By Their Fruit Ye Shall Know Them
AnalogyNature Nugget★★★★Though you have a straight line ofapostolicalsuccessors,if your work is poor,you arenot in theline ofsuccession ; and if your Church does not make 24 GREAT THOUGHTS ON GREAT TRUTHS. full-grownmen, it is not. Idonotcareanythingabout the lineof succession of my grapes,ifmyvineyard brings forth better wine than your vineyard does. You may say thatyourscamefrom those thatNoah planted;buttheyarenot so goodasmineafterall; “for by their fruityeshall know them .” And thebestof all Churches, as ofall orthodoxies, and all doctrines, and all usages,and all governments, is this-What are their effects on the generations of men.
Also attributed to: Unknown
The point
Using the metaphor of a vineyard, the speaker argues that apostolic succession is meaningless if the church does not produce good fruit, and that churches should be judged by their effect on people.