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Show The Dol1rint applied. bring. forth fruit u11to holiHtfi, how~ver be deaftth wiih it as ttl its o .. tward man by his providence, or as to its in ward man in rc:fped: offOtjible ccH[olations; ytt its Winter is in a great meafure pall: Were but this Notion of truth well drank iin by the Spirits of Chrillians, I know not any would more contribute,to the even and fieady fr~me of their Spirits. But you will fay, u Hot thit f or a Chri{lian to 7udg !Jlmfilj from hi! ~Drk.f I I anfwer no. It is to judg himfelf not from what he bath ~rougbt,butfrom what God hath ~rought ilt bim,aud that Judgment' is a true Judgment, I !oh. 3· 14. We !(new that we have paffidfrom death to life, becaufe "'' love tiJt hrrtlmn, I Joh. 4· 13. Hereby ~now "" tbot we dwrU in bim, and be in uJ l·ecaufi he bath givm til of, bit Spirit. Now the fruits of tht Spirit are not only Joy and 'Peace,. but alfo Love, Long·Ji.lftring , Gmtlemjt, Good"'fi, Faith, Meek_nefi, Temperance, ctucifyin~ thejltjh with the AffdJions and Lulh,Gal.5. 21. 24· Bur will a Chrifiian fay from what wor!(t,fromwhat fruits,fha1la Chrijlian y,.dg how it i1 with him, and from what degrea of t!Hm? I fhall keep to the terms of the Text ; and onlyfay, If he puts .forth Fig/ <~>td Grapu, though they be but green-Figt and tenderGr, pu; yet they fpeak a Summer in the Soul. . I fay lirll rhey mufi be Figr ~nd Grapu. No man gathers thefc,· faith our Saviour, of Tbi/llu and Thornt, you !hall obferve in nature, there's hardly any frNit in the garden, but hath its counterfeit in the field. There are wild berrt}l that are good for nothing, yet look fomething like Grapes; the pleafant Apple hath the crab that looks like it, and doubtlefs the Fig hath fome wild fruit that looks like it .; fo it is the Heavenly fruit. There is a Roman fortitNde which locks like Chrillian p<~tience; a Mora/liberality which looks like Charity ; a MorAl temporance which looks like a Chrillian ftl/-delli•l; an Hypocritical beat which looks like an Holy Zeal; a formal praying, hearil1g, which looks like the Spiritual performance of him who harh received the Spirit of Adoption, teaching him to cry Abba Father: but if you come nigh and look a little wiftly upon thefe things, you will fee a vafi difference. 1. A dif[ trenct in th1 principle, the fpring which moves the natural man, is not Lave to God, nor faith in bir promifer ; but a natural Law, or fome forcible principle of reafon, or fome opinion of merit, or fome fuch other thing difiind: from Faith and Love. 2, They diffrr in tin md. The Chrifiian above all aitn6 at the glory of God. Th The DolJrine <~pplied. . . Tne Ph.,if'e dot'> it to be f<en and approved or"men, or to purchafe Heaven ; yea and could you fee into the hearts ofboth thefc performers, you would fee a vail difference in rhe o:nanner ofperformar. cc roo, ( but this is too brge a theme for rh.ts place.) I ~a.y they mull beGt'aper and Fig~, they mull.be true fruits of the Splllt of Grace cruc fruits ·of Holmefs, growtng out of a root of Fattt. and Lov/ , 1 ' 2 , Theh ( Secondly ) though the Figr be grem,,though the Grapes bt tender Grapu;yet rhc Winter is gone, the Wmter lmean of a natural ]late, The Winter of a dup defirtion, Go~ cxped:s not perfed:ion ofhisSaints in this life, while we are on t~ts fide ofHeaven, our Flowers will not befuU-blown, our Ftgs wtll be. but gr~tltFigr; our Grapes but under GraJVr. Some indeed wtll be n.per than others as they fiand mere in the Sun, but none full rtpe. Judg theref~re thy felf aright, 0 Chrifiian! Look to find Grape.s aml F'i•1 upou thy Soul; fome Spiritual habitr, and achon~ upo!' thofe habits which f\efh and blood cannot produce; and tf thou findeft them:hopc we!l,believc well,condemn not ~hy fe!ffor 'Yant of other<txperiences. ~he Summer of the T~xt, ts not defcrtbed from the light of the atr, ?' from .the chear!tnefs ?f. the weather, ·or theTriumph oft he Sun tn the hetght of the Mertdtan,bur from the Figt and Grapfl put forth, and-from the appearance of the Flowers in rhe Earth. Is thy ellate an affitd:ed !late, from the 'frowns of divine providence upon the outward mln, . from the follicitations of Satan? dcefi thou want fcnfible confolauons? well be it (o yet doll thou find rhy heart by Love breathing after God, by faith, hanging upon God, by patience waiting for God, not daring to depart from God, who hiderh his fac.e from thee; Thy Winter is in great me:lfure pall, the growmg of rhe ph.nts, and their fending forth fruit,fpeak sSummer as.wtll as rhe glonous light ofrhe Sun at noon-day. There may be tndtcd a J>3rllaLdr{ trtion in the Soul that finds this but it is the ligbttfi and moll tolerable. That So11l hath a great deal of the prefence of God with it that in an evil day is inabled ro keep clofe unto GDd, not wilf; lly departing from hlm, The che3rly mmy So11l, may be miliaken and go to Hell at !all, but lo (hall an. holy Soul never d~ • Thirdly Is it then Summer with the Church and with a· Son!, 3• 7Jj't •hen the F")owerr appe•r oil the Eartb, whcH the voice of tbe 'IHrtle it btJJrd, whm the Fig-tree fen dub forth green Fit.', •nd tbr Viltetmder Gr•pu? |