The Barren Fig Tree, Section 10 – Section 15
And he sought Fruit thereon.]
Secondly, God expecteth Fruits that shall answer that Faith which thou makest Profession of. The Professor that is got into the Vineyard of God, doth feign that he hath the Faith, the Faith most holy, the Faith of God's Elect, Ah! But where are thy Fruits, Barren Fig-tree? The Faith of the Romans was spoken of throughout the whole World, Rom. 1. 8. and the Thessalonians Faith grew exceedingly, 2 Thess. 1. 3.
Thou professest to believe thou hast a share in another World; Hast thou let go this, barren Fig-tree? Thou professest thou believest in Christ; is he thy Joy, and the Life of thy Soul? Yea, what conformity unto Him, to his Sorrows and Suffering? What resemblance hath his Crying, and Groaning, and Bleeding, and Dying wrought in thee? dost thou bear about in thy body the dying of the Lord Jesus? and is also the Life of Jesus made manifest in thy mortal body? 2 Cor. 4. 10, 11. Barren Fig-tree, Shew me thy Faith by thy Works. Shew out of a good Conversation thy Works with meekness of wisdom, Jam. 2. 18. & 3. 13.
What Fruit, barren Fig-tree, what degree of Heart-Holiness: for Faith purifies the Heart, Act. 15. 19. What love to the Lord Jesus? for Faith worketh by Love, Gal. 5. 6.
Thirdly, God expecteth Fruits, according to the Seasons of Grace thou art under, according to the rain that cometh upon thee. Perhaps thou art planted in a good Soil, by great Waters, that thou mightest bring forth Branches, and bear Fruit; that thou mightest be a goodly Vine or Fig-tree: Shall he not therefore seek for Fruit, for Fruit answerable to the means? Barren Fig-tree, God expects it, and will find it too, if ever He bless thee. For the Earth which drinketh in the rain that comes oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for him by whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God; but that which heareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned; Heb. 6. 7, 8.
Barren Soul! How many showers of Grace, how many dews from Heaven, how many times have the Silver Streams of the City of God, run gliding by thy Roots, to cause thee to bring forth Fruit! These Showers, and Streams, and the Drops that hang upon thy Boughs, will all be accounted for; And will they not testify against thee, that thou oughtest of right to be burned? Hear, and tremble, O thou barren Professor! Fruits that become thy profession of the Gospel, the God of Heaven expecteth. The Gospel hath in it the Forgiveness of Sins, the Kingdom of Heaven, and Eternal Life: But what Fruit hath thy Profession of a belief of these things put forth in thy Heart and Life? Hast thou given thy self to the Lord; and is all that thou hast to be ventured for his Name in this World? Dost thou walk like one that is bought with a price, Even the price of precious Blood?
Fourthly, The Fruit that God expecteth is such, As is meet for himself, Fruit that may glorify God; God's Trees are Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified; Fruit that tasteth of Heaven, abundance of such Fruit: For herein, saith Christ, is my Father glorified, that ye bring forth much Fruit, John 15. 8. Fruits of all kinds, new and old; the Fruits of the Spirit is in all Goodness, and Righteousness, and Truth. Fruits before the World, Fruits before the Saints, Fruits before God, Fruits before Angels.
O, my Brethren, What manner of Persons ought we to be, who have subscribed to the Lord, and have called our selves by the Name of Israel? One shall say, I am the Lords; and another shall call himself by the Name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his Hand unto the Lord, and sirname himself by the Name of Israel, Isa▪ 44. 5. Barren Fig-tree, hast thou subscribed, hast thou called thy self by the Name of Jacob? and sirnamed thy self by the Name of Israel? All this thou pretendest to, who art got into the Vineyard, who art placed among the Trees of the Garden of God: God doth therefore look for such Fruit as is worthy of his Name, as is meet for Him; as the Apostle saith, We should walk worthy of God; that is, so as we may shew in every place, that the presence of God is with us, his Fear in us, and his Majesty and Authority upon our Actions. Fruits meet for him, such a dependance upon him, such trust in his Word, such satisfaction in his Presence, such a trusting of him with all my Concerns, and such delight in the enjoyment of him, that may demonstrate that his Fear is in my Heart, that my Soul is wrap'd up in his Things, and that my Body, and Soul, and Estate, and All, are in Truth, through his Grace, at his dispose, Fruit meet for him▪ Hearty thanks, and blessing God for Jesus Christ, for his good Word, for his Free-Grace, for the discovery of himself in Christ to the Soul, secret longing after another World, Fruit meet for him. Liberality to the poor Saints, to the poor World; a Life, in Word and Deed exemplary; a patient and quiet enduring of all things, till I have done and suffered the whole Will of God, which he hath appointed for me. That on the good Ground are they, which in an honest and good Heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth Fruit with patience, Luke 8. 15. This is bringing forth Fruit unto God; Having our Fruit unto Holiness, and our End everlasting Life, Rom. 7. 4. & 6. 22. & 14. 8.
Fifthly, The Lord expects Fruit be coming the Vineyard of God. The Vineyard, saith he, Isa. 5. 1. is a very fruitful Hill; witness the Fruit brought forth in all Ages▪ The most barren Trees that ever grew in the Wood of this World; when planted in this Vineyard by the God of Heaven, what Fruit to Godward have they brought forth? Abel offered the more excellent Sacrifice, Heb. 11. 4. Enoch walked with God three hundred Years, vers. 5. Noah▪ by his Life of Faith, condemned the World, and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith, vers. 7. Abraham left his Country, and went out after God, not knowing whither he went, vers. 8. … left a Kingdom, and ran the hazard of the Wrath of the King, for the Love he had to God and Christ. What shall I say of them who had Tri…l…, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better Resurrection? Heb. … 35, 36, 37. They were stoned, they were …; were tempted▪ … They wandred … and Goat-skins, being destit…te, … left his Father ▪ Ship and Nets, Mat. 4. …8, 19▪ Paul turned off from the feet of Gamalie… Men brought their Goods and Possessions (the price of them) and cast it down at the Apostle's Feet, Acts 19. 18, 19, …0. … others brought their Books together, and burnt them, … Books, though they were worth fifty thousand pieces of Silver. I could add, how many willingly offered themselves in all Ages, and their all, for the worthy. Name of the Lord Jesus, to be rack'd, starved, hanged, burned, drowned, pulled in pieces, and … thousand. Cal… mities. Barren Fig-tree, the Vineyard of God hath been a fruitful Place, What dost thou there? What dost thou bear? God expects Fruit, according to, or becoming the Soil of the Vineyard.
Sixthly, The Fruit which God expecteth is such as becometh God's Husbandry and Labour. The Vineyard is God's Husbandry, or Tillage, I am the Vine, saith Christ, John 15. …. and my Father is the Husbandman. And again, 1 Cor. 3. 9. Ye are God's Husbandry, ye are God's Building. The Vineyard, God fences it, God gathereth ou… the Stones; God builds the Tower, and the Winep…ess in the midst thereof. Here is Labour, here is Protection, here is removing of Hindrances, here is convenient Purgation, and all, that) there might be ….
Barren Fig-tree, What Fruit hast thou? hast thou Fruit becoming the Care of God, the Protection of God, the Wisdom of God, the Patience and Husbandry of God? It is the Fruit of the Vineyard, that is either the shame or the praise of the Husbandman. I went by the Field of the slothful, saith Solomon, and by the Vineyard of the Man void of Vnderstanding; and lo, it was grown over with Thorns, and Nettles had covered the face thereof. Prov. 24. 30, 31, 32.
Barren Fig-tree, If Men should make a judgment of the care, and pains, and labour of God in his Church by the Fruit that thou bringest forth, what might they say, is he not slothful, is not he careless, is he not without discretion▪ O thy Thorns, thy Nettles, thy barren Heart, and barren Life, is a continual provocation to the eyes of his Glory, as likewise a dishonour to the glory of his Grace.
Barren Fig-tree, hast thou heard all these things, I will add yet one more.
And he came and sought, fruit thereon.]
The question is not now, What thou thinkest of thy self, nor what all the people of God think of thee? but what thou shalt be found in that day, when God shall search thy boughs for Fruit▪ When Sodom was to be searched for righteous Men, God would not, in that matter, trust his faithful servant Abraham, but still as Abraham interceded, God answered, If I find fifty, or forty and five there, I will not destroy the City. Gen. 18. 20, 21, 26, 27. Barren Fig-tree, what sayest thou? God will come down to see, God will make search for Fruit himself.
And he came and sought Fruit thereon, and found [none.] Then said he to the Dresser of the Vineyard, Behold, these three Years I come seeking Fruit on this Fig-tree, and find none; Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?
These words are the effect of God's search into the boughs of a barren Fig-tree; He sought Fruit, and found none, none to his liking, none pleasant and good. Therefore, first, he complains of the want thereof to the Dresser, calls him to come, and see, and take notice of the Tree; then signifieth his pleasure, he will have it removed, taken away, cut down from cumbering the Ground.
Observ. The barren Fig-tree is the Object of God's displeasure, God cannot bear with a fruitless Professor.
[Then] said he, &c.
Then, after this provocation; then, after he had sought and found no Fruit, then. This word [then] doth shew us a kind of an inward disquietness: as he saith also in another place, upon a like provocation, Then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy, shall smoke against that Man, and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lye upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven, Deut. 29. 18, 19, 20.
Then; It intimateth that he was now come to a point, to a resolution what to do with this Fig-tree. Then said he to the Dresser of this Vineyard, that is, to Jesus Christ, Behold; as much as to say, come hither, here is a Fig-tree in my Vineyard, here is a Professor in my Church, that is barren, that beareth no Fruit.
Observe, However the barren Professor thinks of himself on Earth, the Lord cries out in Heaven against him; Isa. 5. 5. And now go to, I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard; I will take away the hedg thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the Wall thereof, and it shall be troden down.
Behold, these three Years I come seeking Fruit, &c.
Observ. These three Years. God cries out that his patience is abused, that his forbearance is abused: Behold, these three Years I have waited, forborn; these three Years I have deferred mine anger; Therefore will I stretch out mine hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting, Jer. 15. 6.
These three years. Observe, God layeth up all the time; I say, a remembrance of all the time, that a barren Fig-tree, or a fruitless Professor mispendeth in this World. As he saith also of Israel of old, Forty Years long was I grieved with this generation, Psal. 95. 10.
These three Years, &c.
These three Seasons; Observ. God remembers how many Seasons thou hast mispent: For these three Years signify so many Seasons. And when the time of Fruit drew nigh, that is, about the Season they begin to be ripe, or that according to the Season might so have been. Barren Fig-tree, thou hast had Time, Seasons, Sermons, Ministers, Afflictions, Judgments, Mercies, and what not? and yet hast not been fruitful: thou hast had Awakenings, Reproofs, Threatnings, Comforts, and yet hast not been fruitful: Thou hast had Patterns, Examples, Citations, Provocations, and yet hast not been fruitful. Well, God hath laid up thy three Years with himself. He remembers every Time, every Season, every Sermon, every Minister, Affliction, Judgment, Mercy, awakening Pattern, Example, Citation, Provocation, He remembers all: As he said of Israel of old, They have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkned to my Voice, Numb. 14. 22. And again, I remember all their Wickedness, Hos. 7. 2.
These three Years, &c.
He seeks for the Fruit of every Season: He will not that any of his Sermons, Ministers, Afflictions, Judgments, or Mercies should be lost, or stand for insignificant things; he will have according to the benefit bestowed, 2 Chron. 32. 24, 25. Ezek. 14. 23. He hath not done without a Cause all that he hath done, and therefore he looketh for Fruit; Look to it, barren Fig-tree.
I came [seeking] Fruit.
Observ. This word [seeking] signifies a narrow search: for when a Man seeks for Fruit on a Tree, he goes rouud it, and round it, now looking into this Bough, and then into that, he peeks into the inmost Boughs, and the lowermost Boughs, if perhaps Fruit may be thereon.
Barren Fig-tree, God will look into all thy Boughs, he will be with thee in thy Bed-Fruits, thy Midnight-Fruits, thy Closet-Fruits, thy Family-Fruits, thy Conversation-Fruits, to see if there be any among all these that are fit for, or worthy of the Name of the God of Heaven. He sees what the Children of Israel do in the dark, Ezek. 8. 12. All things are open unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to do, Heb. 4. 12, 13.