Chap. 29, an Expofstion apart the Book ofJ o B. Vcrf. a 9, and the dew upon his branch. When the Angel faid to Jacob (Gen. 32. 2.) Let me gae;far the day breaketh , Jacob anfwered, I will net let thee go except thou Refs me, Blethe me,ana I an well enough, Iand my root and branch. The bleffing of God is the ri- ver running by our root, and the dew lying upon our branch; our temporali and fpiricual com'orts can no more continue without a daily fupply from the blefsing and favcur of the Lord, then a tree can live and flourifh, that bath neither water at the root, nor dew upon the branches. As God is to his people a place of broad rivers and firearns to keep them fafe Ufa. 33. 21.) fo he is to his people a rriver and aßream to make them fruitful!. Da- vid puts), is as a claiguifl ing mark of favour between the god- ly andkhe wicked ; for whenhe faid (Pfeil. t, 4.) The godly made like et tree plantedby the rivers of waters,that brtngetbforth hie fruit in his feafon, his leaf alto [hall ast wither ,and whatfotver he dollsfhall.profper ;" prefenrly he adds, but the ungodly are not fa though an ungodly man loth fometimes flouriih in outward things as a grçen tree, lining goodly branches, yet it is not from this water and dew of divine love ; it is but by common provi- dence,whereby God blcfleth all the trees of the forrefl, not by that fpecial providence with which the Lord bleffeth the trees of his encloftd garden. The rootsof wicked men are fpread by the filthy and (linking puddles of this lower, of this corrupt and cor- ruptiug world, they know not the fountain of living waters, yea they (as the Lord by his Prophet reproved Ifrael, Jer.2.I 3.) have,forfaken the fountatnof living waters, and have hewed them out cifiernt, broken cifieross, that can bold no water. They have either no water by their root, ot'cis but a ciflcrn,a broken ci- «ern of water. What's the water of a ciftern CO the water of a fountain ? What is it to have a Garden watered with a pot, in co:oparifon of a watering from the Clouds, or by the (hovers of heaven ? Yea the wicked are fo far from having this river water at their root, or this dew upon their branches, that they (hall have a fire at lafl upon bo.h. So the Prophet threatens them, ((Mal. q.. t.) Behold the day c meth that ¡hall burn at an Oven, and all theproud, yea and all that do wickedly (hall be Rubble,- and Pall burn them up, faïth the Lord o fhogs, and (hall leave.tbwo nei- ther root nor branch that is,nothing at all. The extremityof the carte ofhe wicked is thus exprefl (Ifa, 5, 24.) Thsir root ¡hall h rotten- 575
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