Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

44 What is required to facing vertues andgood èboris, ye are thebranches: he that abideth in me and l in him, thefame bringeth forth much fruit ; for withoutmeyecan do nothing. So Eph.z.io. the Apofile faith, that wee are gods morkmanfhip created in Chrilt le feu veto good worlles. It is therefore the roote Iefus Chrifi from which wefucke the tap of vertue and goodneffe whereby we hue, and bring forth the fruits ofgodlines.Iris this Sunne ofrighteoufnes, from which we borrow all our light ofgrace and verrue : forwhatfoeuergoodneffe there is in vs,itis either his inhcrentrightcoufnes and holinesimpu. ted and belonging veto vs, as being members ofhis bodie; or elfe wrought in vs by his Spirit offandiification dwelling in vs, which alto wehaueby venue ofthar vnión which is betweene vs and him.To this purpofe Bernardfpeaketh fitly: cid vobis cum what (faith he)haeeyou to do with veiled', which areignorant virtutibusqui of Chrifi the vertue of God? where,lprayyou,is true mifidome, der vhrutem but in the doltrice o Chri ?where is true righteou fees, but in Cbriftum igno- .f ,i ratis ?el c.Ber- themercieofChrf ?:There is true temperance,butin the life of nard.fup.Can- aril?? where is truefortitude ,butin the pafflon of Chrifl? Ther- tica,feraa.zz. fore theft alone are to be accounted wife who are inFíruffed in his doctrine ; tho fe alone iut },which through his 'sterile haue ob- tained thepardon of their inns; theft alone temperate,who ftu- die to imitate his life ; andtheft only indeed içith true fortitude, who in aduerftie doe couragioufly embrace his leff ns of pa- tience. Sa that a man labeureth in vaine to attain veto ver- tues,ifhe think`, they may be hoped for elfewhere, thenfrem the Lord o f virtue, &c. Agaiue,the perfon being in Chrifl,mull through faith in him bee reconciled vnto God; for the per- fon mull bee accepted before the vertue or dude can be ac- ceptable; it being otherwife impoflible that the aólions of an enemie fhould bcawell efleemed by him to whom hee is an enemie,efpecially when many lull exceptions may be ta- ken again fi them. Now we are all naturally before wee are Eph.z.3. ingrafted into Chrifi by faith the children of wrath, and Rau.5.ro. enemies vntoGod,as the Apofile fpeaketh, and therefore Col.t.st. nothing in vs can be pleating to God whilcfl we remaine in the flare of vnbeliefe. Finally, before wee can bring foorth any good f uitesof venue, and holy duties, it isneceffarie that we be fitti regenerate and fan&ified with his fpirit, and our