Webster - BX9318 W43 1654

204 Eph.j.3o. Mxt.2a.2o The rooting upofevery Plant, not bow tis the Lord alone whoplants it,and not man : All the in- ventions, wifedome, and indufiry of men can do nothing at all, either in chuffing or plantingof the choice Vine neither can they caufe it togrowor increafe in the leaft, but God theFather is alone theHusbandman : He it is that plants it, waters it, tends it, nourifhes and cherifhes it ; and the Wife- dome, Care, Power, Providence ofmanhath nohandat all therein. Fourthly, We have fhewgd That every Beleever bath no farther an interefi in Jefus Chrift, or in the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the Riches andPriviledges thereof, but as they are ingraffed into this Vine and in this Root, neither can they bring forth any fruit but that which is curfed and abomi- nable, Then Wit be fo,as moft certainly it is, that there is no o- ther plant accepted of theFather;and that Chrift alone is the true Vine, and every branch muft be ingraffed into him, and they can have no nouriíhment any other way, nor inno o- ther root ; and that all that are in -him are his Body and members ofhim, bone ofhis bone, andfiefh of his fie({ I fay, ifthis be truth, and truth undeniable, then let us hold to this for truth, in pra lice as well as in words, and not bring in thedevices of the darkand ignorant fons ofmen;that man may chufe this plant by the power of himfelfe, and by his own wifedoni, and he may plant jefus Chrift in him- felf, and cleave unto him : or at leaft (fay others) if he be oncegiven (in their conceit) then man muft do his part, to water, and cherifh andnourip this plant : and what Ile judgeth to be a wildbranch, or a dead joint, he mayprune and cut it offwhen as the Heavenly Father hath undertaken that work himfelf, andblind Man fhall not undertake his work, andgo about to prevent his power and wifdome and Allfufc;ency in carrying on andnurfing up this plant. And let us confider jeriou¡ly of this, who it is that under- ,takes this high andHeavenly. work : certainly tis the Lord, tis the theLord that chufeth it, and plants and ingraffs it Alas thebelt ofthe Eons ofmen with all theirwifdon, power andpartf,are no better then wildOlives,nay they are all that Fig-tree to which Chrift carne and could findnothing but leaves

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