206 FIFTH SERMON service, and may with purpose of heart cleave unto him, being established by his grace, Eph. iii. 17. Col. i. 11. Heb. xii. 28. xiii. 9. In the civi_ law, till a tree hath taken root, it Both not belong to the soil on which it is planted. It is not enough to be in the church, except, like the cedar of Lebanon, we cast forth our roots, and are so planted that we flourish in the courts of our God, and bring forth fruit in our old age, Psa. xcii. 12-14. [3.] He promised that the church should spread forth her branches, and fill the earth, and grow into a great compass and extent, and should send forth her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river, Psa. lxxx. 9 -11. Dan. ii. 35. That his church should be a universal church over the whole world ; that as the whole world in regard of sin lieth in mis- chief, 1 John v. 19. so the whole world should have Christ for its propitiation, through faith, 1 John ii. 2. By one Spirit we all are baptized into one body, 1 Cor. xii. 13. and that one body made up of all the churches of the saints, 1 Cor. xiv. 33. even of all nations, kindreds, people, tongues, Rev. vii. 9. no difference of persons, " Neither Greek nor Jew, neither circum- cision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ all, and in all," Col. iii. i 1. no difference of places : all that in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, both theirs and ours, 1 Cor. i. 2. no difference of times, " Christ yesterday, and to -day, and the same for ever," Heb. xiii. 8. And as this is the promise, so we should endeavour, 1. To grow ourselves in knowledge and grace ; to let our profiting appear unto all men ; to abound in the work of the Lord ; to let our graces from the heart, like leaven from the middle of the lump, spread abroad, and find their way to all the parts and powers of soul
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