A Golden Chain

The duties which are to be learned of the doctrine of this union are manifold. And first of all we are taught to purge our hands and hearts of all our sins, and especially to avoid all those sins whereby mens bodies are defiled, as drunkenness, uncleanness, fornication: for they drive away the spirit of God from his own house, and dissolve the bond of the conjunction between Christ & us. Secondly we must every one of us, which profess our selves to be members of Christ, labour to become conformable unto him in holiness of life, and to become new creatures: for this union requireth thus much. Let a man take the grafts of a crabtree, and set them into good stocks: yet will they not change their sap, but bring forth fruit according to their own nature, even sour crabs: but it must not be so with us: we are indeed wild olives, & the branches of wild vines; yet seeing we are persuaded that we are grafted into Christ and made one with him, we must lay aside our wild and sour nature, and take upon us the nature of the true vine, bear good fruit, have good juice in us, and render sweet wine. Thirdly we are taught hence to be plentiful in all good works, considering we are joined to him that is the fountain of grace. And therefore Christ saith,¹ I am the true vine and my father ⟨p. 489⟩is the husband man: every branch that beareth not fruit in me, he taketh away: & every one that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bear more fruit. And the Prophet Isaiah compares the Church of God to a vineyard with a tower and a wine-press in it.² And God himself comes often down unto it,³ to see the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine bud, and the Pomegranates flourish. And further we must bring forth fruit with patience. ⁴For the Lord of this vineyard comes with crosses and afflictions, as with a pruning knife in his hand, to pare and to dress us that we may be fit to bring forth fruit plentiful in duties of piety to God, and in duties of love to all men, yea to our enemies.⁵