393 Verf. alb,, an E.tpoftion upon the Book of J o B. Chap. 36. Thal my wordbe,thatgoeth forth oastofmy moor ;it fhall not return unto me voyd, but itfhall accomplifh that which Ipleafe, and it /hall profiler in the thing whereto I fend it. Now what is the pleafure of God in giving his Word ? what is the arrand upon which he fends it ? fis I grant, fometimes to harden, deafen and blind a people, ( Ifa. 6. g, F o. ) 'cis fometimes to be a favour of death unto death, ( zCor, 2. t 6. ) Thefe are dreadful! judiciary pur. poles of God in fending his Word ; nor Both it ever pleafe the Lord to fend his Word upon this arrand,but when he is forely di pleated by a peoples flighting and contempt of his Word. The thing which primarily pleafeth him, the purpofe which he chiefly purfueth in fending his Word, is,that his people may have (as the Apoffle fpeaks) fruit unto holintfs in thud life, and in theend everla,ti s life. For thefe ends, the Lord is daily diflilling upon us the rain of his Word, both in commands and promifes, and in both abundantly. Therefore let us labour to abound in returns of faith, of love, of hope, of felf-deniall, of zeal for God, and of fruit- bearing unto God. If when God diflills the natural rain,thac fleould provoke us to fruitfulnefs in fpiritualls, how much more when he pours down fo much fpiritual rain uponus ! For the clofe of this meditation, confider, That As the natural rain, Firfl, foftens the earth, and mollifies it; Secondly, cleanfeth the earth, and wafheth it ; Thirdly, enricheth the earth, and makes it fruitful! ; Fourthly, comforts the earth, and makes every thing that moves upon it, and grows out of ir,to rejoyce ; Fifthly, fometimesdrowns the earth, and deflroys the Inhabitants of it : As I fay, the natural raindoth all thefe things, fo alto doth the fpiritual rain, the wordof God. That,Firfl, mol- lifieth ; Secondly, cleanfeth ; Thirdly, fru&ifieth ; Fourthly, cotaa- forteth the hearts of all thofe that receive it; and Fifthly, The rain of the word drowns and deflroys all chofe that rife up a- gainfl ir, or will not receive it. J O B,
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