Ye shall know them by their fruits.-Matt. vii. 16.

The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth.-Eph. v. 9.

As when sheep, or other creatures, are nourished by their pasture, the food they have eaten appears not in the same fashion upon them,—not in grass, but in growth of flesh and fleece; thus the word would truly appear to feed you, not by the bare discoursing of the word over again, but by the temper of your spirits and actions, if in them you really grow more spiritual; if humility, selfdenial, charity, and holiness, are increased in you by it: otherwise, whatever literal knowledge you attain, it avails you nothing. Though you heard many sermons every day, and attained further light by them, and carried a plausible profession of religion; yet, unless by the Gospel you be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and grace be indeed growing in you, you are but, as one says

of the cypress-trees, fair and tall, but

fruitless.

LEIGHTON.

Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.-James ii. 17, 18.

IF a man offer me the root of a tree to taste, I cannot say, this is such a pear, or apple, or plum; but if I see the fruit, I can. If a man pretend faith to me, I must say to him, with St. James, can his faith save him? such a faith as that the apostle declares himself to mean-a dead faith- -as all faith is that is inoperative and works not. But if I see his works, I proceed the right way in judicature,—I judge according to my evidence and if any man will say, those works may be hypocritical, I may say of my witness, he may be perjured; but as long as I have no particular cause to think so, it is good evidence to me, as

to hear that man's oath, so to see this

man's works.

DONNE.

Spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.-1 Pet. ii. 5.

As the works which God hath made upon earth by his power, although they have no light in themselves whereby they can be seen, yet they appear in all their beauty and colours by the sun reflecting his light upon them; so the works which his servants do by his assistance and grace, although they have no real worth, nor are exactly righteous in themselves, yet, by the Sun of Righteousness reflecting his righteousness upon them, they seem or are accounted righteous in the sight of God; or, as St. Peter speaks, they are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ;" without whom, therefore, there could be no such thing as righteousness seen upon earth, no more than there could be colours without light.

BEVERIDGE.

Walk as children of light.-Eph. v. 8.

As

ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him-Col ii. 6.

unto.

OUR holiness is not the cause of our salvation, but yet it is the way thereHe who, by any wasting or presumptuous sin, putteth himself out of that way, must by repentance turn into it again, before he can hope to find out heaven; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." He who is an hundred miles from his own house, notwithstanding his property in it, shall yet never actually enter therein, till he have travelled over the right way which leads

unto it.

REYNOLDS.

Ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God.-1 Thess. i. 9.

WHEN Christ overcometh Satan, "6 he takes from him all his armour, and divideth the spoils." How does he divide the spoils ? Surely he makes use of that

wit, wealth, power, learning, wisdom, interests, which Satan used against Christ's kingdom, as instruments and ornaments to the Gospel; as, when a magazine in war is taken, the general makes use of those arms which were provided against him for his own service.

REYNOLDS.

Remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them.-Num. xv. 39.

Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.-Ps. cxix. 6.

HOLINESS keeps the heart like itself in all conditions. As a watch, though altogether it may be tossed up and down with the agitation of him that carrieth it about him, yet that motion doth no way perturb the frame, or disorder the workings of the spring and wheels within ; so, though the man may be many ways tempted and disquieted, yet the frame of his heart, the order of his affections, the government of the spirit within him, are

F