Chap. 38. an Expofatfon upon the Book of j o B. Verf. 23,19,1 _ lion of that honourable Title beftowed upon them in that age. TheScriptures give frequent inflances of the Lords avenging himfelf upon his and his peoples enemies, by fforms of hail. This was one of the tengrievous plagues which God Pent upon Pharaoh and the Land of Egypt (Exod. 9. 17i 18.) As yet ex- altefi thou thy felf againfi my people, that thou wilt not let them go ; behold, to morrow about this time I will eaufeit to rain a very grievous hail, fach as loath not been in Egypt fnte the foundation thereof , anduntil row. It was wich hail-(tones that God fought againtt and difcomfited the Army of five confederare Kings in the days of l o fhua (Jofh, ro. tr. ) The Lord ca.bgreat floues from heaven upon them , and they died , they were more which died with the hail 'ones, than they whom the children of If rael flew with the/word. There are two things fingular and ex- traordinary, if not miraculous in this paffage of providence Firft , The magnitude and weight of there hail-(tones, together with the violence oftheir motionwas fuck , that like bullets dif- charged from Canon or great Ordnance , they flew them out- right or dead cn the place , upon whom they fell. Secondly , That the Ifraelites , being in purfuit of there Canaanites , and doubtlefs mixed with them (as in a battei, where they come to handy firoaks, it mull needs be) that yet none of them were hurt bythe hail (tones,but the Canaanites onely. God,who,,®flhew his goodnefs, caufeth his Sun toThine andhis rain to fall indifferent- ly-upon the good and upon the bad , knows how , that he may fhew his Jullice, co caufe his hail to fall diflinelly upon the bad, and not upon the good. Deborah faith in her Fong (fudg, 5. 20.) Theoars in their courtes fought againfi. Si(era. Ir is re- 7ofel h. lib.,. ported by 7ofephus , defcribing this battel , that as foon as Antiquit. 7u- the armies joyned battei , God fent a violent fhower of daicart n. c. o hail, which (fay fome) being naturally caufed by the influences of the flats or heavenly bodies , the flays may be faid to have fought in their courts, like fouldiers drawn up in battalia a- gainft Sifera and hisarmy. And thus by great thunder the Lord difcomfited the boll of the Philiflins in the days of Samuel, (r Sam.7. t o.) The prophet gives out feveral threatnings under the notion of hail (Ifa. 28.17. chap. 3e. 30.) and fodoth that la(} prophefie (Rev. 16.21. ) And there fell upon men a great hail outof heaven, every foue about the weight of a talent. All which
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