Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n
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A00463
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The barren tree a sermon preached at Pauls crosse October 26. 1623 / by Tho. Adams.
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Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 106.5; ESTC S121018
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27,714
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66
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be turned into Mutes we are speachlesse O would he aske vs for any thing but fruites Matth. 22.12 but what should be expected from the Figtree but Figges Of euery soule here hee seekes for fruites Of the Magistrate that he bring foorth the fruites of Iustice determining causes with sinceritie of decision and conuenience of expedition being so far as equitie permits a husband to the widdow and a father to the fatherlesse Of the Minister that hee bring forth the fruits of knowledge Aarons Rod was his Pastorall staffe in one and the same night it brought forth buds and blossomes and fruit Fruitfulnesse is the best argument that God hath called vs there is not a plant of his setting but the very branches thereof shall flourish I doe not say our paynes shall alwayes conuert many Soules that is Gods fruite not ours Hee chargeth vs to bee industrious in Preaching let Himselfe alone with the worke of sauing Of the priuate man he expects the fruit of his calling to bee idle is to bee barren of good and to bee barren of good is to bee pregnant of all euill Bella gerant alij Protesilaus edit but let vs that are called to worke worke in our calling otherwise at last wee shall make but a sorry answere to that Question Vbi fructus Let vs all produce the fruits of Charity rich men doe good turnes to themselues as they play at Tennisse tossing the Ball to him that will tosse it to them againe seldome to the poore for they are not able to bandy it backe Pride cuts and Ryot shuffles but betwixt them both they deale the poore but a bad game The fruite of Christianitie is Mercie when the rich like full eares of Corne humble themselues to the poore earth in Charitie Feed him that feeds you giue him part of your Temporalls from whom you expect Eternalls you cloathe Christ with your blackes on earth hee will clothe you with his glorious whites in heauen Our mercie to others is the Fruite of Gods mercy to vs. Fruite Nothing is created for it selfe but so placed by the most wise prouidence that it may conferre something to the publique good though it be but as the Widowes two Mites to the Treasurie The poorest creature yeelds some Fruit wherein it doth imitate the goodnesse of the Maker We know not readily what good Serpents and Vermine may doe yet certainly they haue their fruit both in sucking vp that poyson of the earth which would be contagious to man in setting off the beautie of the better pieces of creation Aug. for though the same hand made both the Angels in heauen and the wormes on earth yet the Angels appeare the more glorious being so compared besides their hidden vertues abstracted from our knowledge Of stones they make yron rubbish serues to raise Bulwarks the small pebble for the sling wormes and flyes are bayts for Fishes euery thing is enabled with some gift for the vnniuersall benefit and to produce those fruits is their naturall worke The Sunne comes foorth of his Chamber like a Bridegrome fresh and liuely and reioyceth as a Gyant to runne his diurnall course to lighten vs with his refulgent beames to generate cheere and mature things with his parentall heate this is his fruite In his absence the Moone and Starres adorne the Canopie of Heauen reflecting their operatiue influence to quicken the lower world this is their fruites The curled cloudes those bottles of raine thinne as the liquour they containe flye vp and downe on the wings of the winde deliuering their moyst burdens vpon the earth teats whereon the hungry fields and pastures doe sucke yet they expect no haruest from vs this is their fruites The subtill winds come puffing out of their cauernes to make artificiall motions wholesome ayres and nauigable seas yet neither earth ayre nor sea returne them recompence this is their fruits The earth in a thankefull imitation of the Heauens lockes not vp her treasures within her owne Coffers but without respect of her priuate benefit is liberall of her allowance yeelding her fatnesse and riches to innumerable creatures that hang on her breasts and depend vpon her as their common mother for maintenance Of the beasts that feed vpon her Kine giue vs their milke Sheepe their wooll euery one payes a tribute to man their vsu-fructuary Lord this is their fruites Fruit bearing Trees spend not all their sappe and moisture vpon themselues or the increase of their owne magnitudes but the principall and purer part of it is concocted into some pleasant Fruites whereof they nor their young Springs euer come to taste but they proffer it vs and when it is ripe they voluntarily let it fall at their Masters feete Neuer did the Oliue annoynt it selfe with the owne Oyle nor the Vine make it selfe drunke with the owne Grapes nor the Tree in my Text deuoure the owne Figges yet they all striue to abound with Fruites Let me raise your Meditations from earth to heauen the holy Angels there are called Ministring Spirits those royall Armies fight for vs against our enemies like Nurses they beare vs vp in their armes and though vnseene doe glorious Offices for vs this is part of their fruit Iohn 5.17 The blessed Trinitie is alwayes working Hitherto my Father worketh and I worke The Father by his prouidence and protection the Sonne by his mercy and mediation the Holy Ghost by his grace and sanctification all diuiding the streames of their goodnesse for the best behoofe of the world The more any thing furthers the common good the more noble is the Nature and more resembling the Creator The Earth is fruitfull the Sea the Ayre the Heauens are fruitfull and shall not man bring foorth fruites for whom all these are fruitfull While all the Armies of Heauen and Earth are busied in fructifying shall Man of more singular graces and faculties be idle a burden to the world and himselfe Both the Church of God for the propagation of pietie and the world it selfe for the vpholding of his estate requires our Fruites If Happinesse consisted in doing nothing God that meant Adam so happy would neuer haue set him about businesse but as Paradise was his Store-house so also his work-house his pleasure was his taske There is no state of man that can priuiledge a folded hand Our life is Vita pulueris non puluinaris Landes Meanes and Moneyes men make the protections of Idlenesse whereas Adam commaunded the whole earth yet worke expected him In Paradise all things did labour for man now man must labour for all things Adam did worke because he was happy wee his children must worke that wee may bee happy Heauen is for ioyes Hell for paines Earth for labour God hath three houses this is his Worke-house that aboue is his Ware-house O then let vs bee fruitfull that others benefit may bee ours our benefit theirs and the glory of all the Lords If Magistrates yeeld not the Fruits of Iustice Ministers
the fruits of knowledge priuate men the fruits of Charitie and Obedience it is as vnnaturall as if the Sunne should forget to shine or the earth to fructifie God made all these for man hee made man for himselfe of vs he lookes for Fruit of vs let him finde it from vs accept it in vs increase it and to vs reward it through Him in whome alone wee expect mercie Iesus Christ The Successe followes Non inuenio We haue brought the Lord into his Vineyard heard him calling for the Dresser shewing him a Tree telling him of a three yeares expectation now if after all this we inquire for the euent himselfe certifies vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I finde none None Peraduenture he came before the season Nondum tempus erat Ficorum When should a Tree bring forth fruits but Tempore suo This is the praise of the good Tree that it brings foorth the fruit in due season Psalm 1.3 If the Figge-tree could haue obiected to the Owner 2 Kings 5.26 as Elisha to his seruant Hoccine tempus Is this a time to plant Vineyards or gather fruit Or as the man replyed to his neighbour Luke 11.7 that came to borrowe loaues at midnight Is this a time to lend Bread when my selfe and family are in bed The Spring is the season of fructifying the Autumne of gathering Cant. 2.12 Iob 38.38 When the time of the singing of Birds is come Then the Figtree puts foorth her greene Figges But Cum fermento perfundatur puluis when the dust is leauened with myre and the bands of Orion haue lock'd vp the influence of Heauen Who seeks fruit in Winter hee must be content with Winter fruit There is the Winter of an afflicted Conscience no maruell then if neither ripe Figges nor so much as greene leaues appeare when all the Sappe is retyred to the Roote as in extreame cold the bloud runnes to the heart to succour it When the Babylonians required of their captiue Israelites some Hebrewe Songs they could soone answere How shall wee sing the Lordes Song in a strange Land Is this a time or place to be merry Psal 137.4 But did the Lord come out of season No hee required it not the first day or moneth but wayted the full time expecting fruit in the Autumne or Vintage season Gloss Non ante tempus querit qui per triennium venit Hee came not with a Trienniall Visitation as Episcopall Fathers vse to visite once in three yeeres but euery yeare euery moneth in the yeare weeke of the moneth day of the weeke Of another Figge-tree it is said Marke 11.13 that The time of Figges was not yet yet hee cursed it Heere the time was three yeares past without fruit yet he cursed it not But looke to it If thou wilt not fructifie Tempore tuo thou shalt be cut down tempore non tuo Eccles 7.17 perish before thy time There is not a day in the yeare wherein hee forbeares seeking our fruit yet Venio non inuenio I find none None Nunquid quia male quaesiuit Dominus Was there any errour in his search Men often seeke Bona good things non bene not in a good manner Either they faile in their Quando as Ioseph sought Christ after a dayes iourney whereas hee is too precious to bee missed one houre Psal 32.6 They shall seeke thee Tempore inveniendi when thou mayest be found Or in the right Vbi as Mary sought her Son in Cognatione Carnis among her kinred who was in Domo Patris Iohn 2.39 in the Temple So the Papists seeke now him in Pictures who promised to bee found in the Scriptures Or in their Quomodo as they that seeke aliud pro illo aliud prae illo another instead of him another besides him another with him another before him which they doe not seeke for him All these seeke and misse because they seeke amisse The world is commonly mistaken in their search Quaerunt bona locis non suis they seeke for things out of their proper orbes Men seeke Honour in Pride whereas Honour is to bee found in Humilitie They seeke reputation in bloodie reuenge alas that is to bee found in Patience It is the glory of a man to passe by an offence They seeke content in Riches which is as if one should seeke for fresh water in the midst of the Sea But in none of these circumstances did this Seeker faile not in the Vbi for he sought in the Vineyard not in the Quando for he came in the Vintage not in the Quomodo for he sought fruit on that Figtree about which hee had bene at so great charges yet I finde none None Haply not so thicke with fruites as the Vines of Engedi euery Land is not a Caanan to flowe with Milke and Honey But yet some competent measure enough to pay the Land-lord rent for the ground it stands on no None If there bee none to spare whereof the owner may make money yet Sufficiat ad vsum suum ad esum suum that hee may eate the labours of his owne hands no None Rom. 9.27 Esay 6.13 If the number bee not as the Sand yet let there bee a Remnant If there cannot bee a whole haruest yet let there bee a Tenth If not a Tenth yet let there bee some gleanings Mich 7.1 and that is a woefull scarcitie if the gleanings bee not allowed yet let there bee heere and there a Figge a Grape a Berry Esay 17. ◠on the outmost branches that the Planter may haue a taste It is too defectiue when Non florebit ficus Hab 3.17 the Tree doth not flourish but Quando non erit Vua in vitibus non ficus in ficulneis Ierem. 8.13 when there shall not bee a Grape on the Vine nor a Figge on the Tree this is a miserable sterilitie Some thing hath some sauour but None is good for nothing Indeede all Trees are not equally loaden there is the measure of a hundred of sixtie of thirtie an Omer and an Ephah but the Sacred deawes of Heauen the graces of the Gospell blesse vs from hauing None I finde none None Peraduenture none such as hee lookes for no Fruites delicate enough for the Almighties taste Indeed our best fruits are neuer perfect and kindly ripened still they rellish sowre and earthly and sauour of the Stocke from which they were taken They are heauenly Plants but growe in a foraigue and colde Climate not well concocted nor worthy the charges and care bestowed vpon vs. Set Orenge or Figge-trees in this our cold Countrey the fruit will not quit the cost of the planting and maintaining But the complaint is not here of the imperfection or paucitie of fruites but of the nullitie None Some reading that Text with idle eyes that after all our fruites Luke 17.10 wee are still vnprofitable Trees because they can finde no validitie of merite in their workes throwe the Plough