and have every fear swallowed up in the contempla- tion of his power and grace. These considerations are proposed by God himself as an encouragement to us to return from our evil ways ; and, in the words before us, we are assured, that the blessings which he will convey to us through the medium of his word, shall be as free, as certain, as abundant, as those which he imparts to the earth by means of the rain and snow. In illustrating this comparison, we shall trace the resemblance between the word, and the rain or snow,
I. In their origin —
" The rain and snow come down from heaven" —
[If the whole world should unite their efforts to produce rain, they would never accomplish their end. It is God who forms the clouds, and causes them to water the earth : and therefore to him we must acknowledge ourselves indebted for every shower that falls. Of this we are frequently reminded in the Scriptures3: and the gods of the Heathen are challenged, if they can, to exert a similar power, and thus establish their right to the honours ascribed to themb.]
The word of the Gospel also " cometh forth out of God's mouth " —
[It proceeded from God originally: the words of "pro- phecy came not of men ; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost c:" yea, " all Scripture," and not the prophetic parts only, "was given by inspiration of Godd." Moreover the Gospel, when faithfully preached, is also at this time from God. It is God who instructs his ser- vants, and qualifies them to declare his truth : and the word delivered by them is, " not the word of man, but in truth the word of God." We mean not to insinuate, that any persons now have the same kind of inspiration which was vouchsafed to the Apostles: but every faithful minister is taught and directed of God what to say, and is assisted in the delivery of his message e. As an ambassador of God, he speaks altogether in God's name, and may address every one of his audience in
a Ps. cxlvii. 8. Job xxxviii. 25 — 28. b Jer. xiv. 22.
c 2 Pet. i. 21. d 2 Tim. iii. 1G.
e Matt, xxviii. 20. And though, we cannot strictly apply to our- selves such passages as Mark x iii. 11. and Luke xxi. 14, 15. yet they teach us what assistance to expect from Christ, provided we ap- ply to him in the diligent use of means.