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SER M. operations, are generally in Scripture stiled III. the Gifts of the Spirit; the moral Virtues are on the contrary called, not the Gifts, but much more ufually the Fruits of the Spirit. Fruits; to to the production of which, it is as neceffarily requifite, that there be good ground in which the root is planted; as that the root be good, which is planted in that ground. 'Tis as neceffary in order to bringing forth the Fruits of the Spirit, that the Will and good Difpofition of the Perfon himself, concur with the good Motions of the Spirit; as 'tis neceffary that the Spirit affords his Affiftance, to enable the Perfon effectually to fulfill his own good Difpofitions. Our Saviour has illuftrated This to us, in the Parable of the Sower; where the Fruit brought forth in feveral places, is reprefented exactly proportionable to the Goodness of the Ground. The Seed fown, is the Word of God; and the Rain which caused it to grow, is the Affiftance of the divine Spirit. Now though without Seed fown in the Earth, and without Rain from Heaven, no Fruit indeed could have been produced; yet to the Badness of the ground only, is all the

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Failure justly ascribed in this Parable by SER M. our Lord, because the other Neceffaries were fupplied from above. In like manner, though Chriftian Virtues, are indeed the Fruits of the Spirit, and could not, without the Affiftance of the Divine Spirit, be acceptably and effectually produced; yet because This Affiftance from above is never wanting but through our own unworthiness, therefore moft juftly is every wicked perfon blamed and punished, for being void of thofe Virtues, which are the Fruits of the Spirit. The fame thing is expreffed to us in the Parable of the Vineyard, If: v. 2; where God complains by the Prophet concerning the people of the Jews whom he compares to a vineyard; that he had fenced it, and gathered out the Stones thereof, and planted it with the choiceft Vine ; and be looked that it fhould bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. The planting and dreffing the Vineyard was neceffary to its bringing forth good Grapes; but when it failed to do fo, the Fault was in the Vineyard itself, ver. 4. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not VOL. VI.

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SRM. done in it? Wherefore, When I looked that III. it fhould bring forth grapes, brought it forth

wild grapes? God does, on his part, always what is neceffary for our Affiftance; and no more denies his Holy Spirit to such as worthily afk him, than a tender Father, if his Son afks an Egg, will give him a Scorpion; Luke xi. 12. But men by their own unworthinefs, and refifting his good Motions, do quench and grieve and drive him from them; and then most justly is it charged upon them as their own Fault, if they have not in them the Spirit of God, which yet at the fame time is God's free Gift when bestowed at all. Free because originally God had no obligation, but his own mere Goodness, to confer it on any; and yet nevertheless it is every man's own Fault, if he receives it not; because God never with-holds this his Free Gift, but from Those only who are not fincerely willing to co-operate with it; in bringing forth those Fruits of Righteousness and true Holiness, which upon account of That concurrence, are, at the fame time, both the Virtues of the Man, and the Fruits of the Spirit. When therefore

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the Scripture affirms that we are juftified SER M. freely by his Grace; the meaning is not, that the Grace of God operates upon Men as Machines; and that he fo acts upon them, as to make needless their acting for themselves. But the intention of the Phrase is to declare, that it is owing to the free Grace, or undeserved Favour of God, made known in the Gofpel; that the imperfect Fruits of Righteousness which by our beft endeavours we are able to bring forth, are accepted of him unto justification; and that the Affiftance of the good Spirit of God is always at hand, to ftrengthen and enable us to bring forth thofe Fruits. In like manner, when our Saviour declares, that the Wind bloweth where it lifteth, and we hear the Sound thereof, but know not whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth; and that fo is every one that is born of the Spirit; the meaning is not, that the Spirit regenerates Men without any care or co-operation of their own; (for That would make all the Exhortations of the Gospel vain and abfurd;) but the Intent of the paffage is, that the Manner and Degrees, by which the Grace of the F 2

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SER M.Gospel enables a man to reform the whole III. moral Frame and Temper of his Mind, are as imperceptible to Senfe, as the secret Causes of many great Effects, and Operations in Nature. That Regeneration is owing to the Affiftance of the Holy Ghost, our Saviour plainly shows in this argument, both by the fimilitude itself, and by expreffly calling it our being born of the Spirit; Yet that at the fame time it depends upon the man's own Will, whether that divine Affiftance fhall take effect in him; he no lefs plainly declares in the very fame dif course, by requiring it of Us as an indifpenfable Duty, that we be born of the Spirit: Except a man, faith he, be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. From hence we may understand how it comes to país, that ufually in Scripture-Phrafe, both all the good that men do is afcribed to God, and all the good that God works in them is ftill nevertheless afcribed to themselves. It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure; And yet in the very fame verse we are commanded to work out our own Salvation ourselves; nay, we

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