Sermon 8. Of REp E N TA N c E, ·That tree failing, it pleafed Goo, of his great goodnefl'e, to graft upon a new fiocke,this fecond plant,thc Plant of.Repentance:To the end it mighi:Terve for a coJm– terpoyfon : thefruit of it again!l: the venome of the forbidden frujt. To the end alfo that it might ferve to fupply that other of Innoccntie(they be E_lihu'swordsin lob) 10 reftore unto man-his innocmcie. For, quem pll'nitetpeccJ.jJeplEne e~ in'ii.ocens, (could the Heathen mail fay) the next degreeto Innocence, isi'enitmcie. That'ifwe can.not prefent God ,with the fruit oflnnocencie, at the feat of Hi~ Iu.ftjc(~ yet,;with the fruit of RepmtAnce,werpay,at't.h.ethroneofhisgrace. i · ~ And thistreewillgrow in our [oile; our foile will beare it,·and with good tending,bring forth fruits ,worthy fruits ,which we may offer unto God, and He will take it ingood wprth. And this is the treewe mull: rru!l: to.,now :andbleffed be God,that fowemay. ·. TheDivifo~ . To keepeils do[~ toour metaphore. We ~ay fir!l:,thad'epentance, if it be right; ]. IS no J,ogge, no dry peeoe'()f I!Jood : ATrent IS; hath lifemtt; vegetable lifeat th~ lea!l:. • ' U. z AITm, and th~tno6armitr~e: Such there be, thatforalltheirroot, 6ring forth no {ruzt at all.Th1s trens·abeanng t_ree,you rnay fay Proferte to tt. Itwill bring forth. . , . · 11 I. 3 Bring forth,and what~ That,tt was fet for. It was notfetforfoadow, nor for Jewel/. It ~splanted for fruit, and fruit it is to6ring. IV. 4 But, will any fruit ferve ~ No : trees there be that carryfruit, botfruit, of no worth ;porch comedend&,for[wine (perhaps) not for men. Neither for meAt nor mtd/. cine. Neither meer to be prefented eoGod norufefullfor theferviceof men. So •a tree: • a bearing tree : •3' a fmit-bearing tree; aod ~ thefmit it.bearesworthy the tree that beares it. • If it be adeAd.ftocke, and no li'!Je tree. •I(it be atree,but bare and ~~r. ren; 1;-1oproferee·; Bring notforth.ll.f it bring forth,beit what it will,ifit be notfrnit. 4 Ifit befructus and not dtgnos,fruit,but fuch as is nothingworth,it comes not hence: St. Iofmacknowledgesit not. None ofhis tree,fomebafiard llippeit is : None of his fetting. His, lies faire before us. Bring forth therefore,&c. Ofthefefoure wee are to proceed. •Ofthe tree, •Thebearingof the tree, 3 Thcfmit it beares, 4 Theworthof V. thefruit: and aword (if youwill)of thefrHit time, the timeofall this :which will fall outto be at this very time. I I. Ofthc:rree. V '. r{ 7Eare to treat oF Repe11tance, as a tree,fidl:. To fpeake properly, Repentancei; V aVerrue,amora//Vertue,abranch of It~f/ice,ofIt~jlicecorreelive;and [o lhould be delivered in moraO termes, as (in theEthikes) other Vertues ufe to be. It is nor, though : you !hall feldome find it fo : but moll:-what fer outin the termes of Come oncpallionof the mind or other. Andwhy fo ~ For no other caufe, but that weart fodeadand dull, when, we are about it(this bufineffe) as if Repmtance were avery /og;and noqttickeorlive tree. Which cannotbe;Repentan.-ebeing from deadworks,and therefore cannot bee adead thing it felfe, but have life init. Markeit when youwill, the Holy ahofl (as it were of purpofe) {till choofeth toexpreffe it, underfome rerme of pallion (asforrow,fege, anger, and the like) rather than the other way : Rather in Patheticall than in Ethical! termes. And this he cloth in a manner continually. For, Pafionsbequicke ; there is life in them. Therefore,their termes He choofeth, ro put life inus. To {hew He would haveusaffeBion•te,whenweare about this worke: and not fo cold and fo calme,as wee ufe to be. And indeed,thefeajfeflionsbee theve:Y radicalthumouror fap: Iftheygoeup, there is hope of Come fruit: Ifdowne, andnfe \ not,nopr~ferte tobelo~kcd for. . . . . . . . Now, ifajfiflims gtve life, thequtel<er the~Jfieltun, the: more life1t gtves. And thcr~
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