8z8 MINISTERS C0MPARED TO PLAN TERS. Book IV. MET AP H 0 R. PARALLEL. <lug ·up, an<l well prepared, it is the Word and Spirit of God, they are not fit to not meet to be fowed or planted. receive the Seed of Grace, nor to be planted m IV. Planters, as Naturalifl:s ob– ferve, find by Experience, that a wild ungrafted Tree never bears good Fruit, nor can, till it be re– moved out of its natural Soil, into a good Soil, and grafted with a better Kind, The Root that bears thiswildFruir is adegenerate Root, and that is the Caufe the Fruit is fo unpleafant, four, and naught. God's Vineyard. IV. So Minifters alfo know, that unregenerate Men, who grow upon the natural Root of old Adam, unlels they are removed, and planted into Jefus Chrifl:, cannot bring forth acceptable Fruit to God ; until removed by the Power of the Word and Spirit, and tranfplanted into J efus Chrifl: by a lively Faith. Mankind naturally are the Offspring of a corrupt and degenerate Root, viz. the firft Adam ; for as is the Root and Tree., fuch are the Branches, and the Fruit thereof: A cor– .rupt'hee can>IOI bring forth good Fruit,Malt. vii. 18. V . A Planter, who hath Skill in V. So a Minifter knows, that until the new Grafting, knows the Stock mull: Stock, viz. Jefus Chrifl:, was cut off, that is to fay, be cut off, before the Scions be crucified, no Men, as fpiritual Scions, can be grafted in. fora.fted into him by a hv<;ly Faith : Though there rs m thts a great Drlpamy, as applred to Mini– fters, for Planters cut off or cleave the S.ock themfeh·e,, before they graft the Scion • but Chrift was cut off by another Hand. VI. A Planter knows, a Twig VI. So a Minifter knows, before a Soul can be that is to be grafted, or a Bud ingrafted into Ch rift, he muft be cllt off of the oiC: oculatecl, mull: firft be cut off with Stock, viz. old Adara, and taken off of his own a Knife that is keen or !harp, or an Righ:eoufnefs. The fir{[ Work upon a Chriftian Infl:rumenr,frcm theTreeonwhich is cutting Work : They were cut or pricked in it naturally grew : And when the their Hearts, while Peter preached to them , ACts Grafts are cut off, in order to this ii. '37· 'Ihe Word of God is jharper than a two– Work, it is a critical Seafon with edged Sword, Heb. iv. 'As no Scion is ingrafted them, faith worthy Mr. Flavel, if ' without cutting; fo no Soul is united to Chrift, the)' lie too long before they are ' without a true and cutting. fenfe of Sin, and of in"rafeed, or take not wrth the ' Ius own Mrlery, John xv1. 8, 9· And when St~ck, they die, and are never ' Souls are under a Work of Converfion, it is a more recovered; they may fl:and ' critic..l Time with them; many have mifcarried in the S10ck a while, but are no ' then, and n~ver recovered again: T hey have part of the Tree. ' indeed for a T ime remained hke dead Grafts in ' the Stock, by an external, lifelds Profefiion, ' ·but never come to any Thing ; for fuch dead Grafts in a little Time fall off from the ' Stock, Chrifr, and perifh.' Bur this I muft needs f'\y , it is principally for want of being quite cut off, or btcaufe they were never thoroughly cut or wounded at Heart; ConviCtions upon their Hearts were never deep enough, ornot kind Convi.:l:ior.s, rather Legal .than Evangelical; they were not cut by a fit lnftrument, &c. V!I. A .Planter, when Grafts are VI!. So a Mmrlter, when he fees poor Sinners cm off, and prepared ·to be enare fitted, and every way prepared h.y po.·,erlul crrafred, makes all convenienc ConviCtions, ought to make whar Speed he can lpeed he can to clo:e them with to apply the Plaifter, and direct them.to a Clofurc the new Stock; the fooner, faith with Chrift, that is to fay, to believe on the L ord one th,at is done, the better. The J efus, ACts xvi. 30, 31. And when this is done Gr;ft is intimately uniteci, and there is an intimate Union betwixt Chrift and rh~ clofely conjoined with the Stock; Souls that believe in him: He that is joined to tbe the ConjunCtion is fo clofe, that Lord, ts one Spmt. Jr rs the neareft, clofefr, and t)1ey become one Tree. ftnEteft U nron ; they are fo glewed one to the , . . other, fo that as the Gra~t is really in the Stock, and the Sap of the Stock IS really rn the Graft; f<> a Believer IS really1. though myftiL cally, in Chrift, and the Sprrrt ot Chnft JS communrcated -to a Believer: He that dwelleth in Love, dwellet/; in God, 1 Jolm rv. tG. And as the Graft is bound to the Stock fo fteadi ly, that the Wind cannot lofe it; fo the believing Soul is faftened to Chrifi: by fuch Bonds, as will r,cure it from all Danger of being loafed from him any more,
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