The Tryall of as ver. t 6. he had ordained to bringforth fruit, that is, io fprirg and fpread forth in the earth in all ages, and then to be tran- fplanted unto Heaven, the Paradife appointed for them ; the earthbeingbut the nurferie of them for a while : Hence there- fore hedid appoint his own Sonne to be a new root, as into whomhemeant to tranfplant them, and ordained him to be that bulk, and body, and chide branch which they all íhould grow out of, who is thereforecalled The roote ofDavid, Rev. 22. and that Righteous branch, Ter. aa. 6. Whom therefore 3. he planted asa rootehere on earth with us, and cloathed with a humane nature, a weak and mean bark and body, and a rind and out. fide, Each as ours is that fo both roote and branches might be ofthe fame nature, and Homoge- neall : which nature ofours inhim, he likewife filledwithhis Spi- rit (as with juice and fap) without all meafure, that fo he might fruetife, and grow into all thofe branches appointed to be in him, by communicating the fame fpirit to them. And 4. although he wasof himfelfe the fair&Cedar that ever the earthbare, yet in relation to thofe multitude of branches, he was to bear, chufeth to be a Vine, which is of all trees the lowefl, the weakeft, and of the meanefl bark, and out-fide ofany other, onelybecaufe of all others it is the plentifulleft of bran- ches, and runs out and fpreads its bulk in branches ; and thofe, ofall branches elfe of any other trees, the fruitfullefl, it is there- fore called Thefruitful Vine, Pfal. r i8.3. and for that reafon onely doth he tingle out this comparifon, as fulling with his fcope, (hewing therein his love ; that as he condefcended to the loweft condition, for our fervation, fo to the meaneft refem- blances for our inftruCtion, yet fo as withall he tells us, that no Vine, nor all the Vines on earth were worthy herein to be coin-, pared, nor tobe fo muchas refemblances ofhim. dbfer. For he, and he alone is the true Vine, that is the fccond Ob- That Chrift is fervation. one), the For take thofe choiceft excellencies in aVine, for which the (True Vine.] comparifonhere is made, as more particularly, that offruitful- ride either in boughs or fruit, and it is but a fhadow of that which is in him. As God onely is [Iam that /am, ] and all things elfe have but the shadowofBeing : fo Chrilt alone hash lonely
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