THE seaman's DIRECTION IN TIME OF storm.  
Delivered in a Sermon upon occasion of a strong stormy Wind lately happening.  
By IER. BURROUGHS.  MATTH. 8. 27. The Winds and the Sea obey him. 
LONDON: Printed by T. Paine and M. Simmons. 1640.   

To the Reader.  
IT hath been the way of God in speaking to men, and drawing their hearts to him, to apply himself to them, in those things they have skill of and are acquainted with. When Christ was revealed to the Wise men that came from the East, it was by a Star, they were Astronomers, and conversed much in the contemplation of the stars, and God speaks to them accordingly: When our Saviour called Fishermen to follow him, he tells them. he will make them Fishers of men; he expresseth himself unto them in their own way: Wherefore it being my lot to live where multitudes of Mariners, especially of mine own countrymen daily come, and my Auditors being in great part of such, I was willing to take the opportunity of that great work of God, that sore and grievous tempest that was lately so terrible as made the hearts of many to shake, to add the word suitable to God's work, to labour to convey some spiritual truth, by the advantage of that impression that was then upon their hearts, little thinking then that such present thoughts hinted by such an occasion, should ever be more public than in mine own Congregation: but knowing what need Mariners have of Sermons, and considering how few they hear, because I could not preach to them where their chief business lies (upon the Seas) I was willing to send this Sermon to them, that they might have it by them: many Sabbaths they spend hearing none, seldom hearing any. It may be the suitableness of this subject may invite them to read, especially it being the desires of many of them who heard it, and found some work of God upon their hearts by it, to have it by them; at first I was unwilling to let such sudden things appear so public, but after considering, that some poor sailor's boy at least might get some good by them, I yielded. I publish not this Sermon because I conceit any special excellency in it, that cannot be expected (it is the same for the frame and substance of it that was preached the next day after the occasion: Some things are added and enlarged, especially concerning the nature of the Winds.)  
But because I know nothing of this subject published, and some way it may be useful, and a little good is worth much of my time and labour, who knows what a truth, what a hint fitted to the apprehensions of people in their own way may do; therefore here you have it, and the Lord prosper it to you.  
Yours in Christ, I. B.   

Imprimatur,  
Jo. Hansley. Octob. 14. 1640.   

THE seaman's DIRECTION IN TIME OF storm.  Psal. 148. 8. Stormy Wind fulfilling his word. 
A Word spoken in season 
Pr. 25. 11.  how good is it! it is like Apples of Gold with pictures of Silver: Silver pictures do set out the golden Apples, and the golden Apples do grace the Silver pictures; so words that are gracious fitted to their circumstances, they are graced each by other. A good word spoken at any time is a golden Apple, it hath worth in it, but fitted to circumstances, it hath beauty added to it; and not 
So Arias Montanus. Super rotis suis.  only beauty, but efficacy too; for so it is in the original, words upon their wheels, when they are rightly fitted to their circumstances, being spoken in due season, than they go upon their wheels, and pass along like a triumphant Chariot; whereas if these be omitted, they are drawn out as a Cart is drawn on without wheels; like Pharaoh's Chariots, when God took off their wheels, they drove heavily.  
As Saint Augustine said of the outward 
Accedat verbum ad elementum & fit Sacramentum: Accedat verbum ad opera Dei, & fiunt documenta pietatis adjumenta.  element in the Sacrament, let the word come to the element, and it is made a Sacrament; so I may say of God's works, let the word be added to God's works, and they are instructions, great helps to godliness.  
There is a great threat against those who regard not the works of God, Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up, Psal. 28. 5. That such a curse may not befall us for our regardlesness of this work of the Lord in this dreadful stormy wind, I have chose this Scripture; that as Job heard the Lord speaking out of the whirlwind, so you this day by this Scripture may hear the Lord speaking to you out of that stormy tempestuous wind, that but yesterday was so terrible to you: Sensitive things move much, yet the impression of them holds not long; it is good therefore to take the advantage of your hearts, and that presently.  
The title of this psalm, is Hallelujah, praise ye the Lord: it is a psalm of praise by way of excellency above others, it begins and ends with, Praise ye the Lord; all sorts of creatures in heaven and earth, air and seas, are called to join in this work, but especially man: of all creatures in the world God expects his praise from man in a special manner; the ways of God towards man, being the most glorious above that they are towards any of his other works, towards him his name indeed is excellent above the earth or heavens; God will have active and passive praises from man, and amongst men above all from his own people, his Church whom he hath chosen to be a people near unto him, the high praises of God are to be in their mouths, Psal. 49. 6. They are not only to rejoice in their God, and in his glorious works, but to be joyful in a glorious manner, to rejoice in glory, not only to sing the praises of the Lord, but to sing aloud upon their beds, vers. 5. God himself is the praise of his Saints, as we have it in the 16. verse of this 148. Psalm, not only the works of God, but God himself, he is their praise both actively and passively, he is their praise, their glory, their excellency, and he, even he himself is the subject of their praise.  
God's people are his glory, and God is the glory of his people; They are his glory, Psal. 78. 61. he delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into their enemy's hand; God is their glory, Psal. 3. 3. Thou art my glory and the lifter up of my head, and thus God and his people glory one in another, everywhere the Name of God is great, but God is known in Judah, and his Name is great in Israel, Psal. 76. In his Temple every man speaks of his glory, Psal. 29. 9 wherefore to him be glory in the Church, Eph. 3. 21. The glory that God hath from his people, from his Church, is another manner of glory than he hath from all the world besides; wherefore let not us fail of giving God the glory of his great works, of this his mighty work. Our subject then, at this time, is the praise of God in one of his great works of Nature, the work of God in the wind, the stormy wind fulfilling his word.  
Wherein we have these two things: 1. What it is wherein God is to be praised, the subject of his praise; the stormy wind.  
2 The reason why, from the effect, Fulfilling his Word. For the first, Stormy wind, the Wind of storm or tempest, so the words are, the tempestuous Wind; the word is sometimes used for 
Ventus turbinis.  a whirlwind, Dan. 11. 40.  
The Wind, especially when it is in its strength tempestuous and stormy, hath much in it to set out the glory of God.  
God is to be praised in this great work of his, God glories much in this creature: The Scripture makes much use of it, to set out the greatness and Majesty of God by it, as:  
1. God challenges his propriety in this, he calls it his Wind, Psal. 147 18. he causeth his wind to blow, it is God's Wind, and therefore the glory of it is peculiar to him, he it is that is to be acknowledged in it, we are to rise higher than the natural causes of it. It is said of the earth, that God hath given it to the children of men, Psal. 15. 16. but he keeps the propriety of the winds in his own hand, they move in the Heavens, and depend upon the Heavens, so that the Heavens, with all that in them is, are the Lords in a special manner, but the earth hath he given to man, to subdue unto himself for his use, this way or that way as he pleaseth: he hath not given any such power over any thing in the Heavens, nor over the wind, them he reserves in his own hands.  
2 The Wind is one of the wonders of the Lord. in which his Name is wonderful, Psal. 107. 24. 25. they that go down to the Sea, see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep; what wonders? he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind. Although something may be known of this creature in the natural causes of it, yet it is a wonder above all that we can know of it.  
3 he is said to walk upon the wings of the Wind, Psal. 104. 3. and this is made one expression wherein God appears very great, clothed with honour and Majesty.  
4. God is said to ride upon the wings of the Wind, 2 Sam. 22. 11. and to fly upon the wings of the Wind, Psal. 18. 10. this is spoken after the manner of men, to show his glorying in this creature, although God moves not from one place to another, much less hath need of any thing to move upon, or to further any motion. In that it is said he rode upon the Cherub, 
Vt sciamus ipsos ventorum Impetus ejus mandato per angelos gubernari. Calv. in Psal. 18.  some thinks it implies, God's governing of the force of the Winds by the Angels, for the Angels are represented by the figure of Cherubins, as Gen. 3. 24. God placed Cherubins to keep the way of the tree of life: Besides, he is said to ride upon the Cherub, alluding unto the ark of the Covenant, where God's special presence with his people in covenant with him was, where there were two Cherubins covering the Mercy seat, which was the place where God promised to meet with his people, and to commune with them, Exod. 25. 20, 21, 22. So that this expression here in the psalm is to declare, that that God which appears so glorious in the Wind, is the same God that sits upon the Cherubins upon the mercy-seat, that God that is in covenant with his people to be their God, and to do them good for ever: it is a very useful note to consider of, when the people of God see his glory in his great works, and particularly in this of the Wind, they should look higher than other people, and see more of God in it than others can do; others can see and acknowledge God to be the supreme cause of it, but those who are godly, should look upon God as their God between the Cherubins upon the mercy-seat; this power, this glory, is the power and the glory of that God that is in covenant with me, my reconciled Father in Jesus Christ: here would be a comfortable beholding God in the winds indeed.  
And further here in a Song of praise, in the day when David was delivered from the hands of all his enemies, God is said to ride upon the Cherub, and to fly upon the wings of the Wind, to show the readiness and the swiftness of God's working for the help of his people, he rides upon his chariot, yea, he flies swiftly to their deliverance; our motion is dull and heavy in our duty towards God, but God is lively and swift in his ways of mercy to us. Hence we have that notable expression, Isa. 31. 5. As Birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem, defending also he will deliver it: As a Bird that sees her young one in danger, flies hastily to deliver it: So the Lord hasteth to defend Jerusalem.  
Again, he rides upon the Cherub: this notes the work of God governing them this way or that way, as one riding in a Chariot: thus the Heathens feigned their God Aeolus to bridle the winds, and bring them up and down whither he would.  
5. He holds the Winds in his fists, Prov. 30. 4. The glory of God, isaiah 40. 12. is set out by measuring the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meeting out the Heavens with his span: it is as great in this, that he holds the Winds in his fist; for what is more uncapable of holding then the Wind? yet so powerful and mighty is the hand of God, that he holds the Winds themselves as it were in his fist. The seventy translate the words, in his bosom, and this is suitable to a sixth impression the Scripture hath to set out the glory of God in the Wind.  
6. He brings the Winds out of his treasuries, Psal. 135. 7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, he maketh Lightning for the rain, he bringeth the Wind out of his Treasuries: That which we treasure up is of some worth, and we therefore treasure it, because we would keep it sure and secret. Thus the Wind is a creature, in which there is much excellency, much of God in it, of great use, as we shall further hear; and God keeps it sure, although nothing seems to be more uncertain than the Wind, yet God hath every blast locked up in his treasury, and it cannot stir without him, and the nature and the motions of the Wind are very secret and hidden things. All the works of Nature are in God's treasury, God hath a treasury of Nature as well as a treasury of grace: The snow and the hail are said to come out of God's treasuries. Job 38. 22. Hast thou seen the treasures of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble? The Lord promises in the 28. of Deut. 22. to them that obey him, to open unto them his good treasure; the treasure of Nature is a good treasure, there are many good blessings in it, yet such as he gives sometimes to the wicked, Psal. 17. 14. He fills their bellies with his hid treasure; but God's people as they are a peculiar treasure to God, Exod. 19 5. so God hath a peculiar treasure for them, a treasure in Heaven, Luke 19 22.  
7. God weighs the Winds, Job 28. 5. He makes a weight for the Winds, this is made a special evidence of God's propriety, in understanding the way of wisdom, as appears, verse 20. Whence cometh wisdom, and where is the place of understanding, seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air? by which Jerome understands, proud, lofty, aerial, high spirits, who love to soar aloft, and to be above in the clouds; wisdom is hid from them: but rather thus, it is to be found in no place in the World, the fowls of the air never saw that place where it is: Destruction and Death say, we have heard the fame of it; that is, such as are now swallowed up of destruction and death, the abstract being put for the concrete, as we have often in Scripture, as Revel. 20. 14. Death and Hell were cast into the 
Perditio pro perditis, mors pro mortuis.  lake of fire. These who are destroyed and dead, they now know something what true wisdom is, they find by woeful experience, what it is to neglect God, and to cast off his fear, and to follow the vanity of their own hearts; now they see what would have done them good, and what hath undone them for ever; but though men, neither living nor dead, know what true wisdom is, yet God understandeth the way thereof, vers. 23. How doth that appear, that only true wisdom dwells with God? amongst other things this is one special, he maketh a weight for the winds, that is, either by ordering them in a just proportion, that there shall not be the least particle of them spent further than may serve his purpose; or thus, he maketh a weight for the Winds, he giveth to the winds their poise, that they should move this way or that way, according as he pleaseth.  
8. The Lord makes the Wind his messengers, Psal. 104. 4. Who maketh his angel's spirits, so it is in your books, but the word translated spirits, signifies Winds, and is to be understood of them; for the scope of the Psalmist is to show the glory of God in his great works of Nature. The word translated Angels, signifies messengers in the Hebrew, as the Greek: But the Apostle in the first of the Hebrews quotes this Scripture, and applies it to the Angels, vers. 7. And of the Angels he saith, he maketh his angel's spirits, and his Ministers a flaming fire; to this, Calvin upon the 104. Psalm, justifying the former interpretation, answers, It is not the intent of the Apostle to expound the meaning of the Prophet, but sets out an analogy or likeness between that obedience the Winds yield unto God, and that which is performed by the Angels; and so the meaning is, that as God useth the Winds his messengers, to go hither and thither, as he pleaseth, for the fulfilling his Word, so he useth the Angels for his service, and they obey accordingly; so that this visible sensible World is, as it were, a glass of that glory the Lord hath in the higher World above in the Heavens, and we may be the rather induced to conceive that the Apostle maketh use only of an allegorical sense of that Scripture, because we find many times in the New Testament places quoted out of the Old, and applied not according to their proper sense, but some according to their typical, and others their allegorical sense, as many might be named, I will only show you one place quoted out of the psalms, as this is, and that by the same Apostle, the place of the psalm that is quoted, is Psal. 19 vers. 4. Their line is gone out through the earth, and their words to the end of the World; it is apparent this is spoken concerning the heavens, their line, that is their rule or delineation, which is a means to teach the simple, as isaiah 28. 10. or by line is meant a building frame which is made by line and rule; Job. 38. 5. speaking of God's creating the earth, he hath this expression, Who hath stretched out the line thereof? The Greek Translators translate the word sound, which word the Apostle also useth, quoting this place, Rom. 18. 18. And further, whereas it is said, their words to the end of the World, is meant those testifications that the frame of the Heavens have, together with their course and order, to witness to the world the glory of God in them, whereby they do, as it were, cry aloud to men, to behold the glory of the great God: Now the Apostle in the 10. to the Rom applies this place to the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles that were sent out, he brings it to show that unbelievers could have no excuse for their unbelief: But I say, have they not heard? yes verily, for their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the World; wherefore, although that place in the 104. Psalm, by way of Allegory may be applied unto the Angels, yet firstly and properly it is to be understood of the Winds, every Wind is as a messenger of God sent to us about some errand or other, and happy are we, if we have that care and skill, that may find out what their message is, what the meaning of God in them is, that they may never return without doing the work for which they were sent, and certainly one way or other they will perform their work, as we have it in the Text, they will fulfil his Word: In the 55. of isaiah, vers. 10, 11. The Word is compared to the rain that comes down from Heaven, in that it returns not in vain; so neither will the winds that come from Heaven, yea as messengers from the God of Heaven, they will not, they cannot return in vain.  
9 This is a creature that God delights to make use of, when he would so speak to men, as to humble their hearts before him; thus he did, when he intended so to speak to Job, as to humble him so thoroughly, as he might be prepared for deliverance, he speaks again and again to him out of the Wind, chap. 38. and 40.  
10. Christ makes use of this creature, in setting out the freeness of God's grace in the great work of Regeneration, Joh. 3. 8. The Wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth, so is every one that is borne of the Spirit; and God made use of this miraculous work of his, in sending the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, Acts. 2. 2. There was the rushing of a mighty Wind, and filled all the house where they were sitting, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost; here was a mighty, glorious, blessed breathing, that came in upon the Apostles with this mighty rushing Wind; although there cannot be expected such a filling with the Holy Ghost accompanying this mighty rushing wind that we have had; yet if God blesseth this his Word added to it, there may be some work of the Holy Ghost upon the hearts of some, not only at this time, but occasioned by this thing; yea, the work of God in the Wind making way for the Word and Spirit to enter into you hearts. Thus you see what use the Scripture makes of the winds, to set out the glory of God by.  
But further, there are six things wherein the Name of God is to be praised in the Wind.  
1. If we consider the nature of it, what it is, it is a creature, heard, felt, but little understood, some guessings there are at it, but what it is, is a great 
Aer motus.  secret in nature: some say it is only air moved up and down; others, vapours raised up to the middle Region, and there by the cold beaten back, and so moving in the air collaterally: hence there are no winds above some mountains which reach beyond where these vapours ascend, and are beaten back, as that mountain Olympus, where the footsteps of ashes strewed abide from year to year, vapours thickened are clouds, vapours in the clouds rolling when they are heat incensed and break forth they are lightning, and the breaking of the clouds by them the Thunder-crack; if the vapour be beat back before it be thickened than it is Wind, if after the thickening then it is rain, if congealed on high then it is snow, if not congealed till it come to the lower part of the air than it is hail. The reason that is given of the collateral motion, is, the vapours, being so light as they cannot descend far, yet being beat down, and likewise met with by other vapours, hence they are forced to move in a collateral motion in the air. Pliny a great searcher out of secrets of nature, in his natural History, l. 2. c. 45. speaks very doubtfully of the Wind, whether it be, saith he, the spirit of Nature that engendereth all things wandering to and fro, as it were in some womb, or rather the air broken and driven by the several influences and rays of the straying stars and Planets, and the multiplicity of their beams; plain it is that they are guided by a rule of nature, not altogether unknown, although it be not yet unknown. This great Diver into nature's secrets, confesses ignorance in this of the Winds, & although he had not confessed it, yet that which he sayeth of the nature of them, would have discovered all his knowledge of them to be but a wild guessing. There is much wisdom in finding out the nature of creatures so far as they may be known. God may have much glory by our sight of his workings in them. Pliny in the 46. chap. of the forenamed book, speaking further of the Winds, marvels, that in so blessed and joyous a time of peace, as he saith his was, wherein they had a Prince that took such delight in the progress of all good arts, & gave such great rewards to learning, that yet men searched after the knowledge of things no more than they did, whereas others before them sought out the secrets of nature, for no other reward, then to do good unto posterity; but now, saith he, men's manners are waxen old, & decay, the minds of men are blinded and bent upon nothing but covetousness: This is his complaint, much more cause have we to take up this complaint against Christians, who have other manner of motives to provoke them to take pains to find out the glory of God in the creature, than Heathens could have, and if we labour to see God in his creatures, so as to give glory to him, to fear him, to magnify him, there is another manner of reward that we may expect, than any they could have to encourage them: howsoever, if we cannot get the knowledge of the secrets of Nature in this creature, wherein certainly there would be much of God discovered unto us: yet we may all behold so much of the power and Majesty of God in it, as to cause us to fear him, and this is true wisdom beyond all the knowledge of the secrets of Nature: for so we have it, Job. 28. v. 8. after the glory of God was shown in the Winds, v. 25. as in other creatures. The conclusion is, unto man he said, Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.  
2. God is to be praised in the rise of them. The raising of the Winds is a great work of God, we can see no cause of the sudden raisings of them; how calm and still is the air for the present, and how suddenly do the Winds arise, Psal. 107. 25. He raiseth the stormy Wind. Our Saviour saith, Joh. 3. They blow where they list, no man knows whence they come, nor whither they go: We see the Winds arise many times when there are no clouds to beat back any vapours by the thickness and coldness of them, the second causes that God uses in this, are hidden from us only, we are sure of the supreme cause, it is he that raiseth the stormy Wind.  
3. God is to be praised in the power of them, they are of mighty force, Psal. 48. 3. Thou breakest the ships of Tarshis with an east Wind; of power and force to turn over ships, houses, rend Trees, to raise dreadful waves, yea they rend the very Earth, the mountains and the rocks, as 1 King. 19 11. There was a strong Wind that rent the mountains, and tore in pieces the rocks. This is the hand of God, whereby he overturneth the mountains by the roots, of which Job speaks, Chap. 28. 9 This is that voice of the Lord that breaketh the Cedars, yea the Cedars in Lebanon, the strongest Cedars of all. This is the voice of the Lord that shaketh the wilderness, of which the Psalmist speaks, Psal. 29. 5, 8. Sabellicus an 
L. 10. c. 5.  Historian tells of many thousands of Cambyses his soldiers, being at dinner in a sandy place, of a sudden a tempest arose and covered them over with sand and choked them, that they perished. That a vapour should have such strength, sets forth the mighty power of God; what is weaker than a vapour, therefore man's life is compared to a vapour, and yet many together, how dreadful are they! The waters are called the mighty waters, and yet what is weaker than water, but much congregated hath a mighty force, that carries with it as much majesty almost as any creature whatsoever; yet a vapour is a weaker thing than water, yet many of these joined, how fearful is the force of them in the Wind! God is able to use them for great things, to daunt the proudest, stoutest spirit under Heaven, to shake, as the Psalmist saith, the Cedars in Lebanon, not only literally, but metaphorically, the highest and loftiest spirit that is: How dreadful then is the power of God himself, which hath nothing in it but infinite, and so much as no addition can be made, of many of the weakest things in the world hath such an amazing strength, then that which is so great, as no addition can be made, and all in it infinite; oh how full of glory and Majesty is that power.  
The natural cause of the power of the Winds that men give, is from the kind of vapour, of which they are: the more earthy vapours are and hot, the stronger the Winds: Hence many times Summer Winds are exceeding strong; and many times in hot countries, because the earth is more open, and the Sun having power to draw up more gross earthy vapours, there are mighty tempestuous Winds, exceeding strong whirlwinds, according to that, Job 37. 11. Out of the South cometh the whirlwind, the Southern parts are hot.  
4. God is to be praised in the variety of the motions of the Winds: Eccles. 1. 6. The Wind goeth toward the South, and turneth about unto the North, it whirleth about continually, and returneth again according to its circuits. It hath its various circuits appointed by God which way it shall turn, although their motion seems exceeding unsteady and changeable, up and down without any certain rule, yet 
5. Quaest. nat. l. 5. c. 18. Ingens naturae beneficium. Dedit ventos, ut commoda cujusque regionis fierent communia, non ut Legiones equitemque gestarent, nec ut pernicios● gentibus arma transveberent. Non ideo non sunt ista natura sua bona, si vitio male u●entium nocent.  they observe their circuits wherein they run their compass, as God appoints them: In some places of the World their motions are steady and constant, which Mariners call their Trade Wind.  
5. God is to be praised in the use of the Winds, God hath made them to be of great use in the World: Seneca calls them, a mighty benefit of Nature, although many times much hurt comes by them, as he says, De Caesare majore, it was wont to be said of him, and he brings in Livy for an Author, that it was uncertain whether it had been more profitable for the commonwealth that ever he was borne, or that he had not been borne; so saith he of the Winds, in regard of that harm comes by them, it may be questioned whether the good or the hurt be the greater, but he means principally the hurt that comes by the abuse of them in Navigation; for instead of furthering men to pass up and down into one another's country, they carry them to war one with another: God gave the Wind, that the good of Countries might be made common, not to carry Armies, horsemen, weapons, pernicious to Nations; thus he, but howsoever as himself saith, we must not account those things to be good, which by ill use turn to hurt; it is true of this work of God, as in all other creatures, they are of special use many ways, as great blessings to us, as,  
1. For purging the air, much infection of the air is driven away by them, the air is cleansed and kept sweet with the motions of them, which otherwise would corrupt as the standing Waters do; Job 37. 21. The wind passeth and cleanseth: so Jer. 4. 11. A dried wind toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse: God threatens afflictions to come in wrath, not as the Wind comes to fan and cleanse the air, but as a whirlwind to destroy.  
2. For the scattering of the clouds here and there, up and down▪ in the World, by them God shakes as it were his Waterpots, by which he waters the Garden of the Earth, as Job 37. 11. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud, he scattereth his bright cloud, and it is turned round about by his counsels, and this is done by the breath of God, as it is, vers. 10.  
3. For altering of seasons, for bringing in cold or hear, as Job 37. 9, 10. Out of the South cometh the whirlwind, and cold out of the North, by the breath of God frost is given, and vers. 17. He quieteth the earth by the South wind, he brings warmth that way.  
4. For Navigation in which Art there is much of the wisdom of God seen, and if it be rightly used the goodness of God to mankind is very great in it.  
In the 28. of Esa. from the 24. v▪ to the end, the Lord challenges to himself the glory of teaching the ploughman the art of ploughing the ground and threshing out the corn; his God, saith the Text, vers. 26. doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him, and vers. 29▪ This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, which is wonderful in council, and excellent in working. Now if this art be from the Lord, and if God shows himself wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working of this, how much more is that excellent Art of Navigation, whereby men come even to subdue the Seas to themselves, to find out and draw forth the riches of them, whereby they pass up and down over the whole World, to see the ways of God, and the riches of God, throughout the Earth, whereby the several parts of the world are known each to other, and communicate each to other the wonderful blessings of God, surely it is God that instructs men in this, it is he that gives them understanding, and in this much more is the Lord wonderful in counsel and excellent in working.  
How little of God in the great works of Nature should we know and enjoy, were it not for the Art of Navigation; but what were man's skill or industry therein, if God did not further it by the use of the Winds, the work of God is very observable in these two works of Nature: The one in scattering of Springs and currents of waters up and down in secret veins and in open passages of the earth to make fit for habitation, and the other in appointing the various motion of the Winds to work up and down upon the Seas, to make them fit for Navigation.  
5. That use that we have here mentioned in the Text, Fulfilling his word, of which in the next point.  
6. A great work of God appears in stilling the Winds, and calming them as he pleaseth, no man knows whither they go, when Christ rebuked the Winds, and bade them be still, Mark. 4. 39 The Wind ceased, and there was a great calm, Isa. 27. 8. he stayeth the rough Wind: Many times when it is most rough and boisterous, he stays it on a sudden; so as Mariners may see much of the hand of God in it towards them, in which God is much to be praised, for by this the Lord ruleth the raging of the Sea, when the waves thereof arise he stilleth them; and mark how the Psalmist magnifies God in this work, Psal. 89. 8, 9 O Lord God of Hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee, or to thy faithfulness round about thee. Thou rulest the raging of the Sea, when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them. How soever natural causes may be used by God for this, yet we must acknowledge God in them, and his work above them in stilling the Winds and seas.  
The natural causes that are given are the spending the vapours, or the vanishing of those clouds that beat them down, or the consuming of those vapours they meet with that kept them From falling or constringing the earth that no more arise: something there is in these: Hence rain often assuages the Winds, by condensing and pressing down those vapours that before moved collaterally, but let God still be praised, and have the glory above these:  
For Application first,  
If God be so glorious in this creature, hence those are justly rebuked, who hear, and feel, yea and see in the effect of it so much of God, and yet do not give him the glory of it, they do not praise him in the stormy Wind, they can speak of it, and tell you how it was, how suddenly it came, how strong it blew, how it rent their sails, and split their Masts, and tore their Cables, and burst their Anchors, how it smote upon their houses, and made their beds shake under them; how dreadful the noise of it was, with what violence it came, as if the house would have fall'n upon them, how their hearts did even shake within them for fear, but not a word of God in all this, they say not in their heart, Let us now fear this God that raiseth, continueth, calmeth these Winds, let us now fear him howsoever heretofore we did not fear him, although heretofore we were profane, and vile, and have lived without God in the World, yet let us now fear this God, who is great in power, glorious and excellent in his workings in the Heavens, and Earth, and Seas: when doth there any word come from men, to put one another on to the fear of God upon this? Brethren, God is to be honoured in the least of his works, much more in those that have power and majesty in them: we take God's name in vain, if when he appears in his great works, we adore him not, we fear him not, we magnify him not, we praise him not in them: we are much led by sense, and if we take not notice of his glory, to have our hearts wrought upon when he comes to our senses, and that in such a powerful and glorious way, it is a sign that our hearts are exceedingly stupid, that they are much estranged from God. Those works that we see the second causes of, we scarce mind God in them at all (although God should not be the less minded, because of second causes, seeing all the work, all the power and efficacy of the second cause, is in the virtue of the first; as it hath no being but by it, so it is not able to stir without it) but now as for this creature, the stormy Wind, we know but very little, scarce any thing of the second causes; and therefore if God be not acknowledged and praised in this, in what shall he be acknowledged and praised? works that are ordinary we little mind God in them, which is a great evil in us; hence the Lord, because he would be minded by us, he comes many times in strange and terrible ways to us in his creatures, raising them higher than ordinary, putting more Majesty and terror in them then ordinary, as he hath done in this, and shall he not be magnified and praised in this? It is the lowest honour that we can give to God, to be moved by such works, wherein his glory comes apparently and powerfully to sense; there are other manner of things of the glory of God, that appears to raised reason, were it that the eye of reason were clear, and but elevated in a natural way to that height it is capable of; yea to that height it might be, were it not so much drowned in sense as it is, there were high and glorious things of God to be seen by it, that might make us fall down upon our faces and adore him: But how great then are the things that appear to the eye of Faith? those are things to take up the heart indeed, to fill the heart with astonishment, to draw it up with ravishment, to overpower it with the glory and divine lustre of them, to satisfy it with admirable infinite contentment, those are things fit for Angels to pry into, for the most spiritual raised heart to contemplate in, for the most enlarged spirit to fill itself with; for by them the Saints are filled with all the fullness of God, as the Scripture speaks, Ephes. 3. 19 In those things especially a Christian should be exercised. The glory of God in these creatures, is for the lowest, the meanest, the dullest of all, for children, for those who are not out of the school of Nature; yea, for those who are in the lowest form of nature's school; and therefore it is a good observation of Jerome upon that place, Mat. 8. when Christ rebuked the winds, and calmed them, the Text saith, the men were afraid. The men, saith Jerome, that is, the Mariners and others which were in the Ship, not the Disciples; or if any shall contend and think they were the Disciples, yet they are called the men, because yet they knew not our Saviour. The works of God have a voice as well as his Words, as Exod. 4. 8. If they will not harken to the voice of the first sign, they will harken to the voice of the latter. God speaks by this voice to these who are the most dull of hearing; God hath another voice to speak to his Saints by, the voice of his Word, yea a more inward secret voice, the voice of his Spirit, although he speaks to them likewise by his other voice; wherefore not to hear the voice of his works, this argues a heart desperately sottish, and even altogether living as without a God in the World.  
Those who are exercised in the highest things of God, should not neglect these, but they must be spiritual in beholding the glory of God in them, in a higher way than others are or can be, they should fill their hearts with spiritual Meditations raised from them, they should look upon the power and glory of God in them, as the power and glory of that God in whom their souls have special interest, the power and glory of their Father, as Psal. 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever; the beginning of the psalm is, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and amongst other subjects of his praises, vers. 7. he instances in this, Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an East wind, and his conclusion is this, God is our God for ever and ever. This power is that which is engaged to work all the good that God intends, or hath promised unto his people; this glory is that which shall put glory upon his Saints for ever, all contained in this, This God is our God for ever.  
Quest. But how are we to praise God in this stormy Wind?  
Answ. The Name of God is great in it, and therefore surely he is greatly to be praised,  
1. By raising our thoughts to the contemplation of his greatness and Majesty in it, so as to fear and to tremble before him: O Lord how art thou clothed with glory and Majesty, who would not fear and tremble before such a God as thou art? The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness, Psal. 29. 9 that is, the wild beasts of the wilderness, and shall it not shake our hearts; shall our hearts be more hard and stupid than the hearts of those wild and savage beasts in the wilderness? It shaketh the most lofty Cedars, what are our spirits? how lofty? how hardened with pride and folly, if they do not shake, if they tremble not before such a God as this?  
It is a notable speech of Elihu, Job 37. 1. At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place at this; at what is it that his heart so trembleth? his voice roareth, he thundereth with the voice of his excellency, vers. 4. God thundereth marvellously with his voice, great things doth he which we cannot comprehend, vers. 5. Out of the South cometh the whirlwind, vers. 9 The Wind passeth and cleanseth, vers. 21. Wherefore upon this great work of God, together with others, he concludes, vers. 22. With God is terrible Majesty, touching the Almighty we cannot find him out. He is excellent in power, vers. 23. Men do therefore fear him, vers. 24. It is a time now indeed to fear the Lord, to lie down with low humbled trembling hearts before him; it's no time to vex and fret, and rage, as it is the practice of some when grievous tempests and storms arise, and put them to trouble and danger, they vex and rage against the Winds, when the Winds cause Seas to rage, their hearts are in as great a rage as the Seas, swearing and cursing most dreadfully in this their rage, their cursed hearts some out their filth, according to that description of the wicked, which we have, Isa. 57 20, 21. the wicked are like the troubled Sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast out mire and dirt; there is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Oh the abominable mire and dirt that is cast out by such hearts at such times, when God calls for the most fear of him, trembling before him, subjection unto him, what is this but even to dart up our arrows against the Heavens, and to fly even in the very face of God himself. I have read 
Herodotus lib. 2.  of a people in Africa, who being troubled with strong Winds, driving heaps of sands upon their fields and dwelling places, they gathered an Army to fight against them, but with so evil success, that themselves were buried under hills of sands driven upon them by the Winds. It is no less madness in these who curse and rage in times of tempests, these are fighters against God; it is the infinite patience of God, that that cursed breath that comes from them at those times is not stopped.  
2. Let us praise God in this stormy Wind, by considering what poor creatures we are, how infinitely we depend upon this God that appears so much above us in it, we see how he can make a vapour terrible unto us, so that we cannot stand before it; we see at what advantage he hath us by the Winds, to overturn our houses, to dash our ships in pieces by it: mark how Job was affected when God spoke to him out of the whirlwind, c. 38. 1. compared with c. 40. 3, 4. Then Job answered the Lord, that is, when the Lord had spoken to him out of the winds, Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth: once have I spoken, but I will not answer, yea twice, but I will proceed no further: And again, compare chap. 40. 6. with chap. 42. 5, 6. the Lord speaks to him again out of the whirlwind: that God delights to make use of this creature to speak to men by, to humble them, you heard before; but here you see the effect of this, what power there is in it to do that which God intends by it. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, (saith Job) but now mine eyes have seen thee, wherefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes: This makes a Job, a holy, godly man, to abhor himself in dust and ashes before this great God.  
3. Let us upon this labour to purge our hearts, and keep them cleansed from guilt, that the terrors of God, in this and other of his works, may not overwhelm them and sink them. It is a blessed thing to be able to look upon God in these his glorious works with comfort and peace, if there were no guilt within in our hearts (although they would be moved with reverence of God in his great works) yet all the tempests in the World could not shake them with any such terror, as to hinder their comfort, peace, their sweet rest and repose in God, yea they would rather rejoice the heart, they would raise it to bless itself in this God, as the God of its comfort, and of all its good: were it not for vapours, for Wind got into the earth, all storms and tempestuous Winds without, would never make an earthquake were our spirits clear within: whatsoever comes without, would never cause any slavish despairing, sinking heartquake in us. Pliny saith, that the Eagle is not afraid of Thunder, the greatest tempests of Thunder do not affright her, whereas other fowls shake and tremble at it, and the beasts of the field get into their shelters: thus spiritual hearts who converse much with God, and keep themselves up on high, they are not terrified with such things as fill the hearts of others with amazing terrors: hearts that are heavenly are like the air above the middle Region, free from tempests and storms. It is very observable that which we read of David, Psal. 18. he there sets out the glory of God in the Earthquake and dreadful Tempests; The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the hills moved and were shaken because he was wroth: there went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured, he did fly upon the wings of the wind, his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered in the Heavens, and the highest gave his voice, &c. Yet observe, vers. 16. David draws comfort out of all this, He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. These grievous Tempests, these dreadful storms were not to overwhelm me, to sink me in the waters, but the Lord took me, that God who appeared thus dreadful in these storms and tempests, yet this God took me, and drew me out of many waters, and vers. 19 he delivered me, because he delighted in me.  
4. Give glory to God in blessing his Name for deliverance from those fearful judgements that he makes tempestuous Winds and storms the executioners of upon many others; some of you it is like may say, and have said, except the Wind had turned at such a time I had been lost, we had certainly been all cast away: and if you had been cast away, then where had you been now, it may be from those dreadful waters you might have sunk into the lake of unquenchable fire, you might have been swallowed up of that infinite ocean of God's eternal wrath, but God hath preserved you, & you are alive, and yet enjoy the day of grace: the goodness of the Lord hath been to you that which he promised, I say 32. 2. A hiding place from the Wind, and ● covert from the tempest. It was the free grace of God towards you, only his goodness that hath been your safety, for what could you do to help yourself? it may be you cried and prayed to God, but what could your prayers do, who wert, and it may be still art, a profane wretched creature, the course of whose life is a way of enmity against the great God of the whole World?  
It is reported of Bias the Philosopher, who sailing among a company of rude Mariners, they being in danger by a storm, the Mariners fell on praying and crying out to their gods. Bias calls to them, to hold their peace, lest the gods should hear them, and so they should all fare the worse for their sakes: The worst that is in such dangers, will cry out, and sometimes fall on praying, but how should that prayer be accepted that comes out of that mouth, out of which so many oaths came a while since, which is defiled with so many blasphemies, and not yet purged by repentance? wherefore whensoever thou hast been delivered, and others have perished, admire at the free grace of God towards thee, give him the glory of it, and let God be thus praised in the stormy Wind.  
5. Give God the glory of this work of his, by seeking him for the raising, ordering, and stilling the Wind, according as thy occasion is.  
I have read of a people who erected an Altar to the Winds, and once a year 
Alex. ab Alex. l. 3. c. 22.  spent a whole night in their devotions to the Winds, to seek calm winds, because of the great hurt they often suffered by them: but we have learned otherwise, namely to look beyond the Winds, to seek God, acknowledge him the raiser and orderer of them; this is part of that divine worship that is due to God, that he should be acknowledged and sought in these things, although it be but a common work of his providence, yet he expects to be sought to in it; prayer hath shut the Heavens and opened them, prayer hath power over Heaven, and Earth, and air, and Seas, and Winds: it hath power to prevail with God, much more power over any creature whatsoever. We read, 1 Sam. 7. 9, 10. when Samuel offered to God but a sucking lamb, presently a grievous storm arose, The Lord thundered with thunder upon the Philistines: And Revel. 8. 4, 5. The smoke of the incense came with the prayers of the Saints ascending before God, than the Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the Altar, and cast it into the earth, and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings. All the Devils in Hell have not that power over the Winds, that the prayers of the Saints have.  
We have a famous story of the power of the prayers of the Christian soldiers in Marcus Aurelius his Army, 
Lib. 5. 6. 5.  recorded by Eusebius, who praying to God in time of great drought, when the Army was like to perish for thirst, they procured a great tempest against the enemies, which put them to flight, and overthrew them, and a refreshing rain to their own army, whereupon they were called the Lightning Legion; upon which Aurclius was much moved, and favoured the Christians much after it, and wrote in their behalf, acknowledging it the hand of God, as a fruit of their prayers. If prayers have power over the rain, over thundering and lightning, then surely over the stormy Wind: If therefore you seek not God in this, if you think it is nothing that prayer can do, you are more heathenish, and fuller of atheism, than the most rude heathen. Matth. 8. 24, 25. When a tempest arose Christ was awaked: When a storm ariseth God must be sought.  
6. Consider if storms and tempests in the air be so terrible, what then are the storms and tempests of God's anger in the execution of dreadful judgements upon Nations and kingdoms, and how terrible are storms and Tempests raised and raging in men's consciences.  
For the first, Isa. 28. 1, 2. the Lord pronounceth a woe against the Drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is as a fading flower. Behold the Lord hath a mighty strong tempest, A destroying storm, and a flood of mighty waters. The clouds gather apace, and hang exceeding black and dreadful over many places, as if God had reserved us to fearful stormy days. God's way hath been in the sweet calm of peace for a long time in the sweet sunshine of his Mercies; but Nahum 1. 3. The Lord hath his way in the Whirl wind, and in the storm; Yea, even that God that is slow to anger, yet hath his way in the storm, and in that way God is seeming now to come. Eliah could foresee a great rain by a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, we may foresee not only rain, but the great storm and tempest of God's displeasure gathering, near by clouds that arise which are bigger than a man's hand, for behold even the Heavens are black: we have feared the gathering them often, but because they have been dispelled, we have promised peace to ourselves. God hath his times so to ourselves. God hath his times so to gather them, that they shall not be scattered until they have fulfilled his Word; The prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself, Pro. 22. 3. evil men understand not judgement, but they that seek the Lord understand all things. What are the thoughts, the fears of those who do most seek the Lord? observe what they do; if they understand any thing of God's mind, than a storm is coming. It is observed of the Bees, that before a storm you may see them come apace to their Hives; what are the Hives of the Saints but the public Temples of God: These have the promise of God to be a place of refuge, a covert from storm, Isai. 4. 6. These are the chambers that God now calls his Saints into, Isa. 26. 20. Come my people, enter into your chambers, shut your doors about you, hide your seluss as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast; for behold the Lord cometh out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. These are the Pellaes to which God calls you, if you think your 
Ite ad Pellam.  selves so settled in your places, as that you cannot stir, take heed lest the storm be to you as it is threatened, Job 27. 21. The East Wind carrieth him away, and a storm hurleth him out of his place. You know the speech of Eliah to Ahab, when he see the clouds arise, make haste lest the rain prevent you, 1 King. 18. 44. so I to you, make haste lest the storm prevent you. when an enemy takes in a town by storm, it is very terrible. Oh how dreadful then will it be to that people whom the Lord shall come against as an enemy, and after many offers of conditions of peace rejected he shall take them in by storm. It is the pride of men's hearts that is the cause they fear not this; wherefore, my prayer shall be according to that of the Psalmist, Psal. 83. 15. Lord make them afraid of thy storm: I do not, I will not pray as in the former part of the verse, Lord persecute them with thy tempest: Oh no, if it may be, the Lord keep it from them, neither do I pray Lord make them afraid with thy storm, but Lord make them afraid of thy storm.  
For the second, how terrible are storms raised, and raging in men's consciences?  
When the wrath of God in a man's soul shall persecute him as the Wind, as Job complains, chap. 30. 15. Terrors are turned upon me, they pursue my soul as the Wind, and chap. 9 17. He breaketh me with a tempest; When God shall say to Conscience, go persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm; after great calms there useth to arise grievous storms: many of you have had a long calm of peace and prosperity, you may expect 
Sed tranquillitas ista tempest as erit.  a storm a coming. God who is said, Psal. 107. 29. to make the storm a calm, can as soon make thy calm a storm: the vapours that cause the tempest arise insensibly, but when they grow to a tempest they have mighty power; so sins are committed and multiplied insensibly, they lie by heaps in the conscience; you feel nothing of them now, but at last if you look not to it, they will cause a dreadful tempest, and especially when the hearts of men are most swelling with pride. Mariners observe, that usually before great tempests there are great swellings at Sea; it is so usually before great Conscience-tempests, the more swelling any wicked man's heart is the nearer, the more dreadful is the tempest like to be. Many of you have in your time been in most fearful tempests, that have made your hearts to ache within you, but you must look for another manner, a more dreadful tempest, when not vapours in the air, but the wrath of an infinite God in the Conscience shall shake and rend your hearts, the terrors of the Lord following you will cause another manner of rage in the heart, than ever stormy wind caused in the mighty waters, Psal. 11. 6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest, this is the portion of their cup. It is called the portion of their cup, saith Saint Augustine upon the place, because of the just measure and proportion God's Justice observes in the dealing out punishment to sinners, as we heard before, God is said to have a weight for the winds; so for this storm and tempest that comes upon the wicked, the Lord weighs it, it comes upon them proportionable to their sin; were you ever struck with fear when you have seen the huge floods of waters rolling and ranging in the Seas, being driven by mighty winds? what fear then will possess your hearts, when you shall see the floods of ungodness comes in upon you, how will the terrors even of Hell then compass you about? it is an expression of David, Psal. 18. 4, 5. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid: So Arias Montanus 
Impietatis  turns it, howsoever he may mean of ungodly men, yet the word bearing the other reading, we may also apply it to the ungodliness of men, than the sorrows of Hell compassed me. The Lord give you a heart to foresee this storm, and to prevent it. We read, Exod. 9 20. when God threatened to send upon Egypt a fearful storm of hail, those who feared the Word of the Lord, made their servants and Cattle to flee into their houses; so this day you hear from the Lord a storm threatened, let every soul that feareth the Word of the Lord seek to flee into a shelter, there is no other shelter that can keep it off, but only the Lord Jesus Christ; that which is said, Isa. 32. 2. is true of him, a man shall be a hiding place from the Wind, and a covert from the tempest.  
7. Let us yet rise higher in praising God in the stormy Wind, by considering in our hearts, if God be so dreadful now in this one creature, how dreadful then will he be, when he shall appear in all his power, in all his wrath, his justice and holiness, what shall the glory of the great God be hereafter, of which the Scripture speaks so much? when he shall clothe himself in glory and majesty, in the full brightness of them, when the Heavens shall depart like a scroll, and the elements melt with fervent heat, when all the World shall be on fire about him, the voice of the Lord hath shaken the earth; but he saith, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also Heaven, that will be a dreadful day indeed, when the stars of Heaven shall fall unto the earth, as a figtree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of by a mighty Wind, when every mountain and island shall be moved out of their places, when the Kings of the earth, and the great and mighty men shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks and mountains, Revel. 6▪ 13, 14, 15. A stormy Wind that shakes off the fruit of trees here, we account great, but such as shall shake the Heavens, and cause the stars to fall as the fruit, the untimely fruit of a figtree, how dreadful must that needs be, beyond all apprehension? and yet in such a stormy Wind will God one day appear in his glory, when not only children and women, and a few fearful people shall be afraid, but the Kings, the captains, and the great ones of the earth shall tremble, and hide themselves, and wish the mountains to fall upon them, and the hills to cover them from the Wrath of the Lord.  
Thus I have endeavoured to show you how you should glorify God in his work: to be moved with it in a sensitive way, that is no more than the bruit beasts are; the swine will run up and down, and cry in a stormy wind, yea when it is coming, being sensible of it before you are, but Job 35. 11. God teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven; therefore God looks for another manner of glory from us 
Sed Diabolica est baec scientia, saith Calvin upon the 29. Psalm. quae in naturae contemplatione nos retinens a Deo avertit.  men, then from them, and more from us Christians than from men; God hath given to the reasonable creature to search out the causes of things, we must take heed we do not stay ●ill we arise to the supreme, the highest cause. Philosopher's dispute of the inferior causes; It is devilish knowledge that in the contemplation of nature holds us in nature, and keeps us from God, saith Calvin upon the 29. Psalm; and further he hath this expression, If one desires to know a man, he neglects the looking upon his face, and fastens his 
Merito ridebitur ejus stultitia.  eyes upon his nails, his folly is to be derided; so, saith he, while men wholly mind the inferior causes of things, as works of nature only, neglecting God the highest cause of all.  
And in this our giving glory to God, we must labour to be as spiritual as we can, than the work will abide upon our hearts; but if we be only moved in a sensitive way, the impression of all will soon vanish, and come to nothing.  
The second point follows, Fulfilling his word.  
Doct. Whensoever God sends a stormy Wind, he sends it to fulfil his word.  
The Winds you heard before were God's messengers, this is evermore their errand, to fulfil his word.  
There is a fourfold word of God that they are sent to fulfil.  
1. The word of his decree: what he hath purposed, determined to bring to pass, this is one creature the Lord calls forth out of his treasure to fulfil this, and therefore it shall come at that time, in that place, and work in that power, and abide that time, that shall be fittest for the accomplishment of this word of his Decree.  
2. The word of his command: if God calls for it, it must come if; God speaks to it, it shall go and prosper to that he sends it for; it is one of God's Hosts, at the beck of this great Lord of Hosts, and for the fulfilling this and the other word, the Winds are called for out of his treasure of wisdom and power.  
3. The word of his threat: what soever ill God hath threatened against sinners, that comes under the power of this creature to be an executioner of, it fulfils. Hence, Jer. 51. 1. it is called a destroying Wind, and Ezek. 13. 13. a stormy Wind in my fury. If there be any threat against any man in a ship, or any that have interest in it, the Lord many times sends his Winds to fulfil that word of his. When Jonah sinned against God in flying from his presence, the Lord raised a tempestuous Wind to follow after him, as a pursuivant that would never down until it had arrested him, and made him to know what it was to sin against the Word of the Lord: that Wind and tempest that is now up may be a fruit of God's displeasure for such or such a sin of thine, it may be committed long since, and so it comes out of the treasury of God's wrath.  
4. His word of promise to convey a blessing: and thus they come out of the treasury of God's mercy, to fulfil that word of promise. All things shall work together for good to them that love God. Godliness hath the promise of this life, and that which is to come. When God enters into covenant with his people, all second causes are linked together to work good unto to them, as Hos. 2. 21, 22. I will hear the Heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and so it is true of all others; that which is said of the clouds driven about by the Winds, is also true of the Winds themselves, Job 37. 13. He causeth it to come whether for correction or for mercy; sometimes for correction, and sometimes for mercy.  
For use, and that first more generally: 
use.  1. Here we may learn to have high and honourable thoughts of the word of the Lord, seeing God hath such glorious ways for the fulfilling of it; where the Word of the Lord is, there is power; Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of his Word. God prizeth every tittle of his Word above Heaven and Earth, he had rather lose Heaven and Earth than any part of his Word; howsoever thou prizest it at a low rate, and art not willing to lose a base lust, the least outward advantage for the Word, God will shake the Heavens and Earth for the fulfilling his Word; yea, rather dissolve them, and bring them into nothing, rather than he will not fulfil every particle of it. If God hath made these his glorious work, to be subservient for the preservation and accomplishing his Word, then surely his Word is above them; wherefore, although much of God's Name be in these, yet there is more of his name in his Word: Hence is that excellent, place Psal. 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name; God's work is honourable and glorious, Psal. 111. 3. But his Word is in a special manner, the very glass of his holiness and glory, in which we behold his glory with open face, and so as we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, 2 Cor. 3. 18. and if God's name be more in his word then in his works, a gracious heart will see God more there, and fear God as appearing there more than in any thing else, as we read of Eliah, 1 King▪ 19▪ 11, 12▪ although the mighty wind and fire passed by, yet his heart was not taken with fear so much as when the still voice came, because the Text faith, God was there; although the voice was a still voice, yet because God was there more than in the other, therefore Eliah feared more; this place of Scripture is abused by many who bring it against Ministers preaching the Law in a zealous manner, making God to appear terrible to sinners; they say God was not in the fire, nor in the whirlwind, but in the still voice, but it is clear, there can be no such inference gathered from thence, as many seek to gather, for even in this still voice, God came with a message of most fearful wrath against the people; go, saith he, and anoint Hazael, Jehu and Elisha, that he that escapeth the sword of Hazael, Jehu may slay, and him that escapeth the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall slay. See what a terrible threat was this that came from God appearing in that still voice; and Elias himself after God's appearing thus in the still voice was no less terrible in his Ministry then before, for in the 2 of Kings 1. see how severe and fiery he was, he prayeth for fire to come down from Heaven to destroy the captain and his fifty; and again the second time, for fire from Heaven to destroy the second captain and his fifty, he ceased not until the third came in a way of submission; and indeed that manner of God's appearing to Elias, first in the mighty wind, then in the earthquake, then in the fire, and at last in the still voice, was to show Elias how he would have him to appear in his Ministry, namely first in terror, and then more mildly; and in that it is said that God was not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the still voice, it was to show you that Elias, and so other Ministers of God should be to the people as that mighty wind, as the earthquake and fire, till God appears in them, and when they see God in them, then to be as a still voice unto them: but this by the way, for the clearing this Scripture from the abuse of it.  
use 2. If the Winds be for the fulfilling God's Word, and that in those several ways; Hence let us learn that when any great Winds and Tempests arise, it is not for nothing that they arise, there is some special reason that God hath for the raising and continuing of them; God hath always some special aim in them for the fulfilling of some word or other of his; many people when they hear of and feel grievous tempests, boisterous violent Winds, they think and say, there is conjuring abroad, and that is all the use they make of them; God is neglected, he is not so much as once mentioned by them. I find a Canon 
Si quis credit quod Diabolus tonitrua & fulgura & tempestates sua authoritate facit sicut Priscilianus dixit Anathema, sit Con. B●acarens. c. 8.  in a council above 1000 years ago, made against such as shall attribute tempests, thunderings, and lightnings to the devil, as if he caused them; whosoever believes this, saith the council, as Priscillianus did, let him be Anathema. It is true, if God will permit the devil, he hath much power over corporal things, to make great changes in them, to do great things by them, as we know what he did by God's permission against Job, and when his children were feasting, there came, saith the Text, Job 1. 19 a great Wind and smote the four corners of the House: It is observed by some, there was a special work of the devil in drawing the Wind round about the house; how could one Wind else take the four corners of the house? Origen thinks those Winds were only the devil's themselves cluttering about the house, and striving who should do mischief soonest: the same word in the Hebrew that signifies the Wind, signifies also a spirit. Certain it is, if God should let him lose, he were able to overturn our houses every day, and suddenly to destroy us all; but howsoever God may permit him sometimes as his executioner, yet the supreme cause of raising and ordering is God, for special ends, which the devil is forced against his will to further, and there is not the least vapour, or any of the most contemptible creature that he hath any power over, but by permission, and therefore, neither Angel, nor devil, nor any power in Heaven and Earth can raise or continue any Wind, but as an instrument of God. When God hath some work to do for the fulfilling his Word, it were a great shame for any who profess godliness, to be afraid of the devil in this kind: The 
Nec in porcorum gregem Diaboli Legio habuit potestatem; nec potestatem habet ut in oves Dei saeviat Tertul. de fuga in persec.  devil, saith Tertullian, hath no power over Swine, much less over God's sheep: what God hath to do in that proportion he raiseth the Wind, according to that expression you had before, that God had weights for the Wind, add to this that place, Psal. 78. 50. He weighed out a path for his anger; for so are the words: in your books, it is only he made a way to his anger; but consider then these two places together, thus, God first weighs a path for his anger, how much he intends to execute, and then he weighs the means, that is the Winds, according to the former expression in Job; just enough for the execution of so much anger and no more, and so proportion them, and this beyond all second causes makes the Winds greater or less, continuing longer or shorter time, which few think of.  
But thus much for the application more generally, but more particularly from these four considerations of that word they come to fulfil, from the first, the word of his Decree.  
1. Hence we learn the certainty of the fulfilling of all God's Decrees, all creatures work for this end; we may purpose and decree things, but every little thing is enough to hinder, but the word of God's Decree shall stand for ever, Heaven and Earth, and air, and Seas, and all creatures must work and give forth all their power and efficacy for this, therefore certainly none can fail.  
2. Whatsoever falls out by the Wind, take notice of it as the fulfilling of the word of God's Decree, and make use of it accordingly: do not think it came by ill hap, or chance, or only through unskilfulness, or neglect of such or such, so as to think if these things be taken heed of another time, there need be no fear that such things will fall out again; yes, if this came to fulfil the word of God's Decree, howsoever such and such means furthered it, although they had not been, God could have have had many other ways to have made these winds to have fulfilled this word of his, and so may do some other time when such means shall not fall out.  
From the second, the Word of his command.  
1. Here learn the sovereignty and greatness of God that hath these creatures at his command. Who is this, said the Mariners concerning Christ, whom the wind and Seas obey? so let us say, who is this Lord, how great is his command? who are you then that dare resist the command of this God? Shall Heaven and Earth, Seas and Winds fulfil God's word, and art thou he that darest stand out against it, to resist it, to rebel against it? Job 38. 1, 2▪ it is said, that God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkneth counsel? Now the Lord speak to your hearts out of every stormy Wind; who is this that dares stand out against my command, great things have yielded and do daily yield to God's word, as Psal. 29. 5, 6, 7. It breaketh the Cedars, it divideth the flames of fire. What a heart than hast thou that darest, that canst stand out against it?  
2. Seeing the boisterous Winds obey the word of command, when thou feelest boisterous raging lusts in thy heart, look up to this God, cry to him to give out a powerful word of command to still them: Likewise, O Lord, thou who rulest the raging Sea and tempestuous Winds, and they are still, O that thou wouldest rebuke these raging distempers of my heart, which raise a grievous tempest in my soul, that they may be still. Chrysostom upon the 8. of Matthew, speaking of those winds that raised tempest upon the Seas, which endangered the ship wherein Christ and his Disciples were, makes use of an allegorical sense comparing the Ship to the Church, and those winds to the Devils that raise tempests to endanger the Church; certainly the lusts of a man's heart are more dangerous winds, they raise a tempest more dangerous than all the Devils in Hell are able to raise; but the Lord that is able to still the one, is able to still also the other. Psal. 65. 7. These two are put together, The stilling the noise of the Seas, the noise of the waves, and the tumults of the people: It is the same power of God that doth both, and the same power that must still the tumult of a man's own heart.  
3. From the third particular, The Winds are sent to fulfil the word of God's threat.  
use 1. How sure then are God's threats to be fulfilled, when all God's creatures are appointed to see them fulfilled; every creature stands ready as if it said, Lord shall I go to make good such a threat gone out against such a man, for such a sin committed at such a time? if God saith to the winds, go pursue him, attach him, never cease until my word be fulfilled against him, certainly they will go and will fulfil God's word to the utmost, although it be for thy utter ruin, and sending thee down to thine own place: although some word of God's threat may seem to lie as it were dead a while, yet God hath ways to raise it up and to make it good to the full, and amongst other means this creature is often used for this end. 1 Sam. 3. 12. In that day, saith the Lord, I will perform all the things which I have spoken against Eli. The words are, I will raise up all the words I have spoken against him: it may be there hath been some word of threat lain long against thee; now the Winds are sent to raise up this word, let it lie never so long, it must rise at the last, all the powers in Heaven and Earth will work to raise it up, rather than it shall always lie thus, it certainly must rise at one time or another, and, as it is, vers. 19 None of the words of the Lord shall fall to the ground: The expression is metaphorical from a dart cast at an enemy, if it be cast by a weak hand, or not directed right, instead of sticking in the thing it is cast at, it falls to the ground; but God's words spoken by the Prophets shall not do so, they will be as darts that shall certainly stick in the sides of wicked men, and none of them shall fall to the ground, and amongst other means, the mighty Winds are sometimes used by God, to carry the dart of the Word of his threat strongly upon Conscience, to make it stick fast and to abide until it fulfils God's purpose, and not fall to the ground.  
2. Here you see what a dangerous thing it is to be, especially to go to Sea under the power of a threat; as soon as God hath thee at Sea, if he calls for a Wind out of the treasures of his wrath, and bids it fulfil such a threat, where art thou? it is a bold adventure for thee to put out to Sea before thou hast cleared all with God and thine own Conscience: if all be clear, than the blessing of Zebulun, Deut. 13. 26. may be upon thee, rejoice O Zebulun in thy going out: Zebulun was the mariner's Tribe, and his blessing was to rejoice in his prosperous voyages, in his expectation of them, to rejoice when he went out, when he set to Sea: if before your going out you have made all peace between God and you, so that there be no word of threat to be fulfilled upon you, then, but not before, can you rejoice at your going out.  
3. When thou art in any danger in regard of stormy Winds, consider, advise with thy conscience what threat it is, against what sin of thine the word of the Lord is gone forth, that this stormy Wind comes to fulfil; conscience will tell thee, here is a terrible tempest, and it comes to fulfil the word of the Lord, that word of the Lord that thou hast slighted, contemned, despised; now comes this tempest to put honour and majesty upon that word, and to fulfil it: it cries out to thee, the word of the Lord, the word that thou heardest such a day, against such a sin, in such a place, thou hast escaped it all this while, thou thoughtest thyself free from it, out of its danger, but now it pursues thee, it comes in this stormy wind to be fulfilled on thee.  
Thou thoughtest the Word was but as wind, and that that wind should shake no corn, as Jer. 5. 13. The Prophets shall become wind, now they become Wind indeed. I remember I have read a story, that Hospinian in his History of Jesuits relates of Henricus a Jesuit at Ingolstate, who said in his Sermon, that it was no good sign of a Catholic to joy much in hearing of Sermons, but rather the sign of an heretic, who delight themselves with those things as the Ape with a nut; for, saith he, Sermons pass away presently as wind; but his delight is to hear many Masses: is this a distinguishing sign between a Catholic and an heretic, fit for a Jesuite to give; such vile unworthy thoughts have carnal hearts of the Word, but it is indeed and shall be Wind that shall shake thy heart one day, although for the present it seems to be hardened as the rock, Isa. 63. 6. we read of a threat that their iniquities like the Wind should take men away; the guilt of thine iniquity, together with the stormy Wind, is like to take thee, and carry thee away to thine own place: when the stormy Wind blew so as it endangered those Mariners in the 1 of Jonah, the text saith, They consulted to cast lots, that they might know for whose cause it blew: It is good for thee when thou art in a stormy Wind to consult with thine own heart, is not this tempest raised against me for my sin? surely if thou wouldest ask the question to thine own heart, for what cause is it that it is so dreadful; the answer will be, it is because thou hast not fulfilled the Word of the Lord, by thy humiliation before it, by thy obedience unto it, and therefore it comes now to fulfulfill the Word of the Lord upon thee.  
4. If ever you have escaped dangerous Tempests, learn for ever to have higher thoughts of the Word of the Lord than you have had, to reverence it, to humble thy soul before it, to obey it: Oh let me fulfil the Word of the Lord now by humiliation, by obedience, that the stormy Wind do not do it so as shall be more grievous to me; if yet thou darest resist his word, when the Lord shall have raised again another stormy Wind, and caused his terror to be upon thee, it may be than thou wilt cry, O Lord now I will fulfil thy Word, Lord deliver me, and I shall be more careful for ever to fulfil thy word, thy word that commands me to keep thy Sabbaths, thy word that commands me to sanctify thy Name, thy word that commands me to be chaste and sober and religious; Lord if my life may be spared, it shall appear I will regard thy word more than ever I have done; God may then answer, nay, this stormy Wind shall fulfil my word, I will rather have my glory out of thee by fulfilling my word upon thee by this tempest, then expect from thee what thou wilt do to the fulfilling of it. It may be some of you have heretofore in your distress thus promised the Lord, and the Lord hath heard your cries, and hath spared you: if God hath been gracious to you, do not now return to folly. The first time as I remember that Pharaoh acknowledged that he had sinned, was upon the dreadfulness of the Tempest, Exo. 9 27. Though I have sinned, the Lord is righteous, I and my people are wicked: So it may be you have done, but take heed now it be not with you as it was with Pharaoh, vers. 34. when he saw the tempest was over, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart; you are delivered from the tempest, do not now sin more, do not now harden your hearts; Oh let conscience now plead with you for the fulfilling your own word, take heed now, do not thrust away conscience when it comes to you to put you upon what you have promised to God in your distress. 1 Tim. 1. 19 the Scripture speaks of some, who make shipwreck of faith, and put away their conscience: when you have escaped one shipwreck, take heed of a worse shipwreck, namely that of faith, and of putting away conscience; the word that is there translated, put away, is more than putting, it is thrusting away, casting off with violence, the same word that is translated in Rom. 1. 12. 13. cast off the works of darkness, when temptations to the work of darkness come, it is good thrusting them away with violence; but take heed you do not so with your consciences, when they come upon you, urging on you the performance of what you engaged yourself to God in the time of danger. It may be in time of danger you cast out your goods to save your lives, now cast out your lusts to save your souls, either your sins or your souls must perish: know that though you forget your promises, yet God looks after them, and will call to account what becomes of them, they are to be seeds of a godly life; now then take heed that when you vow to and covenant with God, you do not sow the Wind, that phrase the Scripture useth for losing our labour, when nothing comes of our endeavours, as Hos. 8. 7. but that is not all, that no good comes of our promises, but certainly if in them you sow the Wind, there will something come of them, if not a harvest of a reformed life, yet reap you shall, you shall reap the whirlwind, they will be the seeds of most dreadful miseries to you afterwards. That which one Theodericus answered to Sigismond the Emperor when he would know of him what he should do to be happy, may I say to you; Consider, says he, what you would wish you had done at such and such times when you had grievous pain of the stone and gout, and do that now; so I unto you, would you be happy, consider then when you have been in grievous storms and dangerous tempests, what would you wish you had done, do that now; when company, when temptations draws to evil, consider then, will this be my joy if ever God brings me into the like grievous tempests again, would I have done thus at that time? at such times than men are convinced of the ways of God, and could wish themselves godly: Yea, I remember I have read of an expression that Xenophon hath, that all men in their sailings desire for their companions to have men rather religious than Atheists, because of their often dangers and fears, by reason of Tempests; now your hearts rise against them, but at such a time you could be glad to be with them, and to be as they are, except you be Atheists yourselves; O labour now to be, such as then you are convinced is the best and most safest to be, religious: if it be good then, it is good now. There hath been much fear struck into your hearts at such times, but know there may be much trembling at God's great works, and yet God not feared; As at the giving of the Law, the people were terrified when they saw and heard those terrible things at Mount Sinai, and yet afterwards God says, Oh that there were a heart in this people to fear me. God does not own all that scaring of theirs before for any true fear of his Name; the Lord therefore grant, that that fear which in such times hath possessed your hearts, may prove and appear to be not so much the fear of dangers, as the true fear of the great God appearing to you in such great and dreadful works of his; that if there were any stirrings in your consciences before now by such a sight of God causing his fear to be upon you, those beginnings may be brought forth to a good and blessed issue, that though your hearts stuck before, and could not be brought off without much ado to any thing that was good, yet that now this work of God may bring them off, and now there may be an everlasting divorce between your hearts and those evils which before did cleave so close and fast unto you; As we read, Psal. 29. That the voice of the Lord in tempest causeth the hinds to calve; now they are creatures that do not calve without great difficulty, but the fear that is upon them at such times causeth them to bring forth their young: you have had many stirrings of heart, but yet nothing hath come of them, the Lord cause the fear of his great name now to be effectual, that those stirrings may bring forth something for the honour of God and your own peace.  
5. Let us take notice of God's fulfilling his Word by this stormy Wind: what word of his was fulfilled amongst us, whatsoever hurt hath been done by it, whatsoever judgement hath befallen any upon this, it is for the fulfilling some word of the Lord, the Lord give you all hearts to fulfil that work of humiliation and obedience that this work of the Lord calls for from you; there hath not been known in these parts in the memory of man the like effect of a stormy Wind, as this hath brought forth: We read of that wind 1 King. 19 where the Text saith, God was not in the Wind; we cannot say so of this, for verily God was in this wind, and that very remarkably; O that he might▪ be honoured in it; that as in nature strong Winds clear the air from corruption, so this may be so blessed by God to cleanse your conscience from some defilement.  
6. From the fourth particular, the word of his promise.  
When you have prosperous winds, look at them as coming to fulfil a word of mercy, Psal. 89. 8, 9 Who is a strong Lord like unto thee, or to thy faithfulness round about thee: Thou rulest the raging of the Sea, the waters thereof arise, thou stillest them. The Psalmist acknowledgeth the work of God in the ruling and stilling the waves of the Sea (which he doth especially by the use of the wind, as a fruit of God's faithfulness) that is ordered by God for the fulfilling the word of his promise; if you can take this as a fruit of the promise, how comfortable will it be unto you. God's riding upon the Cherub, and flying upon the wings of the Wind are put together, Psal. 18▪ 10. The Cherubins did cover the mercy-seat, when he comes to us upon the wings of the Wind, this must needs be full of comfort; you Mariners if you be gracious and godly, whensoever you see the Lord coming to you in the Winds, you may see him likewise upon the Cherub his Mercy-seat, and what encouragement is this in the ways of God, others see him coming from his Throne of justice dividing the flames of fire in his wrath; if God hath fulfilled any word of Mercy by a prosperous Wind, let it engage thee to him for ever, and cause thee to improve that mercy thou hast by it for God, we read, Deu. 33. 19 that Zebulun the mariner's Tribe, as you heard before, when they had a prosperous voyage, they should call the people to the mountains of the Lord, there to offer sacrifices of righteousness, because of the fulfilling of God's promise to them, that they should suck of the abundance of the Seas; hath God given you the blessing of the Seas? then stir up one another to come to the mountain of the Lord, that is, to the Church of God, to offer the sacrifices of righteousness, to give God the praises due unto him▪ And to close all, if a prosperous Wind be comfortable, because it fulfils a word of mercy, how comfortable then are the breathings of God's Spirit in the soul fulfilling the good Word of the Lord, promising to give his Spirit to them that ask it, Luke 11. 13. and take only one note from hence, so we have done, when God gives his Spirit, he gives all good: the comparing of this place of Luke with Matth. 7. 11. is very observable, there it is, How much more shall your father give good things to them that ask him; and in Luke, How much more shall your Father give his Spirit to them that ask him; showing, that God in giving us his Spirit, gives us all good things; the Lord grant unto us evermore the blessed breathings of his Spirit.  
FINIS.