Son, in his redeeming love; and with the Holy Ghost, in his applying both the love of the Father, and the grace of the Son. This communion is fometimes only in defire; "The defire of our fouls is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee." Sometimes in delight; "Delight thyfelf in the Lord, and he will give thee the defire of thine heart."

7. Here is the apple of fpiritual liberty that grows upon this apple-tree; "If the Son make you free, you are free indeed." When we tafte of this apple, we preach at liberty, and pray at liberty, and hear at liberty, believe at liberty, and walk at liberty;." I will walk at liberty, for I feek thy precepts," Pfal. cxix. 45. It is a heartfome feaft to the foul where all bonds and fetters are loofed, and the heart at liberty to love; the hand at liberty to work; and the feet at libery to run; “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou haft enlarged my heart."

8. Here is the apple of affurance that grows upon this tree affurance of God's everlafting love is one of the sweetest apples that ever was tafted; and a tafte of it makes the man to cry out, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, Job xix. 25.-I know in whom I have believed, 2 Tim. i. 12.-I know that if the earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diffolved, I have a building of God, an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens," 2 Cor. i. 5. I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things préfent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord," Rom. viii. 38, 39. This apple, being tafted, leads the foul up to the pinnacle of praise, according to that word, Pfal. cxl. 13. "Surely the righteous fhall give thanks to thy name; the upright fhall dwell in thy prefence."

In a word, there is no telling of all the apples that grow on this tree of life: there is no end of the number nor the sweetness of them; becaufe all the treafures of heaven are the apples that grow here: for, "In him are hid all the treafures of wifdom and knowledge." All

the

the perfections of God are the apples that grow upon this tree; for," He is the wifdom of God, and the power of God: and in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." All the graces of the Spirit are the apples that grow upon this tree: "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." All the promises of the covenant are the apples that grow upón this tree; for, “ All the promises of God are in him Yea, and in him Amen, to the glory of God."

O my dear friends, if one fhould throw but a lapful of green apples among a company of reapers on a harveft field, what a running, and ftriving, and flruggling would there be, who should get their pockets beft filled! Allow me the homely comparifon, where yet there is no comparison: only our Lord being here compared to the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and you being allowed not only to fit down under his fhadow with great delight, but alfo to take of the fruit that fhall be sweet to your taste: Is there no appetite here, no difpofition to gather the fruit of this Apple-tree; for,

He that eateth of this fruit fhall live for ever," John vi. 5. 8. Here you may gather a store of apples, that will be provifion for the day of death, and for a long eternity. Now, the great God, the great gardener, is, by this gofpel-offer, fhaking the Apple-tree; O ftrive who fhall get the greatest fill of this fruit! Which of these apples are you for? Or, rather, are you for them all? Do you need them all? Why, then, they are defigned for the poor and needy; therefore, "Whofoever will, let him come and take freely:" be what you will, and whatever you have been, or are, if you think that this fruit would do you good, or that thefe apples would do you fervice, now when you are under the Tree, lay your hands about you. Say not, I dare not put to my hands, my hands and my heart are, fo polluted; but if I were fo and fo prepared and qualified, I would put to my hand. What is this you are faying, O proud finner? Are you bringing your money as a price to buy this fruit that comes papping and falling down freely to you? If you do not humble yourfelf to take all VOL. IX.

+ G

freely,

freely, you and your money fhall perish. Would you bring fruit with you before you come here, where all the fruit is growing or hanging down to your hand, even in him who is made of God to you wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, redemption, and every thing: You affront the Apple-tree, if you come to give, and not to get: Nay, you have nothing to give; and here you have all to get.

Queft. How fhall I get all the apples of this tree of life? I will tell you, the fhort way is juft to take the tree to yourfelf, and then you get all the apples; for, here is a wonder, though innumerable apples may fall down amongst your hands, yet they never fall off from the tree: like beams of the fun, that fall down upon you, yet they are never feparate from the fun, nor fall off from it. Whatever fweet fruits fall down from this apple-tree, yet they never fall off from it; they are all growing, and growing for ever upon the tree: therefore, take the tree to yourself, and you get all the fruit, and all the apples that grow upon it: take the perfon, Chrift, and you have all his benefits and bleffings with him.

Queft. How fhall I take the tree? And what fhould I do with it? You are just to take it by faith; "He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlafling life:" and take the tree and plant it in the garden of your heart, that Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith.Say not, I am a dead finner, and can do nothing; remember it is not doing but believing, you are called to: and therefore, though you have no life in yourfelf, yet mind this apple-tree is the tree of life, the living and life-giving tree; the leaves of that tree which is for the healing of the nations, is fuch as hath power, not only to heal the fick, but to quicken the dead; and, therefore, feeing he is the God that quickens the dead, let the dead hear what he fays, even he who by a word could bring all things out of nothing: "I am the refurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live.-He that feeth the Son, and believeth on him, hath everlafting life," John xi. 25.

May

May you fee the matchlefs glory of this apple-tree, and there fit down under his fhadow, and his fruit-be fweet to your taste.

PART OF THE

A

DISCOURSE

WE

BEFORE

SERVING THE TABLES.

are now to proceed to the fpecial work of commemorating the death and fufferings of our glorious Redeemer; and to make way for their fitting down at his table, who have fitten down under his fhadow. But there are many abfolute ftrangers to this exercife and fuch are to be excluded from his table. All, therefore, that remain fecurely in a natural state, and are still fitting under any other fhadow than that of the apple-tree, and are feeding upon hufks, &c. we debar from this holy table. More particularly, we, in the Lord's name, exclude all the impenitent breakers of God's commands; all Atheists, &c. &c. all that make provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof; and that are fatisfying themselves with the fruits of the flesh, instead of having the fruit of the apple-tree fweet to their tafte. The fruit and works of the flesh are these, Gal. v. 19, &c. *

On the other hand, we invite to the Lord's table, all those who, whatever they have been formerly, yet have come to Christ, and, upon a view of him, in his matchless glory, have fat down under his fhadow with great delight, and have found his fruit fweet to their talle.

Queft. Who are thefe that have fat down under his fhadow?

* See thefe more fully laid open, Vol. I. p. 77,—83.

1. They are fuch as have feen the matchlefnefs of the Apple-tree beyond all the trees of the wood; I mean, the fingular excellency of Chrift beyond all others; as a Beloved beyond all other beloveds. You will give him his due as above all others: fome are called lords, but he is the Lord of lords; fome are called kings, but he is the King of kings; fome are called gods, but he is the God of gods; fome are called faints, but he is the King of faints; fome are called angels, but he is the Angel of the covenant; fome are called ftars, but he is the Bright and Morning Star. He is matchlefs in your view.

2. You have been made to fee the great need of Christ as a fhadow and fhelter to you from the fcorching heat of divine wrath, and of the fiery law; you have been purfued and found yourself weary with toil and trouble, vexation and reftleffnefs, and have found that none of all the trees of the wood could afford you any rest or repaft; that they were all bare trees, that could not fhelter you with a fhadow; and barren trees, that could not fuftain you with fruit, but what was four and bitter; and that vain was the help of man, and vain the help of creatures, and vain the help of all other trees, fo as your confidence in the flesh hath been killed.

3. If you have fat down under this Apple-tree, then you have found a fhadow refreshful. A man that fits down is eafy, in comparifon of what he was before he fat down; now he gets reft to his foul: "Come to me, fays Christ, all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you reft." You have got fome reft to your heart and confcience, reft to your hope, your defire, your care, having caft all your care upon him. A man is easy, when a heavy burden is rolled off his back: you have found eafe to your mind, and compofure upon your clofing with Chrift.

4. A man that hath fat down under this fhadow of the Apple-tree, he loves to keep his feat, and defires not to rife, but fays, "This is my reft, here will I ftay:" at leaft, he is loth to be disturbed, but rather charges all about him, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, not to disturb his reft; and when they that come to