An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

In the eighth verse we have only doors; he hath shut up or anointed the doors of the sea; but here we have bars and doors. It is an allusion to strong Cities and Castles, or to great mens Houses, which have not only doors, but doors barred and double locked. Bars strengthen doors, and keep them fast and sure. A strong door, if not well locked and barred, may quickly be broken open; therefore the Lord to make all fast, tells us that when he had put the sea into his decreed place, that it should no more return to cover the earth at its own pleasure, or according to its natural bent (for there is a desire, that is, a natural bent in the sea to be over-flowing all, and to repossess the place from which it was at first with-drawn; the Lord I say tells us that) he then set doors and bars to keep it in, and shut it up fast enough. And if you enquire what is meant by these doors and bars, with which 'tis shut in? Some answer, The sands of the sea, others the rocks, cliffs and banks; these are bars and doors by which the sea is shut in. But though these things are indeed as bars and doors to keep the sea from returning again; yet that which is the great bar and door, is the word of command from God, as appears fully in the next verse.

In the eighth verse we have only doors; he hath shut up or annointed the doors of the sea; but here we have bars and doors. It is an allusion to strong Cities and Castles, or to great mens Houses, which have not only doors, but doors barred and double lockt. Bars strengthen doors, and keep them fast and sure. A strong door, if not well lockt and barred, may quickly be broken open; therefore the Lord to make all fast, tells us that when he had put the sea into his decreed place, that it should no more return to cover the earth at its own pleasure, or according to its natural bent (for there is a desire, that is, a natural bent in the sea to be over-flowing all, and to repossess the place from which it was at first with-drawn; the Lord I say tells us that) he then set doors and bars to keep it in, and shut it up fast enough. And if you enquire what is meant by these doors and bars, with which 'tis shut in? Some answer, The sands of the sea, others the rocks, clifts and banks; these are bars and doors by which the sea is shut in. But though these things are indeed as bars and doors to keep the sea from returning again; yet that which is the great bar and door, is the word of command from God, as appears fully in the next verse.