1. The root that bears this wild fruit is a degenerate root, and that is the cause of all this sourness and harshness in the fruit it bears ; it is the seed of some better tree accidentally blown, or cast into some waste and bad soil, where not being manured and ordered aright, it is turn- ed wild : So all the fruits of unregenerate men flow from the first Adam, a corrupt and degenerate root ; he was indeed planted a right seed, but soon turned a wild and degenerate plant ; he being the root from M'hich every man naturally springs, corrupts all the fruit that any man bears from him. It is observed by Gregory perti- nently to my present purpose, Genus humanum inparenteprimo, velut in radice jnttruit : Mankind wasputrified in the rootof its first parent; Matth. vii. 18. " A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit."
9.. This corrupt root spoils the fruit, by the transmission of its sour and naughty sap into all the branches and fruits that grow upon it ; they suck no other nourishment, but what the root affords them, and that being bad, spoils all ; for the same cause and reason, no mere natural or unregenerate man can ever do one holy or ac- ceptable action, because the corruption of the root is in all those ac- tions. The necessity of our drawing corruption into all our actions, from this cursed root Adam, is expressed by a quick and smart in- terrogation. Job xiv. 4. " Who can bring a clean thing out of an " unclean? Not one." The sense of it is vv^ell delivered us (by .Mr. Caryl, in loc.) This question (saith he) may undergo a twofold con- struction. First, thus. Who can bring a morally clean person out of a person originally unclean ? and so he lays his hand upon his birth- sin. Or, Secondly, which speaks to my purpose, it may refer to the action of the same man ; man being unclean, cannot bring forth a clean thing; i. e. a clean or holy action ; that which is originated is like its original. And that this sour sap of the first stock (I mean Adam''s sin) is transmitted into all mankind, not only corrupting their fruit, but ruining and withering all the branches, the apostle shews us in that excellent parallel betwixt the two Adam's, Rom. V. 1% " Wherefore, as by one man [one, not only in individuo, sed " in specie, one representing the whole root or stock,] sin entered *' into the world :" not by imitation only, but by propagation; and this brought death and ruin upon all the branches.
3. Although these wild hedge-fruits be unwholesome and unplea- sant to the taste, yet they are fair and beautiful to the eye : a man
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THIXGS. 143
that looks upon them, and doth not know what fruit it is, would judge it by its shew and colour, to be excellent fruit; for it makes a fairer shew oftentimes than the best and most wholesome fruit doth : even so, these natural gifts and endowments which some un- regenerate persons have, seem exceeding fair to the eye, and a fruit to be desired. What excellent qualities have some mere natural men and women ! what a winning affability, humble condescension, meek- ness, righteousness, ingenuous tenderness and sweetness of nature ! As it was (hyperbolical ly enough) said of one. In hoc hom'me, non pcccavit Adam : Adam never sinned in this man ; meaning that he excelled the generality of Adam's children in sweetness of temper and natural endowments. What curious phantasies, nimble wits, solid judgments, tenacious memories, rare elocution, &c. are to be found among mere natural men ! by which they are assisted in discoursing, praying, preaching and writing to the admiration of such as know them. But that which is highly esteemed of men, is abomination to God, Luke xvi. 15. It finds no acceptance with him, because it springs from that cursed root of nature, and is not the production of his own Spirit.
4. If such a stock were removed into a better -^oil, and graffed with a better kind, it might bring forth fruit pleasant and grateful to the husbandman; and if such persons (before described) were but re- generated and changed in their spirits and principles, what excellent and useful persons would they be in the church of God ? And then their fruits would be sweet and acceptable to him. One observes of TertuUian, Origen, and Jerom, that they came into Canaan laden with Egyptian gold, i. e. they came into the church full of excellent human learning, which did Christ much service.
5. When the husbandman cuts down his woods or hedo-es, he cuts down these crab stocks with the rest, because he values them not any more than the thorns and brambles among whicli they grow ; and as little will God regard or spare these natural branches, how much soever they are laden with such fruit. The threatening is universal, John iii. 3. " Except you be regenerate, and born again, " you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.'' And again, Heb. xii. 14. " Without holiness no man (be his natural gifts never so ex- " cellent) shall see God." Embelhshed nature, is nature still ; " That which is born of the flesh, is 6w^ flesh,'' however it be set off with advantage to the eye of man.
1. To what purpose then do I glory in my na- A reflection for tural accomplishments ? Though I have abetter an accovipllsJiediia'^ nature than some others have, yet it is a cursed turalist. nature still. These sweet qualities and excellent gifts, do only hide, but not kill the corruption of nature, I am but a rotten post gilded over, and all my duties but hedge-fruity which
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