BOTANICAL: THE UPPER CLASSES. 179 



united to the stock ; so when faith is swallowed up in 

 sight, then the perfect union of Christ and His people will 

 be seen. Heaven is not to begin, but only to perfect, the 

 living intercourse of believers with Christ and with each 

 other. While on earth they were all grafted into one 

 Stock. They were all one in Christ, who has said, ' Neither 

 pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall 

 believe on Me through their word ; that they all may be 

 one ; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they 

 also may be one in us : that the world may believe that 

 Thou hast sent Me ' (John xvii. 20, 21). 



" As the fruit may make a great show, but contain no 

 seed with the embryo spark of life, and thus fail in fulfill- 

 ing the object for which it is formed ; so there may be 

 an appearance of spiritual fruit without the vitality of 

 religion. Such fruit, though fair externally, is in reality 

 dead, and fails in the hour of trial. Like seedless fruits, 

 this mock spiritual state may be produced by human 

 cultivation, by an artificial nourishment, by a fostering of 

 self-righteousness. There has been no true grafting, no 

 implanting of the heavenly life in the soul. While, 

 however, seedless fruits are said to be sometimes naturally 

 produced by old trees, this is not the case with the true 

 Christian ; for he continues to bear true fruits even in old 

 age, being full of sap (Ps. xcii. 14), derived from the one 

 Source of all fruitfulness, in whom it has pleased the 

 Father that all fulness should dwell (Col. i. 19)." * 



This is my faith ; and such are among the parables of 

 nature which satisfy the wants of my spiritual appetite. 

 Is it yours also ? 



* Phyto-Theology,"pp. 167-170.] 



