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

All that I shall further add for the opening of this question, is, that when God speaks here of the treasures of snow, we are not to understand it, as if he had great heaps of snow formally amassed up together in any place of the air, as men lay up treasures of money or corn, or of any other useful matter; but the words are an elegant Metaphor, the meaning only this, God hath abundance of snow ready at his will and dispose, at his call and command, whensoever or wheresoever he is pleased to make use of it; for 'tis as easy with God at any time to draw out and pour down abundance of snow, as if he had infinite store of it kept always by him. He no sooner speaks the word, but the face of the earth is covered, and its bosoms filled with silver showers. Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?

All that I shall further add for the opening of this question, is, that when God speaks here of the treasures of snow, we are not to understand it, as if he had great heaps of snow formally amassed up together in any place of the air, as men lay up treasures of money or corn, or of any other useful matter; but the words are an elegant Metaphor, the meaning onely this, God hath abundance of snow ready at his will and dispose, at his call and command, whensoever or wheresoever he is pleased to make use of it; for 'tis as easie with God at any time to draw out and powre down abundance of snow, as if he had infinite store of it kept alwayes by him. He no sooner speaks the word, but the face of the earth is covered, and its bosomes filled with silver showers. Hast thou entred into the treasures of the snow?

Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?

These treasures of hail are of the same nature with those of snow, and so to be understood as the former; but there is a difference in the form of snow and hail, though not in the matter out of which snow and hail are formed. Hail (say Naturalists) is a hot vapour, drawn up to the middle region of the air, whence falling, it is frozen in passage into lesser or greater stones or grains of ice. These hail-stones are sometimes poured down so great in quantity, and often in such great quantities, that it may well be said, there are treasures of them. And when the Lord puts this question to Job, Hast thou seen the treasures of the hail? he seems to allude to those who inspect the public treasure of any Kingdom or Common-wealth, receiving in and issuing out the revenues of it, as occasion requires, and as they are required. As if the Lord had said, Hast thou, O Job, like some great Lord Treasurer, taken a view of these stores? I know thou wilt confess thou hast not seen them with thy bodily eyes; I know also thou hast not reached them clearly with the eye of thy mind or understanding; even those treasures are greater than thou canst imagine. All that which thou hast any way seen, is less than the least part of that which thou hast not seen. Hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?