And so legible is that goodness of God, which is written with drops of rain, so wonderful his power and bounty in giving rain, that the Prophet wonders, at the stupidity of those men, who are ⟨p. 264⟩not convinced of and taught obedience by it. They have not said, let us fear the Lord that giveth the first and the latter rain in his season, (Jer. 5. 24.) As if he should say, what a strange thing is it that sweet showers of rain have not softened the hearts of men, into the fear of God, and made them blossom with and bring forth abundantly the fruits of holiness? Hereupon it is very remarkable, how Moses makes this a motive to persuade the children of Israel to obedience in Canaan, because that country stood in much need of rain, which Egypt, from whence they came, did not, Deut. 11. Therefore shall ye keep all the Commandments, which I command you this day, ver. 8. For the land whither thou goest in to possess it, is not like the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowest thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, like a garden of herbs. That is Egypt being a flat plain country, all upon a level, when the Land wanted moisture, thou didst not stay for or depend upon the rain, to moisten it, but with thy foot, thou diggedst drains and madest sluices or water-courses, from the river side (meaning Nilus that famous river, which ran quite through Egypt) and that refreshed thy lands and made them fruitful. But (Canaan is another kind of Country, vers. 11, 12.) the Land whether thou goest in to possess it, is a Land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of Heaven. A land which the Lord thy God careth for, his eyes, are upon it, &c. As if he had said, Canaan is not a country capable of being watered by the foot, it is so mountainous and uneven. All the labour of hand or foot, cannot bring the streams upwards, to give thy thirsty land drink, it must drink from heaven, or be burnt up and parched with thirst, and if so, then, that must be the Lords care, his eye must observe▪ when thou wantest rain, his hand must make water-courses in the heavens, and open the sluices and cataracts of the clouds for thee. And wilt thou not serve this God in duty, who in bounty thus serveth thee, and gives thee such a sensible evidence of his care over thee?
And so legible is that goodnes of God, which is written with drops of rain, so wonderfull his power and bounty in giving rain, that the Prophet wonders, at the stupidity of those men, who are ⟨p. 264⟩not convinced of and taught obedience by it. They have not said, let us fear the Lord that giveth the first and the latter raine in his season, (Jer. 5. 24.) As if he should say, what a strange thing is it that sweet showers of raine have not softened the hearts of men, into the feare of God, and made them blossome with and bring forth abundantly the fruits of holines? Hereupon it is very remarkeable, how Moses makes this a motive to perswade the children of Israel to obedience in Canaan, because that country stood in much need of raine, which Egypt, from whence they came, did not, Deut. 11. Therefore shall ye keepe all the Commandements, which I command you this day, ver. 8. For the land whither thou goest in to possesse it, is not like the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowest thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, like a garden of herbes. That is Egypt being a flat plaine country, all upon a levell, when the Land wanted moysture, thou didst not stay for or depend upon the raine, to moisten it, but with thy foot, thou diggedst draines and madest sluces or water-courses, from the river side (meaning Nilus that famous river, which ran quite through Egypt) and that refreshed thy lands and made them fruitfull. But (Canaan is another kind of Country, vers. 11, 12.) the Land whether thou goest in to possesse it, is a Land of hils and valleyes, and drinketh water of the raine of Heaven. A land which the Lord thy God careth for, his eyes, are upon it, &c. As if he had said, Canaan is not a country capable of being water'd by the foot, it is so mountanous and uneven. All the labour of hand or foot, cannot bring the streams upwards, to give thy thirstie land drinke, it must drinke from heaven, or be burnt up and parcht with thirst, and if so, then, that must be the Lords care, his eye must observe▪ when tbou wantest raine, his hand must make water-courses in the heavens, and open the sluces and cataracts of the clouds for thee. And wilt thou not serve this God in duty, who in bounty thus serveth thee, and gives thee such a sensible evidence of his care over thee?
