' His branches shall spread.'
When God enriches the soul with saving gi'ace, one shall grow ever}-- way and flourish abundantly, extending forth their goodness on every side largely to the knowledge and open view of others ; and then further,
' His beauty shall be as the olive-tree.'
What is the beauty of the olive-tree ? To be useful, fruitful, and k) bring forth good fruit. Indeed, the glory of a tree is to be loaden with fruit, and useful fruit ; which is the best property of fi-uit, to be useful and delightful. So the glory of a Christian, who is a plant of righteousness, of God's o^\Ti planting, is to abound in fruits of righteousness. Indeed, the olive is a veiy fruitful tree, and the oil which comes and distils from it hath many excellent properties agreeing to gi'aces.
1. Amongst the rest, it is a royal kind of liquor, that will be above the rest. So grace it commands all other things ; it gives a sanctified use of the creature, and subdues all corruption.
2. And then it is unmixed. It will mingle with nothing. Light and darkness will not mingle, no more wiU grace and corruption ; for the one is hostile to the other, as Solomon speaks, ' The just is abomination to the wicked,' Prov. sxix. 27,
3. Further, it is sweet, strengthening, and feeding the life, as in Zechariah there is mention made of two olives before the Lord, which feed the two candlesticks, Zech. iv. 3. And olives of gi*ace have always fatness distilling from Christ to feed his lamp with oil. God's church hath always oil ; and those that are olives, they keep the church by their particular calling.
1. He shall be fruitful as the olive ; and,
2. Abundant in frait, as the olive.
3. Constant in fruit, like the olive.
For it bears fruit much, and never fails, no not in winter, and hath a perpetual greenness. Indeed, the child of God hath a perpetual verdure ; as it is, Ps. i. 3, ' His leaf never fails,' because that which is the cause of flourishing never fails him. Which causes are two,
S'iS THE EETURNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON VIII.
1. Moisture.
2. Heat. For we know, moistui-e and lieat, these two are the causes of all kmdlyl
growth. If a tree have more moisture than heat, then it is waterish ; if j it have more heat than moisture, then there is no bigness in the fruit. So| true it is, that moisture and heat are the causes of fruitfulness in a gooo proportion. So God's children, having the Sun of righteousness always] shining upon them, and being always under the dew of grace (the promise' being, * to be as the dew to Israel'), having all dew to fall upon them for moisture, and having the Sun of righteousness to shine upon them to make them fruitful, their leaf never fails, they never give over bringing forth fruit ; because they have in them causes perpetuating fruitfulness, though not alike ; because Christ by his Spirit is a voluntary, and not a natural, cause of their fruitfulness, that is, he is such a cause, as works sometimes more and sometimes less, to shew that grace springs not from ourselves, and to acquaint us with our own weakness and insufficiency. Heaven is the perfection of all, both graces and comforts. Wherefore Peter calls the state of heaven, ' an inheritance, immortal and undefiled, that fades not away,' 1 Peter i. 4. Why is that an estate of grace and comfort, more than this of this world ? Because it is a never-fading estate. There they are alway in one tenure ; and because Christ shews himself alway there. There is abundance of water to moisten them, and heat to cherish them. There is no intermingling or stopping in growth, as is here. Therefore it is an inheritance that fadeth not away, having the supply of a perpetual cause of flourishing.
This in some degree is true of the church on earth. It is the inheritance of God that fades not, and Chi'istians therein are olives that bring forth fruit constantly, having a perpetual fi-eshness and greenness. So the right- eous man is compared to the cedars of Lebanon, Ps. xcii. 12, which bring forth much fruit in their age. He shall be fruitful as the olive. From all which this point, formerly touched, foUoweth :
That it is the excellency and glory of a Christian, to be fruitful in his place.
Both to be fruitful in his place as a Christian, and in his particular call- ing ; to be fruitful as a magistrate, as a minister, as a governor of a family, as a neighbour, as a friend ; to be fruitful in all. Because in religion, every near relation is as it were a joining together of the body in Christ, one to another, by which some good is derived from one to another. God uses these relations as conduits to convey graces. A good Chi-istian, the meanest of them is a good neighbour, and doth a great deal of good, being fruitful as a neighbour, fruitful as a friend ; much more as a husband, as a magis- trate, as a minister. These relations are a knitting to Christ, by which fatness and sap are derived from the head for the good of the whole body. Therefore a Christian in all relations is fruitful. When he comes to be a Christian, he considers, like good Mordecai, what good he may do ; as he told Esther, ' What if thou be called to the kingdom for this purpose,' Esther iv. 14 ? So a Christian will reason with himself. What if I be called to be a magistrate, or a minister, for this purpose ? What if I be called to be a friend, for such or such a pui-pose, to do this or this good ? In- deed such are gracious qmcre's* made to a man's soul, to inquii'e for what purpose hath God raised me ? To do this or that ? To be idle, or barren, or noisome ? 0 no ; to be a plant of God's planting. My glory shall be my fruitfulness in my place.