THe Yeare the Circle of time is so intorteled, as that Annus is become Annulus, for one day telleth another, and one night certifieth another, that all things are in a Consump­tion, and time that consumeth all things, is it selfe consumed. In the Generall distinction of Seasons, (Salomon the Prince of Prea­chers) accommodated a time, not [...] but [...], an oportune time to euery thing, and among the rest, a time to plant, and a time to plucke vp that which is planted. Nyssenus followeth the Allego­rie, God our father is the husbandman, Wee are his husbandry, the Soule is the ground, the Seede is the word. The Preachers do plant, Baptisme doth [Page]water, the Spirit is the Winde, Repentance is the Dewe, and Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse is the Sunne, and as in Nature, so in Grace, there is a Winter and Summer, a fall and Spring, a time of planting and a time of supplanting: At that season of the yeare, I haue already handled the Fall of the Leafe, At Richmond October. 1 1608. as I doubt not but this high and Ho­nourable presence doe remember, and therefore now I haue chosen out a Text fit for this season the opening of the yeare, the flouring of the figge tree, the blooming of the Lilly, the budding of fruit, the flourishing of Flowers, and the resur­rection of all those buried hearbes, whose honour lay in the dust, vntill the Spring had againe appar­relled the earth with various and glorious orna­ments. It was the springing voyce of the spring, (who was Oriens eximo, Cant. 3. Oriens ex alto) in the Can­ticles: Arise my loue, my faire one, and come a­way, for behold Winter is past, the raine is gone away, the flowers appeare in the earth, the time of the singing of birdes is come, the voyce of the Turtle is heard in our land, the Figge tree hath brought foorth her young sigges, and the vines with their small grapes haue cast a sauour: Arise my Doue, my Loue, my faire one, and come away.Pliny S [...]linus. The voyce of the Turtle as the Naturalist obserueth, is a mourning voyce, Turtur non canit sed gemit; The Turtle singeth not, but mourneth, Quid per turturem nisi Ecclesia, quid per terram spon­si, nisi vitailla beata designatur? Greg. mag. in Cantica. What is meant by the Doue but the voice of the Church, what [Page]by the land of the Spouse, but the life of the bles­sed? (sayth Gregory): we haue already heard the loud voyce of Iohn, the voyce of the beloued Ie­sus, the moning voyce of the Church, the mour­ning voice of the Turtle, & I hope the crying voyce of Iohn hath begot the weeping voyce of the Church in you, that so hauing beene planted and watered, now Gods graces in you may bee increa­sed, and you may bring forth fruit worthy amend­ment of life.

Man was once placed in Paradise, now Para­dise is placed in man, Praedestination, Vocation, Iusti­fication, Glorification, bee the foure Riuers of Para­dise: the vnderstanding is the tree of knowledge, Beliefe the tree of life: In the fall after the Creati­on, there was an Angell with a flaming sword set to keepe out man; now there is an Angell, set in man to keepe out Sathan, the Angell is Christ, & the sword the worde, and the administration of the word: hee vseth this sword, sometimes as a pruning knife, as in the Canticles; sometimes an axe, as in Mathew, Euery tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall bee hewen downe and cast into the fire. Math. 3.10.

It was the Proclamation of Ieremie, O Earth, Earth, Earth, heare the voyce of the Lord: I may ioyne my Text with that Proclamation: and as Eze­chiel was sent to Preach to drie bones,Ier. 31. and Iohn Baptist to the drie desart, and Ieremy to the drie earth, so may I say to the drie, empty, bare, barren de­sart, desolate hearts of vnfruitfull hearers, O earth, earth, earth, bring foorth fruites worthy amend­ment [Page]of life. Iohn Baptist here seeth the Pharisies heape together to heare him, and knowing that they came hypocritically onely to heare, hee re­quireth that they also belieue, and beleeuing pro­fesse, and professing practise, and so bring foorth fruit worthy amendment of life.

Be not dead or withered, or barren or harde­ned, for that is feareful and acursed, but bring forth, not buddes nor blossomes, nor flowres nor flourishes, for these may be fained, but bring forth fruits, not the fruits of the world, they be but fan­cyes, or the fruits of the flesh, they bee but folly, not the fruit of honour, it is but pompous folly, not the fruit of strength, it is glorious vanity, not the fruites of pleasures, they bee voluptuous sensuality, not the fruit of riches, they are immanent incon­stancy, not the fruits of long life, it is but transient mutability.

Worthy fruites, worthy not of earthly prayse or of worldly prize, but that high hopefull, holy, liuely, happy, heauenly calling of amendment of life; Bring forth fruites worthy amendment of life.

First a Production, bring forth, second, a Fructi­fication, fruit,Diuision. third, the fruites perfection, fruit wor­thy amendment. The first against barrennesse, the second against weakenesse, the third against Pharisaicall Fainednesse. The first common to all Creatures, to bring forth, the second proper to the best Creatures, to bring forth fruit, the third most proper, and onely proper to the best Christians, [Page]fruit worthy amendment of life.

It is truely obserued that the Spirituall Regene­ration of the Soule is shadowed in the first creati­on of the worlde: The Chaos in Praedestination,1. Part. the separating of light from darkenesse in Vocati­on, the creating of the Soule in Iustification, the framing of Adam in Glorification: In the first, there is the depth of Gods foreknowledge, a darke forme that cannot bee discerned. In the second, Knowledge is separated from ignorance, the light from darkenesse. In the third, the bright beames of Grace shine in the heart the Sun is created: In the fourth the image of God is plac't in the Paradise of immortall ioy, onely,Austen. this is the difference at the first, God placed Adam in Paradise before hee did appoint him to worke, but now he appointeth him to worke before he placed him in Paradise. For when God had made a Paradise vpon earth, he tooke the man and put him into it, to digge it and keepe it, not enioyning him to bestow any bodily labour in dressing it at that time, for that was his future punishment, but as Ambrose obserueth, Quia pri­mus homo lex posteritatis futurus erat, Ambrose. legitimi etiam in Paradiso speciem labor is suscepit: Because the first man was to be a liuing law to posteritie, therefore euen in Paradise hee tooke a shew of labour. A labour and no labour, hee had the pleasure of la­bour, but not the labour of pleasure, Paradise was his Pallace, all the world his Demaines, the crea­tures his Subiectes,, the Angels his seruants.

And he dressed and kept Paradise, as Ambrose ob­serueth [Page]onely by keeping those good graces which God had giuen him, and encreasing them conti­nually: for O Ecumenius addeth this reason, that the graces of God,O ecumenius. as the flowers of a garden must not onely bee kept, but also be dressed, that they may haue not onely a beeing, but an abounding, be­cause a man may haue great good things beeing in him, and yet be himselfe a Garden, that is kept in­deed, but not dressed, and so bee altogether vn­fruitfull: for though S. Bernards position in some things bee true,Bernard. Praestat esse Concham quam canalem, it is better to bee a Cesterne then a sluse (and yet hereby many offend in retiring their labours, as wel as others in obtruding them) yet in Christianity, Prestat esse Canalem quam Concham: It is better to bee a sluse then a Cesterne, for that light is no light that is not seene before men, that know­ledge is no knowledge that is not imparted, that wisedome is no wisedome that is not discerned: that faith is bare faith which is not exercised, that seed is barren seed that is not fructified, for vnlesse Christians bring forth, they are idle and vnfruit­full in the knowledge of Christ. Apelles could make Artificiall Grapes, Archimides an Artificial flying Doue, the Alchimist of making artificiall men, but all their birthes be abortiue.

When God had ordained a Church at the first, this was his appointment, that shee should fructi­fie and bring forth, and therefore ordered her that shee should bee euer encreased by her owne af­flictions, [Page]perfited by her persecutions, erected by her owne dilapidations,Hilar lib. 4. de Trinit. by her owne teares her thirst should bee quenched, by her fasting shee should be refreshed, and by the bloud of her Mar­tyrs, her vineyeard should bee watered. In the for­mer time of his Church, hee watered her with the bloud of beastes, but in the latter time by the bloud of men, making white Lillies to become red roses: and then hee promised to make sinners that were as red as scarlet as white as snow; now hee hath made some seruants that were white as snow, to bee by Martyrdome red as scarlet, and in the time of loue hath required more sacrifices then in the time of the law hee had sacrificed beasts, because as Saint Ierome obserueth in his Epistle ad Heliodorum, that for euery day of the yeare, euen in his time,Jerom. ad Helio there were fiue thousand Martyres which had shed their bloud for the truth; hee that watered his Vine­yearde plentifully with the springes of Caleb, springs beneath, the springes of the bloud of the Saints; and springes aboue, the most pure and pre­tious springs of the bloud of his Sonne: how doth hee expect that this vineyeard should bring foorth fruit in due season, and as Esay speaketh, how hath hee hedged, and gathered out the stones of it, and planted it with the best plants,Isai. 5.2. and built a towre in the midst thereof and made a Wine-presse therein, and looked that it should bring forth. When hee made the world, he bad that the earth should bring forth; and when hee made the waters, let the waters bring forth: and so to the Fowles,Gen. 1. and to the Fi­shes, [Page]shes, and to the creeping things, and to the grow­ing things, and last of all, to man; Bring forth: hee brought foorth all things, that all thinges might bring forth to man, and therefore expecteth that man should bring forth to him; and as in the for­mer birth he hath taken care to bring forth to vs, So in the latter and better birth he hath vouchsa­fed to bring vs forth, for God is our Father, the Church his Spouse our mother to conceiue vs his word the seede the meanes to beget vs:1. Pet. 1.3. Gal. 4.26. his spi­rite the soule and life to quicken vs:1. Pet. 1.23. Ephes. 2.5. his Ministers the Nurses to feede vs,1. Thes. 2.7. his Gospell the milke to nourish vs,1. Pet. 2.2. that so wee may increase and grow, & bee able our selues to bring forth.

The Doctrine is, that God cannot endure that any of his seruants be barren in Christianity: Bar­rennesse was a reproach among the Iewes,Doctrine. much more among the Gentiles: it was a naturall re­proach in the Law, but a more spirituall reproach in the Gospell

Plato obserued,Plato. Pieran Hierog. and Pierius in his Hierogliphics, that a man is Arbor inue [...]sa, a tree turned vpward, his hayre of the head the roote, his armes the branches, and so of the rest; and therefore in Scrip­ture, the godly are called trees of righteousnesse, and fruitfull branches,Es. 61.3. the Vinetree of the Lord: The trees in Gods Orchard,Ioh. 15.2. as one well obser­ueth,Esa. 61.3. are eyther Palmes or Cedars: The Palms beare fruit from their first growth: the Cedars though they bud long before they beare fruit, yet bring forth beautifull fruit: That which Saint Austen in [Page]his 44. Homily de Sanctis obserueth of Mary and Elizabeth, may I obserue of the Palme and Ce­dar; De sterili seruus, de virgine dominus, de sterili vox de virgine verbum, Austen. Hom. de Sanct. 44 the seruant Iohn Baptist was borne of a barren woman: IESVS the Sauiour of a Virgine, the voice by a barren woman, the word by a Virgine: Mary was as a Palme, Elizabeth as a Cedar. Neuer such a Palme, but many such Cedars; Sara barren, and yet the mother of Isaack, Rebecca barren, yet the mother of Iacob, Rachei bar­ren, yet the mother of Beniamin: Manoa barren, yet the mother of Sampson: Hanna barren, yet the mother of Samuel, Elizabeth barren, yet the mo­ther of Iohn Baptist, the Father of my Text

More blessed are these barren then they that had many children. Isaack the Heyre apparant of the Promise, Iacob the Supplanter, little Beniamin the Patriarch, Sampson the strong, Samuel the Seer, Iohn Baptist a Prophet, and more then a Prophet: all of them most Honourable in their generation, the seed of the barren, and yet many of them were sent to sow the barren world; yea, and out of the seede of the barren, Isaacks seede became as the starres of Heauen, or the sand of the Sea, and all Nations of the earth were blessed in his seed.

The Eagles Embleme is sublimius to flye lof­tier, euen to behold the Sunne, as Plinie noteth, the Sunnes Embleme is celerius swifter,Ald. Emb. Sotinus. Psal. 19. the Gyant refreshed to runne his course as Dauid speaketh. The Wheate in the Gospell hath this Embleme, perfectius riper; First the Blade, then the eare, [Page]then full corne. Ezechiels Emblem is profundius, dee­per first to the ancles,Marke 4.28. then to the knees,Ezec. 47.4. then to the thighs:Luke 14.10. Christes Emblem was Superius, sit vp higher: Carolus Quintus Embleme was vlierius, Goe on further, the woman with child, hath this Embleme, plenius fuller, vntill she bring forth: and so ought e­uery Christian that is not drie and hardened and barren, and withered, to mount loftier with the Eagle, to runne swifter with the Sunne, to grow riper with the Wheate, to wade deeper with Eze­chiel, to sit vp higher with the Guest, to passe on further with the Emperour, to waxe fuller with the Woman, that so they may bring foorth fruite in due season. Many are long in bringing forth fruit, they are as long barren as any.

The world hath expected Elephantinum Partum, and yet when it hath beene brought forth,Horatius. Partu­riunt montes; nascetur ridiculus mus, The best deede that euer they did, was that they died, and so the world was rid of such drie, empty, windy, bare, barren, dead, withered, hardened Tenants, who neuer did good, or had any mind of goodnesse.

The Spouse in the Canticles is moued to come away, for the Figge-tree sayeth Christ hath brought forth her young figges: neuer did any tree bring forth better fruites then the Figge-tree, and neuer did any tree bring forth worse fruits then the Fig-tree. The good fruit was Zacheus, who climbed in­to a tree, that from a tree he might behold Christ, who was to suffer on a tree, for mans saluation, this fig-tree bare most pretious fruite, euen such [Page]as Christ himselfe vouchsafed to plucke, a happy tree that bare such precious fruite as Zacheus was, but thrise happy Zacheus, that so happily climbed on that happy tree: the tree brought forth Zache­us, Zacheus brought forth a confession, the tree such fruit, that fruit such faith, that Christ profes­sed, this day is Saluation come vnto this house,Luke. 19.9. forasmuch as he is also becomme a Sonne of A­braham. Hee that could haue raysed out of the stones sonnes to Abraham, hath raised out of a wild figge-tree a sonne vnto Abraham: heere was the good fruit of the Figge-tree. For the bad fruit, the Rabbins affirm that the tree in Paradise from which Adam, & Eue tooke the forbidden fruit was a figge tree: and many hold that the tree that Iudas han­ged himselfe on was a fig tree, as Iuuencus the Poet testifieth;

And to these wee may ioyne, that God cursed no tree but the figge tree.Mald. in. 27. Math. It was an inhumane speech of Timon, when hee saw a woman hanging on a figge-tree that had hanged her selfe, he wisht that all trees might beare such fruit: it had beene a speech sauouring of humanity to haue said as Christ said of the figge-tree, neuer such fruit grow on thee more.

The vse of the Doctrine is to moue vs that wee bee not vnfruitfull in the worke of the Lord:The Vse. hath God so cared for vs and planted and watered, and dressed, and hedged vs in: The word, the seed so [Page]oft falling: Christ the son of righteousnesse so oft shining, the dew of Heauen, Manna, so oft shedding, the holy spirite the winde so often blowing, and yet shall wee remaine dead, drie, barren, hardned, withered and accursed Trunkes? In the Gospell of Luke you may obserue the Parable of the figge tree in the Vineyeard,Luke 13.6. which did not bring foorth; hee came and sought fruit and found none, then said behold this three yeares haue I come and sought fruit of this figge-tree, and finde none; cut it downe why keepeth it the ground barren?

I know that some of the Fathers interprete it onely of the Synagogue of the Iewes, and so that the three yeares wherein Christ expected fruit,Greg. Hom. 31 in Euang. were the three times 1. before the Law, 2. in the Law, 3. after the Lawe, as Gregory on the 31. Homily on the Gospell,Ambr. in Luk. 13. or the three Lawes, the first Naturall, the second written by Moses, the third Euangeli­call by Christ, as Ambrose vpon the 13. of Luke, or the three gouernements of the Iewes, the first vn­der the High Priests,Theoph. in La. can. Atb. q. 16 the second vnder Iudges, the third vnder Kings as Euth [...]mias on that Gospel ob­serueth, But Theophilact and Athanasius and Saint Basil doe expound it more largely,Basil. Br. in Js. 5. to signifie the three ages of Men, Childhood, youth, and old age, and that the Lord doth look & expect fruit in euery one of these yeares, in euery one of these States, & when hee hath expected againe and againe, then hee proceedeth to that fearefull sentence: Cut it down why keepeth it the ground barren.

It was the 21. of March this present Moneth as [Page] Maldonat on the Gospell obserueth,Maldonat. that Christ the way seeing a figge tree in the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon, and then said, ne­uer fruit grow on thee henceforth. Christ the way is yet in the way,Mat. 21.19. he knoweth your sitting downe and your rising vppe, hee vnderstandeth your thoughtes, for hee is about your pathes, and about your beds, Psal. 139.1 and spieth out all your wayes, and wordes and works and thoughts. If he should come as he hath often come, and find no fruits in many of vs, O how terrible would that sentence be. Neuer beare henceforth; Neuer? no Neuer, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, Neuer to bring foorth any more, Reape ye shal, but bring forth ye shall not; but yee shall reape the fruit of iudgement, of punishment: other fruit neuer bring foorth sinne henceforth: Neuer any more, deade trees cut off from the land of the liuing, deade branches cut off from the tree of life. It was a lamentable complaint that the mother of Tobias made for her sonne Thou light of our eyes, staffe of our age, comfort of our life, hope of our posterity, al the ioy that we had was in thee, & haue we forsaken thee? But it will be a more lamentable sorrow when the wicked shall find they haue forsaken all the hope and ioy & comfort and light and happines of him: But I come to the 2. part.

Not buds or blossoms or flowres,2. Part. or flouri­shes but fruites: GOD doth not so much re­spect Adiectiues as Aduerbes as the Canonist teacheth, and God doth not loue Flowers,Canonists. so much as fruit, as my Text proueth. The Spouse in the [Page]Canticles had Roses & Lillies, but (except that one Rose of the fielde, and one Lillie of the Valley) shee prayseth the Pomegranates and Vines, Figs and Grapes, and Oliues and Camphire, and Spike­nard, and Cynamon and Saffron, and Incense and Aloes. Shee had her flourishing Garden of Lil­lies, but shee had also her fruitfull Garden of nuts, and Apples and Pomegranates. In all the Scrip­ture I read but of one Flowre that is praysed, and that Rose from the roote of Iesse, sprung in the Vallyes,Cant. 2.2. and grew among thornes, and flourished in the Winter, and withered in the Spring, and was the most fragrant flower that euer grew. It was the Lilly among Thornes: A flower not easily to bee gathered: for we must vndergo much labour and smart if wee will enioy it: the Head thereof is crowned with Thornes, the Heart is pierced with a Speare.Ansten. the hands and feete strucke through with Nailes: It is a Lilly among thorns. From the flowre we haue receiued fruit, and to this Flower we consecrate all our fruit, not leaues of good profession, not blossomes of good pur­poses, nor branches of great semblances, but fruit, for as of false prophets, so of true professors, Christ hath spoken, Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos, yee shall know them by their fruites.

There may be trees without branches, and bran­ches without fruites, but branches growing with­out a tree are more strange. Christ came into the world to find fruite, and when he came to Icrusa­lem, the Iewes presented him with branches, and [Page]cryed Hosanna, but the branches had no fruites, for they soone shewed how vainely, variable the opi­nions of men are constant only in inconstancy, per­sisting in nothing, but in change, for they who had cryed Hosanna in the highest, doe shortly af­ter cry let him be crucified,Bernard. they who saluted him for their King, doe presently protest they haue no King but Caesar: they who met him with Oliue brāches, do presently after present him with swords and staues, they who spread their garments be­fore him, doe after despoile him of his garmentes, they who adore him for the Sonne of God, after preferre Barrabas an Assacinate before him. These were branches deceiuing, stealing, fading, flattering, fawning, vanishing branches: teaching for euer those that haue such branches carried before them, to contemne the base and mutable breath of that Monster the multitude, neuer coueting their iudge­ment, neuer trusting their affection, neuer belee­uing their opinion, but as the body remaineth one, although the shadow bee at one time long, at ano­ther time short; so the Soule retaine the same constancy both in the sweet gale of the applause of men, and in the bitter blasts of their opprobrious outrage, let the storme root vp shrubbes but not Cedars, let the winde tosse chaffe but not wheate, and let vaine, eyther honour or infamy moue no man, who is not eyther light or weak; let no noble spirit bee seruile in caring for the prayse, or fearing the vniust disprayse of vulgar shallow braines, if they be put vpon him, let him resist the one with mode­sty, [Page]vndergoe the other with grauity, neuer being so carefull what the world will say of him, as what God wil say to him, when the world shall bee at an end: for the prayses of the world be but branches.

I haue staide too long on these fruitlesse branches, yet I hope you haue receiued some fruit in knowing them to be fruitlesse.

God regardeth not the tree without branches, and yet not the branches without fruit: he hath planted a Vine in euery one, the branches of this Vine are the faculties of the Soule, they must bring forth flowers vnto him, namely good Desires, they must bring forth fruit vnto him,Arist. euen good works; the tongue to prayse him, the feet to follow him, the eares to heare him, the hands to bee lifted vp to him, the knees to bee bowed to him, the eyes to be bedewed to him, the vnderstanding alwayes to contemplate on him, the memory alwayes to re­member him, the wil to delight in him, the desire to affect him, the soule to be enflamed and enfolded in the flames of his loue.

Iohn Baptist spake to the Pharisies, who were most glorious in flourishes but wanted fruits; O that hy­pocrisie had ended in them, and not descended to our times. It was a hereditary disease to the Phari­sies, it is no lesse to vs, they had the voyce of Iacob, but the hands of Esau, feathers of the Eagle, but the wings of the Ostrich, they had the habite of sheepe, but the disposition of Wolues,Plut. I. ac. Apo. like the Musitians that Diogenes taxed, they had care of tuning their instruments, not their minds, like vnto Copper [Page]which had colorem, non valorem auri, like Great peeces of Ordinance in the time of Peace, they had the fashion but lacked their charge. They were the Masters, the Players, the Painters, the Tyre­mongers, the Visard-makers of their time, they were the Images, Semblances, Pictures, Statues, Sha­dowes & Sepulchres of their times, empty clouds, windy Pipes, voide Tentes, tinckling Cymbals, drie Cesterns of their time. They beare flowers but not fruites.

The Spouse in the Canticles inuiteth her welbelo­ued not onely to come to her garden,Cant. 4.16. but also to come and eate of the fruites.Psal. 102. The Angels in heauen, not onely sung the prayses of God, but also doe the will, the will of God.Reucl. 1. The blessing in the Reuelation, is not onely made to those that reade and heare, but to those that keepe the words of that Booke. S. Iohn commaundeth to loue, not only in word and in tongue,1. Ioh. 3. but also in deede and in truth.

The Doctrine, That the true Professors of the true faith are discerned by their liuely and effectuall workes. Exfructibus corum is the Note, mark,Doctrine [...] mea­sure, and Cubite of the Sanctuarie for the good and bad. The high Priests garment had Pomegranates as well as Bels: The Sieling of the Temple had Palmes as well as Chaines; The Cherubims had Wings as well as Feete; The fountaines of Lebanon had Pit­chers as well as Cesternes; The Spouse had Vines as well as Lillies, and her Pomegranates had Fruites as well as Flower, and faith must haue a Nature as well [Page]as a Name, we can neuer diuide lustre from this Dia­mond, light from this Sunne, life from this Soule, heat from this Fire, flowing from this Sea. The true ser­uants of God may bee found with Abraham wal­king, with Dauid running, with Iacob wrestling, with Paul following, with the wise Virgins watching, the good Seruants working, with the good Tree bearing fruites.

The conflict betweene vs and our aduersaries about Faith and fruites hath beene much, they in to much aduancing them, some of vs too much ex­tenuating them, they so earnest for fruites, that lit­tle lesse then blasphemously they affirme that they deserue Saluation: We so negligent in fruites, that to doe a good worke, we think it superstition, they so much hanging on the branches, wee so much rooting at the roote, as if wee would sue out a di­uorce betweene Faith and Fruites, neither of vs looking to the moisture of the roote or branches. When we see good works, we must acknowledge them to bee fruites,Austen. and fruites, that wee must beare vpon paine of damnation, and yet to bee but fruites: we must seeke out the root of them, and when wee haue the roote, we must haue re­gard to the moisture and iuyce whereby it is nouri­shed: for as the fruites of the earth grow from the roote, and that roote liueth and hath vegetation, not by it selfe, but is fedde and preserued by the fat­nesse of the soile, warmth of the Sunne, and be­nefite of the ayre vnder which it standeth: so good works grow from faith, and that faith liueth in the [Page]obiect; the merites and obedience of Iesus Christ, feeding and strengthing it selfe, by the sweet influ­ence and sappe of those diuine dewes of Mediati­on, that in him wee liue, in him we grow, in him wee are grafted, in him wee flourish, in him we fru­ctifie: for without him, though wee should wish to be as righteous as Noah, as obedient as Abra­ham, as holy as Iob, as faithfull as Dauid, as deuout as Daniel, as zealous as Elias, as cleare as the Sun, or pure as the starres, yet our fruits were not ac­ceptable, nay not tollerable in his sight, hauing no opinion of our own wisedom, no hope in our own works, nor wisedome in our power.

The vse of this Doctrine is to contemn the folly of those that thinke that a bare and barren Faith will serue without any fruites or effect:Doctrine. eyther the frost of deuotion, or the feare of the hate of super­stition, or the wind of contention hath blowne a­way our fruits.Ientilet. It was an obseruation of Ientilet vpon the Monks of his time, that their Fasts were very fat, and their prayers very leane: I cannot say so of our Faith that it is fat, but I am sure our fruits are very leane, like to Pharaohs withered thinne bla­sted cares, that it is a wonder that the leane, starued carkasse of faith hath so long continued.

Luther gaue a good note to this purpose,Luther. that faith ought pinguescere operibus, to waxe fat with fruites; but alas fruites bee as leane as faith. In times past saith wrought miracles, and remoued mountains, so may it yet, if it were true, for our sinnes that are as mountaines, would be remoued [Page]as farre as the East is from the west, but faith hath wrought a more prodigious wonder, like the leane Kine that deuoured the fatte Kine; our bare pro­fession of faith hath eaten vppe the rich Almes and fruites, and works, and deedes of mercy.

A misery it is to see, that there bee no fruites to bee gathered, but onely the fruits of sinne, and that whereas vertue and goodnesse can take no roote, sinne beginneth in the buddes of infirmity, and by little and little stealeth to the fruits of negligence, and being increased and watered by custome, it groweth to be the stout tree of contempt, which will rather breake then bend to any instruction. Surely beloued, this is not the cause why God hath so planted and watered, and kept and dressed his Vineyeard: these bee not the rootes, the plantes, the branches, the sprigges, the buds, the blossoms, the flourishes, the field: fruits worthy amendment of life, And so I come to the last part.

Not branches, for the Iewes bare branches,Part. 3. yet were accursed, not flowers for the flower perisheth, and the grace thereof withereth: not leaues for the figge-tree had leaues and yet was not blessed; not fruit for the Pharisies bare fruit, and yet that fruit was despised: their fruit was like to that fruit which groweth where Sodome and Gomorrah stood,Iosephus. faire and beautifull to the eye, but being touched they dissolue to a sulphurous and vaporus fume, more odious to the smell, then they were pleasant to the sight. S. Iohn therefore maketh difference be­tweene fruites, fruites worthy of amendment of life; [Page]in other things there is a differēce as also in fruits,I er. 1.7. there is a pure and fresh Doctrine;Math. 16 6. there is a sowre and leauened doctrine;Mat. 9.7 there is a new wine of the Gospell; and there is a mixt wine of Babylon: Reu. 17.4. there are wholesome words:2. Tim. 1.13. There are vnwholesome words: there is a Doctrine of God,Eph. 4.29. there is a Do­ctrine of Diuels:Ioh. 7.16. and there is a guiding word,1. Tim. 4.1. and a fretting word:Gal. 5.22 fruites of the flesh, and fruites of the spirit: worthy and vnworthy fruites. Lesbian vines be more honored by Aristole then the vines of Rhodes: for vnder that Parable hee alludeth to successiō of his schoole, chosing rather Theophrastus born at Lesbos, then Menedemus born at Rhodes: Aul. Gel. N [...]ct. Att lib. 13.5. there was some comparison betweene them, for they were both good. But these fruites that I speake of, bee as contrary as light and darkenesse, the Northerne and Southerne Poles not so Diame­trally opposed the one against the other, as these fruites of the flesh and Spirit: Nor the comparison of Tares eating vp the Wheate, Eagles feathers consuming all other feathers; Moses Serpentes deuouring the Enchanters, and Arke demolishing Dagon.

There are all kinds of fruit, & all colours of fruit in euill, the greene fruites of vnperfectnesse, the yel­low fruit of Gall and bitternesse, the redde fruit of blood and cruelnesse, the tawny and Morian fruite of sinful deformednesse, the Skie colour change­able fruit of vnstaiednesse, the Leopard spotted fruit of vnholines, the blush colour fruit of prophanesse, and the redde colour fruit of drunkennesse, the pale [Page]colour fruit of vncleannesse, the flame colour truit of blasphemous wickednesse, they haue many co­lours, by the which they may bee knowen, yet but onely one taste; They are for the most part bitter sweete, bad trees and bad fruite, Concupiscence is the roote, Consent the trunke, Bad desires the braun­ches, Lewde words the buds, Vile actions the flowers, Lewde customes the fruites, Sathan did plant, Sugge­stion did water, Continuance in sinnne doth increase them, Necessitie in sinne doth ripen them, Iudgement doth gather them, and Hell doth burne them: Be­cause they bee not fruites worthy amendement of life.

That you may know them both, in the fifth to the Gallat. 22. you may take a suruey of them both; The fruites of the flesh are Adulterie, Fornication, Vn­cleannesse, Gal. 5.21. Wantonnesse, Idolatrie, Witchcraft, Hatred, Debate, Emulation, Wrath, Contentions, Seditions, Heresies, Enuie, Murthers, Drunkennesse, Gluttonie, and such like. The fruites of the spirit are Loue, Peace, Long suffering, Gentlenesse, Goodnesse, Faith, Meeke­nesse, Temperance.

The forbidden fruit of Paradise proued accursed, but the fruit of that fruit more accursed, so the fruits of the flesh bee most hatefull and fearefull, but the fruites of those fruites exceede. Pride is a fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of the fruit exceedeth: It blin­deth the eyes, darkneth the minde, deceiueth the vnderstanding, depriueth the reason, disguiseth the countenance, maketh the proude man in the sight of men a foole, in the sight of God a Diuell. The [Page]fruit of this fruit thrust the Angels out of heauen, ouerthrewe the Tower of Babel, confounded the Tongues, drowned Pharaoh, depriued Saul, hanged Haman, slew Baltasher, changed Nebucadonosor in­to a beast. Luxurie is the fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of this fruit bringeth polution before God, vn­cleannesse before men, filthinesse to the body, rot­tennesse to the bones, it burnt Sodome, slew the Si­chemites, destroyed the Beniamites, cursed Ruben, be­guiled Dauid, betrayed Sampson, deceiued Salomon. Enuie is the fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of that fruite excelleth it, it punisheth it selfe, fretteth the heart, shortneth the life, eateth the flesh, consumeth the Spirit, turneth a man into a Dogge, a Christian into a Diuel, it made Caine enuie Abels sanctitie, Rachel Leahs faecunditie, Saul Dauids felicitie, Sathan mans innocencie, Haman Mordecaies honestie; the Pharisees Christs heauenly Dietie. Drunkennesse is a fruite of the flesh, but the fruite of this fruite ex­ceedeth: It confoundeth the braine, consumeth the body, drowneth the iudgement, stealeth away the sense, witte, memorie, health, credit, friends and all; And hath ouerthrowne not onely many thousand particular men, but many great Houses, Families, Cities, Countreyes, Nations, Generations, for this last sinne is more presumed vpon, then almost any other; for since that God made that promise, ne­uer more to drowne the world, the world hath al­most drowned themselues by this beastly, vgly, monstrous, loathsome Inundation.

The Doctrine,Doctrine. that good works must be wor­thily [Page]performed, or else they bee not fruits worthy: The difference between digna and digne is much:Arte Aethick. Justus, Justa, Iuste. many doe worthy workes but not worthily: and therefore it is not to bring Digna worthy fruites, which vnworthy men may vnworthily doe, but God also requireth, dignus, digna, digne, the name of goodnesse in the doer, the rules of goodnesse in the things done, and the end of goodnes in the do­ing, for Caine offered, Simon Magus beleeued, Herod listened, Foelix feared, Saul obeyed, Iezabel fasted, the Pharisies prayed, these were worthy fruites, but not worthily performed. There may be a zeale without knowledge, aknowledge with­out conscience, a loue without Holinesse, a Prayer without Faith, a Faith without fruites, o­therwise had not the Pharisies lost so many Pray­ers, so many Fasts, so many watches, so many works, so many washings, so many tythings, so many howrs in hearing, reading, interpreting Moses & the Prophets,, otherwise had not the Papists lost so many Orisons, so many obseruations, deuotions, contritions, confessions, satisfactions, penances, pilgrimages, so much labour in examining their hart, chastening their flesh, whipping the body, punishing the Soule.

The fruits of Faith as all the Fathers agree, Aug. Ambr, Bernard, Ierom, Theop. Theodoret, Epiphanius, & all others in their writings obserue, are Repen­tance and good works, these are the fruites wor­thy amendment of life. Ctesias in describing India maketh mention of a tree that besides fruites, drop­peth [Page]and distilleth certaine teares, of which are made pretious Amber. The true Christian must be like this tree, his workes must be his fruites, his repentance his distilled droppes. The droppes of the Vine-tree are prescribed against the Leprosie, hee that is a branch of the true Vine must yeelde these droppes against the Leprosie of sinne, and so hee shall bee sure to bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life, though not worthy merito condigni of eternall life, yet worthy in some sorte, merito congrui, of amendment of life.

The Vse. The vse hereof is, to incite you all by all the mer­cies of God, as euer you hope to stand before the Throne of Grace, to bring foorth at the length some fruites acceptable to God, profitable to men, auaileable to your owne Soules, that yee no longer turne the Grace of God into wantonnesse, not looking vpon Faith with the eye of curiosity, but hearing with the eares and heartes of obedience, rather bringing good mindes then sharpe wits to Sermons, that so Religion may no more flie in the ayre of your opinion, but be setled in your soules to fruitfull operations.

Iohn Baptist, you heare crieth out for Reforma­tion; a thing long prayed for and sought for in the former Ages of Idolatry, sudore & sanguine with the bloud of Myriades of Martyrs. The last Centu­rie performed it, but performed it so, as that the Cure is become as dangerous as the disease, and religion hath taken as deepe a wound in the Refor­mation, as shee had in the deformation, for in place [Page]of the hypocrisie of seeming, there is brought in the impudency of neither beeing nor seeing, and to cure superstition, a neglect of deuotion, to a­uoide the opinion of meriting, a defect of the care of well doing, to take away the superfluity there is not enough left for the necessity of the Church, the faith which was wont to bee in words, is scarse found in the oathes of men, the Doctrine of the Church not followed, the censures of the Church not feared. The pride and excesse of the Clergy taken away, and the pouerty and contempt of the Cleargy remaining; then there were woodden Priests, golden liuings, now golden Priests, wood­den liuings. The Garden of the Spouse blasted, her trees blemished, her branches withered, her fruites vanished, that as hee said, No feare of God; so I say, no fruite for God in the land, and yet who is not thought a Professor? who is not thought re­ligious? It was worthily obiected to an vnwor­thy fellow in Rome, who putting on a graue coun­tenance in the Senate was taken vp thus;Plutarch. Quis te ferat aedificantem vt Crassus, caenantem vt Lucullus, loquentem vt Cato: who can abide thee building vaine-gloriously as Crassus, banqueting riotously as Lucullus, and yet speaking grauely as Cato: so may it bee asked, who can abide that those that are as great Church-robbers as Nabuchodonosor, as enui­ous as Haman, as riotous as Balthazar, as proude as Herod, as disobedient as Corah, should bee thought Religious, or should offer to take the word of the Lord in their mouths, and yet hate to be reformed.

My speech draweth to the close. The place wherein I speake representeth that tree of Theo­phrastus, which at euery time doth bud and blossom and beare fruit: O euer let there bee found here, some ripe, some drawing to their ripenesse, some in the flower, some in the bud of hope, some plen­tifull in fruit: if there were no other motiues to incite this presence, and if neither watering, plan­ting, nor any other meanes would draw you, yet the President of our young Cedar might draw all that make their nest vnder the shade of his Greatnesse, seeing his Highnesse like to that YOVNG PRINCE, is increased in wisedome, and stature, Esay. 9. and fauour with God and men. It was but the speech of a Poet, Exeat Aula, qui vult esse Pius, that Godlinesse is no good Courtier; I hope it, and with the bended knees of my Soule pray for it, that that position neuer take place here, but that holinesse may crown this house for euer, and that not onely in the Chappell and Clossetts, but that the face of godlinesse may bee seene in the presence, and the heart of goodnesse attend the inmost Priuy Chambers, & that euery one here may in euery action both pub­like and priuate yeeld a sauour of God, and a taste of godlinesse, and bring forth fruites in due season, fruites worthy amendmēt of life, that so this Court may bring forth encrease, and God euen our own God may giue vs his blessing, yea God may blesse v [...] and we all: and the endes of the world may feare him, and we may yeeld Glorit to the Father, and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, both now and euer, world without end. Amen.