The prophecy of Haggai, interpreted and applied in sundry sermonsThe prophesie of Haggai, interpreted and applyed in sundry sermons

Now to proceed, the exhortation is laid down in the 8 verse Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build this house, the reasons hereof are because the Lord had already corrected them, ver. 6, 9. 10, 11, Where, as he threateneth them punishment if they do it not, so on the other side he promiseth that he will take pleasure in them, &c. vers. 8 and bestow his blessing on them if they do his commandment: but for that you have heard sufficiently already in the exhortation▪ I will come to the reasons. It is first set down for them to consider, that because of the neglect of Gods commandment he had chastised them with dearth, famine, scarcity: wherein, the first point to be observed, is, that the ¹Lord did send these punishments on them, for it is said, I blowed on it, I called for a drought. For as God hath by his power created all things, so doth he continually by his providence govern & dispose of them. So that it is verified that our Saviour saith my ⟨p. 37⟩Father worketh hitherto, and I also work. For all things are his work and come from his power, though it be true that he ²worketh most by secondary causes, even as it is here said, that to cause a famine among this people, he called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains &c. for the heavens are appointed to water the earth, to make it fruitful that it may yield seed to the sower, but neither can the rain make the earth fruitful, nor can the earth bring forth her fruit without his blessing and providing: which the Prophet by occasion of the mention of Gods blessing to his Church doth lay open. In that day I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear even the heavens and they shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the Corn and the wine and the oil, and they shall ³hear Israel. By which is signified that all creatures shall labour with common consent for Israel for such as fear and serve God: that as they wish to have necessaries from the earth, so the earth shall look for rain from the heavens &c, But all this the Lord saith he will hear, that we may learn to lift up our eyes from these second ⁴