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166 Of REPENTANCE. Sermon 8.
_————
"Cor. sete. So that » ifany frie, fruitofno worth. And if the fruit’ be of no worth, no more is the tree: x-
ort worthy one, unworthy both. ‘Thus we are not yet where we thould be , tillunto fraétws we have added
dignos, ee, Leon ‘ : we
\ “Nay then, if you fall to tatk of worthineffe, we (hall have fatisfatties up again. And had we not
beft then to ask firft, are there any worthy ? for, if there be none fuch, bid S. JOH N beware howhe
A&,26.20.
: «talk of worthy freits + bid Saint P A UL beware how he {peak of worthy works of repentance, If none
3 fuch be, they did illto clog the 6#l with any fuch word, * But they knew well, what they faid: there=
; fore, fuch there be ({ure) get them where we can,” Fee Med « ae
How itis wor- Only, when we fay worthy, ic would be underftocd cum grano falis. How worthy ? in what fenfe?
«thy. + whither referred? that we miftake nor, Idemand then fiz/f , fhall we put them into the balance, to
weigh the worthixeffe of our fruits ; with the naworthineffe of our fins ; and the confequent of our fins
the wrath of GOD 2 the dignity of the one, vvith the sxdiguity of the other, and think by their dig-
nity to fatisficG OD S great indignation? Itrovy not. At this beam, no frusts-of curs vyill hold
. , ~ wveight: None, fo, found worthy : No, notif vve could (I fay not, fhed, or poure ont, but’) even mele
Rem.818. dato tears, and every tear a drop of blood, No: Non funt condigna paffiones (Jauhthe Apolile) vvecan
{offer nothing worthy our fins , but (that, vve cannot fuffer) ira ventura, the wrath of God. The in-
finite incomparable hich worth of Him , that in our fix is wroxged ; the foul contempt that is therein.
/ offered, are far above the worth of any our fraits ; vveigh them dowynas any feather. Why, all Lebanon
aPfal, 50.10, (faith the Prophet) is not fufficiencto find wood; nor, all the * beaf? upon athonfand bils not enough
bUan. 5.27, fora fucrifice, > Mchel, tekel to light all, Take them out of the feales,avvay vvith them, Nox funt digni;
eLukers.21.. inthatfente. Inwhich fenfe, notthe wicked * prodigal child only , but even the good ‘4 Centurion ;
_ aMas, 8.8. nay chen; even Ss Zohn Baptift here himfelf, cry all,* Non fm dignus 5 neither their fruits 5 nor they,
eVerlelt. . The honour of dignos ( inthis fenfe) belongs co the fruits of no tree, but the tree of the Croffe of Chrifts
Pog to. His fufferings, and tonone but His, : vad
~ 2. 7+». ¥et(T wor well) chere hath been another manner of eftimate by fome men of their own fraits; but
. "they weighed them with their own falfs wegibts, and made them a difcharge both from pesa and from
. cxlpa,and that tories quaties, Nay then, mvencus eft plus habens , they found a further furpluffage too
©: of [know hot yvhatbefides:: Whatof'that? CH RIS T’s (Caveat is here to take place : that weeding
- out the raves, we take heed, we pluck not up together good corne andall, Thatto avoid certain wormes,
that may hap breed inthe frat, if itbe not the better looked to’, we beat not all the frei offthe tree
. and leave icallnaked and bare; no fraitsatall: and, for fear of teaching a proud, teach afruitleffe re~
_ peatances Well: though not fo compared, not this way, yet mutt we have fratins dignos, :
1 How, worthy then ?. referred whither 2 As worthy, as the poffibility of our. Nature willreach to3 as
» our foil will bear, or hath ever yeclded; as the Saints.arid Servants of GOD are reported to have
_. ya 7g boughs forth in former ages: what fay you to that dignos ? ‘That (indeed ) were fomewhat worth, if
oo Pal. i ‘ts it might be had. They ? they have become * like bottles in the fmoke, their knees have yrown weak,
, bod oo. 5 * through fafting , they have ° alfo wet their pillowes with therr teares;they haye reffared bribes, and
6. “67. that four-fold; given in almes at once, half of all that ever t hey had. This were (indeed ) fomewhat
Luke 15, 8., worth :, But, of this (I doubt) our worthineffe will be found fhort s ‘or rather I dare riot put it upon this
tS " dignos neither, 2... * peer ab tp Ee Cone aa ees a
. And yet, were there in us any portion of that heroical free fpirit, of that Chriftian magnanimity that
: wasin the Fathers of our Faith ; (the Apoftle bears them witnelle, that to their powers, nay, and beyond -
2Cor. 9.3. their powers they fhewed themfelves willing; ) any never fo poor fruit would not conténtus; But we!
neither to our power, nora great deal fhort of it, endeavour our felyes:_any never fo flight, and flender
will feryeus wellenough., 20°: ping eee OTe ty 8 Ie ee -
Co 2 TL:wonder what we think ?-Do.we think to poft God off with any, it skils not what fruit ? with wind:
‘Eelays,a5— fals, with worm-caten fluff? ES AYES: fowre grapes? JEREMIES rotten figs? Nothine
Terem,24.1- comes amiffe, Hold we Him in fo vileaccount, as any is good enough for Him; it is well with Him,"
Mal, 1.8. He gct any,2,: A¢alachie telsus otherwile, That He holds us in great {corn: bids us go offer fch fraie
Zacrn73. ¢9 Hr. Prince: and {cc if He will ake it well: Zachary telsus fo likewife: A goodly price (faith he)
han they value me. at. Goodly fruit, is it not, they prefent me with ? Nay (fure) we mutt f Dt
Some worth there would be. CUS Loca bike Stee) Op Ge cb tran ire, Qo8e td
‘As there any other way. to take our dignos by 2. Compared with the ju fice of God, Not fo: Nor with
the'grear Heroes,of our nature ; Not fo neither. Nor (indeed) are they faid worthy of either’ of thefe $
but how 2. Only ;.frsits worthy of Repentance: that is, {uch as may “well befeem’ perfons, asbe tuly
penitent, Referred not to ought , but to Repentance it felf. Laying by fin as it isan averfion froman
infinite good ( for fo.it is infinite ;.admits no meafure or degree) butconki dering it, a8 iv isa converfien
cee ce oe tothe creature, atid that more or leffe 3 fos it fals within compaffe of more or Jette worthye 2
Levit.s:-18..( 1 Saydthis of uny\felf 2: Saith not. GO,D S$ Law the fame: fecundim menfuram ‘a ftimationemane de>
Dewtsay.2. Ltt and pro nsenfura peccati? Is it.notaclaufe there repeated more thati ‘once >’ If here’ be a meafure
Rom. 12.6. of the one, fo is there of che other : If an analogy of Faith, of Repentance too, why not ? And, to that,
; -Wedoapply ourfelves , inthe magis or minus dignos of our fruits,” This is‘once: Repentance may be
“np t0amsch, one may goto far init: Fhar, will be granted (I know.) And‘if too much, ‘then too dittles'
i, and we may fall too fLorr the other way (that J am {ure of.) Which pare we fHiould offend on (to choofe)' :
ayaa, in dyepdalaess will foon teach us, that it-would be home :, rather 5° with the more than with the
feffé. In the Corinthians cafe there it, was too much 3 he was in danger to.be ‘/iwallowed tp with forvew”
“dx Mirtams cafe again , it was too listle : for, though fhe were right pexitent for her folly conimitced,
yet
a ee eer gy
ave dignos toot
eg hyip yt
: 2Cor. 2
© Nun.12 15.