fessor. Why cumbereth it the ground? a glutton, a drunkard, or covetous, or unclean. | Barren fig-tree, hearken! God calls for the axe, Well, saith God, I will loose the reins of this pro- his sword; bring it hither; here is a barren professor; I will give him up to his vile affections; I Cut him down, why cumbereth he the will loose the reins of his lusts before him; he shall be entangled with his beastly lusts; he shall be overcome of ungodly company. Thus they that turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity.' P9. cxxv. 5. This is God's hand immediately; God is now dealing with this man himself. Barren figtree, hearken! Thou art crowded into a profession, art got among the godly, and there art a scandal to the holy and glorious gospel; but withal so cunning that, like the sons of Zeruiah, thou art too hard for the church; she knows not how to deal with thee. Well, saith God, I will deal with that man myself, I will answer that man by myself.' He that sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes and appears before me, I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb: and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.' Eze, xiv. 7, 8. But, By these words the Lord suggesteth reasons of his displeasure against the barren fig-tree; it cumbereth the ground. The Holy Ghost doth not only take an argument from its barrenness, but because it is a cumber-ground, therefore cut it down; wherefore it must needs be a provocation. 1. Because, as much as in him lieth, he disappointeth the design of God in planting his vineyard; I looked that it should bring forth fruit. 2. It hath also abused his patience, his long-suffering, his three years' patience. 3. It hath also abused his labour, his pains, his care, and providence of protection and preservation: for he hedges his vineyard, and walls it about. Cumber-ground, all these things thou abusest! He waters his vineyard, and looks to it night and day; but all these things thou hast abused. Further, there are other reasons of God's dis2. God doth sometimes cut down the barren fig-pleasure; as, tree by the church, by the church's due execution First. A cumber-ground is a very mock and reof the laws and censures which Christ for that pur-proach of religion, a mock and reproach to the ways pose hath left with his church. This is the mean- of God, to the people of God, to the Word of God, ing of that in Mat. xviii; 1 Cor. v: and that in 1 Tim. i. 20. and to the name of religion. It is expected of all upon which now I shall not enlarge, But which hands, that all the trees in the garden of God should way soever God dealeth with thee, O thou barren be fruitful: God expects fruit, the church expects fig-tree, whither by himself immediately, or by his fruit, the world, even the world, concludes that church, it amounts to one and the same; for if professors should be fruitful in good works; I say, timely repentance prevent not, the end of that soul the world expecteth that professors should be better is damnation. They are blasted, and withered, and than themselves. But, barren fig-tree, thou disapgathered by men, God's enemies; and at last being pointest all. Nay, hast thou not learned the wicked cast into the fire burning must be their end. "That ones thy ways? Hast thou not learned them to which beareth thorns and briars is nigh unto curs- be more wicked by thy example?—but that is by ing, whose end is to be burned.' He. vi. 8. the by. Barren fig-tree, thou hast disappointed others, and must be disappointed thyself! 'Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?' Second. And, again, sometimes by 'Cut it down' God means, cast it out of the world. Thus he cut down Nadab and Abihu, when he burned them up with fire from heaven. Thus he cut down Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when he made the earth to swallow them up. Nu. iii. 4; xvi. 31–33. Thus he cut down Saul, when he gave him up to fall upon the edge of his own sword, and died. 18a. xxxi. 4. Thus he cut down Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, when he struck them down dead in the midst of the congregation. Ac. v. 5, 10. I might here also discourse of Absalom, Ahithophel, and Judas, who were all three hanged: the first by God's revenging hand, the others were given up of God to be their own executioners. These were barren and unprofitable fig-trees, such as God took no pleasure in, therefore he commanded to cut them down. The Psalmist saith, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.' Ps. Iviii. 9. Second. The barren fig tree takes up the room where a better tree might stand; I say, it takes up the room, it keeps, so long as it stands where it doth; a fruitful tree out of that place, and therefore it must be cut down. Barren fig-tree, dost thou hear? Because the Jews stood fruitless in the vineyard, therefore, saith God, 'The kingdom of God shall be taken from you,' and given to a nation that shall render him their fruits in their season. Mat. xxi. 33–41. The Jews for their barrenness were cut down, and more fruitful people put in their room. As Samuel also said to barren Saul, The Lord hath rent the kingdom from thee, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou.' 1 Sa. xv. 28. The unprofit able servant must be cast out, must be cut down. Mat. xxv. 27. Cumber-ground, how many hopeful, inclinable, | forward people, hast thou by thy fruitless and unprofitable life, kept out of the vineyard of God? For thy sake have the people stumbled at religion; by thy life have they been kept from the love of their own salvation. Thou hast been also a means of hardening others, and of quenching and killing weak beginnings. Well, barren fig-tree, look to thyself, thou wilt not go to heaven thyself, and them that would, thou hinderest; thou must not always cumber the ground, nor always hinder the salvation of others. Thou shalt be cut down, and another shall be planted in thy room. Third. The cumber ground is a sucker; he draws away the heart and nourishment from the other trees. Were the cumber ground cut down, the others would be more fruitful; he draws away that fatness of the ground to himself, that would make the others more hearty and fruitful. One sinner destroyeth much good.' Ec. ix. 18. The cumber ground is a very drone in the hive, that eats up the honey that should feed the labouring bee; he is a thief in the candle, that wasteth the tallow, but giveth no light; he is the unsavoury salt, that is fit for nought but the dunghill. Look to it, barren fig-tree! And he answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that, thou shalt cut it down. ver. 8, 9. These are the words of the dresser of the vineyard, who, I told you, is Jesus Christ, for he made intercession for the transgressors. And they contain a petition presented to an offended justice, praying, that a little more time and patience might be exercised towards the barren cumber-ground fig-tree. Here is astonishing grace indeed! astonishing grace, I say, that the Lord Jesus should concern himself with a barren fig-tree; that he should step in to stop the blow from a barren fig-tree!1 True, he stopped the blow but for a time; but why did he stop it at all? Why did not he fetch out the axe? Why did he not do execution? Why did not he cut it down? Barren fig-tree, it is well for thee that there is a Jesus at God's right hand, a Jesus of that largeness of bowels, as to have compassion for a barren fig-tree, else justice had never let thee alone to cumber the ground as thou hast done! When Israel also had sinned against God, down they had gone, but that Moses stood in the breach. Let me alone,' said God to him, 'that I may consume them' in a moment, and I will make of thee a great nation.' Ex. xxxii. 10. Barren fig-tree, dost thou hear? Thou knowest not how oft the hand of Divine justice hath been up to strike, and how many years since thou hadst been cut down, had not Jesus caught hold of his Father's axe. Let me alone, let me fetch my blow, or 'Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?' Wilt thou not hear yet, barren fig-tree? Wilt thou provoke still? Thou hast wearied men, and provoked the justice of God! And will ye weary my God also?' Is. vii. 13. Lord, let it alone this year. Lord, a little longer! let us not lose a soul for want of means. I will try, I will see if I can make it fruitful, I will not beg a long life, nor that it might still be barren, and so provoke thee. I beg, for the sake of the soul, the immortal soul; Lord, spare it one year only, one year longer, this year also. If I do any good to it, it will be in little time. Thou shalt not be over wearied with waiting; one year and then. In this petition there are six things considerable: 1. That justice might be deferred. O that justice might be deferred! Lord, let it alone,' &c., a while longer. 2. Here is time prefixed, as a space to try if more means will cure a barren fig-tree. 'Lord, let it alone this year also.' 3. The means Barren fig-tree, dost thou hear what a striving to help it are propounded, until I shall dig about there is between the vine-dresser and the husbandit, and dung it.' 4. Here is also an insinuation man, for thy life? Cut it down,' says one; 'Lord, of a supposition, that, by thus doing, God's expec- spare it,' saith the other. It is a cumber-ground, tation be answered; and if it bear fruit, well.' saith the Father; one year longer, prays the Son. 5. Here is a supposition that the barren fig-treeLet it alone this year also.' may yet abide barren, when Christ hath done what he will unto it; and if it bear fruit,' &c. 6. Here is at last a resolution, that if thou continue barren, may 1 This mode of infusing new vigour into plants and trees is thus described in the Gemara-They lay dung in their gardeus, to soften the earth. They dig about the roots of their trees, and sprinkle ashes, and pluck up suckers, and make a smoke beneath to kill vermin.-(ED.) Till I shall dig about it, and dung it. The Lord Jesus by these words supposeth two things, as causes of the want of fruit in a barren fig-tree; and two things he supposeth as a remedy. The things that are a cause of want of fruit are, First. It is earth-bound. Lord, the fig-tree s earth-bound. Second. A want of warmer means, of fatter means. Wherefore, accordingly, he propoundeth to loosen the earth; to dig about it. And then to supply it with dung. the dresser of the vineyard, is fain to take with thee, if haply thou mayest be made fruitful.1 Till I shall dig about it, and 'DUNG' it. As the earth, by binding the roots too closely, may hinder the tree's being fruitful, so the want of better means may be also a cause thereof. And this is more than intimated by the dresser of the vineyard; Till 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 a 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, till I shall dig about it and dung it.' To dig about it, and dung it. Lord, let it alone this year also, until I shall dig about it.' I doubt it is too much ground-bound. The love of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches lie too close to the roots of the heart of this professor. Lu. xiv. The love of riches, the love of honours, the love of pleasures, are the thorns that choke the word. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,' but enmity to God; how then, where these things bind up the heart, can there be fruit brought forth to God? 1Jn. ii. 15, 16. Barren fig-tree, see how the Lord Jesus, by these very words, suggesteth the cause of thy fruitlessness of soul! The things of this world lie too close to thy heart; the earth with its things have bound up thy roots; thou art an earth-bound soul, thou art wrapped up in thick clay. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him;' how then can he be fruitful in the vineyard? This kept Judas from the fruit of caring for the poor. Jn. xii. 6. This kept Demas from the fruit of self-denial. 2 Ti. iv. 10. And this kept Ananias and Sapphira his wife from the goodly fruit of sincerity and truth. Ac. v. 5, 10. What shall I say? These are 'foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition; for the love of money is the root of all evil.' How then can good fruit grow from such a root, the root of all evil? Which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.' 1 Ti. vi. 9, 10. It is an evil root, nay, it is the root of all evil. How then can the professor that hath such a root, or a root wrapped up in such earthly things, as the lusts, and pleasures, and vanities of this world, bring forth fruiting, his mis-spending year after year, shall now be to God? Till I shall DIG' about it. Lord, I will loose his roots, I will dig up this earth, I will lay his roots bare; my hand shall be upon him by sickness, by disappointments, by cross providences; I will dig about him until he stands shaking and tottering; until he be ready to fall; then, if ever, he will seek to take faster hold. Thus, I say, deals the Lord Jesus ofttimes with the barren professor; he diggeth about him, he smiteth one blow at his heart, another blow at his lusts, a third at his pleasures, a fourth at his comforts, another at his self-conceitedness. Thus he diggeth about him; this is the way to take bad earth from his roots, and to loosen his roots from the earth. Barren fig-tree, see here the care, the love, the labour, and way, which the Lord Jesus, 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 threatenest 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-suffer all forgiven him. Yea, God the Father, and our Barren fig-tree, dost thou hear? the axe is laid to thy roots, the Lord Jesus prays God to sparo 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, 1 Among the superstitions of the ancients, Michaelis states that both the Greeks and Asiatics had a superstition that a tree might be rendered fruitful by striking it, at the intercession of a friend, three times with the back of an axe.- —(ED.) 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 bear fruit, well." And if not, THEN after that thou shalt cut it down. The Lord Jesus, by this if, giveth us to understand that there is a generation of professors in the world that are incurable, 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, threatenings 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 lost labour; I gave her space to repent, and she repented not.' Re. ii. 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 it may be well with thy soul at last? sired to try more means with the fig-tree; I say, it cannot be, but that a heart so full of compassion as his is should be touched, to behold this professor must now be cut down. "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 which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.' La. xix. 41, 42. 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 axe, but a 'certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indig nation, which shall devour the adversaries.' He. x. 26, 27. 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 begged for more time for this barren professor; I begged until I should dig about it, and dung it. But now, Father, the time is out, the year is ended, the summer is ended, and no good done! I have also tried with my means, with the gospel, I have digged about it; I have laid also the fat and hearty dung of the gospel to it, but all comes to nothing. Father, I 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 axe 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.' 'Woo also to them when I depart from them!' Ho. ix. 12. Now is this professor left naked indeed; naked to God, naked to Satan, naked to sin, naked to the · 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 anything, as when sinners abuse his means of grace; if it be barren and fruitless under my gospel; if it turn my grace into wantonness, if after digging and dunging, and waiting, it yet re-law, naked to death, naked to hell, naked to main 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 which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!' Therefore your house is left unto you desolate.' Mat. xxiii. 37, 38. Yet it cannot be, but that this Lord Jesus, who at first did put a stop to the execution of his Father's justice, because he de 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. '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.' He. xii. 25. 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 1 However painfully unpleasant these terms may appear to professor. Lord, let it alone this year also, till eyes or ears polite, it is a homely but just representation, and I shall dig about it, and dung it; and if it bear calculated to make a lasting impression on every reader. Afflic-fruit, well,' &c. Second. There are some profestions, trials, crosses, are used as a means of creating or reviving spiritual life, as manure is applied to vegetation.-(ED.) sors whose day of grace will end with, Cut it down, with judgment; when Christ, by his means, hath been used for their salvation. First. 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 judgment, when Christ, by his means, hath been used for their salvation. 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 are 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 afterward. Then, after that, thou shalt cut it down.' This the apostle showeth 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 that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.' Wherefore,' saith he, I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart, 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 entered 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 swear they shall not. I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.' Here is cutting down with judgment. So again, he saith, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest; although So then, that I may orderly proceed with the the works were finished from the foundation of the observation, I must lay down these two proposiworld.' He. iv. 4, 5. This word 'if' is the same with tions:-PROPOSITION FIRST. That the day of grace they shall not,' in the chapter before. And where ends with some men before God takes them out he saith, Although the works were finished from of this world. And, PROPOSITION SECOND. The the foundation of the world,' he giveth us to under-death, or cutting down of such men, will be stand that what preparations soever are made for the salvation of sinners, and of how long continuance soever they are, yet the God-tempting, Godprovoking and fruitless professor, is like to go without a share therein, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.' 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, afterward 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.' Jude 5, 6. 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, unto the judgment of the great day. VOL. III. dreadful. For this Cut it down,' when it is PROPOSITION FIRST.-The day of grace ends with some men before God taketh them out of the 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, a sacrificer, a worshipper of God, yea, the first worshipper that we read of after the fall; but his grapes were wild ones. His works were evil; he did not do what he did from true gospel motives, therefore God disallowed his work. Ge. iv. 3—8. 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 73 |