Of~ E P E ~ TA N c E.; SermonS. ----------------~~~ ------------------- IIII. The "'"'b of Inour re~enting(commonly)we make_fuch hafl:e;as we t~ke away befo. e thefruitt his fruit. cm:ne. But1fthere happento come any,ts nor tlus even our cafe Our Ttares, ifan drte Jlratght: Our Prayers,tfany, qutckly tedious: Qur Almes, indeed piti~"uU: Oyur' !CEl1".7,1-o. :t -l',ll 1 r, 1 fl: t: A r ~· Fa1is, 1 "J' or •oo 1 euponanyrhe ea occa,wn: nd 10 our RepmtMce(ifany)p<tnitmti p«nitenda,a repemance needing another, anew, afecund repentance,to repent us ofir. T 4 rep_ent us,ofour repentance, no leffe than ofourjinne it fdfe. So that, ifany fmit;fmi~ <it noworth. And tfthe frmt be of no worth, no more is the tree: unworthy one,un. t!iorthy both. Thus we are not yet where we ihould be, till untofruflm we have added dtgnos. Nay then, .if you fall to talke of worthinejfe, we ihall have f:•ti>fac1ion up Jgaine; · A~b6.to. And had we not befl:then to aske firfl:,are there anyworthy r For,ifthere be none fuch bid Saint I oH N beware how heralke ofworthy frnits : bid Saint PAuL ·bewar~ how he fpeakeofworthy workes ofrepentance. Ifnone fuch be,rhey did ill ro cloggerhe hill with any fuch word. But they knew well, what they faid: therefore, fuch th:re be (fure)gerrhem where we can. lio>Yit is,..,_ Onely,when we fay worthy, it wouldbeunderfl:ood ct~mgranofali;, Howworth]? tbie. in what fcnfe ~whitherreferred? rhar wcmifl:ake not. I demand thenjirft, fhallw~ put them into thebalance, to weigh theworthinej(e•fourfmits, wirhtheunrvorfhineffi ofour.fins, and theconfequem ofour fins the wrath of GoD ~ thedtgmtt{oftheone wirh the indignity ofthe other, and rhinke by their dignity ro fatisfie Go n s junin~ dignation? I trow not. _At this heame, no fruits ofours will hold ll'etght: Non~,fo, foundworthy : No, not 1fwe-could (I f.1y not,jhed, orpowreout, but) even mtltint~ llom,8 .18. teares,and every teare :t drop ofhloud. No : Nonfunt condign« pafiones (faith theApD. file) wecanJt'.lfer nothing wnrthy ourfins, but (that, we cannot Cuffer) ira ventura, rhe wrath ofGo D. The infiniteinc~mparabte high worth ofHim, that in our.fin is wronged; the fottle contempt rhaostheremolflred, are farre·above theworthof any our fruitr; «'Pf:a.\.so.ro. bD.m. s.:.7. cLuk.as.H. d ~ht. 8.8. tVer.u, weighthem downc as anyfeather. Why,all Lebanon(fatth theProphet)isnotfufficient to find wood; nor, all the • heafls upon a thou(andhills nor enough for a Sacrij1r, b Tekel, tekel,too light all. Takethem out ofthefcales,away with them,Nonfunt digni, in that fenfe. In whtch fenfe, ~ot the wtcked 'prodt~aflchtldonly, bur even the good d Centurion; nay then, even Satnt John Baptijl here htmfelfe,cry all, e Nonfum digmu; ' neitherrheirfrt~its,nor they. The honor ofdignos(in this fenfe)bdongs to thefrttits o£ no tree,but the tree oftheCroJ!eofCH RHT ;roHi;friffirings, and ro none bur Hr<. Yer( I wote well) ther~ hath.been another manner efl:imare by fome men ofrheir ownefruits; but they wdghed the;:n with their owne falfe weights, and made rhe;n a difcharge both from pa-naand from culpa,and that toties quoties. Nay then,invenwujl plm habens, they found a furtherfurplttf{age too ofl know not what bcGdes. Wharof that ~ CH,.. 1s T's Caveat is hereto take place: that weedmg out the t1res, we rake heed,wc pluck not up rogerher,g-oodcorne and all. That to avoid cerrainewormer,tlut may happe bn;edinrhefrrdt, if it be not the better looked to, we beat not all chefmt offthe tree,and leave i-t all naked and bare; nofmits at all: and, for feare ofreaching a proud,teachafruit-lejfe repentance. Well: though not Co compared,not this way,yct mufl: we have fmc1tt< dignos. How, worthy then ~ referredwhither ~ As worthy, ;;s theplj?ihility ofour 1Yature will reach to; as ourfoi!e will bcare, or hath ever yeddcd; as theSaintsand Servants of Go D are reported to have brought forrh in former ages : what fay you to rhat •Pral. u 9 .s3. dignos r That (indeed) wcrefomewhatwonh,ifit might be had. They~ they have b 109· •4· become •like bottles in thefmoake, b thetr knees havegrowne weake throughfaJimg,they d Luk., 9 .:: 7 · have' all-to-wet their pillowes with their teares; they have d reJ!oredbribes,andtl;at (ourfQ/d; given inalmuat once, halfeofallthat ever they had: Tl11S were (mde~d) fame– what worth : But ofthis (I doubt) our worthmeffi Will be found !hort: or rathctl doubt not: I dare ;or put it upon rhis~ignosneither. . . . . . Andyer were there inus any portion ofrhat herotc•fl free!fmt, ofthat chnJlran ) 1114!""<
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