- Heao li. Acceptance ofthe Fruit.r ofHolinef. ~49 into o11;e fpirit. Gjve yourf~lves unto praj~er; open your mouths wide, and he will fin them. By thefe means the b~ancl1es in Chrift ~1ay be furthe1· nourifheq, grow u'P, aod bring forth much fruit. . • A J~venth benefit i~, The acceptance of their fruits. of holinefs before th~ Lord. Though .diey be very imperfect , they are accepted, becaufe they favour of Chriit the bleffed fiock, \vhich th~ branches grow upon; while ~he fruits of others are· rejeCted of God> Gen. iv. 4• 5· And the Lord ht1d fejp·e[l t'tnto Abe/, and to hi; offering: hut unto C sin ,and hi.; offering he had not refpeff. Compare Heb . xi. 3· By faith Abtl offered unto .God a more exce!ient facrifit!e than Cain. 0 how defeCtive are tbe faints duties in the eye of t·he law! The b.eli.evet ·himfe1fefpies many faults in his .bett; performancesj yet the Lord gracioufly receives them. Ther ,e is no grace planted in the heart,-but there is a weed of cor– ruption hard by its {{de, while t11e fain ts <H;~ in this lower world. T~eir very fincerity is not without mixture of d5f– fimu!at ion or hypocrify, Gal. ii. J 3· Hence there are de– feCts in the exercife of every grace; ·in the perfonnarrce of – «_very duty: depraved nature always drops fomething t? {lain their beft works. There is ftill a mixture of darknets with their clearelt light. Yet this,does not mar their acce p– tance, Can·t. vi. xo.- WhO' it jhe that /ooketh forth tu the ' - m·ornbzg ? or a1 the dawning? Behold now Chrifl's fpoufe is efteemed and accepted of her Lord, even when Che looks· forth as the morning~ whofe beauty is mixed with the !;>lack· - nefs of the night! 1¥hen the morning waJ lookiug out. as the word is, Judge! xix . 2({ i.e. in the dawning of the dal., as we read it. So the very dawning of grace, and g.ood-will, to Gh:riil, grace peeping ot'it from under a mafs of darknefs: in believet s, i~ pleafant and acceptab~e w him, as the break of day is to the weary traveller. Though the remai rls of unbelief make their hand of fa'th to !bake and tremble; yet' the Lord is fo well pf~afed with it, that he en1plo·vs it to· carry away pardons and wpplies of grace, ; from the th rone of grace, and the fountain of grace. His faith was effec· . ,tual who crie,d out, and-faid with iear.s, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelic(! ,\IJ;u k ix. 2 4· rho' the remains ~f . f~n fual .tffdh· ~o s make the .flAme of their love weak and jm9aky; he turns l1is eyes f1om the fmoak , and beholds the · flame, ·'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=