Chap. 36. ezi Expofstron upon the Book of J o s. Verf.29. the Lightning will fpread in the Clouds ? Thus Tome conned} it with the following verfe. Who caps underfiand thelipreading Of the Clouds? There is a fp.cial derivation of :he word rend red Clo,ade, from the Hebrew, Greek, and Latine, all pretending to the nature of the,Ctouds r The Hebrew word properly noteth the thicknefsor grofsnefs of the Clouds; the Greek word noteth the dropping nature of the Clouds, beingderived from a rootewhich fignthe :h to drop, or ( which is near the fame) to defcead, the roote, word fgnifying to fall ; the Latine word is taken from coveting , be caule the Clouds mask or cover the face of Heaven, and of ten hide and fcreine the fhining,of the Sun from us. Now becaufe. Elihu is upon a work of nature, and inti(ts'upon it all along in the next Chapter x I (hall therefore to clear the matter, propofe and añfwer three Q eftions concerning the Clouds. Fitts , Ghat is a Cloud, or what is the nature of the Clouds ?" eAcloud is a moils vapour drawnup from theearth or water by the heat of the Sun into the middle re ion ofthe Aire(as Na,urali' s di- vide the Aire) where being by the coldnefr of the place congealed, andas it wereknit together, at hangerh and centinueth there , till tt, be broken up at the difpofe of God, and fent downfor the comfort or correelion ofman in raine, fnsw, baile, &c, The clouds of heaven derive their pedigree from the moilitare found on earth, and to the earth they return their moifture. Secondly, Seeing the Cloudsare fuck mighty bodies,and con-" tain (as í may fay ) whole feas of water in them, and water,being a heavy body, naturallydefcends or tends downward (as all heavy things do) it may be quefilened (and indeed it is a wonder) how thofe Clouds are kept aloft in the Aire ? how cones it to pals that fach heavy bodies, Inch floods of water do not prefently fair violently, and at once fhed themfelves down upon, and over- whelrne the earth ? To that l anfwer, Firft, Some fay the Cloudsare kept up by that natural job: ed heat orwarmth which is included in them ; or that they are kept upby the fuperiour heat, theSun., and £:ars, which fitti drew them up. Secondly, Others ay, there mighty Clouds are held up by F f f the 405 nv Huber a danfìtare aft cra,/famontuat aarù, wçnn vel a ETA tJt9are, vel a L1';:, cadere.
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