flesh nay as he is one with the Father Now 2 Cor. 5. 17. as many as are in Christ must be new creatures not new in some outward circumstances but in their whole frame not new from ontward restraint and present occurrences that mould them but new from a new inward disposition and so old thoughts indulging of sense and appetite unrulinesse and unreasonablnesse of passion unduenesse of aims and ends all these old things must passe away and all become new You are partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. He doth not say you are partakers of Nature for that is common to all creatures nor of a reasonable nature for that is common to all men But a Divine Nature which is as far above the reasonable as the reasonable Nature is above the brutish it s such a Nature as ariseth from the great and precious Promises that are given to us and by which world lust and corruption are escaped You are Gods workmanship Eph. 2. 10. Those upon whom God leaves and manifesteth his special power and grace you are a created workmanship answerable to that work which called light out of darkness and created in Christ as well as by him and therefore you must answer Gods great ordination by being dedicate unto good workes and walking in them your motion must be progression and your progresse must be continued Your minds must be filled with the knowledge of his will Col. 1. 9. The manifestation of his minde must be imprinted on yours his word is his will revealed and his will is that which we must know yea know so as that there must be no deficiency you must be filled with it you must not onely be rational but wise not onely understanding but spiritual yea filled with all wisdome and spiritual understanding Eph. 1. 17. makes mention of the spirit of wisdome and revelation Of wisdome raising you to exalt the best good as your highest end and directing you to the aptest meanes for obtaining that good and what your natural power cannot reach unto he reveals and therefore it concerns you not onely to have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowledge but the acknowment of his will knowledge upon knowledge experimental approving knowledge Your understanding must be inlightned v. 18. light upon light spiritual upon natural light and then you are searching into not the nicetyes and curiosities of knowledge but to know his call and the hope of it his calling you out of darknesse into marvelous light and laying up a Crown of glory for your hope you have the exceeding greatnesse of his power working you to believe and the glorious riches of the inheritance in the Saints and all for you to know You must be transformed by the renewing of your minde Rom. 12. 2. Transformation and renovation must go together to make up this Christian metamorphosis and then you will not be quarrelling and snarling at the word as if it were a hard saying not to be borne but then you will prove the will of God to be good and perfect and it will be exceeding acceptable to you You must know the love of God which passeth knowledge Eph. 3. 19. A strange paradoxe to know that which passeth knowledge and yet its most true and most sweet for its a filling knowledge a knowledge with a fullnesse yea the fullest fullnesse for it is with all the fullnesse of God Your hearts must be abounding in sincerity of love to Jesus Christ his truth and all Saints They are under the Anathema maranatha that love not the Lord Jesus Christ and the power and deceitfulnesse of Satan works in them that receive not the love of the truth loving is more then liking it s a deliberate act of will closing with a sutable good Christ and his truth his wayes and his Saints are most sutable and agreeable to us when we are in love with him Your desires must not be faint and weak but hungrings and thirstings and that after righteousnesse strong desires for the apprehension of the excellency of the object and necessity of enjoying desires from an inward sense of want and unsatisfied without the enjoyment of what is desired and yet are you truely blessed in your desire after those things You must be walking in the feare of the Lord and comforts of the holy Ghost Act. 9. 31. Happy is the man that feareth alway that is in the actual apprehension of Gods greatnesse and goodnesse and so is troubled left his carriage should not answer them both Holy comforts do not make men idle or wanton but walking and fearing walking in the comforts of the holy Ghost and if sorrows and mournings overtake them they have comforts in them for its godly sorrow causing repentance never to be repented of The great duty of your heart is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that you may be saved to see him in the excellency of his person and that he is able to save to the uttermost and that he is the onely one there being no other name given whereby you can be saved saved from sin and wrath from guilt and power hence you leane rest and stay on him roule your selves into his armes and if you perish resolve to perish there and so believing in hope against hope are strong in faith and give glory to God Rom. 4. 18. 20. and this faith must purifi◠your hearts so that when others are transported with unruly passions you must be shewing forth all meeknesse kindnesse and gentlenesse You must rejoyce in the Lord allway Phil. 4. 4. Your faith gives a sweet enjoyment of Christ and that enjoyment doth inlarge your heart with joy unsp eakable and full of glory which make up that peace that passeth all understanding It is no light or loose joy but that which guards the heart and minde from the assaults and insults of sin and Satan and make up that new name that none can read but he that hath it Your mouths must correspond with your hearts and no corrupt communication is to proceed out of your mouth our mouths are made instruments to communicate our thoughts but this communication must not be corrupt in us or tending in the least to corrupt others it must be good not corrupt but useful and profitable good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers grace in you may draw forth grace in them good communication in you may promote good communication in them No foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a virtue with Aristotle is set down by the Apostle as a thing not convenient Talking is then foolish when it promotes not the feare of God and the good ends we should prosecute and mark how the Apostle joynes jesting with foolish talking I dare appeale to your experience that when you have garbled your
of God that his people have a bit of bread that they have meat for their mouths and drink to quench their thirst but when it s added He is ever mindful of his Covenant His Covenant and his mindfulnesse of his Covenant and so giving them meat renders this common path of providence this so giving them meat to be truly wonderful v. 6. He hath shewed his people the power of his works How few are there that take notice of the works of God and fewer that take notice of God in his works But this is the favour that he shewes his people not onely his works but the power of them their Verity and Judgement Truth Vprightnesse and Stedfastnesse as it is v. 7 8. Vision is the glory and light of life he lives most like a man not that eates and drinks most sleeps and sports most but he that with the acting eye of Reason sees most of things and their difference He lives most like a Christian that by faith seâ—th him that is invisible makes a reall presence of things absent and an evidence and trâ—e enjoyment of things hoped for our present and after-happinesse is in vision by faith here really and truly but more hereafter when we shall see him face to face and know as we are known 1 Cor. 13. 12. Daniel and John the greatly beloved Prophet and Disciple were both much honoured with Visions and Revelations our Saviour commends Abraham for that he saw his day and rejoyced Joh. 8. 56. Those who are Abrahams seed cannot but eye Christ and rejoyce in the dawning of his day if God have an hand to work surely we must have an eye to see an heart to believe and a tongue to praise him God doth not work little things for his people it stands not with his love and their condition and when he doth great things we must meet him and them with great observation I have heard an Ambassador residing here should write home that he lived in a Land of wonders well noteing how great turns passed on us and how little blood was shed about them then if strangers see so much we should see more Doubtlesse God hath revived his works of old made his arme bare commanding and creating deliverances for us How often hath he brought us to the gates of death and then said return return ye children of men How many and mighty malicious and prosperous have our enemies been and yet how destroyed How little and low how despised and nothing have your Councils Armies Allyes your all been and yet God hath remembred us in our low estate He hath not been weary of doing us good although we have soon been weary of serving him There is a voyce in the râ—d saith the Prophet and surely mercies deliverances and salvations have their voyce also and the greater any danger or deliverance is the louder is the voyce Oh! that we could heare so as to love and learn righteousnesse Oh! that we were wise to read Gods works out of his word his providences in his prophesies Dan. 12. 10. The wise shall understand Thus to understand him will be our wisdome When the Devil tempted our Saviour it was by shewing him the World and the glory of it But behold here a better vision the glory of the world and worldly Kingdomes and the fall of them Mountains tumbling down and Vallyes filled up high things brought low and low things exalted How many and mighty precious and seasonable have been the returns of fervent righteous faithful prayers They were made in former Ages but are answered Now our fore-fathers had the honour to sow and we the blessing to reape the fruits of their prayers Oh! the riches of the grace of God that hightens our mercies by steeping them in blood Our Adoption Reconciliation Redemption Remission of sin and salvation is by the precious blood of Jesus the glorious truths of the everlasting Gospel come to us dyed in his blood who was the great Martyr and in the blood of many his servants and Martyrs Rev. 6. 9. Our present Liberty Peace and Enjoyments did they not cost the dearest blood of many valiant Worthies Oh! let not let not the blood of Christ his Martyrs and Souldiers condemn us Let it not be said God stretched forth his hand to a foolish and gainsaying people that the Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Masters crib and that we know not care not consider not when God works such glorious things When David had the water of the Well of Bethlehem brought to him he poured it out before the Lord because it was the blood of these men Oh! that now your hearts might rebound these mercies to Heaven whence they came in humble thankfulnesse and watchful obedience seeing they are the blood of your brethren When the time of performing great promises and prophesies drew nigh God raiseth up Daniel's spirit to search Oh! that we might be praying and searching praying and reading praying and inquiring and not giving over till we come to some understanding of these blessed mysteries Now to help you in this search to informe your understanding to be instrumental to draw forth and establish your faith about the great works of this latter Age is the scope of this insuing Treatise The Lord in much mercy blesse you and it together that those good ends may be obtained Chap. 2. Handleth these eight Propositions FIrst that God delivers his prophesies in the way of a promise 2. New-Testament Promises are set forth in Old Testament language 3. That both prophesies and promises are to be taken in the largest extent 4. That they admit of divers degrees seasons and manners of fulfilling 5. That under one person or thing named the whole series both of persons and things is to be understood 6. God performes his promises in these latter ages in a way of proportion to his former glorious workings 7. The inflicting of punishment on the adversaries of his Church is subordinate to the performance of his promise to his people 8. That the time of fulfilling Prophesies and Promises and working great changes is at or before the coming of Christ Before we come to the particulars which we intend to insist upon give me leave first for the better understanding of the matter and the Scriptures produced to lay down these eight Considerations God delivers his Prophesies in the way of a Promise Prophesies are the foretelling of things that shall come to passe in their proper times God cannot speak to his Saints but in away of love his foreteling things to come tells you how he loves them Our God is a God of power and grace and promises are the engagements of both The Father worketh and Christ worketh for his peoples special good and you have them both at work in performing prophetical promises The prophesie of Christ his coming in the flesh it s in the way of a promise
sold him but God meant it unto good to save much people alive and when Joseph made known himselfe to his Brethren Gen. 45. 5. he saith Be not greived nor angry with your selves that ye sold me hither for God did send me before you to preserve life 4. That Christ shewes himselfe to be righteous when Kings and Princes are wicked He doth righteously punish sin with sin Ephraim is given to Idols let him alone and I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredome nor your spouses when they commit Adultery God may give places and power to wicked men and not grace and then they will become more wicked and fill up their measure suddainly God may be angry with a people for their sin and so give them a King in his wrath Hos 13. 11. I gave them a King in mine anger Gods anger is his justice whereby he burnes against sin and what he gives in justice is with respect to their sin Now he gave them a King in his wrath let that King be never so vile yet God that gave him is righteous I and righteous in that giving of him 5. That Jesus Christ is gracious as well as rightcous and orders all the badnesse of Kings for good Acts 4. 27 28. Herod and Pontïus Pilate with the Gentiles and people of Israel are gathered together against Christ but it s to doe what Gods hand and câ—unsel had determined before to be done Cyrus is a Heathen King and knows not Gâ—d Isa 45. 4. Yet for Jacob my servants sake and Israel mine elect I have even called thee by thy name and Isa 44. ult Cyrus he is my shepherd and shall performe all my pleasure saying to Jerusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shall be laid 6. Though all Kings reigne by Christ yet Christ reignes much more in those who are good then in those who are bad He puts his spirit into them that are good to make them good he gives them the spirit of wisdome counsel and the feare of the Lord. He layes his Law upon them and draws them forth in obedience to it He stirres them up to what is good and holds them on in that goodnesse He gave Solomon wisdome to goe in and out before that great people and he wiseth Princes for their places and makes their actings acceptable both to God and men 1. Kings reigne by Christ It is not then so much their rich apparrel their sumptuous Pallaces their Royal attendance that instamps their Majesty on them as this that they are Christs creatures for this World they beare his Image of power and government on them and that is their great Majesty They are his ordinance Rom. 13. reigne by him and this subjects and keeps mens spirits under Oh! thanke Jesus Christ that you have no more insurrections against those in place and power mens minds are it may be ready enough to breake out but there is something of Christ stops them 2. We cannot rise against government but we rise against Christ Alas who are they that be in power but men like our selves that we rise against them Nay but they have a Commission which we have not a resistance is not so much to them as God Rom. 13. 2. is and alwayes was good Scripture Whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation or judgement wherefore you must be subject not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake v. 5. 3. Ascribe the good of government to Jesus Christ All their wisdome justice mercy and goodnesse is extracted from him when you eat of the fat and drink of the sweet when you enjoy your houses and lands your shops and ships your pâ—ace and plenty exalt him for it That you can lie down and rise up and walke abroad it s of his goodnesse and ingrave his Name on it and returne his praise to him 4. Do bad as well as good reigne by him learne hence a ground of patience and contentation Nothing calmes the heart so much as to revolve things on God regularly David says Psal 39. 9. I was dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it When Aaron lost both his sonnes that which made him hold his peace was that God would be sanctified and glorified God had done it Lev. 10. 3. That which made Job not to charge God foolishly and kept him from the sin of impatience it was that the Lord had given and taken away and the like was that in old Eli 1 Sam. 3. 18. when heavy things were denounced against him and his house he said It is the Lord let him do whatever he please 5. How glorious is that Christ by whom Kings reigne how poorely doth all their splendor resemble his glory while they rule others he rules them Oh! that we could see him he is not onely their governour but their Maker fall down and adore before him They must bring in an account of their government and you may appeale from them to him as you heard before He is most absolute and by his Decree things are and shall be to eternity How doth it greive Princes to feele old age come upon them to be subjected to aches paines and diseases and that they and their honour must part and lie in the dust Oh! then admire and for ever praise him whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome and of whose government there is no end I shall conclude this Position with a word of exhortation to Princes taken out of Psal 2. 10. 1. To be wise and understand by whom you reigne away with your contesting against Christ and fall in with his ends and interests that will be your wisdome indeed a single portion of wisdome should not content you you are to study and to rule and a great deale of wisdome is required to a little rule you have many snares and temptations in your places and you need abundance of wisdome to guard you from those snares you are to govern others yea many others as well as your selves Be wise now therefore O ye Kings 2. Be instructed ye Judges of the Earth God hath his word and his rod for you as well as others and its wisdome to learn by both Deut. 17. 19. you must read to keep you humble that your hearts be not lifted up above your brethren and if you heare not that voyce of the word behold a speaking rod and him that appointed it Heare heare and learn yea learn righteousnesse 3. Feare feare before him It s not below you O Kings it will not argue a pusillanimous spirit to feare God Exod. 18. 21. Jethro's Justices were able men men able for government yet fearing God The lesse you are under the feare of men the more should you walke in the feare of God This feare would be a sweet bound to your power and will and trust God
that great Law inverted that now Destructio populi suprema Lex Not the safety but the destruction of the people is the great Law Their work and businesse is to slay and burne pluck up and pull down ruine and destroy How many Countries Towns Villages Families and Persons have we known desolate and without inhabitant How many stately Edifices the seats of Noble Families have we seen levelled with the ground and the owners know them no more Behold the justice of an avenging God do not some of the members of the greatest Family that was in our Nation wander like Vagabonds from one Country to another being burdensome where ever they become and enjoy nothing of all that their Ancestors possessed but possessed their wickednesse How many of both sides complain that they are undone some by their enemies others by their friends I know my selfe where a good Gentleman suffered more in one night by some of his own party then some of his neighbours paid in some years Cesses 7. Good Plantations which are the children of the Common-wealth that swarme out from them and hive in a forreigne Country how are they nipt in the bud by Civil wars They are gone from you but so as they cannot live well without you Methinks I hear those many thousands of precious souls in New England complaine that they are forced to goe too like the Natives almost naked and all because they cannot have cloaths from their friends who were wont to send to their refreshment and now they here need what formerly they spared them Harke harke the cry of Virginia Barbados and other places who say God is good to us in giving us Commodities but we have no Market for them your wars obstruct our returns If you will not regard the cry among your selves yet let the cry of many thousands of us so many leagues off ring a peale in your eares Oh for Gods sake for truth sake for yonr enemies sake agree agree Will you at once destroy your selves and kill us at this distance The Lord awaken your hearts and soften them to a speedy setled composure 8. Lastly even the victories of Civil wars are much to be lamented In other victories men use to ride in Triumph but sad sad is the Triumph here whom have you overcome not strangers or forreigners but your Brethren such whom formerly you lived and rejoyced with bought and sold with nay it may be fasted and prayed with and now these you have cut off How little did the Children of Israel Triumph Judg. 21. 6 They repented them for Benjamin their Brother and said There is a Tribe cut off from Israel this day so true is that saying In bellis civilibus nihil miserius quamipsa Victoria In Civil wars nothing more miserable then the Victory it selfe 1. Learne hence to admire the exceeding goodnesse of Gods gracious providence that we who have been so many years under such severe wars are yet a Nation after so many seiges pitched battles daily fightings and skirmishes in one in another County nay almost in all Counties of the Nation and in one Nation after another In Ireland Scotland and England by Sea and by Land that we are yet a live Nation and a Nation enjoying much more Peace Plenty and Liberty too I say more then other Nations liberty of person state and which is most of all of Conscience Oh blessed for ever blessed be our gracious God that although we have had this woful division as yet he hath not given us up to the desolation to a wilderness state as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Math. 12. 25. Erect monuments of his mercy and let your children know how great things God hath done in your dayes for them and you 2. Consider how much you are engaged to those in present power by whose care and counsel as instruments in Gods hand it comes to passe that these wars break not forth again We that live on the Sea Coast observe that though the winde be laid and the storme over yet there is an unquietnesse in the waves for some time after a storme God that rideth on the heavens for our help and in his excellency on the skie hath calmed our storme yet alas how many spirits still boyle unduely how ready are men to renew another Civil war and are we not beholding to their wisdome and power that prevents such sad returns Oh be still be still let not God heare your murmurings and repinings and sad not those whom God makes means of your safety and preservation 3. We should look on some inconveniences as eligible when they be in a way to prevent what is fatally ruinous T is true Excise is heavy and Taxes burdensome but is not Civil war worse It s impossible to conceive the management of publick affairs without publick expense and is it not great weaknesse to grumble at that which is so just and necessary But it may be you complain you are over-cessed dealt unequally withal suppose that but is that so bad as to have all taken and nothing left you I but this was not so in former times nay it is worse now then it was then we grumbled at a little Ship-money at Court and Conduct-money alas that is but a flea-biting to what we feele now But do you not feele enough but would you feele more who brought you into this condition had not your selves the greatest hand in it and will you complain for what your selves have brought on your selves It would refresh the hearts of those in place to finde you in such a condition of safety as that these charges might be spared but till that time come they should not be faithful to you to take them off nor will you doe your selves right except you beare them 4. It should be far from us to begin promote or abet any Civil war It shews the highth of the wickednesse of our quarrelsome spirits that rather then you will not be fighting you will devour one another Saevis inter se convenit Vrsis feirce Beares agree among themselves Far be it from you to make or take up causes of breaches among your selves doubt not you will finde more then enough abroad why will you sad the heart of your friends and rejoyce your enemies Oh tell it not in Gath and publish it not in the streets of Askalon lest those that hate you hear it and rejoyce Surely the divisions of Ruben cause great thoughts of heart How good and pleasant were it for Brethren to dwell together in unity that would be as the precious diffused oyntment a refreshing dew which hath a commanding blessing yea life in it What What evil have good and wholesome Laws done you that you take a course to break them is that the requital for all the provision and protection you have had by them will you pluck up your fences and lay your inclosures common Magistrates as well as Ministers are
a spiritual instinct and inward inclination so as not to be satisfied without you taste the sweetnesse of it desire it in the sincerity of it and with the sincerity of desire that ye may grow thereby Accretio est mutatio minoris quantitatis in majorem usque ad terminum praefinitum a naturâ Growth is the change of a lesse quantity and degree of grace into a greater when you passe from your little knowledge faith and love to a greater measure then you grow God hath given his word for to strengthen as well as to beget us and the sincere word is the word that makes you grow and that word for that end should have our strong first born desires The noble Bereans Acts 17. 11. received the word with all readinesse of minde and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so And it will be no lesse noblenesse in you to receive and search to receive with readinesse and retaine with gladnesse the word of truth This will argue the honesty and goodnesse of your hearts Luk. 8. 15. thus to heare and keep and bring â—orth fruit with patience You must like Mary ponder Christs sayings in your hearts giving more earnest heed to the things which you have heard lest at any time you should let them slip Heb. 2. 1. Coming to the Lords Table you must examine your selves and so eate of that bread and drink of that cup which is no lesse th en the Communion of the body and blood of the Lord and thus judging your selves you are discerning the Lords body and are not condemned with the world you being thus entertained in Christs bosome as guests at his Table you must not forget your poor Brethren that be in want This communicating is doing good and a Gospel Sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased it is extensive to all but especially to those who are of the houshold of faith The blessed Gospel teacheth us not onely to do but suffer This is a special gift Phil. 1. 29. To you its given on the behalfe of Christ not onely to believe but suffer Suffering makes way for patience and patience must not onely work but have a perfect worke Jam. 1. 4. You must not onely be patient but glory in tribulation knowing that our patience worketh experience and experience hope What although men should revile you and say all manner of evil against you let it be falslely and for Christs sake and then rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven who are now strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfullnesse So that if you suffer as Christians for Christs cause and with the spirit of Christ you should not be ashamed but glorifie God on that behalfe counting your selves happy to be reproached for the Name of Christ for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you Here followeth the Appendix mentioned in the Fifth Chapter of this Book IT was laid down in the fifth Chapter That when Christ works great changes in Kingdomes and Common-wealths he sheweth signes in the heaven above and in the earth beneath and that occasioned this Question Quest Whether those signes in heaven which Christ sheweth do not favour or countenance Astrological Predictions Ans To which I answer negatively Those Signes that Christ sheweth do not in the least favour their Predictions Now that you may more fully take in the compasse and meaning of this answer we shall first shew you what we grant concerning the Stars and then what we deny Now we grant these five things 1. That the Stars have a powerful ruling excellency by their light heat and motion They are not like the paints in a Chamber which we look on but they work not on us The seat and station of the Stars tell us that they are not placed there to disgrace the Heavens but that they have that in their being which answers so high a place and work to their ends So Job 38. 31. Canst thou binde the sweet influences of the Pleiades Stars have their influences that is their virtue and power extended to others Psal 8. 3. When I consider the Heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained The Stars then are Gods Ordinances creatures ordained by him and by him for us to consider of Luke 21. 26. The powers of heaven shall be shaken The powers of heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are sure such as are not weake but strong in their operation therefore Psal 136. 9. The Moon and the Stars are said to rule the night 2. We grant that the Stars by their light heat and motion do work great alteration in the Aire the first heaven as being neerest to it God hath placed the creatures neer one another that they might act conjoynedly The clearnesse or cloudinesse of the Aire may relate to the Stars the Stars also are considerable in the moisture or drynesse of the Aire If the wind be Aer motus the Aire moved I know not but that motion may some what relate to the virtue of the Stars 3. We deny not but that the Stars having this power over the Aire they do by the aire diversly affect compound bodies that breath in this aire This our experience teacheth us In faire weather we are more Frollick our spirits are up we are more apt to sing to move cheerfully our phantasies are more busie and our motion more pleasant whereas in thick foggy weather our brains are clouded and we are heavy and dull of Action Heat cold moysture and drynesse are the four principal qualities of compounded bodies and surely the temperature of the Aire works much on these as is observable when we are sick 4. Scripture speakes plainly That they are for times and for seasons for days and for years Gen. 1. 14. The lights in the firmament are to divide the day from the night and to be for seasons for days and years Seasons are such times as are proper and peculiar to some actions and bodies He appointeth the Moon for seasons and the Sun knoweth his going down Psal 104. 19. Seasons are such portions of time as if a man come forth to act in he shall finde an advantage to his work from the time which advantage he will misse if he go not forth then Thus in sowing the growth and fruit depends not onely on the commiting of the seed to the ground but committing it to the ground in a certaine time which is therefore called sowing Season sow before or after that time and your labour will not thrive and this sheweth the goodnesse of that promise Gen. 8. 22. While the earth remaineth Seed-time and Harvest and Cold and Heat Summer and Winter Day and Night shall not cease Thus learned Mr. Aynsworth explaines Job 9. 9. concerning the four Seasons of the year Which maketh Arcturus Orion