OfR E p E N T AN c E, Sermon 7~ 1 ., •h• .Aorijl, Nay,t~enit fits neerer: For,to tell yout~ tr~th as it is, Theword;i~ not Bring ""'C"7•. forth, at tlus tum, 110'11'; then, tt l110uld be~"""''m the Pre[tnt: But,tt •s not: It is "'""C"l•, mtheAorijl; (aten[t the Latinehath not, nor ourTongrte neither.) Itfignifies rather, Have done hringing forth; rather, than1Jrini forth prefently. And I would to Go o wee had even done fo; had done bringing them forth; for then, allfearewere pall:. rentura is tocome,' but coine it will; and, when we know not. Both, are yetto come(for ought I fee) wrath,and ourfruit. Ifthefruit come before thewrath come it is well: But,ifthewrath come,before the fruit come,where are wethen~ Wear~ pa(t recovery. , Bur, what fpeakes he to us, of having done? We have fcarfe yet begtm, fcarfe fet the root that lhould beare this fruit, Well yet, this lhewes us, it is timewe were about it, feeing Saint John faith, it is morethan rime, wee bad donebringing them forth, But well,to takeno advantage of that tenfe,we will be content with thepre[tnt, if we may obraine that. And fo would he haveir,now: For, now (faith he) i<the t~xelaidto theroot: Now then,or oorat all. Nay, not now: this is notatime;we have appointed orher bufinef(e which wee cannot put off. Well,one quefiionmore will make an end; ifnor at thistime, at what time ? If not now,when?Butthen, this mu!! be fer downe,now before we fiir hence; And Jo fer downe, as if it be not now,it beas ncerewo)l1, as may be,for fearewnturacome nor too foone,and take treeand all.This is fure ;(hefooner thebetter, becaufe the more likely; thelatfr, thewor[t, becaufethe lelfe cerraine. 1'hmime • But,when we fpcake of theprefent,we lhut it not up in ip{o nnnc, in ad•y ortwo,or morcrhana three. Fruits require a timetobringthemf8rtk: who_ ever heard of fruits brought E~~~·1. forth on ~fudtlen? Sawever any man fuch athmg~ (lt!sEfay) shallthe tree bri»g,or tllefruit bebroughtfmharonce?AGDtlrdora Mujhrome may lhoor up in anight; So cannot fruit: It askes time. I takeirtoheanerrour, andrhatof dangerousconfe. quence; teachingrepentance, to rhinke it am•tterof no moreIIJOment, than to be dif. . patchedin amoment. Commonly,ourrepentance is too foonedone. Apf'limion to Go o knew it well; and therefore He allowcs a timefor ir: Eoce dedi ei tempra Ltm (faith Hee to the church ofThyatira) He gave a time to repent, to bring forth t:~·~t · the{e fruits, What time might that bee I~ He never gave certaine time., but eo Ni. nive; and that wasforty D•yu. Youlmow, where weearenow, andwharrhat meanes. · Wee are notagainfi:allowance of time, fo it bee not toflip thecoHar, tobe fiill "~··•·•S; 11ncert•ine. Bur,I like not his faying ~.,.. ''"""P"C~.yea, when I jinde acon'tlenient timr, then He that faidit, never foundit: h•dit then,never found it aftfr. Bur,if we meanc, as we fay,would doe it at a convenient time, we cannot find fo ronvenient atimeas thu. Take it firll:, as the timeof theFajl; thattimemayfeemeto claime a propertie in it. They goe alwayes together; In the Larv, theirfolemne repen. timce was ever at the timeof rhcirgenerallFaR. In the Prophets, I11elrellsus the bell turning to Goo (that is,repentance) iscum jrjunio.They that had not the Law (as Nt· nive) ']{gt11re it felfe taught them to doe it faRing; when they tookcthisfuit, to . Lev1r.t'6.~.,. ' . Ioekt..Ji, lon,J.f· taRe nothing. In theGojfe/1, John Baptifl thePreacher ofrepentance, came neithtt chap.r ,_,s. eating nor drinking. And our Saviottr though Hec did both, yet this fajl Hce kcpr~ loh.• i·• f· though not for any need He bad ofir Himfelfe, but (as in orher) for Extmplumd:d~ vobi<, togive us an example, and to point us that bad need, what time todoe lt m. Which harh ever fince, from yeare to yeare beene religioully obferved; both, as~ time ofpublikepmance,andas a time ofGemraUab.ftinencein the Chur&h ofCHaur, Convenient,forthe time of FaR. !lilm, 1 • 1 ; And,convet1iem,forrherime oftheyeare.For,ifitwill be the tree in the I. Pfaltu:, tobringforthfruit in due(eafon,this way itfits ourturn:tbarfeafo~ is at thu (eafo11.ltl> now tempmprofmndi: when canwe better fayProferttfruefungztur ~ You can never lrriwgforthat a better time. The feafon is now come; andbringingfmhwiU lborcly be in feafoa of which the Poet [aith._Nunc.~mnis ager, nunc 11mni;pArttmt ArPP!, ' when
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=