their knowledg God gave them over to a reprobate Mind to do those things which are not convenient being filled with all unrighteousness Rom. 1. 28 29. Seest thou a Man that heretofore had the knowledg of God and that had some awe of Majesty upon him I say seest thou such an one sporting himself in his own Deceivings Rom. 1. 30 31. turning the Grace of our God into Lasciviousness and walking after his own ungodly Lusts his Judgment now of a long time lingereth not and his Damnation slumbereth not 2 Pet. 2. 13. Dost thou hear barren Professor It is astonishing to see how those that once seemed Sons of the Morning and were making Preparations for Eternal Life now at last for the rottenness of their Hearts by the just Judgment of God to be permitted being past feeling to give themselves over unto Lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Eph. 4. 18 19. A great number of such were in the first Gospel-days against whom Peter and Jude and John pronounceth the heavy Judgment of God Peter and Jude couple them with the fallen Angels 2 Pet. 2. 3 4 5 6 7. and John forbids that prayer be made for them because that is happened unto them that hath happened to the Angels that fell Jude 5 6 7 8. Who for forsaking their first State and for leaving their own Habitation are reserved in Chains under everlasting Darkness unto the Judgment of the great Day Barren Fig-tree dost thou hear First These are beyond all Mercy Secondly These are beyond all Promises Thirdly These are beyond all hopes of Repentance Fourthly These have no Intercessor nor any more share in a Sacrifice for Sin Fifthly For these there remains nothing but a fearful looking for of Judgment Sixthly Wherefore these are the true Fugitives and Vagabonds that being left of God of Christ of Grace and of the Promise and being beyond all hope wander and straggle to and fro even as the Devil their Associate until their time shall come to die or until they descend in Battel and perish 2. Wherefore they are let alone in hearing If these at any time come under the Word there is for them no God no savour of the means of Grace no stirrings of Heart no pity for themselves no love to their own Salvation Let them look on this hand or that there they see such effects of the Word in others as produceth Signs of Repentance and Love to God and his Christ These Men only have their Backs bowed down alway Rom. 11. 10. These Men only have the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this very day Eccl. 8. 10. Wherefore as they go to the place of the Holy So they came from the place of the Holy and soon are forgotten in the places where they so did Only they reap this dammage They treasure up Wrath against the day of Wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God Rom. 2. 3 4 5. Look to it barren Professor 3. If he be visited after the common way of Mankind either with Sickness Distress or any kind of Calamity still no God appeareth no sanctifying Hand of God no special Mercy is mixed with the Affliction But he falls sick and grows well like the Beast or is under distress as Saul who when he was engaged by the Philistines was forsaken and left of God 1 Sam. 28. 4 5 6. And the Philistins gathered themselves together and came and pitched in Shunem and Saul gathered all Israel together and thy pitched to Gilboa And when Saul saw the Host of the Philistins he was afraid and his Heart greatly trembled And when Saul enquired of the Lord the Lord answered him no more neither by Dreams nor by Urim nor by Prophets The Lord answered him no more He had done with him cast him off and rejected him and left him to stand and fall with his Sins by himself But of this more in the Conclusion therefore I here forbear 4. These Men may go whither they will do what they will they may range from Opinion to Opinion from Notion to Notion from Sect to Sect but are stedfast no where they are left to their own Uncertainties they have not Grace to establish their Hearts and though some of them have boasted themselves of this Liberty yet Jude calls them wandering Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Jude 13. They are left as I told you before to be Fugitives and Vagabonds in the Earth to wander every where but to abide no where until they shall descend to their own place Acts 1. 5. with Cain and Judas Men of the same fate with themselves A Third Sign that such a Professor is quite past Grace is When his heart is grown so hard so stony and impenetrable that nothing will pierce it Barren Fig-tree dost thou consider A hard and impenitent Heart is the Curse of God A Heart that cannot repent is instead of all Plagues at once And hence it is that God said of Pharaoh Exod. 9. 14. when he spake of delivering him up in the greatness of his Anger I will at this time saith he send all my Plagues upon thy Heart To some Men that have grievously sinned under a Profession of the Gospel God giveth this Token of his Displeasure they are denied the Power of Repentance their Heart is bound they cannot repent It is impossible that they should ever repent should they live a thousand Years It is impossible for those Fall-a-ways to be renewed again unto Repentance seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh aed put him to open shame Heb. 6. 4 5 6. Now to have the Heart so hardened so judicially hardened this is as a bar put in by the Lord God against the Salvation of this Sinner This was the burden of Spira's Complaint I cannot do it O now I cannot do it This Man sees what he hath done what should help him and what will become of him yet he cannot repent he pulled away his Shouldier before he stopped his Ears before he shut up his Eyes before and in that very posture God left him and so he stands to this very Day I have had a fancy that Lot's Wife when she was turned into a Pillar of Salt Gen. 19. 26. stood yet looking over her Shoulder or else with her Face towards Sodom as the Judgment caught her so it bound her and left her a Monument of God's Anger to after-Generations We read of some that are seared with an hot Iron and that are past feeling for so seared Persons in seared Parts are Their Conscience is seared 1 Tim. 4. 2. The Conscience is the thing that must be touched with â—eeling fear and remorse if ever any good be done with the Sinner How then can any good be done to those whose Conscience is worse than that that is fast asleep in sin Eph. 4. 19. For that Conscience that is fast asleep
his Ways and we will walk in his Paths Fifthly This Unity and Peace mainly consists in Unity of Love and Affection this is the great and indispensible Duty of all Christians by this they are declared Christ's Disciples And hence it is that Love is called the Great Commandment the Old Commandment and the New Commandment that which was commanded in the beginning and will remain to the end yea and after the end 1 Cor. 13. 8. Charity never fails but whether there be Tongues they shall cease or whether there be Knowledg it shall vanish away And verse 13. And now abideth Faith Hope and Charity but the greatest of these is Charity And Col. 3. 14. Above all these things put on Charity which is the Bond of Perfectness Because Charity is the end of the Commandment 1 Tim. 1. 5. Charity is therefore called the Royal Law and though it had a superintendency over other Laws and doubtless is a Law to which other Laws must give place when they come in competition with it Above all things therefore have fervent Charity among your selves for Charity covereth a multitude of Sins 1 Pet. 4. 8. Let us therefore live in Unity and Peace and the God of Love and Peace will be with us That you may so do let me remember you in the words of a learned Man that the Unity of the Church is a Unity of Love and Affection and not a bare Uniformity of Practice and Opinion Having shewn you wherein this Unity consists I now come to the third General Thing propounded and that is to shew you the Fruits and Benefits of Unity and Peace together with the Mischiefs and Inconveniences that attend those Churches where Unity and Peace is wanting First Unity and Peace is a Duty well-pleasing to God who is stiled the Author of Peace and not of Confusion in all the Churches God's Spirit rejoyceth in the Unity of our Spirits but on the other hand where Strife and Divisions are there the Spirit of God is grieved Hence it is that the Apostle no sooner calls upon the Ephesians not to grieve the Spirit of God but he presently subjoins us a Remedy against that evil That they put away bitterness and evil-speaking And be kind one to another and tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven them Eph. 4. 30 32. Secondly As Unity and Peace is pleasing to God and rejoiceth his Spirit so it rejoiceth the Hearts and Spirits of God's People Unity and Peace brings Heaven down upon Earth among us Hence it is that the Apostle tells us Rom. 4. 17. That the Kingdom of God is not Meat and Drink but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Where Unity and Peace is there is Heaven upon Earth by this we taste the first Fruits of that blessed Estate we shall one day live in the fruition of when we shall come to the general Assembly and Church of the First-born whose Names are written in Heaven and to God the Judg of all and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect Heb. 12. 23. This outward peace of the Church as a learned Man observes distiâ—s into peace of Conscience and turns writings and readings of Controversy into Treatises of Mortification and Devotion And the Psalmist tells us that it is not only good but pleasant for Brethren to dwell together in Unity Psal. 133. 1. But where Unity and Peace is wanting there are Storms and Troubles where Envy and Strife is there is confusioâ— and every evil Work Jam. 3. 16. It is the outward Peace of the Church that increaseth our inward Joy and the Peace of God's House gives us occasion to eat our meat with gladness in our own Houses Act. 2. 46. Thirdly The Unity and Peace of the Church makes Communion of Saints desirable What is it that imbitters Church-Communion and makes it burdensom but Divisions Have you not heard many complain that they are weary of Church-Communion because of Church-Contention but now where Unity and Peace is there Christians long for Communion David saith that he was glad when they said unto him Let us go to the House of God Psal. 122. 1. Why was this but because as the third verse tells us Jerusalem was a City compact together where the Tribes went up the Tribes of the Lord to give thanks to his Name And David speaking of the Man that was once his Friend doth thereby let us know the benefit of Peace and Unity Psal. 55. 14. We saith he took sweet counsel together and walked to the House of God in company Where Unity is strongest Communion is sweetest and most desirable You see then that Peace and Union fills the People of God with desires after Communion But on the other hand hear how David complains Psal. 120. Wo is me I sojourn in Mesech and that I dwell in the tents of Kedar The Psalmist here is thought to allude to a sort of Men that dwelt in the deserts of Arabia that got their livings by Contention and therefore he adds ver 6. That his Soul had long dwelt with them that hated Peace This was that which made him long for the Courts of God and esteem one day in his House better than a thousand this made his Soul even faint for the House of God because of the peace of it Blessed are they saith he that dwell in thy House they will be still praising thee There is a certain note of concord as appears Act. 2. where we read of Primitive Christians meeting with one accord praising God Fourthly Where Unity and Peace is there many Mischiefs and Inconveniences are prevented which attends those People where Peace and Unity is wanting And of those many that might be mentioned I shall briefly insist upon these nine First Where Unity and Peace is wanting there is much precious time spent to no purpose How many Days are spent and how many fruitless Journeys made to no profit where the People are not in peace How often have many redeemed time even in Seed-time and Harvest when they could scarce afford it to go to Church and by reason of their Divisions come home worse than they went repenting they have spent so much precious time to so little benefit How sad is it to see Men spend their precious time in which they should work out their Salvation by labouring as in the Fire to prove an uncertain and doubtful Proposition and to trifle away their time in which they should make their Calling and Election sure to make sure of an Opinion which when they have done all they are not infallibly sure whether it be true or no because all things necessary to Salvation and Church-Communion are plainly laid down in Scripture in which we may be infallibly sure of the Truth of them but for other things that we have no plain Texts for but the Truth of them depends upon our Interpretations Here we must be cautioned that we do not spend much
expecteth that the Fruits of Repentance be found to attend them Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth Fruits therefore meet for Repentance or answerable to thy profession of the Doctrine of Repentance Barren Fig-tree seeing thou art a Professor and art got into the Vineyard thou standest before the Lord of the Vineyard as one of the Trees of the Garden Wherefore He looketh for Fruit from thee as from the rest of the Trees in the Vineyard Fruits I say and such as may declare thee in Heart and Life one that hath made sound Profession of Repentance By thy Profession thou hast said I am sensible of the evil of Sin Now then live such a Life as declares that thou art sensible of the Evil of Sin By thy Profession thou hast said I am sorry for my Sin Why then live such a life as may declare This Sorrow By thy Profession thou hast said I am ashamed of my Sin Psal. 38. 18. yea but live such a Life that Men by that may see thy shame for Sin Jer. 31. 19. By thy Profession thou sayest I have turned from left off and am become an enemy to every appearance of evil 1 Thess. 5. 22. Ah! but doth thy Life and Conversation declare thee to be such an one Take heed barren Fig-tree lest thy Life should give thy Profession the lye I say again Take heed for God himself will come for Fruit And he sought Fruit thereon You have some Professors that are only Saints before Men when they are abroad but are Devils and Vipers at home Saints by Profession but Devils by Practice Saints in Word but Sinners in Heart and Life These Men may have the Profession but they want the Fruits that become Repentance Barren Fig-tree Can it be imagined that those that paint themselves did ever repent of their Pride or that those that pursue this World did ever repent of their Covetousness or that those that walk with wanton eyes did ever repent of their fleshly Lusts Where barren Fig-tree is the Fruit of these Peoples Repentance Nay do they not rather declare to the World that they have repented of their Profession Their fruits look as if they had Their Pride saith they have repented of their Humility Their Covetousness declareth that they are weary of depending upon God and doth not thy wanton actions declare that thou abhorrest Chastity Where is thy Fruit Barren Fig-tree Repentance is not only a sorrow and a shame for but a turning from Sin to God Heb. 6. it is called Repentance from dead works Hast thou that Godly Sorrow that worketh Repentance to Salvation never to be repented of 2 Cor. 7. 10 11. How dost thou shew thy carefulness and clearing of thy self thy indignation against Sin thy fear of offending thy vehement desire to walk with God thy zeal for his Name and Glory in the World and what revenge hast thou in thy Heart against every thought of Disobedience But where is the Fruit of this Repentance Where is thy Watching thy Fasting thy Praying against the remainders of Corruption Where is thy Self-abhorrence thy blushing before God for the Sin that is yet behind Where is thy tenderness of the Name of God and his Waies Where is thy Self-denial and Contentment How dost thou shew before Men the truth of thy turning to God Hast thou renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness 2 Cor. 4. 2. Canst thou commend thy self to every Man's conscience in the sight of God 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
thereof And this is more than intimated by the Dresser of the Vineyard until I shall dig about it and dung it I will supply it with a more fruitful Ministry with a warmer Word I will give them Pastors after mine own Heart I will dung them You know Dung is a more warm more fat more hearty and succouring Matter than is commonly the place in which Trees are planted I will dig about it and dung it I will bring it under an heart-awakening Ministry the Means of Grace shall be fat and good I will also visit it with Heart-awakening Heart-warming Heart-encouraging Considerations I will apply warm Dung to his Roots I will strive with him by my Spirit and give him some tastes of the heavenly Gift and the Power of the World to come I am loth to lose him for want of digging Lord let it alone this Year also until I shall dig about it and dung it And if it bear Fruit well And if the Fruit of all my Labour doth make this Fig-tree fruitful I shall count my Time my Labour and Means well bestowed upon it And thou also O my God shalt be therewith much delighted For thou art gracious and merciful and repentest thee of the Evil which thou threatnest to bring upon a People These words therefore inform us that if a barren Fig-tree a barren Professor shall now at last bring forth Fruit to God it shall go well with that Professor it shall go well with that poor Soul His former Barrenness his former tempting of God his abuse of God's Patience and long-Suffering his â—â—â—spending Year after Year shall now be all forgiven him Yea God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will now pass by and forget all and say Well done at the last When I say to the Wicked O wicked Man thou shalt surely die if he then do that which is lawful and right if he walk in the Statutes of Life without commiting Iniquity he shall surely live he shall die Ezek. 3. 3. Barren Fig-tree Dost thou hear the Ax is laid to thy Roots the Lord Jesus prays God to spare thee Hath he been digging about thee Hath he been dunging of thee O barren Fig-tree now thou art come to the Point if thou shalt now become good if thou shalt after a gracious manner suck in the Gospel-dung and if thou shalt bring forth Fruit unto God well but if not the Fire is the last Fruit or the Fire Fruit or the Fire Barren Fig-tree If it boâ—r Fruit well And if not then after that thou shalt cut it down And if not c. The Lord Jesus by this If giveth us to understand that there is a Generation of Professors in the World that are incureable that will not that cannot repent nor be profited by the means of Grace A Generation I say that will retain a Profession but will not bring forth Fruit A Generation that will wear out the Patience of God Time and Tide Threatnings and Intercessions Judgments and Mercies And after all will be unfruitful O the desperate Wickedness that is in thy Heart Barren Professor Dost thou hear the Lord Jesus stands yet in doubt about thee There is an if stands yet in the way I say the Lord Jesus stands yet in doubt about thee whether or no at last thou wilt be good whether he may not labour in vain whether his digging and dunging will come to more than last labour I gave her space to repent and she repented not Rev. 2. 21. I digged about it I dunged it I gained Time and supplied it with Means but I laboured herein in vain and spent my strength for nought and in vain Dost thou hear Barren Fig-tree There is yet a Question Whether 't will be well with thy Soul at last And if not then after that thou shalt cut it down There is nothing more exasperating to the Mind of a Man than to find all his Kindness and Favour slighted Neither is the Lord Jesus so provoked with any thing as when Sinners abuse his Means of Grace if it be barren and fruitfless under my Gospel if it turn my Grace into wantonness if after digging and dunging and waiting it yet remain unfruitful I will let thee cut it down Gospel-means applied is the last Remedy for a barren Professor if the Gospel if the Grace of the Gospel will not do there can be nothing expected but cut it down Then after that thou shalt cut it down O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy Children together as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings and ye would not Therefore your Houses are â—â—ft unto you desolate Matth. 23. 37 38. Yet it cannot be but that this Lord Jesus whâ— at first did put a stop to the execution of his Father's Justice because he desired to try more Means with the Fig-tree I say it cannot be but that an Heart so full of Compassion as his is should be touched to behold this Professor 〈…〉 be cut down Luke 19. 〈…〉 And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes 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 abouâ— it â—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