TIJe natural Stock, a dead Stock. State JI I. yariety. Where God makes the heart his garden, 'he plants, • ~~ as Solqmon did hi~, with trceJ of all H.ind offruitJ, Ecci. J.t. S. And accordingly it briogs fqrth the fruit of the Spirit tn allgood'nefl~ Eph. v. 9. But the ungodly 'tire notfa: their obedience is never univerfal; there is always fome one thing or other exce·pted. In one word 1 their fruits are 'fruits of an ill tree, that cannot be accepted in heaven. 2d!y, Our natural ll:ock is a dead fiock, according to the threatnioog, ·Cen. ii. 17. In t-he day thou eatefl thcreif, thou .fha!t furely tdie, Our root now is rottennefs, no marvel the bioffom go up as dufl:. The ll:reke has gone to the he-art, the fap is let ou.t, and the tree is withered. The curfe of the firfl covenant, like ·a hot th1mder- boh from heaven, has lighted on it, and ruined it. It is curfed now as t~at '6g– ttee, Mattb. xxi. I 9· 'L'et no.fruit g,·orw on thee, henciforth for ever. Now it is good for nothing, but to cumber the ground, -and f.urniili fu-el for Tophet, 1 Let. n1e inlarge a little <here alfo. · Every unrenewed· maif i's a branc-h 'of a dead !hick. When thou feelt, 0 fin·ner, a dead fiock of a tree., exh,aufied of all its fap, having lmtnch· es on it in the f-ame c:oDditiMl; look on it as a lively repre· fentation of thy{oul's fiate . .{I.) Where t·he flock is dead, the branches rnufi ne·eds .Qe ·barren. A~la-s! the barre-nne.fit. <>f many profe-tfors pJ:ainly clifcovers on ~1 hat fioc-k they ar.e growing. It is eafy to pretend te faith, but jhe'W ?ire<'fh)' faith ,•u.fth@ut tby rwot-~..r·, if toAOt} canft; JameJ ii. 17· {2.} A dead flock can conv'ey no fap to the br-anches, to make them bring forth fruit. The cb·venant of works, was thct bond of our union. with the natural Rock ; but -oow it is become rwuk through the.:flcjh; that is, through the d~jgederacy and depravity of human nature,_ R~m . v}ii. 3· I,t is firo'ng enough to command. and to btnd heavy burdens on the fhoulders of thofe who are no.t in Chrifi: but it affords nojlrengtbto 'bear 'them. The Cap that ·was once in the ro.ot, is JlOW gone: and the law, like a mercilefs creditor, apprehends Adam's heirs, . fayiog. Pay _what thou ewejt; when ~!as ! his effects are riotoufly fpent. ( 3.) All pains and cofl ~re1ojl on the tree, whofe life is gor.e. · In vain d_<>'· tnen ~abour to get.fruit on the branche-s, when there is n<>– fap in the root. Firfl, The gardener's pair~s are }oft: mi– oijlers ··l-efe their -lab0ur ·on the ·bra~ches of the old iloc.k, · · wh1le
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