516 .,.. Verf. 13. tAn E.vpoftion upon the Bookof J o B. Chap. 37. Rod of his anger (Ifa..i o. y.) David called all wicked menin general the Swo:dof Gcd, in his prayer for deliverance from them (Pfal. :7. 13, I4.) Deliver my foul from the wicked, thy fword, from men which are thy hand, O Lord (thy correCEinghand, men ordain'd for yudg'ment, and ejlablifht for CorreUion, as the Prophet fpake of the Chaldean; , Flab. I. 1 2. ) who have their portion in this life. And as the Lord makes men, fo the Beafis of the earth, a Rod for the corre}ion of Man. Thus the Lord threat- ned by his Prophet, I will fend among thena,Sworil, andPeftrilence, and noy fme Beafls. Here in the Text we have a Rod made of a Cloud, a f range kind of Rod; I'le fend it for a Rod, it "(hail cotise for correaion. Parents corree their childrenwith Rods,God corrects the world with Floods ; fi:ff, with unfeafonable, fecondly, with fuperfluous, Rains, Owhat fevere corregions bathGod laidupon the world by the Clouds ! The Clouds have been terrifying, deflroying. Rods (Exod. 9. 58, z 3.) Clouds have deflroyed the Fruits of she earth for the in of Man, and taken away the hopes of the Har- vea. Rain from the Clouds bath ruined the dwellings of men, and fpoyledbo- h Co n and Cartel ; Rain from the Clouds was that overflowing (courge, which deflroyed the whole earth in the dayes of%j,oah then God caufed the Cloud to come., I cannot fay for correCion, but for ruine, for an univerfal ruine anddevafla- tion. And as God thenmade the Clouds a ruin_ to the world, fo he often makes them a carreeion (r Sans. 12. 18, 19 etra to. 9. ) we have had many examples, both of fveeping Raine, and dreadful Thunders,Lightningand Tempefl,coming forth from the Clouds. The Apotîle faith (P.om. I. 18.) The wrath ofGod is reveal- ed from Heavers againft all angodlinefs, &c. Cod bath revealed his wrath from Heaven chiefly in and by the Miniftry of his VVord ; hemaybe faid altoto reveal his wrath from Heaven againìt fintul man in and by the Minifirÿ of the Clouds ; they have often lifted tap their Voyce like a Iousl Trumpet, and louder thana Trumpet, to tell the forts of men of their trangreffion, and to reprove them for their fin. And therefore when we fee extraordinary gatherings ofthe Clouds, we fhould take inf}rueion, left we provoke the Lord to fend, or caufe them to come for correction. The Clouds lropdownmany goodLeffons and admonidons,and if theyare not attended
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