Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

364 ‘Duty of Samts State III.
Glory of the Vine, and of the Husbandman tooy\±.
John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye 'k
bear much Fruit, (0 Jhall ye be my Difciples. A \
barren Tree ftands fafer in a Wood, than in an r
Orchard : And Branches in Chrift that bring not ;iil
forth Fruit, will be taken away and call into the i?
Fire.
3. Be Heavenly-minded, and maintain a holy
Contempt of the World. Ye are united to Chrift, \
he is your Head and Husband, and is in Heaven: j
Wherefore your Hearts fliould be there alfo, Col. iii. '
1. If ye then be rijen with Chrift, feek thofe things
which are above, where Chrift fitteth on the Right
Hand of God. Let the Serpent’s Seed go on their
Belly, and eat the Duft of this Earth : But let the
Members of Chrift be alhamed to bow down, and
feed with them.
4. Live and a<ft dependency, depending by Faith
on Jeftis Chrift. That which grows on its own
Root, is a Tree not a Branch. ’Tis of the Na¬
ture of a Branch, to depend on the Stock for all,
and to derive all its Sap from thence. Depend
on him for Life, Light, Strength, and all fpiritual
Benefits, Gal. ii. 20. /. live, yet not /, but Chrift
liveth in me, and the Life which I now live in the
Flejh, 1 live by the Faith of the Son of Ged. For
this Caufe, in the myftical Union, Strength is
united to Weaknefs, Life to Death, and Heaven
to Earth: That Weaknefs, Death and Earth, may
mount up on borrowed Wings. Depend on him
for temporal Benefits alfo; Matth. vi. 2. Give us
this Day our daily Bread. If we have trufted him
with our eternal Concerns, let us be afhamed to
diftruft him in the Matter of our Provifion in the
World.
Laftly,