A Cerrttotentary open the ^lel Chap,4 from their nature and difpotition, or can hinder, change or miti- ja n gate their proper eff:6f ; as when at the prayer of Eliat it rained not for threeyears and ahalf: Andhe praied again, and the hea- ven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruits. A man would have thought that after fo longdrought, the roots of trees and herbs (hould have beenutterly driedup, and the land pat} re- Hot r.ti. covert', But god heard the heavans (petitioning to him , that they might exerc f their influence for the frue}ifying of the earth and the He ven') heardtheearth, and theearth heardthe corn, thetbineand the oil, andthey heard 7czreel. Let al this keep Cs, as it did our Saviour here, from diffidence in Gods providence ; Ind make uspefj"effe orfirth in na;ience, Luk. 2 r. Hang upon the pro,- mile, wad account it as good asprefent pay, though we lee not how it can beeffe&ed. God loves to goe away by himfelf, He knows how to deliver hit, faith S.Pe:er, 2 Ppif}.a.9, and he might (peak it by experience, trial 2.9. if ever any man might. The King fha11 rejoyce in god, faith Davidof himfelf, when he was a poor exile in the wildernetfe of7adah, Pfal. 63. 1 i . But he had Gods word for the Kingdome, and therefore he was confident, (eemed the thingnever fo improbable or impoffible. We trill} a skilfoll work-man to go his own way to work:£hall we not God? In the 6. year of the reign of Darius Nothtu was the temple fully finifhed. Thai facred work which the husband and fonneofan Efiber crcfled, (hall be happily accomplished by a bafiard. The Ifrarliter thought that Ma's fhould pi-deafly have delivered them, and hehimfelfthoughtas much, and therefore began b:- f Jr,: his time, todoe justice upon the :ifg7ptian, whom he flew arid hid in the fand. But we fee, Gcd went another way to work : He fcnt cZ1oferinto a farre countrcy, and the bondage was fbrfourty years after exceedingly encreafed upon them ; yet all this to humble andtry them, and to doe then') good in their later end. He croffcth many times our hitch& projeds, and gives a bl.f- fing to thofe times and means, whereof we d:fpair. He breaks in pieces the (hip that we think thouldbringus to chore, but rafts vs upon fuckboardsas we did not expee4. Lofe we then any particular means ( faithone) it.is but the frattering of a brain, the breaking ofabucket, when the Sunne and the fountain is the finn% But we for the molt part dee as Hagar did : when the bottle was (pent, the fàls a crying, the was undone, (he and her childe fhouli die : till the Lord opened her eyes to fee the foot-
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