Chap.~·'· ProY.•~~.''9· ACI.t.J7. Of RE FE N TAN c E; Sermon 7 . . - ioit,wepreachfor, Not thefrtlits of your lips; they bebut leaves: but,fi'uEim operii that frutt. . ' Now if you marke, what it is our belt Sermons brirtg forth;welhall eafily ob. ferve,themolt is afew goodwords offome point or other in.the Sermon,handledrper– advemure) not ami!fe : and (heare you) well,if that: but,if that, looke for no more. there's all. And this leafe,itla!l:s not long neither; fades quick!y, as did the leaves 0 £ Iona's gourd: Onedaygreene,thenextdrie. . And, is this.the fruit of our labours ?Is not this thePhari{m Ampiflumercedem veftram? Ifthefrllit ofout labours be but the fruit ofmerts lips,we are.like tomake but a cold reckoning of it, to inherit the1vind. As if we c;1me hithertobring fortha /eafe ofprai[~; toF_re_ach art,and not Spirit :Art,to draw from men a va!ne applaufe; And not Spmt, to~rzng forth the frutts of theSpmt,fruElifymgto newnejfe oflife,by fru8ta factte ;frutt,thatmay abound to your account andours: rours,that did; Ourt, that preached to havethem done. The only true praifc of aSermon is, fome evi!lleft, or fomegood done, upon the hearingof it. 0 ne fuch fruit, fo brought forth, were a more ample commendation, than many mouthes fu_ll of goodwords fpent, andcopies take!', an~printing, and I wot not what. And fure 1t1s, OnwhomaSermonworkesanght, ltleaveshimno/ca– fure to{..y mt~ch,to ufe many words,but make~him ratherf~llofthot~ghts. And when all comes roall,fruBut fa8~U, thede~ddone, IS lt. And, 1t 1S ~ogood fignein atftt; when all thc.[apgoes upmto leaves ;1s fpent that way: Nor,manAHditor, whenall is verbal! that comes, and nothing elfe: No rulityat all. Saint John himfelfe(in the next ~ords following) tells us, thefruit he meanes it is not Di.-mtes: Andhegin not(f~i~hhe)to Say: For,it is nomatter of{aying,eitl;er to your felvcs, or to ot110·s. Th1sts butagreene le4fe; and, With thefruit, dathnot ami!fe ;withoutit,islittle worth. It is not repentance in the leaves,but with thefrnit,he calleth for. I willlhut up this point with St• .Augu.ftinesprayer, before one of his Sermons i that Godwould vouchfafe, qugd ufiliter meditatum eft cor meum, whatmy heart hath profitably thought on, robring it thence into my tongue, and from thence into your tares, and from thence int0 your hearts,and from thence into yourdeed~; that fo, :ill mayendinProferte fru8tu,Bril•g forfh fmits. II I. PrcftrtefruCI~U igitur. Igitur;every where you finde,flippe it you mull not: the l!ri~g forth whole weightofthe fentence lyeth upon it.There is in it thegroundand reafon,whm- ~~~· ~~fo7· fore; And fo is indeed theroot, all thefefmits mull grow from. And the Prophet's ·It•iJ••· Rule is, to looke to the root downwar.l,before to the fruit upward. Firll: then, to finde Jir~y l 7· l'· a wherefore for this therefsre. Therefore, is the knowne note of aconclu.fion : Then mull: there be asyllogifmel : and here it is, f<!!jcunqtu vult, whof.ever of you will ftJ from the wrath to collie, hee u to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance ? But you are all of this minde, that you would fly from the wrAth to come; Bringforth fruil therefore. F:,;n(f"'• Vvee mull: then call: our eye backetothis flying from the wrath to come, which is ~:'::."'b" the mediut terminm; orcardo, whereupon allthe argument runs, and the very lifeof the whole inducement. There is 'tflrathto come.- Thatmu!l:youjly from.- Fly fromtt you capnot,but by this igitur: Proferte fruBm igitur. . Many are theTherefore's,why we lhould repent,and of d1vers natures. Th~gooJ. Il.om...... · ;,elfe of God (faith the Apoftlt) doth (cven 1 )dle11Sdm tohrependtanlicde: And ~e!bs(htm that will bcled. But,thefe(here)would not ea • t. Io nha u e that bexore 'IJ"· Verb. 2.) Doe it ;Repent, and the1'\ingdome of heaven iut h~nd, har_dby you. One would thinkc this would h;wedone lt; haveeven/edthem tolt. It ftmed them not: He J> fainc ;o iav Heaven by, and the life,joy,glory to come; And to take him tohell,ro the an"ui{h trilmlation, torments there (for,all thefe are in thewrath t1 &Prpl.) So,toJrrlit th~m df it maybe) to it,fince twlingwill n@t ferve. · Srraage :
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=