive. And by dews, rains, snowSt frosts, winds, cpld, and lieat, he fructi^es the earth, and causes it to bring forth abundantly, so that every thing living is/ filled with plenteousness. ' Some critics translate this latter clause thus: — Hepasseth sentence amain, I cannot eee this meaning in the origina^ words. Not one of the versions haa so understood them -, nor does this translation, sapposing even that the Hdbr^w would bear it, give ao c * - ive wnd so elegant 2n idear as that of the common. Veraon..1 always feiql sdaotant to giy^ a.sehse^in any ease thai is not soppoited in some of its parts by any •f tte aDcientTey^oBs, and. more. especially wbea it is eMCruf to the whole && them; • and still'tnere partieolaily when opposed to the'Am^ which in the BM ^ Tod, containing so many Arabisms^ I consider •she of very great hnportance. - '^ '.

VezseSd. WUyetbuds he cwireth tke Ught.^ This. k an extMordinary'Jsaying, *)W JIDD D^3 SjT al cappor. fim kissuh ar^ Which Mr. Good translates, *f I^e biiindisiteth the blase -alhwartlbe concave.'* The Vulgafe^ with.Hrhich all -the other vemofu Jess or more agree, has. In mambus (AscondU' lucen/i^ ** Ja his hands he kidelh'the light;'' or^ more literally, *< By the hollow of his lunds (0^03 cdypaywt) he concealeth the light, (im at/") the fmmlain cflighi^ i. e., the-stic.

, And cammandeth il not to shine 2y the cloud thai tmnM helwixU] I am alraid this is no transiatien of.die origiaaL ~ Old CoverdaLe in better: — fSLxO^ at fifs tavvwOement (t esmmet^ agaj^ne; whj^h is a hear,e^ of the Vulgate, Here again Mr. Good depiaurts fion afl the Tersioiis» bdth. anoient- and modem, by tnariatipg thus r— ^'* And l^uncheth his*, penetrating bOlL^ Dr. Stock, in my opinion, comes nearev the •rigaial and' the Tcrsions in his translation r —

•'And girith charge as' to what it shall meet'^ The mending of the text bjr conjeetore, to which we shoold only recur in desperate necessity, has furnished Bfr. Good and Reiske with the above translation. Fen. my own part^ T must acknowledge ah- extreme difficulty both here and in th'e concluding verse, on which I am unwilling to lay a correcting hand. I diiak something of the doctrine of eclipses is here referred to; the defect tjf the solar light ^hj the interposiiion of the moon. So in the time of an eclipse God is rspreseoied as covering the body of the sun with the htUow of his h£nd, and thus obscuring the solar lights apd then removing his hand so as to permit it to reiDniunate the earth.

Of which he learnedly contends^ *' And launcheth'his penetrating bolt,'^ is the literal sense. The change here made, to produce the above meaning, is not a violent one i and. I must leave the reader to judge of its import^ce. ■ '

Vgrse 33^ T%e noise thereof showeth tonceming tV,. the cattle also tonceming the vupfnlr,] I think this translatfen very uqhappy. I shall give each hemistich ' in the original: — • • - ';. \

H think this may -be translated wichout any vfolence to any word m the text: — -

A magazine of wiatii against ini<)uity. ' This is liten^,. and gives, in my opinion, a proper meaning of the passage, and one in strict connection with the context. And it is worthy of -remark that every wicked man troinbles at the noise of thunder and tthe flash of lightning, and considers this a treasury of Divine iorath, emphatically c^ed among us the artillery of the skies; and whenever £he noise is heard, it js considered the vvijce of God. Thus the thunder declares' concerning him. The next chapter, which is a continuation of.the subject here^ confirms and illustrates this meaning. For nU" yaggid, Houbigant reads n^r yanid; aiid for njpo mikneh, nwpb.miAAinalh; and translates, thus: '* He agitates with himself his thunder, from the indignation of his wnlth against iniquity." '. •

JEltibf continues to set forth the wisdom and Omfiipotente of God, as manifested in the thunder and lightnings

1-5; in the snows and frosts, 6-3; in various meteors; and shows the end for which they (Resent, 9-13. - Job is^ exhorted to consider, the wondrous works of 'God in the light, in the cloudsi in the winds, in heat and eold^ in the formation of the heavens, and in the changes of the atmosphere, 14-23. The perfections r>f

2 *Hear allenlively the noise

4 ' After It ^ a vofcd roareth: he.. ^^' ^ thundercth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stayjthem when his vpice is heardl

Verse 1. My^heUft trembleth].This is whattbe Septuagint has anticipated; see under ver. 28 of the preceding chapteik A proper consideratioq of Gbd's majestjT in the thunder, and Jighhiing is enough to ap{>al* the stoutest heart, oonfouiid tlio wisest mind;- and fin Jill with humility and devQtion. This, to the middle of ver. 5, should be added 'to the precedilig- chapter, as it is a continuation of the account, of ' the thun-, der and lightning given at the' conclusion of that •chapter. Our present divisioii is. as absurd ad it iA ^ Ui^rtunate... '. "1. ». ' ^

Verse 2.^ Tiear attehtiyeiy\ ** Hear with heariiQg." The Vords seem to intimate that there was act^cdl^ <it that time a violent storm of thunder and lightning, and that the successive {)ea]s were flow breaking over the house, and the lightning flashing befo^b their eyes. The storm continued till Blihu had ffnished, and out of that storm th&Alojighty spolce. - See the i)eginniog of the succeeding chapter^ -^-

Vdfse 3. Ht direct cth it under Uhe whole ^heaven] He directeth it (the lighting) under the whole heaven, in the twinkling of an eye from east to west; and its light — Che reflectiotj^ of- the flash, no^ Ihe lightningy unto the ends of the earthy so that a v^ole ficmisphere seems to see. it at the same instant.; ^.

Verse 4. After it a voice roareth] After the flash has been seen, the peal is "heard; and this vwiii be tooire er fewer seconds after the peal, in proportion to the distance of the thunder cloud from the eai^" Lighthing traverses any. space without any perceivable succession of time;' nothing seepis to be any obstacle to it^ progress. ^ multitude of persons taking hands, the first and the last connected with the electric ma- <5hine, all feel the shocklii the same instant; and were there a chaid as.conductor to go round the globe, the last would feel the shock in the safne moment as the ^ first. But as sonnd depends on the undulatipns of the ' 4ir for ita propagation, and is knowv to travel at th6 rate of oi\ly 1.142 feet in a second^ consequiently, if the flasfi were only 1149 fe^t from the spectator, it would be seen in one second, or one swing of. the f>cndulum, before the sound could rfiadi the ear, though the clap and the flash take place in the same instant, and if twice this distance, two seconds, and 80 on. lit i8 of some consequence to know that lightning, at a considerable distance, suppose six or -eight seconds pt t\me,.is never knpwQto bum, kill, or do injury. When the flash and the clap iiqaiediatetjr succeed eaoh o^her, then there is strong, ground for apprehension, a9 'the thunder cloud is near. If tho thunder cloud be a mile and a half dislapt, it is, I believe, never known Hb kill man or beast, or te do any damage to- buildings, either by. throwing them down or burning them. Now Hs distanoe. may bef eafiljr ' kQown by means of a pendulum clock, op wnick that has seconds. When the flask '» seen, /conni die seconds tiU the. r/op is heard. Then compute: If only ooe second is counted, then tiie thunder cloud^ Is ^ within 1^42 feet; or about '3 80 yards'; if ^vo seconds, then its distanoe is 2284 feet, or 701 yards; if t^ree seconds, "then 3426 feet, or 1142 yards; if four jBeconds, then the bloudis distant 4568 feet, or lS2fl • yards; if fivi^' aecoi^ds, thqn ^e distance 48 67 1 0 teeti or 1903 yards; if six seconds, tbei^ tbc^ distance -is * 6852 fe6t, or 2^84. yards, one mile and. nearly onethird; if seven seconds, then the distanCaofthe clood is 7994 feet, or 9665 ^^rds, t)r one mile and «Jialf^ atid 25 yards. Beyond this distance lightning has dot been* known to 'do any damage, the fluid being too much diflused, "and partially absorbed, in its- passage over e/ec7ric^ bodies, 'i;^ e., those which* are not fdiy Vnpre^nated by the electric matter, and which receive their Tull charge when they colme Within the electric attraction of the lightning* F.or Acre on the rain produced by thunder storms, see on chap, xxxviii. 35. This scale may be* carried on at pleasure,' by ^ding io the last sum for' every sedond 1142 feet, and fe^. ducing to' yards and miles as aboVe, allowing 1760' yards- to bne mile. *

Hephundereth with the voice of his excellency] WW geoncb of his majesty: nor is there a soUnd in natore more descriptive of, or more becoming, the Ipajeilf of God, than that of thunder.'' Weliear the hreete in its rustling, the riiin in its pattering, the hail in its rdttling, the wind in its hollow hotslingst ^etatartrnt in its dash, (he ^[dl in his hdlowmg,' the lion in fais roar; but we hear God, the Almighty, the Omnipresent, in the continuous peal of Thunder! This' souqd, and. this sound only, becomes the majesty of Jehovah., '

And he will not stay then^] D:sp;;' vh) velbyeakk^ hem, and he liath not limited or xircumscribed them* His lightnings light the world; literally,' the whole world. * The electric, 'fluid is difiusedl through all na^ ture, and everywhere art can exhibit it to view. T<r his tT^under and lightning, therefore, he has assigned no limits. And when his voice soundeth, when the lightning goes forth, who shall assign its limits, sod who can stop its progress? It is, like God,'iRRB-

6 For ^ he saitb to the snow, Be thoa on

ycrse 6. God thundereth i^iarvellotuly with his voice]' 'This y^ the conclnsion of Elihu's description of tbe lightning apd' thander: and here only shoul'^ chap, xxxvi. have ended. He hegao> chap. xxxvL 29; wilh the noise of God*s tabernacle; and.ha'ends here irith the ntarveUous thundering' of Jehovah. Prohably •the vaxer of the hoo^ of Job had seen the descijption' of a siniilar thunder tftorm ai^ given by \he psalmist, Pitt. Ixxvii. 16, 17, 18, 19:nr- Ter. 10. The waters saw thee, O God >.

The waters saw thee,^and were afraid. Yea, the deeps wer6 afirighted!,. Ver. 17. The clouds poored out water;

Yea, thine arrows went fibroad. Yet 18. The voice of thy thunder was through tie expanse: ' -.. •

The lightnings 'illumined the globe;* '. The earth trembled and vhooki * Vei. 19. Thy way is in the sea,

' And tjiy paths on many waters; - But ^y footsteps are not known. Great things doeth he] This is the beginning of a new paragraph; and relates particulajriy to the phe- BomeDa which are afterwards mentioned. All of them wondrous things; and, in many respects,' to us Incomprehensible.

Terse 6. For he saith to the snowt B^ thou on the^ earthy Swow is generally defined, "A well-known meleor, formed by the freezing lof the vapours in the " fttmoeph^re.^' We may consider the formation. of «iow thas:! — ^A clotid of vapdurs being condensed into drops, these drops, becoming too heavy to be suspended in the atmosphere, descend; and, meeting with a cold Region of the air, they are ^ozcn, ea(^ drop shooting into several points., These still continuing their descent, and meeting with some intermitting gi]^ of a warmer air, are a little thawed, blunted, and again, by falling into colder air, frozen into clusters, or so entangled with each other as to fall down in what we call^aA:^^.

, Snow differs from hail and hoar-frost in being crystaUizfd: this appears on examining a. flake of anow with a magnifying glass; whefi the whole of it will appear to be composed of fine spicida or points diverging like rays from a centre I have oAen observed the particle^ of snow to be of a regulsu* figure, lor the. most part beautiful stars of six points as clear ' and transparent as ice. On each of these poiqts are other collateral points, set at the same angles as' the maio points themselves, though some are irregular, the points broken, and some are formed of the fragments of 4)ther regular stars. I have observed snow to iall sometimes entireljr in the form of separate regular sis'ppinted stars ^ without either clusters. or

The lightness of snow is owing to the excess of its. surface, when, compai^ed with the matter contained under It. • - ' '

Its whiteness' ia owing to the small particles intd; wh\bhit is divided: for take icf, opaque almost to black-^ ness, and ^ound it fine, and it becomes as'white as snow.-

The immediate cause of thp foiinatiohn of snow is - not well understood: it has heen attributed to elec- ' tricity f and hail is supposed to owe'ite morb compact form to a, more intense electricity, which united the particles of haU more qlosely Ihan the modemtd electricity do^s those /of snow. But rain, snow, hail, fro3t,<ice, &c., have all one common origin; they are ' formed, out of thie vapoufs which have been exhaled hy heal from the surface of the Waters.

Snow, in northern countries, is an especial' blessing of Providence j for, by covering the earth, it prevents xorii-and other vegetables from being destroyed by the intense cold of the air ih the wime; months; and especially preserves them from -cold piercing winds. Itr is not a faCt that, it possessesnn itself ^y feftilizin^ quality, such as nitrous salts, according to vulgar opinion: its whole use is covering the vegetables frotxr intense coldj and thus preventing the natural heaf of the earth.from escaping, s(f th^^t the intense cold caniipt freeze fke juices in the lender tubes of vegetables, which would rapture those tubes, and so destroy the plant/

The rains of his. might. ' By the * small, rain, we may understand drizzling showers; by the rain of his strength, sudden thunder storms, when i\\e rain. dbsceitda in torrents:, or violent tain from dissipating waterspouts..

Verse 7. He sealeth up the hand tf every man] After ajl that has been eaid, and much of it most learnedly, on this verse, I think that the act of freezing is probably intended; that when the earth is bound. up by intense frost, the hand, 1^ yad, labour, of ^very man is sealed Up; he can do nO more labour in the field, till the south wind blow, by which s^thatg Ukee place. While the earth is io this state of rigidity, the beasts go into their dens, and remain in their placest ver. 8, some of them sleeping out the winter in a state of torpor> and others of them feeding on the stores which they had collected in autumn. However,. the passage may mean- tio more than by the severity of the rains beasts are drawn to their covers; and man is pbliged to intermit all his labours..The mighty rains are pa9t. Who would have- thought that on tide •

Ante I. Oiytop. -dciis, aiTO remain in their places. ABiMJ.^c.'cir. d ^ Out of tho south cometh the '^^- ' whirlwind: and cold out of the ^ north. '. -

10* °* By the breath of God tiqsV is given: and. the breadth of the waters is* straitened.. * 11 Also by watering- he^'wearfeth the thick yerse, as its Scriptural foundation, the doctrine of chiromancy is buih! God. has so marked tk^ hand of every man' by the /jne*. thereon exhibited, that they teH all the ^ood> or -bad fortune th^y shall have during life I and he Has done this that all men; by a judicious. exaooituUion- of their hands, may know His work! On this John Taisnier, a famous mathematicigji, lau7erj itirtsician, -and poet laureate of Cologne, has written a large fdio volume, vt^ith more hands in it than fell to the lot of Bniareus; — ^printed at Cologne, 1683.. A''erse 9. Out of the south cometh the whirlwiiiil] See'^henote on ciiap. ix.t). -What is rendered south here, is there, rendered chambers. Mr. Good translates here, the utmost zone.. The C^a/Jef;— " From the supreme chamber the commotion shall.come; and from the cataracts of Arcturus the cold." What the whirlwindf nsib suphah, is, we know not. It might have b^en a wind peculiar to that district; and it is rery possible th^t it was a scorchihg wind, something like the simoom. / ' ' ^ ►>..

Verse 10. By the breath of Ood frost is given] The freezing Of WatCr, though il is generally allowed to be the efljoct of cold, and has been * careAJly ^xa-

. mined by the most eminent philosophers'," Is stilly intolved. in much mystery; ^nd is a very proper -subjcot to he produced among- the great tilings which God doeth, and which we cannot comprehends vdr. 6. Water, when.frozen, becomes solidy and increases considerably in bullc. The expansive powet in ftrefezing is so great, that, if water be confined in a gun-barrely it will split the solid metal throughout its whole length- Bombshells have been filfed with water, and plugged light, and exposed to cold* air, when they have been tent, though the sh^lT Jias been nearly two Inches thick!.Attempts have been made to account for this;, but (hey have* not, as. yet, been generally sue*

.tessful. The ^eath, of,Oo^ freezes the waters; and that breath thaws them. It is, the work of Omnipotence; and there, for the present, we must leave it.

The breadth of the waters is straitened.] This has been variously translated; pV)D mutsakf Which we here Tender straitenedi we translate ver. 18 melted. Mr. Good'thitiks that the- idea of a mirror is implied,

..or something molten; and on this ground it may be descriptive of the state of water formed into ice. ■ He (herefore translates:^-r.

-* By the blast of God the frost congealelh) And the expanse of the waters into a mirror.

I have only to observe, that in the act of freezing wind or air Is necessary J for it has been obeerved that 164 ^

12- And it 19 turned Tound about by his counsels: that they may ® do whatsoever, he commandeth them upon the face of the worhl in the earth.

water which lay low in ponds did not fieeze till.soine flight current of ahr fell on and ruffled the «urfatfe| when* it instantly shot into ice. *

Yerse 1*1. By watering he weari^th the thick cloud\ Perhaps it would be better to say, The brightness **0 beri, dissipates thi cloud; or, if we follow' oat versiod,^ By watering the earth he wearieth, wearieth out of emptieth, the thick cloud — eairses it to poUr -down all its contents upon the earth, thaf they xnay cause it (b '. bring' forth and bud. The Vulgate understood it diCferently: Frwnentitm desiderdt nubcs; et nubes spargunt lumen suum. '* The grain desireth the clottd») add th)^ clouds scatter abroad their light.''

Verse 13. And it is turned round about ty his coun" sels] ' The' original is diffici^t: IDrino- nnOD Kini inSl3nn3 vehu mesibbotk mithhappech bethachbulothan i which has been thlis paraphras(^d: And Ae-r-the sud^ makes revolutions — caused the heavenly bodies, to revolve round him? turning round himself — tmming round his own axis, by his <Htac7imenis-;-4uB aitractiv€ and repulsipe influences, by which the heavenly bodies revolve round him, and by which, as if MtroDgl^ tied to their centre, *73n3 bechebel, with a cable Of. ropct they are projected to their pr6per distances,- and prevented ftoin coming too near, (it flying off ioo far\

That they may do whatsoever he tommtmdeth themi^ That men may perform liis \vil], av&iling ' thomaelves of the influences of the sun, moon, times, seasons, ttcJf to cultivate the earth fbr the sustenance of themselyes and their cattle. ^ ^;

' Upon the face ojr the world in the earth.] San^Jfi^K nv^i< al peney thehel -aretsah, over the surface' of the habitable iQorld. Perhaps ihe above expositioa may appeajUo be too far-fetched; and possibly the passage refers only to the revolutions of the seasons, lind* the operations connected w'ith them. -',

Verse 13. He cause th it to come] The^ Vulgate translates the text thus: Sive in una tribu, sive in - terra sua, sive in quocunqui loco misericordut sua eat jusserit inveniri. " Whether tn one tribe, or whether in his own land, or in whatsoever place of his meicy he has commanded them to come.''.in the preceding verse it is said that God cOnduct»d)e clonds ficcoiding to the orders of his counsels, whithersoever ha pleases: and here it is adde'd that, when he desi^ to heap favours upon any land^ he commands \the clouds to gO thither, and pour out on it their fertiUauig shewers. See Cahnet.

The Vulgate certainly gives a good sense, and oar - common version is also clear and intelli^ble; but there are doubt^ whether the Helyntw' will bear this

disposed them, and caused the light, of his doud to shine J

16 *Dost thou kno^ the balancings of the.douds, the wondrous works of ^ him which is perfect an knowledge? *

iBQaniDg. Jlere it is stated that Grod sands the rain atbcr f^r, correction, 0D?5?S leshebet, yfhiph signifies fW, siajfj)rii€ i'KAd ia here taken as the« symbol of €orrecti4fk; he sends rain sometimes as a judgment^ irandating certain lands, and sweepiiig away - tlieir arodace by irresistible iSoods: or for his land, y^dvh Umriso^ his own land, Palestine, the place of his fryoored people: or for mercy, IDnh Uches^d; when> a particular district has been devoured by locusts, Or earsed with drought, God, in his mercy, i^nds fcrtifixing rains to sach pla'^es to' restore the ears which ' the caterpillars have eaten, and jto make the desert bknaoto Jike the garden of the Lord. -Som^ think that Job refers to.the corse. brought \ipOn.the old world hj the waters of the deluge,. Now, although^ Ga4 has promised that there shall no more l^ a flood 9f waters Uy destroy.^e whole earth; y^t wp know he eaa^ Tory eonsistently with his promise, inundate aigr particular district; or, by a superabundance of rain, reader tbe toil of the husbandman, in any place vain. Therefore, still his rain may come for judgment, for psroyj or for the especial help Of hte people or Church.. Verse 14. Hearken t/hto this] Hear what *I say on the j»art of God.

And considef] Weigh every thing; examine separately and collectively;. and draw right Conclusions from.the' whole.

The ieondrous works of God.] Endless in their ffdriety^ Mupendous in ih^ir structure; complicated in their parts; indescribable in their relations and*- con^ mectums; and incomprehensible m ihe^mode of their formation, in the cohesion of their parts, a|id ih the mUs of their creation.

Yetse 15. Dost thou know when God disposed them] Dost thou know the laws by which they.are governed; and tlie caam which produce such anj tncli phenomena?. ^

Jjtd cftused the light of his' cloud to shine f] Al- BKMt every critic of note understands this of the rain- ItfiiS which God gave as a sign that the earth should BO Qiore be desti^Qred by water.. See Gen. ix. 13,* and the note there.

Verse^ 18. Dost thou know the balancings of the dokds]. How are the clouds suspended Jh the atmosphere 1 Art thou so well acquainted with the nature of evaporation, and the gravity of the air at different heights, to support difierelit weights of aqueous vapour, an as to keep them floating for a certaiif portidh of tim^ and then let them down to ¥rater the earth; dost 0,

18 Hast thou with him "^ sgread ^^- out the sky, which is fttroitg^ and.as a molten looking-glass?

19 Teaclv us what we shMl say unto him? foryrjd cannot ord^ our speech hy reason of darkness.... -,.

thoq knew these, things so as to determine the laws by which tliq^ are regulated 1 »

Wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge f] This is a paraphrase. Mr. Good's translar tion -is mach better: —. -.

Terse 17 J How thy garments are warm] -What are warmth and cold t How difllcult this question! Is heat incontestably a substance, and is cold none 1 I am afraid we are in the dark on both these subjects. The existence of caloric^ as a substance, is sbpposed tQ be demonstrated. Much, satisfactorily, has' been. sa\d on this subject; but.is it yet beyond doubt 1 I fear not^ But supposing this c^ucstion to be set at rest, is it demonstrated that eoli is Only a quality, tlie more absence of heaf f If it be demonstrated that there is suoh a substance as caloric, is it equally- certain that there is fto such substance?afrigoricf But how da OUT' garments keep iis warm? By preventing the too i^^eat dissipation of the natural heat. And why is it that certain substances, worked into clothing, keep us warmer than others! Because thej'are bad conductor of paloric. Some substances' conduct opf the caloric or natural heat from the body; others dp not conduct it at all, or imperfectly; hence those keep us warmest which, being bad' conductors of caloric, do not permit thp natural heat to be thrown off. Irt these things we know but little, aflei endless cares, anxieties, and exp^riqnents!

V Bui is the question yet satisfactorily answered, why the north wind brings cold, and the south wind heat? If it be SQ to my rea^eys^ it is not so to me; y^t I know the reasons which are alleged.. Verse 18. Hast thou with him spread out the sky^ Wen thou with him when he made the expanse; fitted the weight to the winds; proportioned the aqueous to the terrene surface x)f the globe; the solar attraction to the quantum jof vapours necessary to be stofed up in the clouds, in order to be occasionally deposited in fertilizing showers upon thfe earth? and then, dost thou know how gravity and elasticity should be such essential properties of atmospheric air, that without them and their ^ue proportions, we should neither have animal nor vegetable life 4

Strong — as a molten looking-glass?] Like a molten mirror. The whole concave of heavcBj in a cl^ar day or brilliant ni^htj.beinglike admass of polished metal, reflecting or trartsmittlng innun>erable images. * Verse 19.. Teadh us what we shall say unto him f] ■ Thou pretendest to be so v^-wisoi and to know

bjright light which *t5 in the cloud$: but the wind passelh, and cleanseth them.

22 'Fair weather cometh QUt of the north: with God w. terrible majesty.. '.

every thing about.God,.pray make us as wise as thysejf^that we^nay be able to rfjjproach with 4liy boldness the Sovereign of the world; and 'maintain our cause'with thy confidence before him.. As for our part^, we are ignorant; and^ on all these subjects, are enveloped with darkness. Mr. Good trajiislates:»-t

Verse 20. Shgll it he thld him that I speaif t] Shall I dare to whisper^ven before God? And suppose any one we^e to accuse me before him for what I have 9pokeji'of him, though that has beeo well intended, how should I he able to stand in-^is presence? I should i)e swallowed up in consternation, and consumed with the spleddour.of.his majesty i...But. in what state art thouf.What hast ihou been doing? Thou hast arraigned God for bis government of the world;,thou. hast found fault with th^ dispensations of his providence; thou hast even charged hiili with cruelly! What w^ill become of thee 1 •..

Verse 21. And now men. see not the bright li^ht] 'fAi. Good gives the sense clearer: — ', f* Even ndw wd cannot look at the light When it is resplendf i)t in the heavens, And a wii^d from the north hath passed along-^ ' and cleared them.". '. '

Plihu seems to refer to'fhe insuOerable brightness of the sun. ■ Can any man look at the sun shining ip his strength, when a clear and strong wind has putge(^ the jsky from clouds * and vapours } Much less can uny gaze on the majesty of God.. Every creature must sink before.hinu What execrably dangerous folly in man to attempt to apraign.His conduct!

yerse^. Fair, weather, cometh out of the north] Is this any version pf the original nnj^" 3nT JlSyD mitstsaphon zahab yeetheh T which is rendered by. almost cv«ry. veision, ancient' and modern, thus, or to this effect: " From the north cometh gold." XJalmet justly remarks, that in the time of Moses, Job, and Solomon, and for a long time afler^ gold was obtained froQi Colchis, Armenia, Phasis, and the land-of Ophir, which, were alf north jof Judea and Idumea;. and are in the Script\ijres ordinarily termed -the nortli country; ^* But what relation can there be between. Gold cometh out^of'the north f and, With God is terrible majesty V Answer; Each thing has its properties,^ ^nd pr<^er^ characteristics, which distinguish it; and each4:ountry ha9 its advantages. ' Gold^ for instance, comes from the northern countries; so praises offered to the Supreme ' ' 166 *

23 - Touchifig the Almighty, ^ we cannot find him" out: ' he is eificellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflicr.

God shonld be accompanied Avith fear and trembling:. and as this'ttietal is from the ndtth, and northern coontried are the places whence it must.-be procured; so terrible majesty belongs to* God, end in him dope such; majesty is eternally^ resldetit.-'"

As 2r\\ zahab, which we translate gold, (see qhap.' xxyiii. 16,) crmes from a root that signifies to be cledr^. hrighty^re'splendent, &e.; Mr, Good avails himself of the radical idea, and tra6stat6s It Splendour: —

•But heaters the text a little to. get xhis^meaning, par; ticularly in tbe'word nnu^ yeetheh, which wO transliate comethi ancl' which he co'htends'is the pronoun HTtK itself; th^ ^y^d, as- a performative, here 1)eing, as he thinks, an interpolation. This jn&kes a very good sense; but.none of the ancient versions understood the place thus, thd: none of the MSS. countenanoe,•. this very Jeamed critic's emendation. "* » •

Verse ^3. -Touching the Almighty^ we cannot find him^ out] This is a very abrupt exclamation, and « highly descriptive of the state of iqind in whith Elihu was. at this time; full of solemnity. Wonder, and astotnishment, at hi^ owm contemplation of this *' great Firftt Cause, least understood.V The ALwioHtr! we cannot find him' out.

ExficUent in power and in,judgmenf\' We jnmat • not pretend to comprehend his being, the mode of his - existe^rco, the wisdom of his counsels, nor the myste- ' ries of his conduct;

He wUl not afflict.] n3;?v«S la yeonneh, he will not ANSWER. He will give account of none of his matlteis to us. We cannot comprehend his. motives, nor th* ends he has in view.

*• He respecteth not any] No man -is valuable in* lu» sight on account of his wisdom; for what i« his wis- < dom when compared with that of the Omniscient t Whatever ^ood is.in man, God ^one is the- author df it. Let him, therefore, that glorieth, glory ii^ the •Lord, \,. ^ X, /" ■ •

Thus ends -the speech of Elihu; a speeeh of a* ^videly 'different dedcription,' on the whole, from that of the three friends of Job who had spoken so largely* before him. In the speeches of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad, there is little.hesides a tissue-of borrowed t»ise sayingSf and ancient proverbs alid maxims, relative to tho nature of God, and his moral goremment of- the irofid. In the speech of E5ha. evi^ry thipg appears to be original; ^ speaks froip a deep and comprehensiTe mind, that had profoundly studied the subjecta. €ft whieh Imi discoursed.. His descriptions* of the Dirise atfrihiit^ and of the. wonderful works of God, are correcT, splendid, impressive^ ai^d inimitable! Elihii» hiring now come nearljjr to a close, aqd knowing that flie Alnii^ty would appear and speak for himself Ju- ^oooi^jr |>repares for and announces hia coming hj \lie. tlnmder aiad lightning of whicli he has given so terrific and majestie' a description in,this. and the preceding chapter. The ^evidences jof (he JDfiYine presence tfirong OD h^ eyesi.and mind; the incotio^rehenaible glory and eioelleney of Grod confound all hu^ powers of reasoning and diejicnf tion; he qanaot anange- his words by reason of tiarkn#i|B; and he eoVMdudes with stating, that to poor Weak man God must for ever be incomprehensible, and to him a subject of deep religious fear and reverence/ Just then the terrible maj^ty of the Lord- appears! • EHhu is silent! Tte joshing mighty wind, fox: which the description of tlto thunder and lightning had prepared poor, confounded, astonished Job, proclaifns Uie^ presence of Jehovah:. and out of this whii^wind God answers fbr-and procjaims himself! Reader, canst thou not conceive something of wfaict thBse men felt t Art thou, not astonvihedi perplexed, confounded,, in reading over these descriptions of the thunder of Gbd^s power 1 Prepare, then, to hear the voice qf God him^lf out of thi^ whirlwind...'

Tke-Losd answers Job out of a whirlwind^ and challenges him to answer^ l-^*- 'He convinces^ him of Ignom ranca and weaknessy Jyy an enumeraXiqnj^. sofhe of his mighty toorks; -^articiilarly of the creation of the earth, 4-7. The seA and- the d^eps jS-lS, 'The. light, 19~2i. Snow\ haily thunder^ lightning, rain, dew, ice, a^ hoar-frost, ^3-:30.. Different constellation^, and. the ordinances of heaven infiueneing the emrth, 31—33. Shows his own 'power and ipisdom in the atmosphere, particularly in the tkunder, lightmngs, and rain, 34-38., His providence in reference to the brute creation, 39-41.

3 ^ Gird up now ihy loins like a man; fori will demand of thee^ and • answer thou' Ine.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVlII. ^ Verse 1. The. Lord answered Job out of the whirl*

'wind] It is nqt HDID suphah, as in -the Receding chapter, ver. 9; bat H'^j^D searah, which signifies •omethiog turbulent^ tumultuous, o^ violently agitated; and. here may signify what we. call a tempest^ and yCBiB intended to fill Job^s mind with solemnity, and an' twfiil sense of the majesty of Qod. The Chaldeg, has, a whirlwind of grief, making the whole rather idUgorical than real; impressing the seene on Job's iinagincUum,

' Vei8e2. Who is this thajt darheneth counsel] Af if he had said> Who art thou who pretendest to speak on the deep things of God,, and the administration of

' Mb justice and providence, whioh thou canst not comprehend; and leavest my counsels, and designs, the dajker for thy explanation?

Verse 3. (^ird up now ihy loins'] I will not confotmd thee with my terrors \ dismiss all fearful apprehensions from thy mind; now act like n man, ^212 kegeher, like a hero i stand and vindicate thyself. For I will demt^nd of thee — ^I, will ask thoo a series of questions more easy of soltition than those which thoa hast afiected Uf discosa already; and then thou shalt have the opportunity ^f answering for thyself. 0 '

The mpst impressive arid convincing manner of arguing is allowed to he that by interrogation, which the Almighty here adopts. The best orations delivered by the ancien^ were fpr/ned after this manner. That celebrated oration tff Cicero against Catilihe, which- is * allowed to be his masterpiece, begins with a multitude of short questions, 'closely pressed ppoa each other. vSee the end of the chapter^ <

Verse 4. Where wast thou when I laid the founda-t tions of the earth?] Thou hast a limited and derived being; thou art only oi yesterday; what canst thoi^ know 1 Didst thou see me create the world 1 '

Verse. 6. Who holh, laid the measures thereof] Who hath adjusted its polar a^d equatorial distances frorai the centre 1 '

Who hath stretched the line] Who hath formed its zones and ^ts. great circles, and adjusted the whole of its magnitude and gravity to the orbiL in which it waa to move, as- weW as its. distance from that greal centre about which^ it was to revolve! These question^ show the difficulty of the subject; and that there was aa unfathomable^ depkh of counsel and design in the formation of the earth.

Verse 6. Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened f\ I{ow does it contiAue to revolve in thQ

7 When the morning stars sang together^ and all ^ the sons of Go^jrtiited for joy 1, \

immensity of dpaoe? What supports it? Has it foundations like ^ihiilding, and is ii fastened with ^ key- Mtonsj to keep the mighty fabric in union 1*

Verse 7. When the morning starrsang together] l*his must refer to some intelligent beings who existed before the creation.'of the visible heavens and earth: and it is supt>osed that this aind IheYoUowing clause refer to the same beings; that by the sons of.God^ and the morning stars, the angelic host is meant; as they are supposed Xq he first y though. perhaps not chief, mthe order of creation. '. • ^

For the latter clause the Chaldee hz&y "All the troops of angels." Perhaps their creation may -bfe in*, eluded in the term heavens, Gen..i. jl: •* In the beginning God created ihe heavens and the earth." These witnessed the progress of the ereatien; and, when God had finished bis work, celebrated hia wisdoiiL and power in the highest strains.

Verse 8. Who shut up the tea with doors'] Who gathered the waters together into one'placef and fixed the sea its limits, so that It Qannot overpate them to inundate the earth?..

When it brake forth, bJa if tt had issued out of the womb?] This is a very, fine metaphor. • The sea is.represented as a newly hern' infant issuing from the womb of the void and fdrmless chaos^; and the delicate circumstance of the liquor amnii, which bursts out previously to the birth of \he foetus, alluded to.. The alludion to the birth of a child is carried on in the next verse.

^fclBCJ 9. WhKn I made the cloud the -garment] Alluding to the cloth in which the new-bom' infant is first received. The cloud was th^ -same to th^ newly raised vapour, as the above recipient to the-new-bqpi chUd. • '. ■

And thick darkness a swaddlinghandforit] Here is also an allusioii'to the first dressings of the ne\f-^ born child: it \ssw<;ithed in order to support the body, $00 tender to bear even- careful handling without some medium between, the hand of the nurse and the flesh of the child. " The image," says Ml Good, " is ex>- quisitely maintained: the new-born ocean is represented as* issuing from the womb of chaos; and its dress isr that of the new-bom infant." •.

' There is here an allusion a]^o io the creation, as de§cribeH in Gen. i.. Darkness is there- said to be on ihe face of the deep. Here if is said, the thick darkness was -a swaddling'hand for the new-bom sea;

Verse 10. And brake up for it my detreed place] ThisTefers to the decree, Gen. i. 9: ^ Let the waters luder the heavens be gathered together unto one place.'*

1*1 And said, Hitherto «halt thou come, but no farther-: and here shall "^ thy pfrood >wayes pibe stayed?...

And set bars and doors] And let the dry land apptetr. This fdrmed the bars and doors of the 'sea; the. land being everywhere a barrier ag^st the enicroaehments and inundations of the sea; and great rivers, bayft, creeks, &c., the doors by which it passeA intp the interior of continents, &c. •,

Terse 11. Hitherto ' shalt thou come] Thus fa^ «h2dl thy flux «nd reflux extend. The tides are maiw • vetlously limited and regulated, not only by the lunar and solar attraction, but by the qqaj^tum of time ^ilao which is required to remove any part of the earth^s surface from under the immediate attractite influence of the sun and moon. And this regulation takes place by means of the rotation of the earth round its ow« ' ^axis, which causes <me thousand dhd forty^tvoo iinilee.of its equator to pass from under any given point in, the heavens in one hour; and about-^ve hundred amd eighty miles in' t)ie. latitude of London: so. that the attracted fluid parts are every moment passing from undisr the direct attractive influence, andnhuflrtlie tides tsanfpot generally be raised to any extraordinary height. The attraction,of tfae*8un and moon, and the gravitation of its own parts to its owji centre, which preVent * too greit:\,flux on the one hand, and too great ii T^f^[ on the other; or, in other words, too high 9^ tide ^ tad too deep an eibb, are also some of those bars and doors by which its proud waves are stayed, and* prevented fVom coming farther; all being regulated by-.theeef ]&vra of attraction by the sun and moon, the g^Tita* -tion of its own parts from the suVi and moon, ^md the. diurnal motion round its own axis, by which the fluid parts, easily yielding to the above attraction, are continually moving from under the direct attractive infla>. ence. Here a world of* wisdom and -management wa» necessary, in order to proportion all theee ihtngs Id each other, so as to procure the great benefits whiok result from the flux and reflux of the sea, and preTent the evils that must take place, at least occaaienaUy, were* not those bars and doors provided. - It ie well Known thai the spring-tides happen at the change an^ ful} of the moon, at which time she is m conjune^imt ^ with and opposition to the sun. As tfiese retire.ftqm,. their conjunction, the tides neap till about three days • after the first quadrature, when the tides begin again - to be more and more elevated, and arrive at ibetr maximum about the third ds^y 'after the oppdsitien. From this time the tides neap as before till the fhird ' day^ after the last quadrature; and afterwards their* daily elevations^ are continually increased till-about the third day after the conjunction, when they reoommenoe their net^nng; the principal phenomena Of the tides o

•14 It is Inrhed as clay Collie ^-^''''^'Wi' seal; and they stand as a car- Ante i. oiyiap.

Ajtte I. oiymp. monuBg sincp thy days; and. Aate c: Cjcir. caused the dayspring -to know

13 That it might take hold of the ' ends of the earth, that.' the wicked nught be shaken oat of it?. w

aiw&ys taking place at or near the same points of eveiy hmarsynodu revolution. *„

Verec 12. Hast thou c(nnmanded the morning] This iders to dovn or morning twilight, occasioned by the rrfractum, of the solar fays hy means of the atmosphert; so tl|at we tec^ive the light by degrees, which would otherwise bdrst at once upon our eyes,' ahd injue; if Dot destroy, our alight; and by which even the body of the sun himself becomes evident several mi-H>roduction8. notes hefore he rises above the horizon. There seems to. be an allusion here to the sealing

Caused the dayspring to' know his place] This of' clay, which I believe ha^heen, and is now, frequent seems to refer to the difibrent points m which day- in the East. Six of iho^. Eastern seals for sealing

" The roving qf wickedness^is broken off." They can no longer p(ir§ue theur predatory and injurious excursions. > Verse 14. It is, turned as clqy to the seal] The earth, like soft clay, is capable of modifying itself in endless ways, and assuming infinite forms. As a proof of this, see the asi^Qi8hii\g variety of plants, flowers, and fruits, and the.infinitely diversided hues, odours, tastes, consistency, and properties, of ' its vegetable

Weak appears during the course of the earth^s resolution in its' crint; and which variety of points 'of appearing depends on this annual revolutioh. For, as clay, made of brass,! the figures va^-characters aU in relief jthe interstices being entirely perfprated and out out, so that the upper^ side of the seal is the same- as the earth goes round ^he sun eyery year in the ec)ip-! the lower, now lie before me. They seem to havo tie, one half of which is on the north side of the equinoctial, and the other half on its south side, the sun appears' to change his place: every day. These' are Batten which the wisdom of God alone tsoruld, plan, and which his power alone could execute^

It may be just necessary to obserte that the dawn does ifo€ appear, nor the sun rise exactly in the same point of the horizon, two successive days in the whole year, as he declines forty-thret degrees north, and forty-three degrees south, of east; beginning on the Slst of March, and ending on the 22d of December j which vaiiations not only produce the places of rising and setting, bat also the length of day and night. And' been used M stamping pottery, as some of the fine clay still appears in the interstices. • * And they stand as a garment,] The earth receiving these impressions from the solar light and heal,. plants' and flowers spring up, and decorate iiB surface as the most beautiful stamped gdrmeht'doeB Ibe person of the most sumptuousfy dressed feiciiale. ' Mr.,Good translates the whole verse Uius:«-

" Canst thou cause them to bend round ais clay to the mould, so' th^t they are made to sit lijce a gar^ mentV

He supposes that reference is here made to the rays. of light; but take his ownVords: " The image, as.it by this decHnation north and south, or approach to and appears to me, is taken directly from the art Of potrecession from the tropics of Gancer and Capricorn, > tery, an image of very frequent recurrence in Scriptbe solar light lakes hold of the ^ends of the earth, I tui'e; and in the present instance adipirably,forcibIe in ver. 15r— enlightens the arctic and atitardtic circles ' painting the ductility with which the new light of tiMf in sQch a way as it would not do i^^ere it always on I momifig bends round like clay to' the mouldr and acthe equinoctial line; these tropics taking the - sun! companies the earth in eveiy part of its bhape so as to

Veise 13. Thai the wicked might 6e shaken out of ttf] The meaning appears to be this: as soon as the light begins to dawn upon the earth, thieves, assassins, marderers, and adulterers, who ^ hate and shun the Hght, fly like ferocious beasts to their several dens and hidUi^ places; for- such do not dare to come to the light, lest their works -be manifest, which are not wromght in God. To this verse i\ie fifteenth appears to belong, as it connects immediately with it, which connection the introduction of the fourteenth "verse disturbs. "And from the wicked," such as are mentioned aSbve, " their light is withholden;" they love darkness rather th^ light, because their deeds are evil; and as they prowl after their prey in the nightseason, they are obliged to sleep in the day, and thus its " l^ht is withholden" from them. ' *! And the high aim shall be broken *;" or, as ^ir. Good translates, c.

fit it, as we are expressly told in the ensuing metaphor, like a gaxinent, as the day fits the mould itself.^' Mr. Good supposes that a mould in which the pottery is formed, not a seal by which it is impressed, is referred toliere. In this sense I do not see^the metaphor consistent,, nor fhd allusion happy.. It is well known - that the rays of light never bend. They may be reflected at particular angles, but they never go out of a straight course. A gun might as well be expected to shoot round a comei:, as a ray of light to go out of a straight line, or to follow the sinuous or angular windings of a tube, canal, or adit. Hut if We take in the sun as he advances in his diurqal voyage, or rather the earth, as it turns round its own axis from west to east, the metaphor of Mr, Good will be correct enough; but we must leave out bending and ductility, as every part of the earth's surface will be at least successively invested with the light.

thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18 Hast thou.perceived the breadth of thq, eiorth? declare if thou knowest it aU. • 1 9 Where is the way where light dwellcth?• and'ai/or darkness, where is the place thereof,

sea 1 Of these sprpigji, inlets, or outlets of the sea, we 'know just as much "ss. Jobv There was prevalejit among, philosophets an opinion, that through a porous bottom fresli tnatter'^'as constantly oozinc by which the sea was supplied with n^ materials; - But throiigU «ach pores these materials might as Well ooze, ou^ as. ooze M,

Walked in thi search of the 'depth.?] Hast ttiou wicked from the dhailow heach through the great obean^s bed, tS\ thou bast arrived tLt its profbundest depths ^ In other worder, Dost thpu. know the' depths of the seal Job, we may presume; did not' No man since him has' found them out. In multitudes of places they are unfathomable by. any means hitherto used by<^an. » ' Verse 17. Ifave the gates of death been opened ufito thee?] Dost thpu know in what the aiiicle of death consists? This is as iuexplicable as the question, What is aniinal life? '. ~ -. *.

The doors' qf the shadow of death?] '.n)):ih'X_ tsdm&veih,*the intermediate state, the openings into tfu^ place of separate spirits. Hete two places are distinguished': im maveth,' death, aijd iwr:hli'tsalmaveth, the shadow of death. It wilt not do tor say, death is the privation of lift,' for what then would be the shadoio of that privation J

Verse 1*8. The breadth of the earth?] At that time.t}ie circumferdnces of the globe was' not known, because the eartlT itself was supposed. to Be a* vast ixr tended plain, bordered all round with'.the ocean and the sky.

Verse 10. Wher^ light dioelletii] What is the jourcc of light? Yea, what is light itself? It is not ifi the sun,, for light was before the sun; but what is light? It isr no doubt a substance; but of what kind? and of what are its particles? As i6^ darkness, what fs IT 1 Is it philosophical to «ay, it. is the mere privation' of light? I shall think pl^Uosophy has made some. advanced to general accuracy and perfection when it proves to us what cold is, and what darkness is, ieayiifg? mere privations out of the question. „

.VfiTse 20. Shouldest take it to the bound thereof] Or, as Mr> Good translates^ ^' That tlvdU shouldest lay hold of it In its boundary." That thpu shouldest go to the. very spot were lighf commences, and where darkneh ends; ands6e the house where each dwells. Here darkness' and light are personified, each as a real intelligent being, having a separate, existence and local dwelling. * But poetry animates every thing* It is the region bf fictitious existence.

I believe ihis /verse should be translated thus:-7- ^For thoa caost take us to its boundaxy; for thou

24 Knowest thou t^ because j thou wast then bom? oxbectmse the number of tby days^ gre^it?

22 Hast thou ent^i'ed into ^ the treasuieir of the snow? or £ast thou seen the treasure of the hail,. * * " ^..

kuowest the pktlur to its bouse J\ ^ This is a /lUong irony,.and there are several others in this. Biviiie speech* Job had valued himself too mnoh ob his knowledge; and a chief object of th^ augu^ speech is to humble his '' knowing pride,'* and to cau^ him to seek true wisdom and humility, where they are to bs found;^

Vene ^l. tnowest thofi]. l^his is another strong and biting irbny, and the literal translation |)roves it: **Xboa knowest, because thou wast^then bom-; and tha iu^er of thy days is great,^ or midtitudinousi D^31 rabbim, nitdtitudes.

Verso 22. The treasures of the snow?\ The places.where snow is formed, and the cause of jjiat formatioQ ' See on chap, xxxvii. 6. v^. • *.

Treastires of t^e hail]* It is more easy to Jtcceiml ' for tlie formaUon of snow than of hail. Bail»- however, is generally supposed to be drops' of riiu. frozen ia> their passage through.cold regions' of the ait; and the hail is'a)w^ys in proportion tp the size of the ram* drop from which it was formed. But thia- meteor does not appear to be formed from a singie drop cf. -water^ as it \» found to be composed of many smatt spherules frozen together, the centre s^etimea soft like, snow,* and, at other times formed of a ktird nucleus, wliich in. some. cases has been '^f a browm colour, capable t>f ^ ignition and ezplosioa. In: tha description given of snow, chap. xzxv^. 6, it liaa been stated that both snow and hail owe their fbiatia^ iiou to electricity; the hail being formed in the higher regions of (he,air, where the cold is intense^ and the electric matter abundant. By this ageiiey it is supposed that a great number of aqueouA par- * tides are brought together and, frozen, and inthek* descent collect other particles, so ihffX the density of the substance of the hailstone grows less and Itea from the centre, this being formed first in the' higher regions* and the surface being collected in the lower*. This theory is not in all cases supported by fact, ^ as in s<$me instances the centre has been fbynd ^ioft and snow-like, when the surface, has been hard.

Hail is the only meteor of this kind, from.whi^ no apparent good is derived^. Rain -and dew invigo^ rate and give life to the whole vegetable world; frosty. by expanding the wacter contained ip the^ earth,' pulverizes and renders the soil fertile; snop cover? and defends vegetables froQa lieing destroyed by too severe a frost; but hail does none of these.. It not only does no ^ood, but often much harm — always some. It has a chilling, -blasting efiect in spring and - suoyner, and cuts the tender plants so as to injure,

23 » Which I have Eeserved a^nst the tiiQe. of trouble, ag^nst the day of batjtle arid war?.

24 By what way is the light parted, u;^tc:^ scattereth the east< wind' upon the earth?; "

or.totaDjr.d^troy them. la bhort^ the tt^flsures qf had are not wdl £:nown; and its use in the creation has.Dot. yet been aacertainect..But. j&^ofi is God's lahrersal phugh^ by.whibh fa^s. cultivates the whole earth. ^ ^....

Against ihe day of battle and tpar f\. Hailstones being often e^lpIoyed as tnstroments of God^s dj^ple^vr tore against his enemies, and the enemies^of Jiis people. There is probably an allusion liere to the plague- §f kail sent pn the Egyptians. ^See Exod. ix. 23, 9pd th^'. notes ther^, for more particulars concerning' ImUtoneSj remarkable showers of Ihemy&c. There may be also a referetice to Josh. x. 10,.1 1, where a d^ractive shower of what are called hailstones fell upon the Canaanitish kings who fought against Israel! See the note there;dso.

• Verse 24. By what way is the light parted] Who can accurately desciibethe cause and operalioh of a thunder cloud, the caase^ nature, and mode of opera^ iion of iheJigbtning itself T ' Is it a simple element or compound substance f What is its velocity 7 ■ and why not conductible hy every kind o^^ substance, as, it is kaoT^n to exist in cdl, and, indeed, to be diffused through every portion of nature? How is it ptfrted? How docs it take its zigzag form 1 This is the curious, indescribable, and unknown parting. Are al} the causes of positive and negative electricity four^d out? What are its jparticles, and how, do the/ cohdre^ and in what order are they propagated 1 - Much has beqti ■aid on all these poijnts, and,how little- of that much satisfactorily! ^ '

' Scattereth the east wihd upon the earth.'] Onp lading the eastern storm, euroclydon, or levanter'.

Verse 25. Divided a water-course^ The original ihj^TS tealah, from n^;^ edah, to ascend, may signify rather a cloud, or clouds in general, where the waters ace stored up. I cannot see hbw the overflowings or torrents of water can be said tq ascend any other way than bjr evaporation; and it is l>y this Divine contri- -vanoe that the earfh is not quly irrigated, but even dried; and by this means too mu6h moisture is not. permitted to lie upon the ground, which would not bnly be injurioqs to vegeflation, but even destroy it. But query, may not a waterspout' he intended ^

A uiay for the, lightning of thunder'^ '*'A path for iliebolt of thunder." God is represented as directing the course even of the lightning; he launches the bolt, and' makes the path in which it is to run. To grasp,

* manage, and dart the thunderbolt or lightning, was a way for the 'hghtnmg of thun- Ant#i.oifrop.

236 To cause it to ntiii on the '^^'

earth, where no man is;- on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;^..

work wKi^h heathenism -gave to Jupiter, its supreme god; • Nobe of* the inferior deities w^re capable of this., But who can thunder with a voice dike the Almighty 1 He is THE fnUNDBAKR...

Verse 26. ^o cause it ta rain on t^e hxrih] It is well known that rotn fnUs copiously in thundet-storms. The flash is ^t se^n, the clap is next heard, and last tha> ram desccAds.. The lightning travels all lengths in no perceivable succession 6i time. Sound i^, propag^^ At th^ rate of I'l 42 feet in a second. Rain, travels stiU more slowly, an4 will, be seen sooner or /o/er- according to thQ, weight of the drops, and the distance of' the cloud- from the place ^ the specter. Now ^e- flash, the clap, and the ram, take place all in the same moment, biit are. discernible by us in the succession already tnentioned,.'and f9r the -reasons given above;.• and more at large iiti the' note on chap, 'xxxvi. 29, &c..

But how are these things. formed 1. The lightning i» represented ats copaing immejiatQly from the 'hand oil God, The dap is the effect qf the/k^AMtn^, which causes k vacuum in th^t pari of the iitmosphere through which it passes; the.air rushiag in tb restore 4he equilibrium may cause much of ^the noise that is heard in the clap.. Ath easy experiment ei\>the airpump illilstraies this:. Take a glass -receiver open at both ejids, over one end tie a piece of sheep's bladder Vet, and lei it stand till thoroughly dry.. Then plaee the open end on- the plate of the airpump, ^d exhaust the air slowly from under it. TI9 bladder soon becomes concave, owing to the pressure of the atmof spheric air on.it, the '^pporting air in (he receiver - being partly thrown out..Carry on the exhaustion, and. the.air presses. at the rate of fifteen pounds on every square inch*; see on chap^ xxViii. The fibres of the bladder, being' no -longer capable of bearing the pressure of the atmospheric column upon the receiver, ^e torn -to pieces, with a noise equ>l t6 the report of a jnusket,. which is ob^asioned by the air. rushing in to restore. the equilibrium, Imagine a^ rapid, succession of such.experitnents, and you. have the peal of thunder, the rupture of the first bladder being -jthe clap. But thQ explosion of the gases (oxygen and hydrogen) of -^'hich water is composed will also account for the noise. See. below. *;

• But how doea the thunder. cause 'rain 1 By the most accurate and incontestable, experiments it isproved that water is a composition of two elastic airs or gases as they are called, oxygen and hydrogen. In 1 00 parts of water there are 8 8i of oxygen, and 1 1^ of hydrogen.. Pa8S;s> succession of electric sparks (hiotigh water by means of a proper apparatus, and- the two gases are produced in the proportipas mentioned above.

To.decompose water hy galvanism.'-^T^ke a nar-. ToW^ass tube three or four inches loog; fit each end witk a cork penetrated by a piece of slender iron ixire, tod fill the tube with water. Let the eVlds of the two wires within the tnbe be distant from each other about ihree quarters of an inch, and 1^ one be made to communicate with thQ topt the bther^with the bottom of ^galvanic pile in action. On faiaklng this cominunication, bubbles of air will be formed, and ascend tq the top of the tube,'lhp water decreasing as it is decomfwsed.. ' *

The oiygen and hydrogecL formed by this experiment may be recomposed into' the same weight of water. Take any quantity of th^ oxygen and hydrogen gases in the proportions already mentioned; ignite them vy the electric spark, and they produce a quan-. ^ty t>f water equal in weight to the ' gases employed. Thus, then, wtf can C9nvert wdfterinio air, and.recon-. vert this air into water; and the proportions hold as abore..-I liave repeatedly seen this done, and assisted in doing ^it,*but cannot,, in this place, describe every thing in detail. -,. •'

• Now to the plfTpose- of this note;^ the rain 4escending after the.^<uA aiid the peql: The electric spark or matter of lightning, passing through the atmosphere, ignites and decomposes the oxyj^n and. hydrogen, which explode, zxi^ -the water whi<;ji was formed of these tWo falls down in the form of rain. ' The explosion of the gases, as wSll dA the rushing in of the circumambient air to restore the eqviilibrium;>yiir account for the sl^p and peai: as the decomposition and ignition of them will account for the water or rain which is.the attendant of ^ thunder storm. Thus by the lightning of thunder Go^ causes it to rain on the earth. How marvellous and instructive are his ways! '

Verse 2T. To satisfy the desolate and waste\ The thunder.-cloud n6t onl^ explodes oyer inhabited countries, that the air may be purified, iqd the rain sent down to fertilize the earth, biit it Is conducted over deserts where there is no huma^ inliabitant; and this to cause the bud of/ the tender hirb to spring forth: for there are heists, fowls, and insects, that inhabit • the desert and the wilderness^* and imist "be noui^ished by the productions of the ground. Every tribe bf animds was made by theliand of God, and even the lowest of tiiem is supported by his kind providence.

29 Out of whose womb came the ^}c'^;^^ ice f and the ^ hoary frost of hea- Ante I. oiyn^L ven, who hath gendered it? Ante u. c. cir

30 The waters are hid as with '?^' a. stone, *and the face of the deep *iA ^ frozen.

is below the horizon. It appears to dififer horn ram «t ' less h^fnore. It8< origin and matter are dbmbtlerii fir6m the Vapours and exhalations.ihzX rise from the earth and water." Va^ous eiq)eriment« ^ve t)eea instituted to ascertain v^hethef ^w arises from the earth', pt dticends from the* atmosphere f and those pro and con have alternately pfepohdertUed^' The question is not yet decided; and we eaimot yet'.tflU any mora thaa Job which hath begotten the drops of ^ dew, the atmosphere or the earth. Is it waler deposited from the atmosphere, when ihe surface of Mi ground is colder than the ^ir 1. * •

Verse 69. Out of whose womb came the ice t\ Ici is a solid, transparent, and brittle body^ fo^boeidof #at«t by means of cold. Some philosophers suppoee thai iee is only the re-establishme.nt of water in its naturei state; that the mere absence of fire is sufficient to aecquQt for this re-establishment; and that the fiuid^ of water is a realfusidn, like that of metals exposed to the action of fire; and differing only in this, thsEl % greater portion of fire is necessary to- one than * the - other. Ice; therefore, is supposed to' he^the- naturoL state of water; so that in. its natural state water it solid, ^ajid becomes fiuid only by the action of fire, ad solid metallic bodies are brought into.'a f^ie of foam by the same means.

Ice is lighter than water, its ^cifio ' gravity being to that of water as eight to nine. This rarefaclioH of ice is supposed to be owing to the air-bubbles pitih duced in water by freezing, and which) being eoneiderably larger in proportion to the water froafien, render the bodyso much specifically lighter; hence ice always floats on water. The air-bubbles, during their pror. dUcCion, acquire a great expgmsive power, so aa to burst the containiiig vessels, be they ever so strong;. See examples in the note on chap, xxxvii. 10.

The hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it /] Hoar-frost is the congelatiQU of dew, in ftosty, mornings, on the grass. It consists of an assemblage of little crystals of ice,* which are of various fign^ei, ac-* cording to the* different disposition of the yapoora when met and condensed by the cold. Its prqdaetion is owing to some laws with which we are hot yei acquainted. Of this subject, ailer the lapsejkdd experience of between two and three thousand years, w« know about as much as Job did. And the qnes^on, What hath engendered ihe hoar-frost of heaven t iti to this hour, nearly as inexplicable to ta ha it was to him! Is it engugh to say that hoar-frost is water do-. ' posited* from the atmosphere at a low temperature, so tis to. prodvLce cong£lation J., *

Verke 3X>. The waters are hid as with a staae] Here is a reference to freezing in the winter, aa wo may learn from some of the constellations mentioned below, Which arise.above our horizon, in the winter months.. ' dl Canst thou bind the. sweiet loose the bands of* Orion?

3 2 Canst thou bring forth < Maz- sea^on? <)r canst thou -" guide

33 Knowcst thou "^ the ordinances of heavto? canst.thou set the dprainion thereof in the earth?'

•36x pWho Hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given ux^er^tanding to the heart?

.Th0 word \H^t\n\yiihchahbau is nbdeicstood t>J the mrnooB in genexsi a» imf lying hardening or cOngda- Hm^ vai. we knpw in some intense frosts the ioe be- Moles M hard as^ a stone} and. even- th^ /ace of the deep ~ the Terjr seas ihemaelves, not oiily in the polar tildes, irat even in northern conntries, Nohvay, Su>e» im, Denmark, HoUfmd, and parts of Germany, are raafiy frozen^ and locked ap from all the purposes ef, ttTij^ation ton several months in winter.

Yerae 3 1. Canst thou hind the sweet influences^ of FUimdes] The Pleiades are -a constellatfon in the «ga Taurus, They -consist of.nv stars visible to tht naked eye; to a good ^ye, in a^ clear night, seven m diflcemible; but with ^telescope ten times the moAet may be readily counted. They make their ifpearaqce in the spring, Ojrian may be seen in the imiiiiigt towards the end of October, and is visible flnroQgh November, December, and January; and^ Waee,' says Mr. Good, it becomes a correct and elegant synecdoche for the winter at large. The ^leiade? v^e

Art thofi a thorough astronomer? - Art thoa acqnaisted with all the laws of the planetary system? Canst thoit account for vthe difference of their, motions, and the in^uence by whict\ they are retained and revolve in their orbits? And canst thou tell what influence or dominicfn they exercise on tffe earth? 3ir Isaao Newton has given us much ligl^ton many of these things: bnt to his system, which is most probably the true onCr gravity is essential; and yet what this graviiy is, he could iieither explain nor coioQprehend; and his followers are not one whit wi^r' than he. No man has ever yet fully /otinrf oiri the ofdinances of heaven, and -therdominion thereof on the earth. "

Verse 3i. Canst thou Uft up thy voice to the clouds] ■ Canst thou produce Ughtnihg and thunder, that water-' mayjbe formed, and poured.down' upon the earth t ^ Thunder is called ni^. kololh, voices; for it is odik sidered the voice of jQod: here then JeFs voice, f^lp kolecha, is opposed to the voice ef JMLoyxR \ • elegantly opposed to Orton, as the vernal renovation! already seen that the liglitning is supposed to.be imof nature is opposed to its wintry destruction; the mild; mediately in jthe^;i^ and under ^he management of and open benignity of spring, to-. the severe and icy • God. " The great god'of the heathen, Jupiter Brontes, ioactiTity of trt>i/«r. ' f is represented with the forked lightnings and thunder-

Ihare already expressed my mind on these supposed ' bolt in his hand. He seems so to.grasp the bickering eonstellations, and must refer- to my notes on chap. ix. | flame that, though it struggles for liberty, it cannot P, Ac., and to the learned notes of Doctor Hale^ and | escape from his hold. Lightnings— Kovr much like

Mr. Mason Good on these texts. They appear certain, Iphere I am obtiged'to doubt.; and, from their view of the subject, make very useful and important deductions. I find reluctance in departing from the ancient verlions. In this case, these learned men follow t^em; leannot, because I do not see the ^evidence of the fffmodwoik r and*! dare not. draw con<;lusions from premises which seem to me precarious, or which I do Bot onderstand. I wish, therefore, the reader to eXuniile and jndge for himself.

Terse 33.. Mazzaroth in his season t] This is ge- SorsDy understood to mean the signs of the zodiac, ivmo Mazzaroth, according to Parkhurst, comes from ytO mazar, to corrupt; and he > supposes it to mean ^SOMi pestilential' 'winA in Arabia, caOed simoomt the eeason of which is the summer heats.

the sound of thunder is the original word: 0^313 Berakim! Here, are both sense and sowid.

Here we are?]. Will the winged lijghtnings be thy messengers, as they are mine 4-

Verse 36. Who hath put ^wisdoyn in (he inward parts?] Who has given ^318^ lasethvi, to the amtemplativie person, understanding J Eten the most sedulous attention to a subject, and the deepest contemplation, are not sufiicient to investigate truth, without the inspiration of the Almighty, which alone can give understanding. But who has given man the power to conceive and understand 1 A power which he knows he has, but which he cannot comprehend. Man knows nothing of his own rnind, nor of the mode of its operations. This mind we-, possess, these operations we perform; — and of either do we know any thing? If we know not our own spirit, how can we comprehend that Spieit which is infinite and etemafj.

Mr. Good thinks that this verse is a continuation of the subject above, relative to xHe lightnings, and therefore translates thus:: — *

Who putteth understanding into the voUies?

And who giveth to ^e shafts discernment T

37 Who csfli number the clouds

the bottles of heaven,';- hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

39 * Wik thou hunt the prey for the iipi>?

or fiir^ the appetite of ihe youflgJions,

All the t;ef5io9«,.^ except the Septttaginij which trifles here, '.understand the place as we do.^* Either mabes a good sense. The Septuagint l^as, '* Who hath given th& k)iowledge of weaying to women; or the science of embroidery V\ Intsead of> undeirstand' ing to ike hearty the VuLgttH has, understanding to the. cock; ilniX'it might be ^ able to diatingai^h and proclainr the watches of the nlghtV

Verse 37. Who can number the douds] Perhaps the word '^D 8aphaf:<, which is commonly rendered to fit4/r|66r,' may here mean> as in Ai^ic, to irradiaifi, as' Mr. Good contends.; and may refer' to Jhose celestial and inimitable tinges which- we sometimes behold in the sky. - •, \

Bottles of heetvin] The clouds: it is an* allusion to the girbahs, or bottles made of skin, in which they are accustomed to carry their water' from wells an^ - ipfiks,: ■:.. •

•Verse- 38. When' the dust groweth into hardnM] ' That 19, Who knows how the dust — the elUmetttaryf pnQrlides of matter, >Kex^. concreted; aqd how the clods — the. sereral pavts of • the earth j continue to cohere % What is the principle of xohesion -amohg^ the different particles of matter, in 9\\*metab and mineraU t Even wqleri in a solid* form) constitutes, a part of several-gems, palled thence waier of crystallization. Who can Solve this^ question 1 How is it that 00 parts o{ aluniine, 7 of silexj aind 1*2^ of oxide o/" troll) cotistitute the "ortentixl ruby? and that 9.0 parts of.^t/ejp, and 19 of toa^^r, form the;M^ctoi(^ <>;>a/.^ And how can 46 parts of Wex, 14 of aluminey 28 of carbonate of4ime, 6'5 of sulphate of iime, 3 of oxide pf iron, and 2 'of water, enter -.into tlie constitution, and form the substance, of the lapis Itizuli? JIow do these solids and fluids oC such differing natures grow into hardness, and form.this «urious mineral?

Take another.example ffom that beautiful precious stone, the emerald Its analyst shows it to be composed of glucine 13, silex 64 '5, alumine 16, lime. I '6, and oxide of chrome $*25.. Now how oanthese dusts, utterly wozihless in themselves, grow into' hardness,. combine, and fofm one of the most beautiful, and, neitt to the diamond, the most preciousi of all the gems? The almighty and infinitely wise God has dond this • in a way. only known to and comprehensible* by himself.'. - '

Verse 39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the liont] Rather the Honess, or strong lion.' Hast thou his ■. instinct? Dost thou know the. he^its and haunts of such -animals as he seeks for his food? Thou hast neithes. his ^/r«n^/A,' his instinct; nor his cunning. -

In the best Hebrew Bibles the tfiirty-ninth chapter begins with this Verse, and begins properly, as a' new 174 N * young, ones God, 4hey wander for Jack -of subject.now.commences, relating to -the natural his^ tvry of the earthy or the animal kingdom; as the preceding cliapter does to astronomy and pieteorology.. • Ver8Q.4p. When they^ couch in their dens] Beibre. they are.capable of trnsting ihemselTes abroad. ^

^-bide iti the. covert] Before 4hej are able to hanl down the 'prey, by running. Jt is-a lact that Uie youn^ lions, befor^ they have squired su^ciefit ftreng^ and swiflAesS} lie 'under cover, in onder -to surprise those animals which they have not fleetoess enough to overtake in the forest; and irpm thi? circumstance the tTTDD kephirim,." young lions, or lions' whelps," hav* their, name; the- root is "ysa-caphar, to dover,6i hide,. See the note on chap. iv. li, where; ^tjr diOgrenl names' are given to the lion, -all expressing some distinct quality or state. • •..

Verse 41 v WJio providethfor the raven} This bird is chosen, perhaj^s, for his voracious appetite,' and general hunger for prey, beyond most other fbwW He makes a continual. cry, and the cry is tiiat.of ■ hunger. He 'dares not 'frequent the habitations of men) a9 he is considered a bird of ill omen, and hated by all: - V

This verse is ^nely paraphrased by Dr. Yoime:—

" Fond man! the vision of a moment made! " Dream of a dream, and shadow of a shade!. '.

'What worlds hast thou produced,.what' creatures

What insects cherish'd, that Ihy God is blamed? '

.When painM with hunger, the wild riiv&n's ht6(A, Calls upon God, importunate for food, Wlio he;irs their cry! Who grants their hparse

. And stills the clanlours of the craving nest T'

On whieh he Has this note: — " The reason given why the raven is particularly mentioned as the care of Providence is, because by her clamor$tUMnd importOnate voice she particularly seems always ealling npon it;. thence Kopaaao, a Kopa^, is tfi ask earnestly. —rJEUam. • lib..ii., c. 48. And since- there were ravens on the. banks of the ^ile, more clamorous than the rest of. that species, those probably are meant ill this plaee«.*'

The conmiencement of Cicero's oration againsi Catiline, to which I have referred on ver. 3^ \it> the following: —

Quousque tanden^ abutero, Catilina, patientift nostra V Qaamdiu etiam furor iste tuu& nos eludet? Qoem ' ad finem sesfl effrenata jactabit audacia? Nihilne to nocturaum pr»8idium palatii, — nihil urbis.vigili«,— nihil timor populi, — 'nihil concursus bonorum omnioxfl, — nihil hie munitissimufr habendi eenatus loons,

Of the wOd goatsjimfif, ^.

— 42iil hoTiiia ijf%^ TnkoaqOb movenmt t Pateie tua cmlia'TiqfD fieptis? Constrictam jam omniam honnwHiacieixtia t6neri coDjurationem tuam non Tides f Qiii prajima, qp[d Buperiore noete egeri8,-7-abi faecoDYOcaveris,— quid conaiiii ceperia> qnem igDorare arbitrariB? ^ 0 t^mporaj O mores!

I liaec intelligit, — consul videt; hio tamen vItU!?intl inuno tero eiiam in senatum Tenit; fit pablici edosilii paiticeps; notat et designat'oeulis ad caedem vMMineniqae nostrum! Nos antem, Tiri fortes, sa- i reipubiics, Tidemur, si istius furorem acf tela

''How long wilt tboo, O patiline, abase our patt • How.long shall thy madness outbrave 6ur 1 1 To what extremities art thou resolved to pQsb thy.unbridled.insolence of gu|]tt.Canst ^ou kbold the Doetumal arms th&t Watch -.the palatium^-^ te gnaClfdv of the cltyr— 4he consternation' of the eiti- KM,-^— all tlie wise and worthy clus(erii^ into consulttfioor— the impregnable situation ^f «the seat of the HBate,-''-ihd the reproachful looiitof the fathers of Romel Canst thou behold all. this, and yet remain ndannted and unabashed 1 Art ^hou inifensible ^at thy measures are detected? Art thou insonsdble^that this senate, new thoroughly informed, c^dB^Hendfjthe whole exient of thy guiltl Show me' the senator.Jignorant of ihy pjactices during the last aod preceding night, of the place whejre ybu m«t^ the company you summoned, add the crime you concerted. The senate is. conscious, — the consul is witnesis to alhthis; yet, 0\Qm m^an and degenerate*! thp traitor Jives!. laves? -he mixe^ with Che senate ^ be shares in our counts; *; •with a steady eye he surveys us; he anticipates his guilt;, he enjoys the murderous thought, and coolly. marks us to bleed! Ye we,- boldly passive in our counfTy^s catfse, think we. act lltLo Romans, if we caa ^ escape his frantic rage I". ',

The reader will* peiceive bow finely CicQit>. ru^es into this inviecttve, as if the danger had been too immediate to give him leisure.'for- the. fonnality of ad- -*- •dress and introduction.. See Guihrie^s Orations of tJicero. * '.. '

. Heife is eloqiience!..Here is nature \ 'And in thus speaking her. language, the \x^^ orator pierces with his lightnings -the deepest 'recesses of the heart. The success of this species of ^oratory is infallible in the pulpii, when the preacher «ttnderstands. hb^ to m&% ' nage it.- '. '

AJite L oiymp. when the wild goats of the

NOTES ON CHAP.' XXXIX. Verse 1> Knowest thcuu thk time] To kivp'w the Itflie, eLC.<, only, V^as easy, and has nothing extraordi^ Dtiy in it; but the meaning of these questions is^ to knsw the circumstances, which have something peculiarly expressive of God> providence, and make the qoestions proper in this "place. Pliny observes, that the kind with young is by instinct directed to^ a certain lieit», named seselis, which facilitates the birth. Thunder, a]ao, which' lodbs like the more immediate hand of Prondence, has the same efiect. Psa. xxix. 9: *' The TOKv <^ the Lord maketh the hinds to galvk.^' See Dr. YouHO. What is. called the wild goht, SjT' yael, fiwn n^ alah, to ascend, go oT mount up, is generally andentobd to be the ibex or fnourAain goat, called yael, from the wonderful manner in which it mounts to the tepr of the highest rocks. It is certain, says Johnston, nine is no crag of the mountains so high, prominent, or steepi bnt this animal will mount it in a number of Imps, provided only it be rough, and have protubenoces large enoi^gh Xq receive its hoofs in leaping. This animal is hidigenons to Arabia, is of' amazing strength and agilityt and considerably larger than the common goat It» horns are very long, and -often bebd back over\thcr whole body of the animal; and it