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Show Cant.2.15, 7"a/t.! 111 tbe Fo11.t1, the lilt!t F11!<'ts, for they flail tbt Vines, and 011r Vines have tender Grape~. I N my Jail Exercife, we found the Vines here mentioned to be . the plalfts in the Lords Vintyard, mentioned Efoy 5· The men of Judah W<r~ of old called his pleafant plaJ<t, Efay 5• 7• Every Believer is a plant 111hich oNr heavmly F atbtr bath planted, Matt h. , 5· •3• We are now to enquire concerning the fruit of this plant· that is grapes, and the difference of this fruit. Some have tender grapes : indeed all grapes have a tendmtef'j, and are qui<kly battered and fpoiled ; the word in the Hebrew is "l,t:lO, it lignifies Mi~<~t£: fo Llr. Montanlil, little grapes. Lexicographers tell us,it figmfies Vvam primam qu£ flore decidente apparere incipit; uvam immaturam, the firll-come fruit after the flower falls olf': hence fome have tranflated it Flo.,m. The Doctrine I have to difcourfe- upon, is, · That the Lord Chrifts Vilm have fome of them tender grapes ; a11d nf foch the Lord hath a teHder care. Here are two parts to be fpoken to: r. That fame of the Lords Vinu have tmder grapu. Our Vines have tender grapes. · 2. That the 'Lord Chri[! hath a tender care of his Vines,whiles they have tender grapes. The Lord Chrifts Vinu ( fome of them ) have tender grapes. All of them ha.ve grapes: there is none barren arnongll them. A {ruitlefi Vine of Chrill is a Solecifm in Divinity, John I 5· 2. Every branch in me that brinl!,etb not forth fruit, he ta/t.!tb away. Grapes are the fruits of the Vine; Exercifes of grace are the fruits of the Vine of Chrill: Now thefe are more imperfeet or more perfeCt. Hence you fl1~ll lind in Scripture a dillinetion of Chritlians into fuch as are perfell,and li.1ch as are more imperfe[i ; fuch as are weak_, and fuch as are jlrong; fuch as have nud of mill{, and fuch as may haveftrong medt; lambs andjhetp. John 2 I. 15, I 6,17. ,Chrill biddeth Pttrr feed his lambs, andfud bisfhup. It was prophefied ofChrill, If.40.1 I. That bejhou/d {ted his flock., lilt.! ajhepbeard, he fhould gqtber the lambs with bitllrm, and ""J them in his bofom bofom, '"d g';nlry lead them that ar~ with yliung. Rofll. '1'4· •r. 'Hi~ 1hat is weak in the faith receive you. 1 The1f. 5· 14. Suppm the weak_. Rom. I f.t. We therefore that are llrong ought to he~r the infirmities of the weak. Some are per{el1 ( that mull be underflood comparatively,) 1 Cor.z.6. Ifpeak,.wifdome a~o~g them th.r · are per[tfJ. Jam. 3. 2. Some are ~arnal, fom: are Ji:m~ual ; fo~e have all•imd,(ome have not atlamed. There IS nothtng 10 the Scrtpture clearer than this. Two things will be more worthy of our Enquiry. 1. To underfland "RJbat theft Vines are that have hNt tender graper. How weak Chrifiians lland dillingui!hed from fuch as are firong. . . . .. 2. To know the reafon of thts dtlference of jiz;e 10 <:hnlltans: whence it is that all Chrillians are not alike. Let me 1n the firft place give you fame mark_s to know weak Chrillians by, fuch as have but tender grapes. The weaknefs of all Chrillians, either referreth to th,eir judgment, or to their prafJice. 1. Tbe Cbri/fian that;, weak,. in k.,norr>ledg hath but a tmder grape. Knowledg of the things of God is no di!lingui!hing gracious .habit ; the Devils know more than the bell of us, many a krrowmg Soul goes down into the pit. He that knoweth his Mailers will, and doth it not lliall be beaten with many llripes : but yet, no< tru,ly gracious S~ul can be wlthou~ it. That the Soul !hould ~e without knowledg is not good, fatth Solomon, Prov. I9. 2. It IS a necelfary habit, and particularly to thofe wbo have mt.ans {)fun- · d~ril3ndiug. If there be in lfrael a people of no underjlandmg: he who bath m~de tbem.wiU hape no mercy upon them, aHd be that formed them wiU jhtrP them no favour,. What Arithmeticians fay of One It is it felf no number, but it is the foundation of aU >wmbers : So I think we may fay of KJtowledg, in reference to dilti>tg~<ifhing grace; It is in it felf no dillingui!hing grace, but it is the foundadation of all. How !hall a man l•ve,fear,truft in that God whom he knows not , what heis, nor how fit an object for thefe acts? ' How !hall he obey that Law, which he underllands not what it re- ' quireth? How O~all. he repem•f his fins, who knows not what fins, nor whether this or that ael-ion be a fin or no? How !hall he perform his-duty towards God and man, who knows not what is required in reference to· the one or to the other# fo that he that is weak in knowledg, mull necelfarily be weak in graae' . There· ue fume degrees of knolllletig; neceffary to S~vation- ; but f~ther .. · d'egr(tSt • |