Chap. 6. An Expoftion up.n the B.o& of ß B. Verf. 24. John. 3.2.Thou art aTeacher come fromGdd. As truth it felf,fo the teachers alit are fromGod, as a lye,.and the tellers ofit are from the Devil, Sohn. i. 44. Secondly, Like rain (as in the regard of the original whence it comes,fo) in regard of the effect : rain refl.( theth the earth, when the e arth his weary and faint,when the earth gafpsaud is parch- ed, how doth a fhowreof rain revive it ? When the Pfalmift had fpokenof the rain coming down upon the earth, he prefently adds this effete, The little hills rejoyce on every fide, thy fhout for joy they alfofin;. Thus allo are people wearyed,atad languith- ing,and fainting in ignorance,when they receive truths, and holy infiruetions,how do their hearts rejoyce how do they laugh and fing In the Parable,Mat. r 3.Some arelaid to receive the word with ioy; Even they who are but formalitis and hypocrites ( for it is fpoken of them ) rejoyce and are refrefhcd for a fcafon with the weird. Truth is Inch a gracious fhowre, that they fomtimes re- ceive it with j y, who have no grace. And if truth refrefh men., who are but nature, or move in (piritual works, but, upon natu- ral principles,how will it rcfrefh thofe,who have grace,and fpiri tual principles futable to it.`Ibou,O.God faith David,PJ.68.9. 10, ) didjtfind aplentiful rain,w.her6y thoudidlt refrefh thine inheritance when it was weary. That is a truth in the letter, and Come un- derfiand it of natural rain ; but others interpret that plentiful rain,..ina figure, for the rain ofdoctrine which God Cent down upon h :s people,when he gave the Law and dropt thole heavenly Oracles frommount Sinai upon his people Ifrael:that fhowre of the Law came indeed in a fiorm, Thunder and lightning, and a terrible tempeft accompanied it. But though the thunder terrifi- ed yet the thowre refrethed;and the Saints haveever delighted in the matter of thole in(irudions and holy counfels given there, though Mofes a cheifamonJ1 the Saints, feared and quaked ex- ceedingly, at themanner ofgiving them. Thirdly, as rain fo teaching makes fruitful. The Prophet Ifeiahmakes out this part of the fimilitude exprefily, Chap. 55. err: tr. A's. the rain cometh down, and the Jniw from heaven, and returnes not thither, but waters the earth,. and maketh it bringforth andbud, that it may give feed to the Power, and brèad to the eater : So fhall my word be thatgoeth out of my mouth, &c. Hence alto the people of God are compared ( Dent. 32.2.) to grafThand tender, herbs, which grow and flourith, which are fed X at x 3 and 525
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