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Show wbat chrifl!fruit ·is, wh<~t the 'Believers t11fle if I l ' !hall fpeak to this by way of, ~, Explication. 2. Application.In the lirll we {hlli'inquire "'"" Cbrijltfrutt u. z, Wbat th< bt ~trtmt ·tolte i<. 3 .TVIm<e< it i< tbat Chriflt fr~<it is fo p\eafant to a believers tatie. · " fk!. What is ChrifiJ fmit? ,,"11')1. The tfeb. word '"19 comes from :"1"11') he hath brought forth ·fruit. The Larine Criticks fay thatfru81<<, is domed afrrmdo or a fr-~tmdo, from bearicg ; [o that huit. is whatfoever the fields or -plants•in it .bring fort.h: Or ,from tnjoymg~ Co that whatf~ever any thing elfc brings torrh to us, which we enJOY we callfrtut. In tht general n01tion therefore; The frurl ofChrijl u whatfcever Chrift ·hath bronght forth or done, for 111, or Ill tu, for our adv~ntag<, any thing "<hich we enjoy ,from Chrijf, by vutue of any thmg ~b~t ht hath a.,,., or foffered for 11<, or dcth m us or for us; all t hrs rs t~< fruit of Chnil. Hence it is that Interpreters fo rnuch abound ID the Interpretation ofrhe term; I fl>all11ot reflrain the not~on bur .take it in rhc .Laritude, and open it to you in fome fe:ov part~culars: 1 fllall fpeak nothing of rhofi: more external Benefits whrch w< have from Chrifl as Redeemer; nor yet of what we have from -him as he is one with Ids Father, God bleffcdfor ever. I !hall rcllrain my di{Cg~rfe to Chrill confidered as God·man,our Lord. and 84VI· our : An <;It be Spiritual benefits which we have from hrm as fuch Thefe fall under the double notion of the Mea1<1 and the end. The end is Eternal life and Sal~ation; the"''""' in order co this end'" of two forts: they are eith~r, 1. The meanJ of p~trcha[f, or tht means cf Applic~tiun. Again, the means of Appiication are either, 1. Exterual which are his 0Idinances, or more znternal, vtz. The faving infiue>rctJ of his gracious Spirit. Hence there is a four· fold truit of Cbrill, that is C wect to the Believers tafie. r. Hi< allso[Redemptio>t; all thofe aCl:s of his by which began, and perfeCl:ed, and is yet perfetl:ing the Redemption of loft Souls. . · l. AU tbo(e Ordinanefl of Cbrifl, hisfacred appointment!, in tbl ufe of which b1 applietb purcbaf<d Grace to hi< peopln SotiiJ.. . . 5. Allrhofe inward Influences of thefpirit of Grace, by whiCh he doth effeCl:ually make th€ Soul partaker of his Grace. "r• Laflly, That eternal Salvati•n, Life and Glcry, which.is tht end to whichChri(l hathdrjigmdhis dmh,and appointed br< 0~ dinances, and in order to which his holy Spirit wo!keth: The ue the fruit of this Applerrec. I !hall !peak more dillina:Iy ro them by and by: but let us firfi enquire, 2. 91!· tt/hat ChriflJfr;lit if;what ~he Believer! tafle n? 2. ~~~. What is the believm T~(le) . . • . The Heb. is, to my pc~Uat, or· to my 7arn: The drff<rence rs llttk; the p•ll~t is that part where' the el'teriour Senfe, wliich we call ibr 't'./fe, doth its O:li.:e. The 'taft, is an outrurd fenje, by which a man doth difcern the favJTJ of thingJ. whether the Tongue or the Spiri/J b~ the inflruments by which the Sen!e <;lifchargeth its Office is not of much conc~ rn td us. Here the term is ufed Metaphdrically: aJ the vzo!<th _t>ftttb mPat, fo the e•r tryeth worb, Job 3 4: ;. the fruit mentioned here is Spiritual;; Co the tafle is Spi· rima!. It is :hat inward power and f>culry of the Soul, by which ihe Soul difcemerh the goodnefs, and iuirablenefs of a Spiritual •hjdl: So the term is ufcd, PJ"I. 34· 8 . P[al. 119· 103. Now look as in the tWnral exercife of that Senfe ;· there is, I. A fuitable application of the obj cll to the inftr~tmrnt of the ~~~F 2 . A 'ludgmmt upon the applica tion: fo in the Spiritual talle., there is, J, An opplicatio~ of the SpiritrHI obj.li. 2, There is a 'Judgment paf[ed by the Soul, upon th<applitation. 1. The Believer tafl<th the fruit ofChrift, 2: Upon t~e talle, !he find<th it pl<gfont. I fay firfl, there.inn applh:ation of the S_pi~itttal \object : Th_is. is by r. J!nq,.,lrdg •. , 2. Meditation. 3· FaiJh. • ·, ' I , '1. Fi•ll I fay by K no,.,ledf., as God hath given to the ' body an hand,by which it' taketh hold of the meat, and, brings it to the momh, b,for~ t~e.mouth ta!leth it, and the man judgeth ofit; fo God·bath given to the Soul an intd!etl-nal power or faculty, 'by which It !'iGipeth' the Knowledg of illteUeliHal: P.bjtti_J, whether· meerly ra!tonal or moral, or heavenly and fplntual. When Qy·· the outward Senfes the" Son! hath heard of the difcovery 'pf any , proper objeCl:, it fendeth forth its inteUellHJI po,.,er or. fa&Uity to , get a true NJtion,and Knowledg ofit. . 2, Ti1e Second thing is Meditatioll; look as·it is "'it!. ;tbe body, when the hand hath1fetched meat, the mouth ch'rl{'eth #,:and ltpon the chewing ofit the [>'U>te -( or the Soul by the ~pallate) judgeth of the Savor or Tafle, the badoefs or goodnefs, the fweetnefs or fowrenefs or any other qualitie in ir. So it is with the Soul, as to intel!dlual and fpiritual objeCl:s, when once the Soul by the help of the u~tderjb~ding, h1th go(ten the Kuowl~g of·any Spiritual propo!ition, the mind by Meditation dwells, upon it: This is the Souls chewiog of irs fMd. , , . 3• Bu1thirdly, By F•itiJ lik.,ewi[t th'e Sutl taj111 the Spirittul H •bje{1 |