-a Cbriflians Growth. ofgrace allo; And as by the fruit we may knowof what jpecies and kind the tree is of, fo likewife what plenty of fap there is at the root, by the plenty, or bigneffe, or faireneife of the fruit it doth bring forth : the more inwardcorruption at the root, ordi- narily the more fruit thereofappears in the life : and proporti- onably allo of the tender fruits of the the fpirit. And therefore Chri[l: here fayes, that the Vine is to be purged, that it may bring forth morefruit ; becaufe the more corruption is emptied, the more holineffe will appeare in your inward and outward fruit- fulneffe. And the reafon hereof is, becaufe ordinarily as a thing is in being, fo it ï, in working. Lela princijlia habent Lefas opera- tiones. Children, the weaker, the more falls they have in their ordinary walkings ; bodies, the more fickly, or the weaker and more unhealthy the xgx1-1s and conflitution is,the morequalmes and as they recover [trength more and more, they find they out- grow fuch weakneffes : and therefore ordinarily according to what aétiveneffe a man finds ofgrace or fin in him, according to what ac`tiveneffe a man finds ofgrace or fin in him, according are the inward principles ofeither of them more or leffe in him for the foule of man, as it is analtive thing , fo being left to its ordinary courfe, it aas according to the fway, and bias, and in- clination of the habits that are in it, which are alloaltive, as both grace and finne are. As a bowle, when the force of the hand that threw it begins to decay, it is fwayed by the bias, and lead that is in it ; and fo the leffe grace, the leffe ordinarily it alts gracioufly, and the weaklier and then alto the oppofice cor- ruption mu[t needs be fo much the more at`tive : for the foule being active , abates not of its mettle , but it will [till (hew it felfe one way or other.The Azfh will lull againfi the ¡irit fo much the [tronglier, as_ th'e fpirit is weaker,, for they are contrary ; yea and thus God judgeth of the principles of grace in us, accor- ding as they aFt in us ; he will judge of our mortification, by the fruits of it in our lives and hearts ; the more the fruits of fin grow on in us, the le(fe mortified he will account us ; as he will judge offaith by the works, fo of mortification by the fruits : and therefore it is obferveable, that he bids us morti6e the deeds ofthe bony, as well as the body of finne , Rom. 3. 13. for God will ju 1ge of the one by the other. Therefore the objects of mortifir M 3 cation 89
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