().Secrí.7. O/a twofold lining in the vineChrif . 701 Obieftions takenfrom teßi lo<ics o fSe ipture,stnf Bred. baptifine, and make an outward profeflìon of religion, though in their hues they denie the power thereof; which notwithflanding were neuer truely vnitcdvetoChrifl, nor ingrafted into the inuilible Church, being altogether clef-fi- niteofthe bond ofthisvnion, the fpirit ofGod and a liuelïe faith, and confequently hauing no communion with our head and roote Chrifl Iefus, nor receiuing any lifeand ver- tue from him, theyare dead and rotten tnetnbers,and bran- ches which hauing only athew and fhape ofanoutward profcflïon,and wanting life, bring foorth no fruites oftrue godlineffe, and therefore !hall cut off,not from the true bodie ofChrifl the inuifible Church, intowhich they were neuer planted and ingrafted, but from the outward body of thevifïbleChurchwhereoftheywere members in (hew and profefíion. The which is done when as their vizard being pulledof,theyare difcouered tobe but meere hypocrites. But here it is obie&ed,that it cannot bee called abranch which bath not fometime lined in thevine: for branches are not tranfplanted,but doegrow in the vine not deadbut li- uing, and fo the faithful! are borne againe in Chrifl, and when they arc borne againe, they arenot dead butliuing: and.yet notwithaanding ifafter they are borne againe, they refufe to beare the fruit ofgood workes, theyarecut off and perifh. I anfwere, that there is a twofold lining in thevine, in fhew and outward appearance, and indeede and truth; the firfl is common to the hypocrite, who after a fort may be laid to bee ingrafted into the bodie ofChrifl,and in re- f-Peaofhis thewand outward profeílion to liue inhim; but the other isproperand peculiar to the faithfull, who are the truc branches. But all branches doe firfl truelyliue in their vinebefore they can die and wither. I anfwere, that this is true ofall naturali branches, which originally fpringout of the flocke, but not of thofe which are rranfplanted and in- grafted:for weknow thatfame dons being ingrafted into another flocke,doereceiue no lifeand nourifhment from it, and yet notwithflanding they freme fora time to liue, till the heate of the fin-Inc fcorching them, for want ofinward moifiure they wither, and fo appearc tobe dead, and neuer to
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=