THE SPRING. A SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE PRINCE AT S. JAMES, On Mid-lent Sunday LAST.  
By DANIEL PRICE, Chaplain in ordinary to the PRINCE, and Master of Arts of EXETER College in OXFORD.  MATTH. 3.8. 
Bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life.  
LONDON Printed for Roger jackson, and are to be sold at his Shop in Fleetstreet, fast by the Conduit. 1609.   

To the Right Honourable Lord, worthy the confluence of all Honours, ROBERT Earl of Salisbury, Lord High Treasurer of ENGLAND, one of the Oracles of his majesties most Honourable Privy Counsel, Knight of the most illustrious order of the GARTER, etc.  
MOst Noble Lord, this Sermon the Spring, preached in the Spring garden of this land, the Prince's Court, is offered to your Honourable Acceptance and Patronage. It is a free-will offering, Observance did appoint it, Zeal did kindle it, Study did inflame it, Piety did sacrifice it, and now duty doth offer it. The abundant fruitfulness of your Lordship doth challenge this from all other, both for your ableness and willingness to good works, wherein you beatify yourself, and beautify this Land: the Lord reward you according to your heart's desire: He that hath them hath blessed your Honour with the Treasures of wisdom and understanding, and hath given you the heart of prudence, the eye of providence, the ear of justice, the heart of Religion, and the spirit of devotion, and hath made your Honour a most special nursing father of his two dear Daughters, this Church and common wealth. Ride on with your Honour, because of the word of truth, of meekness and righteousness, and the Lord shall be with you, and shall bless you with the Grace of Glory here and the glory of Grace hence. And so in all observance I rest,  
To be commanded by your Lordship. DANIEL PRICE.   

THE SPRING  MATH. 3.8. 
Bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life.  
THe Year the Circle of time is so intorteled, as that Annus is become Annulus, for one day telleth another, and one night certifieth another, that all things are in a Consumption, and time that consumeth all things, is itself consumed. In the General distinction of Seasons, (Solomon the Prince of Preachers) accommodated a time, not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, an opportune time to every thing, and among the rest, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Nyssenus followeth the Allegory, God our father is the husbandman, We are his husbandry, the Soul is the ground, the Seed is the word. The Preachers do plant, Baptism doth water, the Spirit is the Wind, Repentance is the Dew, and Christ the Sun of righteousness is the Sun, and as in Nature, so in Grace, there is a Winter and Summer, a fall and Spring, a time of planting and a time of supplanting: At that season of the year, I have already handled the Fall of the Leaf, 
At Richmond October. 1 1608.  as I doubt not but this high and Honourable presence do remember, and therefore now I have chosen out a Text fit for this season the opening of the year, the flowering of the fig tree, the blooming of the Lily, the budding of fruit, the flourishing of Flowers, and the resurrection of all those buried herbs, whose honour lay in the dust, until the Spring had again appareled the earth with various and glorious ornaments. It was the springing voice of the spring, (who was Oriens eximo, 
Cant. 3.  Oriens ex alto) in the Canticles: Arise my love, my fair one, and come away, for behold Winter is past, the rain is gone away, the flowers appear in the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land, the Fig tree hath brought forth her young sigges, and the vines with their small grapes have cast a savour: Arise my Dove, my Love, my fair one, and come away. 
Pliny S●linus.  The voice of the Turtle as the Naturalist observeth, is a mourning voice, Turtur non canit sed gemit; The Turtle singeth not, but mourneth, Quid per turturem nisi Ecclesia, quid per terram sponsi, nisi vitailla beata designatur? 
Greg. mag. in Cantica.  What is meant by the Dove but the voice of the Church, what by the land of the Spouse, but the life of the blessed? (saith Gregory): we have already heard the loud voice of john, the voice of the beloved jesus, the moaning voice of the Church, the mourning voice of the Turtle, & I hope the crying voice of john hath begot the weeping voice of the Church in you, that so having been planted and watered, now God's graces in you may be increased, and you may bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life.  
Man was once placed in Paradise, now Paradise is placed in man, predestination, Vocation, justification, Glorification, be the four Rivers of Paradise: the understanding is the tree of knowledge, Belief the tree of life: In the fall after the Creation, there was an Angel with a flaming sword set to keep out man; now there is an Angel, set in man to keep out Satan, the Angel is Christ, & the sword the word, and the administration of the word: he useth this sword, sometimes as a pruning knife, as in the Canticles; sometimes an axe, as in Matthew, Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. 
Math. 3.10.   
It was the Proclamation of jeremy, O Earth, Earth, Earth, hear the voice of the Lord: I may join my Text with that Proclamation: and as Ezechiel was sent to Preach to dry bones, 
jer. 31.  and john Baptist to the dry desert, and jeremy to the dry earth, so may I say to the dry, empty, bare, barren desert, desolate hearts of unfruitful hearers, O earth, earth, earth, bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life. john Baptist here seethe the pharisees heap together to hear him, and knowing that they came hypocritically only to hear, he requireth that they also believe, and believing profess, and professing practice, and so bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life.  
Be not dead or withered, or barren or hardened, for that is fearful and accursed, but bring forth, not buds nor blossoms, nor flowers nor flourishes, for these may be feigned, but bring forth fruits, not the fruits of the world, they be but fancies, or the fruits of the flesh, they be but folly, not the fruit of honour, it is but pompous folly, not the fruit of strength, it is glorious vanity, not the fruits of pleasures, they be voluptuous sensuality, not the fruit of riches, they are immanent inconstancy, not the fruits of long life, it is but transient mutability.  
Worthy fruits, worthy not of earthly praise or of worldly prize, but that high hopeful, holy, lively, happy, heavenly calling of amendment of life; Bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life.  
First a Production, bring forth, second, a Fructification, fruit, 
Division.  third, the fruits perfection, fruit worthy amendment. The first against barrenness, the second against weakness, the third against Pharisaical feignedness. The first common to all Creatures, to bring forth, the second proper to the best Creatures, to bring forth fruit, the third most proper, and only proper to the best Christians, fruit worthy amendment of life.  
It is truly observed that the Spiritual Regeneration of the Soul is shadowed in the first creation of the world: The Chaos in predestination, 
1. Part.  the separating of light from darkness in Vocation, the creating of the Soul in justification, the framing of Adam in Glorification: In the first, there is the depth of God's foreknowledge, a dark form that cannot be discerned. In the second, Knowledge is separated from ignorance, the light from darkness. In the third, the bright beams of Grace shine in the heart the Sun is created: In the fourth the image of God is placed in the Paradise of immortal joy, only, 
Austen.  this is the difference at the first, God placed Adam in Paradise before he did appoint him to work, but now he appointeth him to work before he placed him in Paradise. For when God had made a Paradise upon earth, he took the man and put him into it, to dig it and keep it, not enjoining him to bestow any bodily labour in dressing it at that time, for that was his future punishment, but as Ambrose observeth, Quia primus homo lex posteritatis futurus erat, 
Ambrose.  legitimi etiam in Paradiso speciem labour is suscepit: Because the first man was to be a living law to posterity, therefore even in Paradise he took a show of labour. A labour and no labour, he had the pleasure of labour, but not the labour of pleasure, Paradise was his Palace, all the world his Domains, the creatures his Subjects,, the Angels his servants.  
And he dressed and kept Paradise, as Ambrose observeth only by keeping those good graces which God had given him, and increasing them continually: for O Ecumenius addeth this reason, that the graces of God, 
O ecumenius.  as the flowers of a garden must not only be kept, but also be dressed, that they may have not only a being, but an abounding, because a man may have great good things being in him, and yet be himself a Garden, that is kept indeed, but not dressed, and so be altogether unfruitful: for though S. Bernard's position in some things be true, 
Bernard.  Praestat esse Concham quam canalem, it is better to be a Cistern then a sluice (and yet hereby many offend in retiring their labours, as well as others in obtruding them) yet in Christianity, Prestat esse Canalem quam Concham: It is better to be a sluice than a Cistern, for that light is no light that is not seen before men, that knowledge is no knowledge that is not imparted, that wisdom is no wisdom that is not discerned: that faith is bare faith which is not exercised, that seed is barren seed that is not fructified, for unless Christians bring forth, they are idle and unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ. Apelles could make Artificial Grapes, Archimedes an Artificial flying Dove, the Alchemist of making artificial men, but all their births be abortive.  
When God had ordained a Church at the first, this was his appointment, that she should fructify and bring forth, and therefore ordered her that she should be ever increased by her own afflictions, perfected by her persecutions, erected by her own dilapidations, 
Hilar lib. 4. de Trinit.  by her own tears her thirst should be quenched, by her fasting she should be refreshed, and by the blood of her Martyrs, her vineyard should be watered. In the former time of his Church, he watered her with the blood of beasts, but in the latter time by the blood of men, making white Lilies to become red roses: and then he promised to make sinners that were as red as scarlet as white as snow; now he hath made some servants that were white as snow, to be by Martyrdom red as scarlet, and in the time of love hath required more sacrifices then in the time of the law he had sacrificed beasts, because as Saint Jerome observeth in his Epistle ad Heliodorum, that for every day of the year, even in his time, 
Jerom. ad Helio  there were five thousand Martyrs which had shed their blood for the truth; he that watered his vineyard plentifully with the springs of Caleb, springs beneath, the springs of the blood of the Saints; and springs above, the most pure and precious springs of the blood of his Son: how doth he expect that this vineyard should bring forth fruit in due season, and as Esay speaketh, how hath he hedged, and gathered out the stones of it, and planted it with the best plants, 
Isai. 5.2.  and built a tower in the midst thereof and made a Winepress therein, and looked that it should bring forth. When he made the world, he bade that the earth should bring forth; and when he made the waters, let the waters bring forth: and so to the Fowls, 
Gen. 1.  and to the Fishes, she's, and to the creeping things, and to the growing things, and last of all, to man; Bring forth: he brought forth all things, that all things might bring forth to man, and therefore expecteth that man should bring forth to him; and as in the former birth he hath taken care to bring forth to us, So in the latter and better birth he hath vouchsafed to bring us forth, for God is our Father, the Church his Spouse our mother to conceive us his word the seed the means to beget us: 
1. Pet. 1.3. Gal. 4.26.  his spirit the soul and life to quicken us: 
1. Pet. 1.23. Ephes. 2.5.  his Ministers the Nurses to feed us, 
1. Thes. 2.7.  his Gospel the milk to nourish us, 
1. Pet. 2.2.  that so we may increase and grow, & be able ourselves to bring forth.  
The Doctrine is, that God cannot endure that any of his servants be barren in Christianity: Barrenness was a reproach among the jews, 
Doctrine.  much more among the Gentiles: it was a natural reproach in the Law, but a more spiritual reproach in the Gospel  
Plato observed, 
Plato. Pieran Hierog.  and Pierius in his Hierogliphics, that a man is Arbor inue●sa, a tree turned upward, his hair of the head the root, his arms the branches, and so of the rest; and therefore in Scripture, the godly are called trees of righteousness, and fruitful branches, 
Es. 61.3.  the Vinetree of the Lord: The trees in God's Orchard, 
joh. 15.2.  as one well observeth, 
Esa. 61.3.  are either Palms or Cedars: The Palms bear fruit from their first growth: the Cedars though they bud long before they bear fruit, yet bring forth beautiful fruit: That which Saint Austen in his 44. Homily de Sanctis observeth of Mary and Elizabeth, may I observe of the Palm and Cedar; De sterili servus, de virgine dominus, de sterili vox de virgine verbum, 
Austen. Hom. de Sanct. 44  the servant john Baptist was borne of a barren woman: JESUS the Saviour of a Virgin, the voice by a barren woman, the word by a Virgin: Mary was as a Palm, Elizabeth as a Cedar. Never such a Palm, but many such Cedars; Sara barren, and yet the mother of Isaac, Rebecca barren, yet the mother of jacob, Rachei barren, yet the mother of Benjamin: Manoa barren, yet the mother of Samson: Hanna barren, yet the mother of Samuel, Elizabeth barren, yet the mother of john Baptist, the Father of my Text  
More blessed are these barren than they that had many children. Isaac the Heir apparent of the Promise, jacob the Supplanter, little Benjamin the Patriarch, Samson the strong, Samuel the Seer, john Baptist a Prophet, and more than a Prophet: all of them most Honourable in their generation, the seed of the barren, and yet many of them were sent to sow the barren world; yea, and out of the seed of the barren, isaack's seed became as the stars of Heaven, or the sand of the Sea, and all Nations of the earth were blessed in his seed.  
The eagle's Emblem is sublimius to fly loftier, even to behold the Sun, as Pliny noteth, the suns Emblem is celerius swifter, 
Ald. Emb. Sotinus. Psal. 19  the Giant refreshed to run his course as David speaketh. The Wheat in the Gospel hath this Emblem, perfectius riper; First the Blade, than the ear, then full corn. Ezechiels' Emblem is profundius, deeper first to the ankles, 
Mark 4.28.  then to the knees, 
Ezec. 47.4.  then to the thighs: 
Luke 14.10.  Christ's Emblem was Superius, sit up higher: Carolus Quintus Emblem was ulierius, Go on further, the woman with child, hath this Emblem, plenius fuller, until she bring forth: and so ought every Christian that is not dry and hardened and barren, and withered, to mount loftier with the Eagle, to run swifter with the Sun, to grow riper with the Wheat, to wade deeper with Ezechiel, to sit up higher with the Guest, to pass on further with the Emperor, to wax fuller with the Woman, that so they may bring forth fruit in due season. Many are long in bringing forth fruit, they are as long barren as any.  
The world hath expected Elephantinum Partum, and yet when it hath been brought forth, 
Horatius.  Parturiunt montes; nascetur ridiculus mus, The best deed that ever they did, was that they died, and so the world was rid of such dry, empty, windy, bare, barren, dead, withered, hardened Tenants, who never did good, or had any mind of goodness.  
The Spouse in the Canticles is moved to come away, for the Figtree sayeth Christ hath brought forth her young figs: never did any tree bring forth better fruits than the Figtree, and never did any tree bring forth worse fruits than the Figtree. The good fruit was Zacheus, who climbed into a tree, that from a tree he might behold Christ, who was to suffer on a tree, for man's salvation, this figtree bore most precious fruit, even such as Christ himself vouchsafed to pluck, a happy tree that bore such precious fruit as Zacheus was, but thrice happy Zacheus, that so happily climbed on that happy tree: the tree brought forth Zacheus, Zacheus brought forth a confession, the tree such fruit, that fruit such faith, that Christ professed, this day is Salvation come unto this house, 
Luke. 19.9.  forasmuch as he is also become a Son of Abraham. He that could have raised out of the stones sons to Abraham, hath raised out of a wild figtree a son unto Abraham: here was the good fruit of the Figtree. For the bad fruit, the Rabbins affirm that the tree in Paradise from which Adam, & Eve took the forbidden fruit was a fig tree: and many hold that the tree that judas hanged himself on was a fig tree, as Iuuencus the Poet testifieth; 
Exorsusque suas Laqueo sibi sumere poenas,  
Informem rapuit ficus de vertice mortem.   
And to these we may join, that God cursed no tree but the fig tree. 
Mald. in. 27. Math.  It was an inhuman speech of Timon, when he saw a woman hanging on a figtree that had hanged herself, he wished that all trees might bear such fruit: it had been a speech savouring of humanity to have said as Christ said of the figtree, never such fruit grow on thee more.  
The use of the Doctrine is to move us that we be not unfruitful in the work of the Lord: 
The Use.  hath God so cared for us and planted and watered, and dressed, and hedged us in: The word, the seed so oft falling: Christ the son of righteousness so oft shining, the dew of Heaven, Manna, so oft shedding, the holy spirit the wind so often blowing, and yet shall we remain dead, dry, barren, hardened, withered and accursed Trunks? In the Gospel of Luke you may observe the Parable of the fig tree in the Vineyard, 
Luke 13.6.  which did not bring forth; he came and sought fruit and found none, than said behold this three years have I come and sought fruit of this figtree, and find none; cut it down why keepeth it the ground barren?  
I know that some of the Fathers interpret it only of the Synagogue of the jews, and so that the three years wherein Christ expected fruit, 
Greg. Hom. 31 in evang.  were the three times 1. before the Law, 2. in the Law, 3. after the Law, as Gregory on the 31. Homily on the Gospel, 
Ambr. in Luk. 13.  or the three Laws, the first Natural, the second written by Moses, the third evangelical by Christ, as Ambrose upon the 13. of Luke, or the three governments of the jews, the first under the High Priests, 
Theoph. in La. can. Atb. q. 16  the second under judges, the third under Kings as Euth●mias on that Gospel observeth, But Theophilact and Athanasius and Saint Basil do expound it more largely, 
Basil. Br. in Js. 5.  to signify the three ages of Men, Childhood, youth, and old age, and that the Lord doth look & expect fruit in every one of these years, in every one of these States, & when he hath expected again and again, than he proceedeth to that fearful sentence: Cut it down why keepeth it the ground barren.  
It was the 21. of March this present month as Maldonat on the Gospel observeth, 
Maldonat.  that Christ the way seeing a fig tree in the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon, and then said, never fruit grow on thee henceforth. Christ the way is yet in the way, 
Mat. 21.19.  he knoweth your sitting down and your rising up, he understandeth your thoughts, for he is about your paths, and about your beds, 
Psal. 139.1  and spieth out all your ways, and words and works and thoughts. If he should come as he hath often come, and find no fruits in many of us, O how terrible would that sentence be. Never bear henceforth; Never? no Never, neither in this world, nor in the world to come, Never to bring forth any more, Reap ye shall, but bring forth ye shall not; but ye shall reap the fruit of judgement, of punishment: other fruit never bring forth sin henceforth: Never any more, dead trees cut off from the land of the living, dead branches cut off from the tree of life. It was a lamentable complaint that the mother of Tobias made for her son Thou light of our eyes, staff of our age, comfort of our life, hope of our posterity, all the joy that we had was in thee, & have we forsaken thee? But it will be a more lamentable sorrow when the wicked shall find they have forsaken all the hope and joy & comfort and light and happiness of him: But I come to the 2. part.  
Not buds or blossoms or flowers, 
2. Part.  or flourishes but fruits: GOD doth not so much respect adjectives as adverbs as the Canonist teacheth, and God doth not love Flowers, 
Canonists.  so much as fruit, as my Text proveth. The Spouse in the Canticles had Roses & Lilies, but (except that one Rose of the field, and one Lily of the Valley) she praiseth the Pomegranates and Vines, Figs and Grapes, and Olives and Camphire, and Spikenard, and Cinnamon and Saffron, and Incense and Aloes. She had her flourishing Garden of Lilies, but she had also her fruitful Garden of nuts, and Apples and Pomegranates. In all the Scripture I read but of one Flower that is praised, and that Rose from the root of jesse, sprung in the Valleys, 
Cant. 2.2.  and grew among thorns, and flourished in the Winter, and withered in the Spring, and was the most fragrant flower that ever grew. It was the Lily among Thorns: A flower not easily to be gathered: for we must undergo much labour and smart if we will enjoy it: the Head thereof is crowned with Thorns, the Heart is pierced with a Spear. 
Ansten.  the hands and feet struck through with Nails: It is a Lily among thorns. From the flower we have received fruit, and to this Flower we consecrate all our fruit, not leaves of good profession, not blossoms of good purposes, nor branches of great semblances, but fruit, for as of false prophets, so of true professors, Christ hath spoken, Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos, ye shall know them by their fruits.  
There may be trees without branches, and branches without fruits, but branches growing without a tree are more strange. Christ came into the world to find fruit, and when he came to Icrusalem, the jews presented him with branches, and cried Hosanna, but the branches had no fruits, for they soon showed how vainly, variable the opinions of men are constant only in inconstancy, persisting in nothing, but in change, for they who had cried Hosanna in the highest, do shortly after cry let him be crucified, 
Bernard.  they who saluted him for their King, do presently protest they have no King but Caesar: they who met him with Olive branches, do presently after present him with swords and staves, they who spread their garments before him, do after despoil him of his garments, they who adore him for the Son of God, after prefer Barrabas an Assacinate before him. These were branches deceiving, stealing, fading, flattering, fawning, vanishing branches: teaching for ever those that have such branches carried before them, to contemn the base and mutable breath of that Monster the multitude, never coveting their judgement, never trusting their affection, never believing their opinion, but as the body remaineth one, although the shadow be at one time long, at another time short; so the Soul retain the same constancy both in the sweet gale of the applause of men, and in the bitter blasts of their opprobrious outrage, let the storm root up shrubs but not Cedars, let the wind toss chaff but not wheat, and let vain, either honour or infamy move no man, who is not either light or weak; let no noble spirit be servile in caring for the praise, or fearing the unjust dispraise of vulgar shallow brains, if they be put upon him, let him resist the one with modesty, undergo the other with gravity, never being so careful what the world will say of him, as what God will say to him, when the world shall be at an end: for the praises of the world be but branches.  
I have staid too long on these fruitless branches, yet I hope you have received some fruit in knowing them to be fruitless.  
God regardeth not the tree without branches, and yet not the branches without fruit: he hath planted a Vine in every one, the branches of this Vine are the faculties of the Soul, they must bring forth flowers unto him, namely good Desires, they must bring forth fruit unto him, 
Arist.  even good works; the tongue to praise him, the feet to follow him, the ears to hear him, the hands to be lifted up to him, the knees to be bowed to him, the eyes to be bedewed to him, the understanding always to contemplate on him, the memory always to remember him, the will to delight in him, the desire to affect him, the soul to be inflamed and enfolded in the flames of his love.  
john Baptist spoke to the pharisees, who were most glorious in flourishes but wanted fruits; O that hypocrisy had ended in them, and not descended to our times. It was a hereditary disease to the pharisees, it is no less to us, they had the voice of jacob, but the hands of Esau, feathers of the Eagle, but the wings of the Ostrich, they had the habit of sheep, but the disposition of Wolves, 
Plut. I. ac. Apo.  like the musicans that Diogenes taxed, they had care of tuning their instruments, not their minds, like unto Copper which had colorem, non valorem auri, like Great pieces of Ordinance in the time of Peace, they had the fashion but lacked their charge. They were the Masters, the Players, the Painters, the Tyremongers, the Visard-makers of their time, they were the Images, Semblances, Pictures, Statues, Shadows & Sepulchres of their times, empty clouds, windy Pipes, void Tents, tinkling Cymbals, dry cisterns of their time. They bear flowers but not fruits.  
The Spouse in the Canticles inviteth her well-beloved not only to come to her garden, 
Cant. 4.16.  but also to come and eat of the fruits. 
Psal. 102.  The Angels in heaven, not only sung the praises of God, but also do the will, the will of God. 
Reucl. 1.  The blessing in the Revelation, is not only made to those that read and hear, but to those that keep the words of that Book. S. john commandeth to love, not only in word and in tongue, 
1. joh. 3.  but also in deed and in truth.  
The Doctrine, That the true Professors of the true faith are discerned by their lively and effectual works. Exfructibus corum is the Note, mark, 
Doctrines  measure, and cubit of the Sanctuary for the good and bad. The high Priests garment had Pomegranates as well as Bells: The Sieling of the Temple had Palms as well as Chains; The Cherubims had Wings as well as Feet; The fountains of Lebanon had Pitchers as well as cisterns; The Spouse had Vines as well as Lilies, and her Pomegranates had Fruits as well as Flower, and faith must have a Nature as well as a Name, we can never divide lustre from this Diamond, light from this Sun, life from this Soul, heat from this Fire, flowing from this Sea. The true servants of God may be found with Abraham walking, with David running, with jacob wrestling, with Paul following, with the wise Virgins watching, the good Servants working, with the good Tree bearing fruits.  
The conflict between us and our adversaries about Faith and fruits hath been much, they in to much advancing them, some of us too much extenuating them, they so earnest for fruits, that little less then blasphemously they affirm that they deserve Salvation: We so negligent in fruits, that to do a good work, we think it superstition, they so much hanging on the branches, we so much rooting at the root, as if we would sue out a divorce between Faith and Fruits, neither of us looking to the moisture of the root or branches. When we see good works, we must acknowledge them to be fruits, 
Austen.  and fruits, that we must bear upon pain of damnation, and yet to be but fruits: we must seek out the root of them, and when we have the root, we must have regard to the moisture and juice whereby it is nourished: for as the fruits of the earth grow from the root, and that root liveth and hath vegetation, not by itself, but is fed and preserved by the fatness of the soil, warmth of the Sun, and benefit of the air under which it standeth: so good works grow from faith, and that faith liveth in the object; the merits and obedience of jesus Christ, feeding and strengthing itself, by the sweet influence and sap of those divine dews of Mediation, that in him we live, in him we grow, in him we are grafted, in him we flourish, in him we fructify: for without him, though we should wish to be as righteous as Noah, as obedient as Abraham, as holy as job, as faithful as David, as devout as Daniel, as zealous as Elias, as clear as the Sun, or pure as the stars, yet our fruits were not acceptable, nay not tolerable in his sight, having no opinion of our own wisdom, no hope in our own works, nor wisdom in our power.  
The use of this Doctrine is to contemn the folly of those that think that a bare and barren Faith will serve without any fruits or effect: 
Doctrine.  either the frost of devotion, or the fear of the hate of superstition, or the wind of contention hath blown away our fruits. 
jentilet.  It was an observation of jentilet upon the Monks of his time, that their Fasts were very fat, and their prayers very lean: I cannot say so of our Faith that it is fat, but I am sure our fruits are very lean, like to Pharaohs withered thin blasted cares, that it is a wonder that the lean, starved carcase of faith hath so long continued.  
Luther gave a good note to this purpose, 
Luther.  that faith ought pinguescere operibus, to wax fat with fruits; but alas fruits be as lean as faith. In times past saith wrought miracles, and removed mountains, so may it yet, if it were true, for our sins that are as mountains, would be removed as far as the East is from the west, but faith hath wrought a more prodigious wonder, like the lean Kine that devoured the fat Kine; our bare profession of faith hath eaten up the rich Alms and fruits, and works, and deeds of mercy.  
A misery it is to see, that there be no fruits to be gathered, but only the fruits of sin, and that whereas virtue and goodness can take no root, sin beginneth in the buds of infirmity, and by little and little stealeth to the fruits of negligence, and being increased and watered by custom, it groweth to be the stout tree of contempt, which will rather break then bend to any instruction. Surely beloved, this is not the cause why God hath so planted and watered, and kept and dressed his Vineyard: these be not the roots, the plants, the branches, the sprigs, the buds, the blossoms, the flourishes, the field: fruits worthy amendment of life, And so I come to the last part.  
Not branches, for the jews bare branches, 
Part. 3.  yet were accursed, not flowers for the flower perisheth, and the grace thereof withereth: not leaves for the figtree had leaves and yet was not blessed; not fruit for the pharisees bare fruit, and yet that fruit was despised: their fruit was like to that fruit which groweth where Sodom and Gomorrah stood, 
josephus.  fair and beautiful to the eye, but being touched they dissolve to a sulphurous and vaporus fume, more odious to the smell, than they were pleasant to the sight. S. john therefore maketh difference between fruits, fruits worthy of amendment of life; in other things there is a difference as also in fruits, 
I er. 1.7.  there is a pure and fresh Doctrine; 
Math. 16 6.  there is a sour and leavened doctrine; 
Mat. 9.7  there is a new wine of the Gospel; and there is a mixed wine of Babylon: 
Reu. 17.4.  there are wholesome words: 
2. Tim. 1.13.  There are unwholesome words: there is a Doctrine of God, 
Eph. 4.29.  there is a Doctrine of Devils: 
joh. 7.16.  and there is a guiding word, 
1. Tim. 4.1.  and a fretting word: 
Gal. 5.22  fruits of the flesh, and fruits of the spirit: worthy and unworthy fruits. Lesbian vines be more honoured by Aristole then the vines of Rhodes: for under that Parable he alludeth to succession of his school, choosing rather Theophrastus' born at Lesbos, than Menedemus born at Rhodes: 
Aul. Gel. N●ct. at lib. 13.5.  there was some comparison between them, for they were both good. But these fruits that I speak of, be as contrary as light and darkness, the Northern and Southern Poles not so Diametrally opposed the one against the other, as these fruits of the flesh and Spirit: Nor the comparison of tars eating up the Wheat, Eagles feathers consuming all other feathers; Moses Serpents devouring the Enchanters, and Ark demolishing Dagon.  
There are all kinds of fruit, & all colours of fruit in evil, the green fruits of unperfectness, the yellow fruit of Gall and bitterness, the red fruit of blood and cruelness, the tawny and Morian fruit of sinful deformedness, the Sky colour changeable fruit of unstaiednesse, the Leopard spotted fruit of unholiness, the blush colour fruit of profaneness, and the red colour fruit of drunkenness, the pale colour fruit of uncleanness, the flame colour fruit of blasphemous wickedness, they have many colours, by the which they may be known, yet but only one taste; They are for the most part bitter sweet, bad trees and bad fruit, Concupiscence is the root, Consent the trunk, Bad desires the branches, Lewd words the buds, Vile actions the flowers, Lewd customs the fruits, Satan did plant, Suggestion did water, Continuance in sin doth increase them, Necessity in sin doth ripen them, judgement doth gather them, and Hell doth burn them: Because they be not fruits worthy amendment of life.  
That you may know them both, in the fifth to the Gallat. 22. you may take a survey of them both; The fruits of the flesh are Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, 
Gal. 5.21.  Wantonness, Idolatry, Witchcraft, Hatred, Debate, Emulation, Wrath, Contentions, Seditions, Heresies, Envy, Murders, Drunkenness, Gluttony, and such like. The fruits of the spirit are Love, Peace, Long suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.  
The forbidden fruit of Paradise proved accursed, but the fruit of that fruit more accursed, so the fruits of the flesh be most hateful and fearful, but the fruits of those fruits exceed. Pride is a fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of the fruit exceedeth: It blindeth the eyes, darkeneth the mind, deceiveth the understanding, depriveth the reason, disguiseth the countenance, maketh the proud man in the sight of men a fool, in the sight of God a Devil. The fruit of this fruit thrust the Angels out of heaven, overthrew the Tower of Babel, confounded the Tongues, drowned Pharaoh, deprived Saul, hanged Haman, slew Baltasher, changed Nebucadonosor into a beast. Luxury is the fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of this fruit bringeth pollution before God, uncleanness before men, filthiness to the body, rottenness to the bones, it burned Sodom, slew the Sichemites, destroyed the Beniamites, cursed Reuben, beguiled David, betrayed Samson, deceived Solomon. Envy is the fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of that fruit excelleth it, it punisheth itself, fretteth the heart, shorteneth the life, eateth the flesh, consumeth the Spirit, turneth a man into a Dog, a Christian into a Devil, it made Cain envy Abel's sanctity, Rachel Leahs fecundity, Saul David's felicity, Satan man's innocency, Haman Mordecaies honesty; the Pharisees Christ's heavenly Deity. Drunkenness is a fruit of the flesh, but the fruit of this fruit exceedeth: It confoundeth the brain, consumeth the body, drowneth the judgement, stealeth away the sense, wit, memory, health, credit, friends and all; And hath overthrown not only many thousand particular men, but many great Houses, Families, Cities, Countries, Nations, Generations, for this last sin is more presumed upon, then almost any other; for since that God made that promise, never more to drown the world, the world hath almost drowned themselves by this beastly, ugly, monstrous, loathsome Inundation.  
The Doctrine, 
Doctrine.  that good works must be worthily performed, or else they be not fruits worthy: The difference between digna and dign is much: 
Arte Aethick. Justus, Justa, just.  many do worthy works but not worthily: and therefore it is not to bring Digna worthy fruits, which unworthy men may unworthily do, but God also requireth, dignus, digna, dign, the name of goodness in the doer, the rules of goodness in the things done, and the end of goodness in the doing, for Cain offered, Simon Magus believed, Herod listened, Foelix feared, Saul obeyed, jezabel fasted, the pharisees prayed, these were worthy fruits, but not worthily performed. There may be a zeal without knowledge, acknowledge without conscience, a love without Holiness, a Prayer without Faith, a Faith without fruits, otherwise had not the pharisees lost so many Prayers, so many Fasts, so many watches, so many works, so many washings, so many tithings, so many hours in hearing, reading, interpreting Moses & the Prophets,, otherwise had not the Papists lost so many Orisons, so many observations, devotions, contritions, confessions, satisfactions, penances, pilgrimages, so much labour in examining their heart, chastening their flesh, whipping the body, punishing the Soul.  
The fruits of Faith as all the Fathers agree, Aug. Ambr, Bernard, jerom, Theop. Theodoret, Epiphanius, & all others in their writings observe, are Repentance and good works, these are the fruits worthy amendment of life. Ctesias in describing India maketh mention of a tree that beside fruits, droppeth and distilleth certain tears, of which are made precious Amber. The true Christian must be like this tree, his works must be his fruits, his repentance his distilled drops. The drops of the Vine-tree are prescribed against the Leprosy, he that is a branch of the true Vine must yield these drops against the Leprosy of sin, and so he shall be sure to bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life, though not worthy merito condigni of eternal life, yet worthy in some sort, merito congrui, of amendment of life.  

The Use.  The use hereof is, to incite you all by all the mercies of God, as ever you hope to stand before the Throne of Grace, to bring forth at the length some fruits acceptable to God, profitable to men, available to your own Souls, that ye no longer turn the Grace of God into wantonness, not looking upon Faith with the eye of curiosity, but hearing with the ears and hearts of obedience, rather bringing good minds then sharp wits to Sermons, that so Religion may no more fly in the air of your opinion, but be settled in your souls to fruitful operations.  
john Baptist, you hear crieth out for Reformation; a thing long prayed for and sought for in the former Ages of Idolatry, sudore & sanguine with the blood of Myriad of Martyrs. The last century performed it, but performed it so, as that the Cure is become as dangerous as the disease, and religion hath taken as deep a wound in the Reformation, as she had in the deformation, for in place of the hypocrisy of seeming, there is brought in the impudence of neither being nor seeing, and to cure superstition, a neglect of devotion, to avoid the opinion of meriting, a defect of the care of well doing, to take away the superfluity there is not enough left for the necessity of the Church, the faith which was wont to be in words, is scarce found in the oaths of men, the Doctrine of the Church not followed, the censures of the Church not feared. The pride and excess of the Clergy taken away, and the poverty and contempt of the Clergy remaining; then there were wooden Priests, golden livings, now golden Priests, wooden livings. The Garden of the Spouse blasted, her trees blemished, her branches withered, her fruits vanished, that as he said, No fear of God; so I say, no fruit for God in the land, and yet who is not thought a Professor? who is not thought religious? It was worthily objected to an unworthy fellow in Rome, who putting on a grave countenance in the Senate was taken up thus; 
Plutarch.  Quis te ferat aedificantem ut Crassus, caenantem ut Lucullus, loquentem ut Cato: who can abide thee building vaingloriously as Crassus, banqueting riotously as Lucullus, and yet speaking gravely as Cato: so may it be asked, who can abide that those that are as great Church-robbers as Nabuchodonosor, as envious as Haman, as riotous as Balthasar, as proud as Herod, as disobedient as Corah, should be thought Religious, or should offer to take the word of the Lord in their mouths, and yet hate to be reform.  
My speech draweth to the close. The place wherein I speak representeth that tree of Theophrastus, which at every time doth bud and blossom and bear fruit: O ever let there be found here, some ripe, some drawing to their ripeness, some in the flower, some in the bud of hope, some plentiful in fruit: if there were no other motives to incite this presence, and if neither watering, planting, nor any other means would draw you, yet the Precedent of our young Cedar might draw all that make their nest under the shade of his Greatness, seeing his highness like to that YOUNG PRINCE, is increased in wisdom, and stature, 
Esay. 9  and favour with God and men. It was but the speech of a Poet, Exeat Aula, qui vult esse Pius, that Godliness is no good Courtier; I hope it, and with the bended knees of my Soul pray for it, that that position never take place here, but that holiness may crown this house for ever, and that not only in the Chapel and Clossetts, but that the face of godliness may be seen in the presence, and the heart of goodness attend the inmost Privy Chambers, & that every one here may in every action both public and private yield a savour of God, and a taste of godliness, and bring forth fruits in due season, fruits worthy amendment of life, that so this Court may bring forth increase, and God even our own God may give us his blessing, yea God may bless v● and we all: and the ends of the world may fear him, and we may yield Glorit to the Father, and to the Son and to the holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, both now and ever, world without end. Amen.  
FINIS.