Book III. WORD oF GOD coMPARED TO THE DEWOF HEAVEN. 579 METAPHOR. I!. Rain is no diftinguifhing Argument between .good and bad Men ; it falls promtfcuoufly upon the Righteous and the Wicked; for though it do not fall every where, in every City and Place, yet where it comes, it ufually falls alike. D 1 S PAR 1 T Y. II. But the Word of God and Bleffings thereof, are a diftinguifhing Sign of God's fpecial Favor: The peculiar Drop• of divine Grace are not com– municated to all alike, though all may have the Word preached to them : My Word, faith Chrift, bath no abiding;, you. I N F E R E N C E S. I. pRAY that the divine Clouds may be filled with fpiritual Rain. 11. And know from hence the Necelliry of the Word, that there is as much need of the Word, for the Growth and Comfort of the Soul, as there is of Rain for the Growth of the Fruits of the Earth. Ill. How blind are they who are offended at the Doctrine of the Gofpell IV. Hath the ·word, iike Rain or Dew fallen t~pon your Souls I Confider the Ef– feCts of Rain, and examine yot~rfelves thereby. V. When ye fee it rain upon the Earth, think upon the Word and Doctrine of the Gofpel with fecret Groans and Ddires of Heart, that your Souls may be made fmit– ful by it. VI. And Laflly', Take heed you do not provoke God to fhut up Heaven, that there be no more Rain. God can make fpiritual Clouds empty, or fcatter them in a way of JuJgment; now your Eyes behold your Teachers, and they feem like Clouds filled with Water; but he can foon caufe them to be driven into Corners, as a Punifhment of your Sins, or make them like Clouds without Rain, that fo you may know what it is to abufe the fpiritual Plenty you have fo long enjoyed, by feelir.g Want and Scarcity, that may be over all the Land: Behold, the Day is come, faith the Lord, that I willJmd a Famine in the La11d; not a Famine of Bre<~d, nor a 'Ihir;1 for Water, b11t of Hearing tbe Word of the Lord, Amos viii. rr. THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO THE DEWOF HEAVEN. ~Doctrine jhall drop as the Rain, my Speechjhall diftil as theDew, &c. Deut. xxxii. 2, METAPHOR. I. DEW falls infenlibly and in. vilibly; you may be in the Field all Night, and nor perceive the Dew fall, and yet find great Dew upon the Grafs. I!. As Dew comes down undif– cernibly, and invilibly, fo alfo very fweetly, and in a mild Manner. PARALLEL. I. so the Operations and Bleffmgs of the Word, and Graces thereof, are invilible; we feel the Work, bot the Manner of the working there– of is unknown to us. No Man can fee the Con– verfion of another, faith an eminent Minirler, * nor can well difcern his own. The Word works by little and little, like as the Dew falls. 11. So the Gofpd comes upon fame Men in a fweet and mild Manner; it diflils as it were upon them like Dew, although on others, ic is true, the ';o.rd comes like a mighty and fier~e Rain. See _·,atn. Ill. Dew is of a fructifying N a111. So the \Vord of God caufes the Soul to ture; for fallingefpeciallyonHerbs grow in Grace, it makes the precious Plants of and tender Plants, it foaks into the God's Vineyard to be green, and floorifh in all Roots of them, and makes them the Fruits of rhe Spirit. The Saints at 'Iheffo– fruuful. lonica, after they received the Word, their Faith grew exceedingly, 2 'Ihejf. i. 3· I will be as the Dew unto Ifrael, and he jhall grow as the Lily, Hof xiv. 5· • Dr. $j./JIJS 2 IV. Who
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