Head II. a degenerate Stock. ' ,. ':.01 James iii. 17. (2.) Their ill {avour• . ~heir works are abominable, for themfelves are corrupt~ Pfa.l. xiv. r. They · all favour of the old ilock, not of the new. It is the·pecu– liar priviledge of the faints, that ~hey·' are ttnto God a fweet favour of Chr:~fi. 2 Cor. ii~ I Sr· The unregenerate man's fruits favou.r not of love to Chrifi, nor ·of the blood· of Chrifl, nor of the incenfe of his interceffion ; and therefore· will never be accepted of in heaven. (3.) Their ~aripertefs. Their grape is an unripe grape, Job xv. 33• There is no· influence oa them from the fun of righteoufnefs, t9' bring them to perfe&ion. They have the fuape of fruit, but no more. The matter of duty is in them ; but they wan.t right principles and ends : their works are not cwrought in· God, John iii. 2 I. Their prayers drop from · their lips, he- ' fore their hearts be impregnate with the vital fap of the fpi– rit of fupplicatioo: their rears fall from their eyes, ere their hearts be truly foftned: their feet turn to new paths, and their way is altered; while yet their nature is not cha!llged.. ( 4•) Theit lightnefs. B,eing weighed in the balance~, they arefound wanting, Dao. v, 27. For evidence whereOf, yoll' may obferve, they do;not humble the foul, but lift it up in· pride. The good fruit of bolinefs bear down tbe branches . ' 1 they grew upon, making them to falute the ground, 1 Cor. xv. 1 o. I laboured more abundantly ihan they all : yet rzot ], but the grace of Godwhich r-JJas with me~ But the bl'afl:ed fruits of unrenewed mens perform~naes, hang lightly on branches towering up to heaven, Judges xvii. 1 3· · Now lcnow L that the Lord will do megood,feeing I have a Levite– lq my priefl. .They Look indeed fo high. that God cannot behold them .; ifhe·refore have 'U!e fajled, Jay they, and l.hou J~efl nfJ! ? lfa. lviii. g. The more duties they do, and the be_tter they feem to perform them; the lefs are they humbled, the 'more they are lifted up. This difpoGtion of ·the finneris the ex-act reverfe_of what is to be found in the. faint. ·To men, who neither are in Chrifl:, nor are foli~;i· tous to be found in him, their duties are like wiody bladders,, ·wherewith they think to fwim afuore to l11~manuel's land : but thefe muft needs break, and they confequendy Gnk ; . becaufe they take not Chrii1 for th~ lifter up of their -hear!, . Pfal m iii. 3. Lajlly, They are not aJI manner ot pleafant .frui,tJ, Cant. vii. 1 3· Chrifi as a King rnufr be ferved with .,. s 2 ' variety.
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