Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	fruit_n	good_a	word_n	4,456	5	5.3399	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41536	The tryall of a Christians growth in mortification, purging out corruption, or vivification, bringing forth more fruit a treatise handling this case, how to discerne our growth in grace : affording some helps rightly to judge thereof by resolving some tentations, clearing some mistakes, answering some questions, about spiritual growth : together with other observations upon the Parable of the vine, John 15. 1, 2 verses / by Tho. Goodwin.	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing G1262; ESTC R10593	96,023	122

beleevers upon this stock this root is not big enough to bear them those differences being many Onely I will explain those differences which the Text affords because they are in our way and will further open the words 1. That which they doe bring forth is not true fruit the holy Ghost vouchasfeth it not that name They are said here not to bring forth fruit That speech in Hosea 10. 1. will give clear light to understand this with the ground of it also Israel is there called an empty Vine which brings forth fruit to her self It implies a seeming contradiction that it should be called an empty Vine and yet withall to bring forth any fruit And these bring forth not leaves good words onely but good works good actions and those green and therefore Jude 12. their fruit is said to wither as themselves are said to wither here ver 6. And as there Israel is said to be an empty Vine though it hath fruit so here these are said not to bring forth fruit at all Now the meaning of both is one and the same For a thing is said to be empty when it wants that which is proper to it and ought to be in it as Wells are called empty when are not full of water they are full of ayre for Non datur vacuum So they are called an empty Vine and these branches to have no fruit because not such as ought to grow upon them such as is proper to the root they seem to grow upon Therefore in Heb. 6. 7. that Epithet is added Meet hearbs or fruit that is such as should grow there So Luke 3. 8. They are to bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life or else they were to be cut down that is such as became true repentants as were answerable suitable therunto As we say a man carries himself worthy of his place when answerably to to what is required of him in it That place fore-cited out of Hosea further acquaints us with the true ground why their fruits though green which Chap. 6. 4. is called goodnesse also yet were not to be accounted meet fruit and so not fruit at all even because of this that it brought forth all its fruit whether good or bad to it selfe That is those ends that did draw up the sap and did put it forth in fruit were drawne but from themselves they bring them not forth principally to God and for him All their prayers all their affections in holy duties if they examine the reason of them all the ends that runne in them all and whence all the motives that doe actuate all they doe in these they will finde they are taken from themselves And though the assistance wherewith they are enabled to doe what they doe is more then their own yet their ends are no higher then themselves and so they employ but that assistance God gives them wholly for themselves Now the end for which a true branch brings forth fruit is that God might be glorified Thus Rom. 7. 8. when married to Christ they are said to bring forth fruit to God which is spoken in opposition to bringing forth fruit to a mans self Thus also Christ here useth this as the great and main motive to fruitfulnesse in ver 8. Hereby is my Father glorified that you bring forth much fruit Now whom will this move into whose affections will such an argument draw up sap and quicken them None but those hearts who doe make Gods glory their utmost end and so all true branches doe or else this motive should have been used by Christ in vaine unto them And as this end makes their performances to be fruit so this being wanting all that is brought forth deserves not the name of fruit for it is not fruit worthy as the Baptist sayes not meet fruit for the dresser to receive as was noted out of the Hebrews not such as ought to grow on that tree They should be trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Esay 61. 3. Again not fruit meete or suitable for the roote it seemes to grow upon that is such as Christ did bring forth for he did all that his Father might be glorified and therefore sayes he exhorting them to fruitfulnesse ver 8. of this Chap. If you doe likewise ye shall bee my Disciples Againe otherwise it is not such as is meet for the Husbandmans taste and relish it being equall that He that planteth a Vineyard should eate the fruit of it 1 Cor. 8. 7. And in fruit you know above all we regard the taste and esteeme the relish of it Eve first considered the fruit was good for food then pleasant to the eye Gen. 3. It is not the sap that is in fruit only makes it acceptable Crabs are as full of sap as apples Not is it the greennesse or colour or bignesse but the relish that is the chiefest excellencie in it though those other when joyned with a good relish do make it more desirable So though thy performances be full of life and affection and green and long and many yet if they relish and taste of none but self-ends God regards them not they are not ad gustum suum it is the end that gives the relish and makes them fruits and acceptable to God The second difference this Text holds forth is That they bring not forth their fruit in Christ for so the Syriack Translation reads it as making the sense to be that they bring not forth fruit in me and so this particle In me referreth not so much to their being branches in him as to not bearing their fruit in him Which indeed seems to have been Christs meaning for his scope in this Parable is to shew how that he is the root of Sanctification and how not the habituall power onely but every act of grace and the performance comes from him Without me ye can doe nothing ver 5. And thereupon he exhorts his Disciples to fetch all from him and to abide in him and therefore also when he speaks of these unfruitfull branches at ver 6. that which here he calls bearing not fruit in me he expresses there by not abiding in me as the cause of their not bringing forth fruit in him Yea and the principall scope of that phrase Abide in me is as evidently appeares by ver 4 5. to depend upon him for bringing forth of fruit and to fetch strength from him by faith There is therefore this essentiall defect in the worke that is upon such that they doe not doe all in that dependance upon Christ such a dependance as a branch hath upon the root in bringing forth its fruit For my brethren this you must know that as it is essentiall to Evangelicall Sanctification to doe all for another as your end namely to God so to doe all in the strength of another as your sole assistant namely Christ who works all in you and through whose strength saith

the first leaps more but goes as fast afterward Fifthly it is not increasing in outward professing and a seeming forward but especially in inward and substantiall godlinesse the other is but as increasing in leaves but in growth there must be a bringing forth more fruit When the root strikes not deeper downward and farther into the earth but spreads much upward in the branches this is not a true growth though look where there is more rooting there will be more spreading also above ground Growth it lies not in this That men should thinke of me above what I am indeed 2 Cor. 12. 6. Many at first grow into so great a profession as they cannot fill up and grow up to all their dayes make bigger cloathes then they can grow to fill As they say of Elephants that the skinne is as big at first as ever after and all their life time their flesh growes but up to fill their skinne up True growth begins at the vitalls the heart the liver the bloud gets soundnesse and vigour and so the whole man outwardly this heart Godlinesse is the thing you must judge by And yet sixtly even in inward affections many be deceived even there the party for Christ in appearance may be greater then in truth So often in a young Christian there is a greater army of affections mustered but most of them but mercenaries his affections are then larger his joyes greater his sorrowes violenter then afterwards More of his heart joynes in duties at first but afterwards though lesse yet more spiritually and truly The objects being then new draw all after them not onely Spirit or that new principle of grace is stirred then but flesh also The unregenerate part becomes a Temporary Beleever for a time hath a work upon it per redundantiam as an unregenerate man hath who is a Temporary which work on the unregenerate part doth decay as in Temporaries it doth and grows lesse not onely godly sorrow is stirred to mourne for sinne but carnall sorrow being awakned by Gods wrath joynes also and so makes the streame bigger Infidelity it selfe like Simon Magus for a while beleeves Whilst the things of grace are a wonder to a man as at first they are presumption joynes and eekes out faith a great party in the heart cleaves by flattery as the phrase is in Daniel and for by-ends which after some progresse fall off and faint in the way and those lusts that over and above their true mortification were further cast into a swoune begin againe to revive All this was resembled to us by the comming of the Children of Israel out of Egypt when by those plagues in Egypt and Moses his call not onely the Israelites but even many of the Egyptians were wrought upon and began out of self-love to feare the Lord Exod. 9. 20. and so a mixed multitude it is said went out with the Israelites Exod. 20. 38. to sacrifice to the Lord but ere long as Numb 11. 4. this mixt multitude began to murmur and to fall off So at a mans first setting out at his first conversion mixt carnall affections the unregenerate part through the newnesse of the objects and impression of Gods wrath and heavenly ravishments are wrought upon and goe out with the new Israel to sacrifice but after a while these fall away and then the number is lesse but the true Israelites may be encreased Hence it is that young Christians if they know their hearts complain more of hypocrysie and old Christians of deadnesse So in times of peace presumption eeks out faith and makes it seeme a great deale which in times of desertion and tryal falls off and then though the beleeving partie be lesse yet more sincere When the fire is first kindled there is more smoke even as much as fils the house but after the flame comes that contracts all into a narrow compasse and hath more heat in it So it is in young Christians their affections which Christ compares to the smoaking flax their joy in duties their sorrow for sinne their love of God is more but exceeding carnal the flame after though lesse growes purer and lesse mixt with vapours of corrupt self-love Seventhly we must not measure our bringing forth more fruit by one some kind or sort of duties but by our growth in godlinesse in the universall extent and latitude of it as it takes in and comprehendeth the duties of both callings generall and particular and all the duties of a Christian Thus it may be when grown up we are lesse in some sort of duties then we were when we were young Christians Haply we were more then in praying in fasting and reading and meditating yea spent the most if not the whole of our time in these But because now we spend lesse time in these we must not say therefore that we are fallen or decayed for there are many other duties to be done besides these which haply then we neglected but now make conscience of So that take all sorts of duties in the latitude of them and we may be growne more and do bring forth more fruit Perhaps we bring forth lesse fruit of some one kind then afore but if we be filled with all variety of fruits of the first and second table of our generall and particular callings this is to bring forth more fruit Men at their first conversion are necessitated often for to spend their whole time in such duties wherein they immediately draw nigh to God Paul then spent three whole dayes in fasting and prayer And then we allow them to doe it because their estates require it they want assurance and establishment they see grace to be that one thing necessary and therefore we give them leave to neglect all things for it they are new married to Christ and therefore they are not to be pressed to war the first yeare as I may so allude as for young marryed persons it was provided in Leviticus and parents and masters are to give allowance to such then in their travell of their new birth to lye in and not to be cruell to them in denying them more time then ordinary So also when they are in desertion which is a time of sicknesse and in sicknesse you allow your servants time from their work as the Church when she wanted her Beloved Cant. 3. 2. no wonder if she leaves all to seek him As your selves when you want a child or a servant you cry him in every street and leave all to find him as he left ninety nine to find one lost sheep And they then come new out of prison out of their naturall estate and out of the fresh apprehension of the wrath of God and therefore no wonder if they run so fast to haste out of it and salute none by the way stay to doe no businesse but when once they are gotten to the City of refuge then they fall about their businesse and callings againe Hence young Christians are