XXXVIII.

SERM. often forewarned us of it, particularly in the words which I have now read; wherein He, for that purpose, teacheth us these three lessons: 1. That they who profess themselves His disciples, "should bear much fruit." 2. That it is by this that God is glorified: "Herein," saith He, "is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." 3. That they, and they only, who thus bear much fruit, so as to glorify God, are truly His disciples: "So," saith He, "ye shall be My disciples." All which I shall endeavour, by His assistance, to explain so as that you may all learn, how much it concerns you all to practise, as well as to profess, that holy religion which He our Lord and Master hath taught us.

ver. 4, 5.

First therefore, in that our Lord here saith, "That it is by bearing much fruit, that we glorify His Father, and become His disciples;" He plainly declares it to be His will, and, by consequence, the duty of all who profess themselves to be His disciples, "to bear much fruit."

But that we may understand His meaning aright, we must first consider what is here meant by "bearing much fruit;" and then, why His disciples should all do so. As for the first, we must observe, that our Master is here teaching us, that all the power we have of doing good, comes immediately from Him. And that we may the better apprehend it, He compares Himself to a vine, His Father to an husbandman, that taketh care of that vine; and those who are baptized into, and profess His religion, He compares to so many branches grafted into it: to whom He therefore saith, “ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." Where by "bringing forth much fruit," it is plain that He means the doing much good, the performing many such works as are proper for His disciples, as such, to do, by that power and Spirit which they receive from Him; as a vine branch brings forth grapes, suitable and proportionable to the juice and nourishment that is conveyed into it from the stock. And seeing He useth the same metaphor in my text, it must there also be understood in

I am the vine, ye are

the same sense. Wherefore, by "bearing fruit," He means the doing such works, as, for the quality of them, are agreeable to the profession of His religion: and by "bearing much fruit," He means the doing of so many such works, as, for the quantity also, may exceed those which are done by men of other professions.

Matt. 3. 8.

First, therefore, as to the quality, They are such works as Christ our Lord and Master hath set us, which He Himself calls "good works;" His forerunner calls them, " fruits meet Matt. 5. 16. for repentance." His Apostle calls them," the fruits of right- 2 Cor. 9.10; eousness." Such as are conformable to those eternal rules Phil. 1. 11. of justice and equity, which He hath revealed to us in His Gospel, and enables His faithful people to perform by that Holy Spirit which He gives them for that end and purpose, which being the root and principle from which they flow, they are therefore called also "the fruit of the Spirit." And that we may not be ignorant of what they are, the Apostle hath reckoned them up particularly, and given us a catalogue of them, saying, "The fruit of the Spirit, is love, Gai. 5. 22, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." To which all sorts of good works, whether they have respect to God, to ourselves, or to other men, may be referred: and which the same Apostle elsewhere reduceth to these three heads, saying, that the grace of God appearing in the Gospel, “teacheth us, that denying Tit. 2. 12. ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." These, therefore, are the works which Christ our Master teacheth all His disciples or scholars to do. This is that fruit which He would have all to bear, that are grafted into, and so made the branches of Him the true vine.

But they must not only bear this kind of fruit, but much of it. They must excel in the quantity as well as in the quality of what they do. Other people may do some things, but they must do all that is required of them, so as to abound in all manner of virtue and good works; according

23.

to that of the Apostle to the disciples at Corinth, "Be ye 1 Cor.15.58. steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." And, "As ye abound in every thing, in faith, in 2 Cor. 8. 7. utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your

XXXVIII.

ver. 8.

SERM. love to us; see that ye abound in this grace also," even in the grace of charity, or liberality to the poor. He would have them want nothing; no grace or virtue whatsoever that a Christian ought to have. To the same purpose is 2 Pet. 1.5-7. that of St. Peter, who, writing to all Christians, said, “And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly-kindness charity." And then he adds, "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye neither be barren, nor unfruitful, in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." From whence we may observe, that they who have not these, all these virtues, and abound in them too, they are barren and unfruitful, so far from "bearing much fruit," that they bear none at all; for there is that concatenation and dependence of one Christian virtue upon another, that they can never be parted but all go together; he that hath not all, hath none; and he that doth not all he ought, doth nothing as he ought to do it: and therefore he that would do any good at all, must be sure to do all he can; otherwise he can never be said to "bear much fruit," as all Christians are obliged to do, as ever they desire to live as becometh Christians. This is that which St. Paul means, where he Col. 1. 10. prays, that the Colossians "might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work." Implying, that it is by our being fruitful, not only in some, but in every good work, that we walk worthy of so great a Lord, as our Lord is, and suitably to our profession of His holy Gospel.

And certainly the disciples of Jesus Christ, or, as they Acts 11. 26. were “called first at Antioch," Christians, they of all men ought to "bear much fruit," or do much good more than other people for though all men have many obligations upon them to do so, they have more. They solemnly promised, when they were made disciples, that they would keep all God's commandments; and therefore unless they do so, they break their own promise, as well as His commands; 2 Tim. 2. 19. they name the Name of Christ, and therefore should "depart [1 Pet.2.9.] from all iniquity." They are "called out of darkness into

His marvellous light," and therefore should walk as the children of light, and shine as lights in the world: "They 1 Pet. 1. 15. ought to be holy, as He who hath called them is holy, in all manner of conversation." They know their duty better than other people, and therefore are bound to do it better for they being the scholars or disciples of Jesus Christ, have the best Master in the world to instruct them, and therefore must needs know all that is necessary for them to do, far better than other people can, who have none but blind guides to lead them.

But some, perhaps, may say, It is true, they who were Christ's disciples when He was upon earth, and conversed with Him every day, they might well understand His mind, and know every thing He would have them do; but we never saw Him in our lives, nor heard Him speak, nor ever expect to see or hear Him as long as we live: how then can we be taught by Him? To that I answer, that although we cannot hear, yet we can see, and read the words He spake to them, and the several lessons which He taught His first disciples; and so may in all respects learn our duty as well as they, and in some sense better: for He spake many things to them only once, which they might not presently apprehend, or might soon forget, so as not to be able ever to recover them without a miracle; even by His Holy Spirit [John 14. 26.] bringing them to their remembrance. But we have His very words, all which He ever said that was necessary for us to know, we have them all infallibly recorded by His said Holy Spirit; so that we can read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; we can observe and consider them over and over again, lay them up in our hearts, and fix them upon our minds and consciences, so as to have them "always abiding in us," as He Himself also requires. And John 15. 7. if we do that, as all His disciples ought, we must needs be fully instructed in every thing that He would have us to believe and do.

Hence therefore, they who have given up their names to Christ, and are become His disciples, they are obliged, above all men, to bear much fruit; to be and to do good in the highest manner that they possibly can in this world: forasmuch as they are taught of God, of their great Lord

Q

Matt. 5.48.

39.

ch. 5. 20.

SERM. and Master Jesus Christ, what, and how, and why to do it; XXXVIII. they are taught of Him to be "perfect, as their Father which ch. 22. 37, is in Heaven is perfect." They are taught of Him to "love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and their neighbours as themch. 25. 46. selves." They are taught of Him, "That the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into life eternal." They are taught of Him, "That except their righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, they shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." These and many such Divine lessons they are taught of their Master Christ; and particularly, that it is not by their bearing some, but "much fruit, that God is glorified" and therefore, unless they bear much fruit, do much good in the world, more than other people, they do not live as they are taught; though they know their duty, Luke 12.47. they will not do it, and so must "be beaten with many stripes," as He also hath taught them.

And besides, they ought to "bear much fruit," because they have much strength whereby to do it, much more than other people have. For indeed other people have none at all, not so much as to be able to think any thing that is good; much less to do it: for Christ Himself here saith, John 15. 5. "Without Me ye can do nothing," nothing that is good in itself, or that will be accepted of as so by God. And therefore all that are without Him may talk of good works, and may seem to do them, but really they do none, nor can do any, no more than a branch that is cut off from the tree, can bring forth fruit. This we may be sure of, for we have it from Christ's own mouth, saying, "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” But then He adds, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." Whereby we are fully assured, that all who by faith are united unto Christ, and continue His faithful disciples, sound members of that body whereof He is Head, they continually receive such supplies of grace and virtue from Him, as to be able to bring forth much fruit; all that is expected or required of them, in that state and condition of life, wherein God is

ver. 4.

ver. 5.