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A
SERMON P
R:,~,E~
PARED TO BE PREACHED
ontheXth, ofFebruary,
d. V.
MncXXIV.
being
AS H.WE D NE S DAY.
MAT
T H. Chap; III. Ver: VIiJ.
Proferte Fructus igitur dignos Pocnitencire.
'Bring
forth Fruits, therefore, "'Porthj· amendment
of
life
(or~
Repentance.)
·
Text,three points
we have
gonethr~ugh
; thefe three,'
'Proferte, Bring fqrth,be
not alwayes
carrying in :
' Prpfer~
teftllctm,Bring forth fruit ;Leaves
will nor ferve:
3
Profer–
tefm8& igitur, Bring forth fmits therefore:
Wherefore ~
that fo you may
efcape the wrath to come.
There isnoway to
efcape ir,bur that. Now we goeon.
Bring forth
frt~it.r
therefore. Whatfmits? Fruits
of
re·
;
fruits
growing on a
tree
called
Retentance :
For,
ftuirs
evercorrie m
to thetreerhat carries them. Ifwe
.
brought forth :·_If brought forth
itmufi
be,therem~tfi
bee a
That
tree
is
Repentance.
.
Sr.
Johnin
his whole Sermon runsall upon this metaphor of
tree
249
·'
and
(rutts,
and
root;
that he, brings in
Repentance
as a
tree,
I have touched
formerly. It feemesto refer us (this
tree)
ro anorher,rhe
forbidden tree.
That
tree
had
Gen.•.•r:
frmt'
Thistrrero havefo too.
Tree fortree,fruit
for
fmit.
The
worthy fruits ofRe-
phntance,
for the
umvorthyfmitsof difobedien,;e.
The
fruit of that tree
was our
bane;
fi
t
efrmto~
thts to
beourmcdicim.
The
frttitof
that madeira
vcntur•tocome;
The
rntt
of thts wtllturnc it away.
firil \
15
true; the
frt<its
of this
tree
of
Repentance,
they were not
prim.e iiiUntionil;
1
f
Prtnctpally intended. There was another a more excellent planr,called the
fi
reeo
Inbnocence;
the
fruit
whereof
was,Nepeccetis,
nottojin at all. There were no
·
rutttot
·r ·
h
t
h
at,t tt were to be had. But,wherefh'all we fi!ld that
~
Where growcs t e
;ee
t atbeares
thatfimit ?
Who is there
thatjinneth not?.Thefiorbiddcnfruit
was no
Rom.
J•
•i'
100nertak
b
·
-
- -
t•
fi
enN, ut, that
tree withered
and
dyed.
~:ould
never be got ro !iirow in ourna•
• lre
mce
•
otalking of that,
'
·
-
.
J"h~~