The Profit of Godliness, Sermon 10
Serm. 10. Preached January 5. 1661.
CHAP. I.
THE word [Also] hints the occasion of our Saviours uttering this Parable: some of his hearers relating to Christ the punishment which God by the cruelty of Pilate had infl cted on the Galileans; while they were killing and sacrificing Sheep and Oxen, Pilate, with h…s Souldiers, came upon them, and slew them: Our Saviour did not answer them according to their expectation; for they thought to hear what Christ thought, not of this bloody act of Pilate, but of the eternal state of the Galileans: But he takes occasion from this punishment, to warn them to repent. You think that these Galileans were greater sinners than others, therefore such a dreadful judgment came on them: They were great sinners, and their punishment just; but yet know, that except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish: their sins brought this judgment on them; your sins will bring the like righteous judgments on you, if by timely repentance you make not your peace with God.
Our Saviour addeth another story of a dreadful judgment on eighteen men, upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell, and slew them; and concludes it in like manner, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. God hath in his treasury of vengeance the same and worse judgments for the like sins and sinners: there remaineth nothing for impenitent persons, but a certain expectation of dreadful judgments to come upon them: I will hence give you these Observations.
Obser. 1 That lesser judgments are sometimes made publick examples of divine vengeance, and greater are not.
2. The dreadful judgments of God on others, ought to be Motives quickening and pressing every one of us to repent speedily. Such examples are written, and daily made to learn us to repent: Dost thou hear of, or see any heavy judgment on a drunkard, coming to a sudden and fearful end? repent of thy drunkenness, lest thou likewise perish! Dost thou hear of, or see wrath overtaking a notorious swearer? repent of thy oaths, lest thou likewise perish! Every judgment (on whomsoever it falleth) calleth loud upon every one of us to repent, lest we likewise perish: We must not be idle spectators of the Theatre of Gods judgments, nor rash censurers of them on whom his judgments fall, but he trembling Penitents. Thou art a sinner, perhaps a greater sinner than they are; God is angry with thee, as with them: God can, and may make thee an example of his judgment, as he doth others: if not, yet be sure, he will make every impenitent man the subject and object of his eternal vengeance: it is only divine patience and forbearance that wi…h-holds judgments from falling upon every impenitent sinner in this wor…d.
CHAP. II.
SECT. 1.
THis Parable, which (through Gods assistance) I purpose to handle, is spoken by our Saviour for this end, that he m…ght shew how God expects fruit meet for repentance of every one at all times, upon all occasions: it is his long-sufferance that holds his Axe from cutting us down: if men living under the means and calls of repentance, shall despise his long sufferance, and walk in the hardness and impenitency of their hearts, and do not, and will not repent, then God will in his determinate time lay the Axe to the root of the trees, and cut them down; he will destroy all impenitent sinners, and cast them into unquenchable fire: this is the necessary drift of the Parable, other things mentioned in it are rather ornamenta Parabolae, ornaments of the Parable;Maldonat. in loc. than necessaries in it, as Maldonat rightly observeth.
In the Parable there are these observable things.
1. Gods great favour to some, compared to Trees planted in a Vineyard.
2. His complaint of the abuse of this his special favour, threatning to destroy them.
3. His longer forbearance toward them, and continuance of the means of conversion among them a little longer.
4. His final determination in case men repent not.
I will now lay open the sense of the words of this Parable, and then lay before you the chief points contained in it.
A certain man.] that is, God; Christ condescending to the capacity of his hearers, compareth the great God to a man that is an owner of a Vineyard.
By the Vineyard, understand the Church in general; and every Congregation gathered together in the name of Christ, wherein the Means and Ordinances of salvation are dispensed: the Church is frequently compared to a Vineyard, as Psal. 80.8. Isa. 5.1.
1. Because all men delight in their Vineyards: so doth God in his Church: here, saith the Lord, will I delight to dwell: it is Gods pleasant walk, I will walk in them.
2. Because a Vineyard is the rich possession of men: Kings delight in planting Vineyards: of old Vineyards were Kingly possessions: so the Church is Gods portion, the lot of his inheritance; it is of his planting in the earth.
3. Because men bestow care and cost on Vineyards: so God bestows his costly things on the Church; all his care is for his Church: he no more regardeth Nations where he hath no Church, than men regard waste howling wildernesses.
4. Because in Vineyards men plant the choicest Trees, as Vines, or Figg-trees: it is an effect of special favour to such men whom God placeth in his Church under the means of salvation: all other men without the Church are as briars and thorns, and trees standing in a barren wilderness, fit for no use, but fuel for fire.
5. A Vineyard is profitable to men: so is the Church (as I may so speak) to God: he reaps no fruit from any parts of the world, but from his Church: from hence he gathereth Grapes and Figgs: here he hath the fruits of faith and holiness: in the Church only God is served.
SECT. 2.
BY the Figg-tree, understand every particular man in the Church, enjoying the means of conversion and salvation: Every one of you is this Figg-tree planted in Gods Vineyard: to you is given the means of conversion and repentance, whereas thousands of men in the world stand like so many despised and rejected Trees in a barren Heath.
Quest. But why doth Christ compare men to Figg-trees, more than to the Vine, or other Trees planted and growing in a Vineyard?
Resp. 1 Either because in those Eastern hot Countries, as Judea, &c. no Trees were more common in Vineyards than Figg-trees: Or,
2. Because no Tree is more fruitful than it: it is usual in those Countries for Figg-trees to bring forth fruit sooner than other Trees, viz. the first year they are planted: and it is observed, that if it bring not forth fruit the second or third year, then there is no hope: conversion is usually wrought in the beginning of enjoying the preaching of the Gospel; conversion in old age is very rare: if men bring not forth fruit after the enjoyment of the word for some years, I dare not say that there is no hope, but there is but small hopes of them.
3. Because a Figg-tree is a sappy tree, and draws much moisture from the earth: Christians either are or should be more knowing, more holy then others: how can we be dry, seeing we are trees (as the Psalmist speaks) planted by the rivers of waters! Psal. 1.3. that man is in a sad condition, who draws no sap from the ordinances, who remains as hard and as dry as rocks on the rivers side.
The fruit which God expecteth is repentance, conversion, faith, new obedience: if we plant a tree, we expect fruit from it; he that ploweth and soweth, ploweth and soweth in hope of gathering fruit: men go to see how their corn comes on, how their trees flourish: so God expects and waits to see our conversion: how long? when shall it once be? he cometh seeking fruit, and that for three years.
Quest. What is here meant by three years?
Sol. They who apply the Parable to the Jews, do understand by the first year the time of the promulgation of the law: by the second year, the preaching of the Prophets; by the third year Christs preaching to them, whilest he conversed with them.
Others understand it only of the three years wherein Christ preached to them, and confirmed his doctrine with glorious miracles; and do think that this Parable was spoken in the beginning of his fourth year.
They who apply it to all persons within the Church, understand by the three years, the threefold age of man, his youth, his manhood, and his old age: God comes to us in the dayes of our youth, seeking our repentance, but finds none; in the day of our middle age, and finds none; in the day of our old age, and finds none.
But letting pass these and other interpretations: we are to understand by three years all that space of time that we enjoy the means of grace, be it longer or shorter.
1. It is said three years: a definite time, put for an indefinite.
2. To note that God doth then expect from us repentance in a short time after we have been called upon to repent.
3. To note that the day of grace is not of a long continuance.
4. I like Maldonat's reason: three years are mentioned because of the nature of a figg-tree, which either will bring forth fruit at the third years end, or not at all: if men do not bring forth the fruit of repentance after some years enjoyment of the means of grace, it is to be feared, that they will never bring forth fruit. It is a sad observation that some Divines make from these words: that God usually converteth those that are converted within three years after he hath sent the powerful Ministry among them: but this is rather their severe opinion, then a solid doctrine.
SECT. 3.
Quest. WHO is meant by the Vine-dresser? Resp. I will let pass many frivolous interpretations, and give the genuine sence: Christ is the supream Vine-dresser: he is appointed by God the Father to be Cultor & custos Vineae, the keeper and dresser of his Vineyard the Church: he it is that is King, Head, and Judge, that hath the axe of judgement in his hand to cut down barren trees, and cast them into the fire: the subordinate Vine dressers are the Ministers of the Word, whose whole labour Christ useth in dressing his Vineyard, in planting and watering the trees, in bringing men to repentance; hence they are called co-workers with God.
Now said he to the dresser of the Vineyard concerning the fruitless figtree, Cut it down.
Here is a threatning of destruction; destroy all impenitent persons, clear my Vineyard of them, let neither root nor branch remain, but cast them into the fire.
Why cumbreth it the ground?
Unfruitful trees are burdens in a Vineyard: they take up the room of trees, which (if planted in the Vineyard) would bring forth fruits of repentance: they spoil other trees, and make them to become barren. Naturalists observe, that the fig-tree draws all the moisture of the earth with it, to it self, and so spoileth other trees: thus wicked impenitent men are a burden to the Church, they spoil one another, and make one another barren in holiness, and fruitful in sin, and this is the sence of the word foreign,Onerat, sed inutili onere. Beza. as Beza well noteth.
Now followeth the Vine-dressers intercession for this unfruitful fig-tree.
Lord, let it alone this year also.
Here Christ mediateth for them: Lord; Yet shew more rich patience and forbearance: destroy it not presently, but wait one year more for its repentance.
Till I shall dig about it and dung it.
Here Christ condescendeth to mean capacities, by comparing the continuance of the means of grace and salvation, to diging and dunging: alluding to Vine-dressers and husbandmen, who dig and open the earth about the root of the tree, and dung it to make it to bear fruit. Thus Christ saith, that his Ministers shall use their best skill and labour to bring impenitent persons to repentance; they shall still invite, exhort, perswade them to repent; they shall lay promises and threatnings to them to provoke them to fruitfulness. Then we have God's and Christ's final determination concerning the barren fig-tree.
If it bear fruit.
It is an abrupt and imperfect speech therefore translators supply it with be… erit, it shall be well: there will be no cause then why it should be cut down: if me… shall at last repent, it is well, they shall not be destroyed.
And if not: then after that thou shalt cut it down.
That is, if no skill, nor cost, nor labour can make it fruitful: if no means can bring men to repentance, if men go on in their wickedness after all means have been used; then cut it down, damn and destroy them.
So then in this Parable, we see Gods mercy and severity contending about impenitent sinners: justice is enraged against them, and would destroy them, but mercy holds her hand, till triall be made to the full whether they will repent.
CHAP. III.
THis very Parable is a Vineyard as full of useful instructions, as that is of clusters of grapes: I shall gather a basket full, and set them before you.
Obser. 1 Where, and on whom God bestoweth the means of grace and of repentance; there, and from them God expecteth answerable fruits: it is grounded on these words, A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his Vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon.
Obser. 2 Where much fruit of righteousness is expected, there God oftentimes finds none, it is grounded on these words: And he found none.
Obser. 3 It is an astonishing wonder, that men who have great means of grace and repentance given them, yet repent not: it is grounded on these words, He said to his Vinedresser, Behold these three years &c. Behold it, and be astonished at this trees unfruitfulness.
Obser. 4 God reckoneth the dayes and years of grace which pass over us, and will put them upon the account of all unfruitful persons. These three years I come seeking fruit and find none.
Obser. 5 Impenitent persons are not only wicked and unfruitful themselves, but also do hinder others from bringing forth fruit. Why cumbreth it the ground? Why doth it make the earth and trees near it, barren and unfruitful?
Obser. 6 Such is the compassion of God to unfruitful persons, that notwithstanding their deserts of death and damnation, yet through the mediation of Christ, he is pleased to add more time and means for the bringing them to repentance. Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: let it stand a while longer, and I will bestow more skill, cost and pains to make it fruitful.
Obser. 7 If the means of grace shall at last prevail with men to bring them to repentance, it shall be well on all hands, notwithstanding all …heir former unfruitfulness: if it bear fruit, well.
Obser. 8 If all means used for a long time, shall not bring men to repentance, no intercession shall be made more for them, but they shall be cut down for ever.
CHAP. IV.
Obser. 1 I Shall begin with the first of these, viz. That where and on whom God bestows the means of repentance and of grace, there and from them God expecteth the fruits of grace and of repentance. If thou art a figtree planted in his Vineyard, he expects to gather figs from thee; if God hath bestowed this special favour on thee, as to admit thee into his Church, to bring thee under the Gospel and all ordinances of grace, he expecteth thy obedience to the Gospel, thy repentance at the preaching of the Gospel, that thou shouldest bring forth fruits meet for repentance: Gods coming and seeking fruit,Maldonat. in loc. is, (as Maldonat rightly Paraphraseth it) his turning his eyes this way and that way to behold who repenteth, who believeth.
For proof of this point, read Isa. 5.1, 2. Now will I sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved touching his Vineyard: my well beloved hath a Vineyard in a very fruitful hill. The Prophet calls Christ his well beloved: I will sing to my beloved a song of my beloved, that is, a song that Christ his best beloved did put into his mouth to sing: let us see the matter of his song — my Beloved hath a Vineyard in a very fruitful hill: that is, Christ hath planted his Church in an excellent place, a fruitful soil, hath given her powerful means to enable her to bear fruit. And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest Vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a Winepress therein: By these Rhetorical terms, the Prophet sheweth Gods wonderful care for his Church and people, for their Salvation; he useth all means to make men in his Church fruitful, and removeth what may hinder fruit-bearing. And he locked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. That is, Christ expected to gather faith, repentance, holiness; but instead of pretious grapes, it brought forth stinking grapes, as the Hebrew word signifies: instead of faith, it brough forth infidelity, distrust; instead of holiness, all manner of wickedness; instead of obedience all manner of disobedience: But contrary to his expectation, God sees nothing but drunkenness, swearing, lying, oppression, as if they were trees planted in a wast howling wilderness, and not in a fruitful Vineyard; as if they were men living among Cannibals and Pagans, where no means of Grace is; and not in the Church where the Gospel of faith and holiness is Preached.
CHAP. V.
SECT. 1.
COnsider we two things by way of explication of this point.
1. God expects the same fruits for kind, as men expect; from Vines Grapes; from Fig trees Figs; and from what seed they sow in their fields, the same grain, as from wheat they expect wheat, &c. So God expecteth fruit answerable to the seed he soweth: if men have no more then natural means given them, God expecteth such fruit, Rom. 1.19, 21. God expecteth from Pagans and Infidels that they should give that glory and service to his Infinite Majesty according to that knowledge they have of him from the law of nature in their consciences, and the book of the creatures, wherein are visibly written the invisible attributes and properties of God: he expects natural worship from natural means of knowledge. But from us who are in the Vineyard of the Church, and have an holy Gospel, holy means, holy ordinances, God expecteth the fruits of holiness and righteousness; God expecteth faith, and fruits meet for faith from every one of us who have the word of faith preached; he expects repentance from us who are by the Gospel called to repentance: if he expects answerable fruit to his cost bestowed on trees in an howling wilderness from Pagans, then much more from trees planted in Paradise, from all men planted in his Church.
2. God expects fruits proportionable to the means of grace he bestows upon men: where much is given, much is required: as in the Parable God required double where two talents were given, and fivefold where five talents were given: the more talents any man hath, the more profit is expected from him: and as the Apostle saith in another case, He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly: So where God soweth sparingly, he will reap sparingly, but reap he will: have we the means in more power, for longer continuance then others? God expecteth more faith, more repentance, more knowledge, more holiness then from others: the more Sabbaths you have, the more Sermons you hear, more fruits are expected from you: the longer you live under converting and sanctifying means, the more God expects you should abound in every good work. Men do expect that trees of longest standing in their Orchards, should be taller, bigger, and more fruitful, then trees newly planted: how sharply doth the Apostle reprove the Hebrews, because their knowledge was not proportionable to their time and means of grace! Heb. 5.12. For the time ye ought to be teachers, but ye have need one teach you, which be the first principles of the Oracles of God; as who should say, For the time that ye have heard the Gospel, and enjoyed all saving means, ye ought to be as knowing as your teachers are; but alas, you need to be taught the A. B. C. of Christianity.
SECT. 2.
2. COnversion and grace is here called fruit: it is a Metaphor frequently used by the Holy Ghost; in Gal. 5.22. Graces are called the fruits of the spirit, because they are the native and noble off-spring of the spirit of God in us: it is called the fruit of righteousness, Jam. 3.18. and Heb. 12.11. and believers are called trees of righteousness. The reasons are these;
Reas. 1 Because repentance and grace, is as fruit, much desired: how doth the Vine-dresser long for the Vintage: the Husbandman for the Harvest? My soul desired the first ripe fruit, said the Prophet, Micah. 7.1. Every one desireth the fruit of their labours; even thus our repentance and conversion is very desirable: how doth the soul of God long for thy conversion! Turn ye; when shall it once be? how doth Christ desire thy conversion! how often would I have gathered you, but ye would not! oh that thou didst know in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace! how do all the workmen in the Lords Vineyard long, desire, and pray for your repentance! I beseech you be reconciled: we beseech you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2. Because our repentance and sanctification is as gra…eful and acceptable to God as fruits are to men: how acceptable are figs and grapes to the master of the Vineyard! how acceptable are fruitful fields to the Husbandman! oh the pleasure and content that all men take in the fruits of their labours! even so is thy faith, thy repentance, pleasing and acceptable to God; he takes pleasure in no…hing else but in holy fruits; as Jotham in his Parable said of Wine, that it cheereth the heart of God and Man: tis more true of mens conversion, it cheereth the heart of God, Angels and Men: there is joy in Heaven when a sinner is converted, joy in the Church at the conversion of a sinner.
3. Because repentance is as pretious to God as fruit is to men. The Husbandman …aiteth for the pretious fruit of the earth, Jam. 5.7. the Apostle calls it pretious, because of the necessariness of it to the use of man: were it not for the fruits of the earth men could not live; so is thy conversion and repentance precious; thy faith is pretious, all the fruits of thy spirit are pretious, and therefore pretious because they are necessary to salvation; no holiness, no happiness.
4. Because repentance and all graces are the blessing of God upon the means of grace, as the fruits of the earth are his blessing of mans labour; men may plow and sow, dig and dung, plant and water, but the whole increase is of God: men cannot make a tree to bring forth one fig, nor a field to bear one grain of corn: the Prophet Malachi calleth the fruits of the earth the blessing of God, Malach. 3.10. even so is the conversion of a sinner the blessing of God on the means of grace: we pray and preach: you hear and meditate; but that you convert and believe, it is of God only. Paul planteth, yet he is nothing; Apollos watereth, yet he is nothing; but God is all in all that gives the increase; he giveth faith, he giveth repentance: it is he that makes men that are by nature thistles and thorns, to be by grace vines and figg trees, to bring forth grapes and figs, faith and holiness.
5. Because as fruit tendeth to the honour and praise of the husbandmen, so our conversion is to the great honour of God and the Ministery of his word: it is the Crown of divine free grace, as Paul saith concerning the converted Thessalonians, ye are our Crown, ye are our rejoycing in the day of the Lord Jesus. How do men praise the skill and labour of an husbandman, when they behold the fruitfulness of his ground and fields? yea themselves glory in the fruitfulness of them. God is glorified, his grace is magnified in the fruitfulness of Christians. They glorified God in me; that is, in my conversion, saith the Apostle, Gal. 1. ult.
CHAP. VI. The Reasons why God doth expect fruit.
Reas. 1 THE first reason why God expecteth fruit is, because there is all equity that he should expect fruit from us whom he hath planted in this Vineyard of his Church where he dwells, for which he is so careful, on which he bestows his choice favours, the Ordinances of grace, and means of conversion, which distinguisheth us from all people in the whole world besides: shall men expect fruit from trees which they plant in their gardens, and fruit from the fields they plough and manure? and shall not God expect from those men pretious fruit, whom he planteth, watereth, manureth, whom he warmeth with the beams of the Sun of righteousness, and watereth with dew from heaven?
2. Because what God doth in his Church and for his Church, is not in vain; which were in vain, did not he expect fruit answerable to care, cost, and pains. Can we imagine that God would have a Vineyard, a Church in the world, appoint such powerful means and Ordinances, as the Word and Sacraments, that he would set up a Ministery in his Church, to preach repentance, to call to repentance, to turn men from sin and Satan, and lay such a dreadful charge on the subordinate Vinedressers, the Ministers to Preach the Word in season and out of season? would God do all this for no end? doubtless, the only design of God in planting a Vineyard, and setting Trees in it, in all these Ordinances, is that he may gather fruit from us, even the fruit of righteousness and holiness. If God did not expect such fruit from men in his Church, he would have had no Church, no Ordinance, no Ministery in the world; the whole world should have been a barren wilderness before him, and all the men in the world should have been but briars and thorns, cursed trees.
3. As he is the great God and our Lord, he may expect duty from us: it is your duty to turn to God, to repent, to believe, to bring forth fruits of holiness: a Master may expect se vice from a servant, much more may the Lord; especially considering that he hath afforded us such gracious helps and means to enable us to perform duty, to bring forth fruit: There is a necessity laid upon millions in the world to repent and turn to God, that never shall be trees of righteousness, because they have not the means of grace; they are trees standing in a wilderness: the same necessity is upon us to bring forth fruits to God, and he hath given us fruitful means; he may in justice require these pretious fruits of every one of us; and know that he doth require them of us: and woe to us if we bring not forth fruit meet for repentance.
Use. You are the fig-trees planted in the Vineyard, you live in the Church, to you is given much means, and of long continuance: you have had many calls to repentance; you may with as much reason deny that the Sun hath shone upon you, as deny that you have had the means of repentance and conversion among you: let us all be exhorted to bring forth fruit; now even now bring forth fruit meet for repentance. God hath come seeking fruit from you: God doth come to day, this hour, this very minute seeking fruit. Oh do ye now answer Gods expectation, let him find the fruit of repentance on you: Oh do not frustrate Gods expectation any more: consider ye, that the greatest benefit of your bearing fruit to God will be yours. It is no advantage to God; he is infinitely happy without your fruit, it is your souls benefit: let God gather fruit from you, and then you shall reap life everlasting; this will be the fruit of your fruit to God. Let it be matter of shame and grief to you, because of your unfruitfulness under such means of grace so long enjoyed; the best trees have cause to be filled with shame, that they have brought forth so little fruit: consider the preaching ye have had, the Sabbaths, the Sacraments, and all the helps and furtherances you have had; and then it will be matter of shame and sorrow to us, to consider how fruitless we are.