The Barren Fig Tree, Section 8
And he came and sought Fruit thereon [and sound none].
Barren Fig-tree, hearken; The continual non-bearing of Fruit, is a dreadful sign, that thou art to come to a dreadful End, as the winding up of this Parable concludeth.
And found none.] None at all, or none to God's liking: For when he saith, He came seeking Fruit thereon, he means Fruit meet for God, (Heb. 6.) pleasant Fruit, Fruit good and sweet.
Alas, it is not any Fruit will serve; bad Fruit is counted none. Every Tree that bringeth not forth Good Fruit, is hewen down, and cast into the Fire, Matth. 3. 10.
1. There is a Fruit among Professors that withers, and so never comes to be ripe, a Fruit that is smitten in the growth, and comes not to maturity, and this is reckoned no Fruit. This Fruit those Professors bear, that have many fair beginnings, or blossoms: That make many fair offers of Repentance and Amendment; that begin to pray, to resolve, and to break off their Sins by Righteousness; but stop at those beginnings, and bring no Fruit forth to perfection. This Man's Fruit is withered, wrinkled, smitten Fruit, and is in effect no Fruit at all.
2. There is an hasty Fruit, such as is the Corn upon the House top, Psal. 129. or that which springs up on the Dunghil, that runs up suddenly, violently, with great stalks, and big shew, and yet at last proves empty of Kernel. This Fruit is to be found in those Professors, that on a sudden are so awakened, so convinced, and so affected with their Condition, that they shake the whole Family, the End-ship, the whole Town. For a while they cry hastily, vehemently, dolefully, mournfully, and yet all is but a Pang, an Agony, a Fit, they bring not forth Fruit with Patience. These are called those hasty Fruits, that shall be as a fading flower, Isa. 28. 4.
3. There is a Fruit that is vile, and ill-tasted, Jer. 24. how long soever it be in growing; the Root is dried, and cannot convey a sufficiency of Sap to the Branches to ripen the Fruit. These are the Fruit of such Professors, whose Heart is estranged from Communion with the Holy Ghost, whose Fruit groweth from themselves, from their Parts, Gifts, strength of Wit, natural or moral Principles. These, notwithstanding they bring forth Fruit, are called empty Vines; such as bring not forth Fruit to God.
Their Root is dried up, they shall bear no Fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved Fruit of their Womb, Hos. 9. 16.
4. There is a Fruit that is Wild; I looked for Grapes, and it brought forth Wild Grapes, Isa. 5. 4. I observe, That as there are Trees and Herbs that are wholly right, and noble, sit indeed for the Vineyard: So there are also their Semblance, but wild; not right, but ignoble. There is the Grape, and the wild Grape; the Vine, and the wild-Vine; the Rose, and canker-Rose; Flowers, and wild-Flowers; the Apple, and the wild-Apple, which we call the Crab. Now Fruit from these wild things, however they may please the Children to play with, yet the Prudent and Grave count them of little or no value. There are also in the World a Generation of Professors, that notwithstanding their Profession, are wild by Nature; yea, such as were never cut out, or off, from the wild Olive-tree, nor never yet planted into the good Olive-tree. Now these can bring nothing forth but wild Olive-berries, they cannot bring forth Fruit unto God. Such are all those that have lightly taken up a Profession, and crept into the Vineyard without a new-birth, and the blessing of Regeneration.
5. There is also untimely Fruit; Even as a Fig-tree casteth her untimely Figs, Rev. 6. 13. Fruit out of Season, and so no Fruit to God's liking.
There are two sorts of Professors subject to bring forth untimely Fruit.
First, They that bring forth [Fruit] too soon.
Secondly, They that bring forth [Fruit] too late.
First, They that bring forth too soon. They are such as at present receive the Word with Joy; and anon, before they have Root downwards, they thrust forth upwards; but having not root, when the Sun ariseth they are smitten, and miserably die without Fruit. These Professors are those light and inconsiderate Ones, that think nothing but Peace will attend the Gospel; and so anon rejoice at the Tidings, without foreseeing the Evil: Wherefore when the Evil comes, being unarmed, and so not able to stand any longer, they die, and are withered, and bring forth no Fruit. He that received the Seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the Word, and anon with joy receiveth it: yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while; for when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by they are offended, Mat. 13. 20, 21. There is in Isa. 28. mention made of some, Whose glorius Beauty shall be a fading Flower, Isa. 28. 4. because it is Fruit before Summer. Both these are untimely Fruit.
Secondly, They also bring forth untimely Fruit, that stay till the Season is over. God will have his Fruit in His Season; I say, he will receive them of such Men as shall render them to him in Their Seasons, Matth. 21. 41. The missing of the season is dangerous, staying till the Door is shut is dangerous, Mat. 25. 10, 11. Many there be that come not till the Flood of God's Anger is raised, and too deep for them to wade through; Surely in the Floods of great Waters, they shall not come nigh unto him, Psal. 32. 6. Esau's [afterward] is fearful: For ye know how that afterward when he would have inherited the Blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of Repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears, Heb. 12. 16, 17.
So the Children of Israel, they brought to God the Fruits of Obedience too late; their Lo, we be here, (Numb. 14. 40, 41, 42) came too late; Their, We will go up (vers. 21, 22, 23.) came too late. The Lord had sworn, Mat. 25. 10. & 27. 3. before, that they should not possess the Land. All these are such as bring forth untimely Fruit, Heb. 12. 17. Luk. 13. 25, 26, 27. It is the hard hap of the Reprobate to do all things too late; to be sensible of his want of Grace too late; to be sorry for Sin too late; to seek Repentance too late; to ask for Mercy, and to desire to go to Glory, too late.
1. Thus you see that Fruit smitten in the growth, that withereth, and that comes not to maturity, is no Fruit.
2. That hasty Fruit, such as the Corn upon the House top, Psal. 129. 6. withereth also afore it groweth up, and is no Fruit.
3. That the Fruit that is vile and ill tasted, is no Fruit.
4. That wild Fruit, wild grapes, Rev. 6. are no Fruit.
5. That untimely Fruit, such as comes to soon, or that comes too late; such as come not in their Season, are no Fruit.