dence on the Lord for the concurring influences of the Spirit of life: "Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but God giveth the increase." And, therefore, pray that the river of the water of life may run down from the throne of God, and of the Lamb, in the streets of the city of God, and that the tree of life may be seen on each side, on every hand, bearing his twelve manner of fruits. 7thly, It is implied here, that Christ is the ornament of his church and people; for the tree of life is here spoken of as the ornament of the city in the midst of its streets. Christ is "the glory of his people Israel; and in him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." He reflects a beauty and glory on the church collectively considered; his presence in the streets of it makes her "beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners." And he is the beauty and ornament of every particular believer in the church; every one of them is beautiful through the comeliness that he puts upon them; it is by his merits upon them, and his Spirit within them, that they become, like the king's daughter, "all glorious within, their clothing being of wrought gold." He it is that makes them "like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." 8thly, It is implied here, that the whole city, and every one of its inhabitants, dwell or abide under the shadow of the tree; for the tree is on every side, and in the midst of the street. I remember the spouse, speaking of this tree of life, says, "I sat down under his shadow with great delight," namely, the shadow of his blood and everlasting righteousness, under the shadow of his faithfulness engaged in his promise, under the shadow of his providence. O happy they, who by faith sit down under this shadowy tree. This is the place where Christ makes his flock to rest in the noon of temptation, affliction, desertion, and tribulation. Thus I have given you the import of that expression, which points out the situation of the tree of life; it is on either side of the river, and in the midst of the street of it. THE TREE OF LIFE, SHAKING HIS FRUITS AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.REV. XXII. 2. THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT. I GAVE you this general or comprehensive doctrine from the words, That our Lord Jesus Christ is a medicinal and fertile tree, planted by his Father in the city of the New Testament church, for the feeding and healing of the diseased and starving nations of the world. In the prosecution of this doctrine, I promised, I. To speak a little of this tree of life. II. Of the situation of this tree in the city of God. IV. Of the medicinal quality of the tree. V. Apply the whole. I have already spoken to the first and second thing. I come now to III. The third thing in the method, which was, to speak a little of the fertility or fruitfulness of this tree of life; it bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields fruit every month. Other trees bear fruit only once a year, and they yield but one manner of fruit; but this tree of life bears twelve manner of fruits every month. The plain meaning of it is, that Christ brings forth all manner of fruits, and that in Christ all sorts of blessings are conveyed to the children of men, and these are to be found at all times; this tree of life is never empty or barren; whenever the soul applies itself to him in a way of believing, it will still find the branches of the tree loaded, ripe, and ready for use. Now, for clearing this branch of the text, I shall, 1. Condescend upon some of the fruits that grow upon this tree of life. 2. Tell you of some of the months wherein he yields his fruit to the souls of believers. First, I would condescend upon some of the fruits of the tree of life. There are only four clusters of his fruits that I would present you with; these are, the fruits of his death, of his resurrection, of his ascension, and of his intercession. 1. Let us take a view, and not only a view, but a tasting of the fruits of his death. I only present you with these few: O they are sweet to the taste of faith! 1st, It is by his death that an angry God is atoned and reconciled. Immediately after the fall, the wrath of God began to break out like fire against sinful man: but by the death of Jesus, the anger of God is taken away, and diverted into another channel, Rom. v. 10; Is. xii. 1: "Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me." Is. liii. 5: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Col. i. 20, 21: "Having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be things on earth, or things in heaven. And you that were some time alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." 2dly, The debt-bond that justice had against us is torn; the hand-writing that was contrary to us is cancelled, Col. ii. 14: "he nailed it to his cross," that it might not be valid; the curse of a broken law is abolished; so that "now there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 3dly, Everlasting righteousness is brought in when it was quite out of the world: "When the Messiah shall be cut off, says the prophet Daniel, "he shall bring in everlasting righteousness. Christ condemned sin in the flesh," or by the sacrifice of his flesh, "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us." So that he is become "the Lord our righteousness." 4thly, By his death the covenant is confirmed with many, Dan. ix. 27. Christ confirmed the covenant of grace with his blood, as the public head and representative of all that were given to him by his Father; hence his blood is called "the blood of the covenant, or of the new testament." It is a confirmed security on which we may rest; confirmed, I say, by the Testator's death. 5thly, By the cutting down of the tree of life, the head of the old serpent that deceived us is bruised, and the power of death wrested out of his hand; "through death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." 6thly, By the cutting down of this tree of life, the grave is sweetened and perfumed. 2. Let us view some of the fruits of this tree of life, in his resurrection, when he sprang out of the grave. 1st, The quickening and raising up of the soul that was dead in sin, is a fruit of the resurrection of the tree of life. This the apostle applies to the resurrection, Col. ii. 12, 13: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead in your sins, hath he quickened together with him." There is a special energy in the resurrection of Christ, by which we are raised up unto newness of life; hence the apostle desires more and more to "know the power of his resurrection," Phil. iii. 10. Hence is that saying of the church, Hos. vi. 2: "After two days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." 2dly, Another fruit of his resurrection, is the discharging of our debt that we were owing to divine justice. Sin is a debt; now Christ paid the debt in his death, and was discharged of it in his resurrection; hence the apostle tells us, that he "died for our offences, and rose again for our justification." The prison of the grave was opened by an order from Heaven-an angel rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre; which plainly shows, that the debt was paid and the great Judge fully satisfied. "He was taken from prison and from judgment." And faith acted on a risen Christ, may challenge the whole world to lay any thing to its charge: Rom. viii. 33: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died; yea, rather, that is risen again." 3dly, Another fruit of the tree of life in his resurrection, is the reviving of our hopes of recovering the lost inheritance: 1 Pet. i. 3, 4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you." 4thly, Our victory over sin and death is secured. Every believer viewing a living Christ may say, "O death, where is thy sting?" Yea, by his resurrection our resurrection at the last day is secured. 3. Let us view and taste of the fruits of his ascension to heaven. As, 1st, The leading captivity captive: Eph. iv. 8: "Wherefore, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive," carried the spoils of sin, Satan, death, and hell, along with him in triumph. 2dly, The conferring of ministerial gifts upon men, yea, the very office of the ministry, and ordinances of the gospel, for the edification of his mystical body, Eph. iv. 8. Our standing here, and preaching the gospel to you, and administering the sacrament, is a fruit of Christ's being in heaven. 3dly, The down-pouring of the Spirit in a more plentiful measure than under the Old Testament dispensation. Of this Christ himself speaks, John xvi. 7: "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." This he did to supply the want of his bodily presence. 4thly, The preparing of heavenly mansions for us, where we may be with him for ever, is a fruit of the exaltation of Christ: John xiv. 3: "I go to prepare a place for you; but I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." Like a man, when he has married a wife, provides a house for her against the day of marriage; so Christ, having purchased a church, a spouse for himself, goes to heaven to provide her a dwelling; and, indeed, it is a dwelling suitable to so great a King, "a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Yea, his entry into heaven is a pledge and earnest, an assurance, as it were. that we shall follow him in due time; for he is entered as the forerunner of his church, Heb. vi. 19, not only for our benefit, but in our stead. The head being above, the body shall follow. 4. Let us view and taste the fruits of his intercession, which are great, glorious, and lovely. 1st, Freedom from, and strength against temptation, is a fruit of his intercession in heaven: Luke xxii. 31, 32: "Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed," or interceded, "for thee, that thy faith fail not." He is privy to all the gins, traps, or snares, that Satan is preparing for his friends upon earth: and he, by the power and prevalency of his intercession, breaks the snare, so that they "escape as a bird out of the snare of the fowler." 66 2dly, Boldness and confidence toward God, and acceptance at his throne, is a fruit of his intercession: Heb. iv. 16: 'Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. x. 19-22. We durst not look toward the throne of God, if it were not the throne of the Lamb also. 3dly, Through Christ's intercession we have a ready answer to all challenges and accusations that are brought in against us from any quarter whatsoever. The law pursues, justice pursues, conscience pursues, for the debt of sin; but. faith, eyeing the intercession of Christ, can lift up its head in court, and say, "Who can lay any thing to my charge? It |