The Barren Fig Tree, Section 31
After that, thou shalt cut it down.]
When Christ giveth thee over; there is no Intercessor, no Mediator, no more Sacrifice for Sin: all is gone but Judgment, but the Ax, but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment, and fiery Indignation, which shall devour the Adversaries, Heb. 10. 26, 27, 28.
Barren Fig-tree, take heed that thou comest not to these last words, for these words are a give-up, a cast-up, a cast-up of a cast-away; after that thou shalt cut it down. They are as much, as if Christ had said, Father; I begg'd for more time for this barren Professor; I begged until I should dig abou… it, …nd dung it: But now, Father, the time is out, the Year is ended, the I Summer is ended, and no good done. I have also tried with … have digged about it; … the fat and hearty … of the Gospel to it; but all comes to nothing. … deliver up this Professor to thee again, I have done, I have done all, I have done praying, and endeavouring, I will hold the head of thine Ax No longer: Take him into the Hands of Justice, do Justice, do the Law, I will never beg for him more. After that thou shalt cut it down. Wo unto them when I depart from them, Hos. 9. 12. Now is this Professor left naked indeed, naked to God, naked to Satan, naked to Sin, naked to the Law, naked to Death, naked to Hell, naked to Judgment, and naked to the Gripes of a Guilty Conscience, and to the torment of that Worm that never dies, and to that Fire that never shall be quenched. Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not, who refused him that spake on Earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven. From this brief pass through this Parable, you have these two general Observations;
First, That even then when the Justice of God cries out, I cannot endure to wait on this barren Professor any longer: Then Jesus Christ intercedes for a little more Patience, and a little more striving with this Professor, if possible he may make him a fruitful Professor. Lord, let it alone this Year also, until I shall dig about it and dung it, and if it bear Fruit, well, &c.
Secondly, There are some Professors whose Day of Grace will end with, cut it down, with Judgment; when Christ, by his means, hath been used for their Salvation.
The First of these Observations I shall pass, and not meddle at all therewith; But shall briefly speak to the Second, to wit,
That there are some Professors, whose Day of Grace will end with, cut it down, with Judgmeut, when Christ by his means hath been used for their Salvation.
This the Apostle sheweth in that third Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews; where he tells us, that the People of the Jews, after a forty Years patience, and endeavour to do them good by the means appointed for that purpose, their end was to be cut down, or excluded the Land of Promise, for their final incredulity, So we see they could not enter in, because of Vnbelief. Wherefore saith he, I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do always err in their Hearts, and they have not known my ways: So I sware in my Wrath, they shall not enter into my Rest. As who should say, I would they should have entred in, and for that purpose I brought them out of Egypt, led them through the Sea, and taught them in the Wilderness, but they did not answer my Work nor Designs in that Matter; wherefore, they shall not, I sware they shall not; I swore in my Wrath they should not enter into my Rest: Here is cutting down with Judgment. So again, Chap. 4. he saith, As I have sworn in my Wrath, if they shall enter into my Rest, although the Works were finished from the Foundation of the World, Heb. 4. 2, 3, 4. This word [if] is the same with [they shall not] in the Chapter before. And where he saith, Although the Works were finished from the Foundation of the World. He giveth us to understand, that what preparations soever are made for the Salvation of Sinners, and of how long continuance soever they are, yet the God-tempting, God-provoking, and fruitless Professor is like to go without a share therein; although the Works were finish'd from the Foundation of the World. Jude 5, 6. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord having saved the People out of the Land of Egypt, … afterwards destroyed them that believed not. And the Angels that kept not their first Estate▪ but left their own Habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting Chains under Darkness, unto the Judgment of the great Day. Here is an Instance to purpose, an Instance of Men and Angels: Men saved out of the Land of Egypt, and in their Journey towards Canaan, the Type of Heaven [cut down] Angels created and placed in the Heavens in great Estate and Principality; yet both these, because unfruitful to God in their places, were cut down, the Men destroyed by God, (for so saith the Text) and the Angels reserved in everlasting Chains under Darkness, to the Judgment of the great Day.
Now, in my handling of this Point, I shall discourse of the cutting down, or the Judgment here denounced, as it respecteth the doing of it by God's Hand immediately, and that too, with respect to his casting them out of the World; and not as it respecteth an Act of the Church, &c. And as to this cutting down, or Judgment, it must be concluded, that it cannot be before the Day of Grace be past with the Fig-tree. But according to the Observation, There be some Professors whose Day of Grace will end, with cut it down; and according to the words of the Text, Then [after that] thou shalt cut it down. After that, that is, after all my Attempts and Endeavours to make it fruitful, after I have left it, given it over, done with it, and have resolved to bestow no more Days of Grace, Opportunities of Grace, and Means of Grace upon it; then, after that, thou shalt cut it down.
Besides, the giving up of the Fig-tree, is before the Execution. Execution is not always presently upon the Sentence given; for after that a convenient Time is thought on, and then is cutting down: And so it is here in the Text. The Decree, that he shall perish, is gathered from its continuing fruitless quite through the last Year, from its continuing fruitless at the end of all Endeavours: But cutting down is not yet, for that comes with an after-word; Then after that thou shalt cut it down.
So then, that I may orderly proceed with the Observation, I must lay down these two Propositions.
Prop. 1. That the Day of Grace ends with some Men before God takes them out of this World. And,
Prop. 2. The Death, or cutting down of such Men, will be dreadful. For this cut it down, when it is understood in the largest sense, (as here indeed it ought) it sheweth, not only the Wrath of God against a Man's Life in this World, but his Wrath against him Body and Soul. And is as much as to say, cut him off from all the Priviledges and Benefits that come by Grace, both in this World, and that which is to come.
But to proceed, The Day of Grace ends with some Men, before God taketh them out of this World.
I shall give you some Instances of this; and so go on to the last Proposition.
First, I shall instance, Cain; Cain was a Professor, (Gen. 4. 3.) a Sacrificer, a Worshipper of God; yea, the first Worshipper that we read of after the Fall; but his Grapes were wild Ones, Gen. 4. 5, 8. his Works were Evil, he did not do what he did, from true Gospel-motives; therefore God disallowed his Work: at this his Countenance falls: Wherefore he envies his Brother, disputes him, takes his opportunity and kills him. Now in that day that he did this Act, were the Heavens closed up against him, and that himself did smartingly and fearfully feel, when God made inquisition for the Blood of Abel; And now cursed (said God) shalt thou be from the Earth, which hath opened her Mouth to receive thy Brothers Blood from thy Hand, &c. Gen. 4. 8, 11, 12, 13, 14. And Cain said, My Punishment is greater than I can bear. Mine Iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven. Behold, thou hast driven me out this Day from the Face of the Earth, and from thy Face shall I be hid. Now thou art cursed, saith God. Thou hast driven me out this Day, saith Cain, and from thy Face shall I be hid; I shall never more have Hope in thee, Smile from thee, nor expect Mercy at thy Hand. Thus therefore, Cain's Day of Grace ended, and the Heavens, with God's own Heart, were shut up against him; yet after this, he lived long, Gen. 4. 10. Cutting down was not come yet; after this he lived to marry a Wife, vers. 17. to beget a cursed Brood, to build a City, (and what else I know not) all which could not be quickly done: Wherefore Cain might live after the Day of Grace was past with him, several hundred of Years.
Secondly, I shall instance Ishmael, Gen. 17. 25, 26. Ishmael was a Professor, was brought up in Abraham's Family, and was circumcised at thirteen Years of Age, Gen. 16. 12. But he was the Son of the Bond-woman, he brought not forth good Fruit, he was a wild Professor: For all his Religion, he would scoff at those that were better than himself. Well, upon a day his Brother Isaac was weaned, at which time his Father made a Feast, and rejoiced before the Lord, for that he had given him the promised Son; at this Ishmael mocked them, their Son, and godly rejoicing. Then came the Spirit of God upon Sarah, and she cried, Cast him out, cast out this Bond-woman and her Son; for the Son of this Bond-woman shall not be Her with my Sou, with Isaac, Gen. 21. 9, 10, 11. Now Paul to the Galatians, (Chap. 4. 29, 30, 31.) makes this casting out to be, not only a casting out of Abraham's Family, but a casting out also from a Lot with the Saints in Heaven. Also Moses giveth us a notable proof thereof, in saying, that when he died, he was gathered to his People, Gen. 25. 17. his People by his Mother's side, for he was reckoned from her, the Son of: Ha…ar; the Son of the Bond-woman. Now …he came of the Egyptians, Gen. 21. 9. So that he was gathered when he died, notwithstanding his Profession, to the place that P…araoh and his Host were gathered to, who: were drowned in the Red Sea; these were his People, and he was of them, both by Nature and Disposition, by persecuting as they did. But now, When did the Day of Grace …nd with this Man… Observe, and I will shew you: Ishmael was thirteen Years old when he was circumcised…, …nd the… was Abraham ninety Years old and nine, Gen. 17. 24, 25, 26. the next Year Isaac was born. So that Ishmael was now fourteen Years of Age. Now when Isaac was weaned, (suppose … suck'd four Years) by that account, The… Day of Grace must be ended with Ishmael, by that time he was eighteen Years old, Gen. 25. 12, &c. For that day he mocked, that day it was …, Cast him out; and of that casting out; the Apostle makes what I have said. Beware ye young barren Professors. Now Ishmael lived … Years after this, in great tranquillity and honour with Men: After this he also begat twelve Princes, even after his Day of Grace was past.
Thirdly, I shall instance Esau, Gen. 25. 27, &c. Esau also was a Professor, he was born unto Isaac, and circumcised according to the custom: But Esau was a gamesom Professor, an Huntsman, a Man of the Field; also he was wedded to his Lusts, which he did also venture to keep rather than the Birth-right. Well, upon a day, when he came from hunting and was faint, he sold his Birth-right to Jacob his Brother. Now the Birth-right, in those days, had the Promise and Blessing annexed to it. Yea, they were so entailed in this, that the one could not go without the other, wherefore the Apostle's Caution is here of weight; Heb. 12. 16, …. Take heed faith he, … you a Fornicator, or profane Person as Esau, who … one … of Meat sold his Birth-right▪ for ye know how that afterwards, when … would have inherited the Blessings he was rejected; for he … of …, though he …. Now the ending of Esau… Day of Grace is to be reckoned from his selling of his Birth-right: For there the Apostle points it, lest there be among you any, that like Esau, sells his Birth-right: for then goes hence the Blessing also.
But Esau sold his Birth-right long before his Death. Twenty Years after this, Jacob was with Laban, (Gen. 31. 41. & …2. 6.) and when he returned home, his brother Esau met him. Further, after …his when Jacob dwelt again some time with his Father, then Jacob and Esau buried him. I suppose, (Gen. 35. 28, 29.) He might live above forty, yea for ought … know, above fourscore years after he had …old his Birth-right, and so consequently had put himself out of the Grace of God.
Three things I would further note upon these three Professors.
First, Cain an angry Professor, Ishmael … mocking one, Esau a lustful, gamesome one: Three Symptomes of a barren Professor. For he that can be angry, and that can mock, and that can indulge his lusts, cannot bring forth Fruit to God.
Secondly, The Day of Grace ended with these Professors at that time when they committed some grievous Sin; Cain's, when he killed his Brother; Ishmael's, when he mocked at Isaac, &c. and Esau when out of love to his Lusts, he despised, and sold his Birth-right. Beware, barren Professor; Thou mayst … that in half a quarter of an hour, from the evil of which thou mayst not be delivered for ever and ever.
Thirdly, Yet these three, after their Day of Grace was over, lived better lives as to outward things, than ever they did before. Cain, after this, was Lord of a City, Gen. 4. 17. Ishmael was after this, father of twelve Princes, Gen. 25. 16. and Esau after this, told his Brother I have enough, my Brother, keep that th… hast to thy self, Chap. 33. 8, 9. Ease, and Peace, and a prosperous Life in outwards, is no sign of the Favour of God to a barren and fruitless Professor; But rather of his Wrath, that thereby he may be capable to treasure up more Wrath against the day of Wrath, and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God.
Let thus much serve for the proof the first Proposition, namely, That the day of Grace ends with some Men, before God takes them out of this world.
Now then, to shew you, by some Signs, how you may know that the day of Grace is ended, or near to ending with the Barren Professor; And after that thou shalt cut it down.
First, He that hath stood it out against God, and that hath withstood all those means for Fruit, that God hath used for the making of him (if it might have been) a fruitful Tree in his Garden, he is in this danger; and this indeed is the sum of the Parable: The Fig-tree here mentioned, was blessed with the application of means, had time allowed it to receive the nourishment; but it outstood, with-stood, overstood All, All that the Husband-man did, All that the Vinedresser did.