Chap. 38. an Expotion upon the BoelZof J o B. Verf. 8. 93 and iffued out of the womb : Then God Phut it inwith doors, and prepared garments and fwadling bands for it ; then he re- Brained the rage, force, and fury of it,, and held it as hisprifoner or captive inbonds. As loon as an Infant is born, it is bound up and fwadled;and as loon as the Sea(as I may fay)was born orcome into the World , God took order with is ; and to keep it inor- der, he provided doors to fhut it in , and garmlents to bind it up with. What the Scripture fpeaks of Gods coercing the Sea , may be reduced to two heads : FirfI , To that refiraint which he laid upon the Sea , prefent lv upon its Creation, Tome fay the firfi , others the third day of the Creation; according to that (Gen. t, 9,) Godford, Let the waters under the heaven begathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear and it was fo. Thus the Lord reduced it to a certain place. Secondly, To that refiraint which God laid upon ir,afrer this reducement , that it fhould no more return, to overflow the Earth. Both rhefe refiraints or laws put upon the Sea, are con- tained in this Context ; the former of them in the eighth and ninth verles : As loon as the Sea iffued out of the Earth , God fet up its doors , and made it bands. The latter of thefe , the giving of a fpecial Law , that when it was (hut in , it fkould no more break forth, but according to his appointment, we have in the tenth and eleventh verles , where it is faid , Ibrakeup for it my decreed place , and let bars anddoors ; andfaid, hitherto fhalt thou come, and no further ; and here (hall thy proud waves beflayed. So then , here we have Firf , Bounds and limits of ignedby God to that vafl and un- ruly Elemenr, the Water, that the Earthmight be habitable and ufeful both for man and beaft. And, Secondly, We have the Lord restraining all power or liberty (whichnaturallyit would have had and taken) to violate or break thefe bounds : For had not God given the Waters of the Sea fuch a fpecial command(though bounds hadbeen afligned them) they would quickly have broken their bounds. Thefe twoorders of God differ much, thoughnot in the time when they were given out r yec in the nature of the thing ; and both
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