N02451:318
Agricola. Or, The religious husbandman: the main intentions of religion, served in the business…
Agricola. Or, The religious husbandman: the main intentions of religion, served in the business and language of husbandry. A work adapted unto the grand purposes of piety; and commended therefore by a number of ministers, to be entertained in the families of the country. : [One line from I Corinthians]Agricola. Or, The religious husbandman: the main intentions of religion, served in the business and language of husbandry. A work adapted unto the grand purposes of piety; and commended therefore by a number of ministers, to be entertained in the families of the countrey. : [One line from I Corinthians]
Boston: printed by T. Fleet for D. Henchman, 1727
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
We are now to apprehend, That when our SAVIOUR communicates of Himself and His Righteousness, in His Word, unto our Souls, there is in the Word it self, a sweet Rain from Heaven falling upon us. We shall soon make the Similitude very apparent. For, Does the Rain make the Earth Fruitful? O our Gospelized People, We hope, we hope, you can say, That you find the Word of your SAVIOUR do so. The Rain, Does it Comfort and Refresh the Earth? Doubtless, many of you can bring in this Testimony for the Word of your SAVIOUR, Lord, By this thou hast Quickened me! But then, The Righteousness, which our SAVIOUR has to bestow upon them, who attend upon His Word for it, This also may be compared unto the Rain, and the Comparison is a very Apt one. Shall we say? None but GOD can give the Rain. We are so taught of GOD; Jer. XIV. 22. Can the Heavens give Showers? Art not thou He, O Lord our GOD? Therefore we will wait upon thee, for thou hast made all these things. All Other Causes o• the Rain, are but Second Causes. This is very sure; None but GOD can give Righteousness unto us. Tis, The Righteousness of GOD. If our SAVIOUR had not been GOD as well as Man, He could never have brought in for us, that Everlasting Righteousness, wherein we may appear before GOD. And none but an Almighty GOD could ever do for us, those Things, which are done when Righteousness is conveyed unto us. Truly, ⟨p. 118⟩'tis a Constellation of Miracles! When a Sinner is made Righteous, the Blind sees, the Lame walks, the Dead comes to Life; Stone is turned into Flesh; a Wolf is changed into a Lamb. The Holy SPIRIT, who does these things,— O Lord, Thou art Great, and thou doest wondrous Things, and thou art GOD alone. Again; The Necessity of the Rain; How feelingly is This confessed with us? A Drought soon brings us to those Ejulations; Joel I. 19, 20. O Lord,— The Fire hath devoured the Pastures of the Wilderness, and the Flame has burnt all the Trees of the Field: The Beasts of the Field cry also unto thee. But then, the Necessity of Righteousness is nothing short of That. Soul, Necessity is laid upon thee, to obtain the Righteousness of thy SAVIOUR, and woe unto thee if thou do it not. There is a Fire that will devour thee, and a Flame that will burn thee up, if thou be a Stranger to it. Once more; The Excellency of the Rain; Who once ever disputed this? 'Tis elegantly descanted on;