him, such a dependence upon him, such trust in his word, such satisfaction in his presence, such a trusting of him with all my concerns, and such delights in the enjoyment of him, that may demonstrate that his fear is in my heart, that my soul is wrapped up in his things, and that my body, and soul, and estate, and all, are in truth, through his grace, at his dispose, fruit meet for him. Hearty thanks, and blessing God for Jesus Christ, for his good word, for his free grace, for the discovery of himself in Christ to the soul, secret longing after another world, fruit meet for him. Liberality to.the poor saints, to the poor world; a life in word and deed exemplary; a patient and quiet enduring of all things, till I have done and suffered the whole will of God, which he hath appointed for me. "That on the good ground, are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience," Luke viii. 15. This is bringing forth fruit unto God; "having our fruit unto holiness, and our end everlasting life," Rom. vii. 4. vi. 22. xiv. 8.

5. The Lord expects fruit becoming the vineyard of God. The vineyard, saith he, Isa. v. 1. "is a very fruitful hill; witness the fruit brought forth in all ages: The most barren trees that ever grew in the wood of this world, when planted in this vineyard by the God of heaven, what fruit to Godward have they brought forth? "Abel offered the more excellent sacrifice, Heb. xi. 4. Enoch walked with God three hundred years, ver. 5. Noah, by his life of faith, condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith, ver. 7. Abraham left his country, and went out after God, not knowing whither he went, ver. 8. Moses left a kingdom, and run the hazard of the wrath of the king, for the love he had to God and Christ." What shall I say of them who had trials, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection? Heb. xi. 35, 36, 37. " They were stoned; they were sawn asunder; were tempted; were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheep skins and goat skins, being destitute,

afflicted,

afflicted, tormented." Peter left his father, ship and nets, Matth. iv. 18, 19. Paul turned off from the feet of Gamaliel. Men brought their goods and possessions (the price of them) and cast it down at the apostles' feet, Acts xix. 18, 19, 20. and others brought their books together, and burnt them; curious books, though they were worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. I could add, how many willingly offered themselves in all ages, and their all, for the worthy name of the Lord Jesus, to be racked, starved, hanged, burned, drowned, pulled in pieces, and a thousand calamities. Barren fig-tree, the vineyard of God hath been a fruitful place; What dost thou there? What dost thou bear? God expects fruit according to, or becoming the soil of the vineyard.

6. The fruit which God expecteth, is such as becometh God's husbandry and labour. The vineyard is God's husbandry, or tillage. "I am the vine, (saith Christ) and my Father is the husbandman," John xv. 1. And again. 1 Cor. iii. 9. "Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." The vineyard, God fences it, God gathereth out the stones, God builds the tower, and the wine-press in the midst thereof. Here is labour, here is protection, here is removing of hindrances, here is convenient purgation, and all that there might be fruit.

Barren fig-tree, What fruit hast thou? Hast thou fruit becoming the care of God, the protection of God, the wisdom of God, the patience and husbandry of God? It is the fruit of the vineyard, that is either the shame or the praise of the husbandman. "I went by the field of the slothful, (saith Solomon,) and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was grown over with thorns, and nettles, and covered the face thereof," Prov. xxiv. 30, 31, 32.

Barren fig-tree, If men should make a judgment of the care, and pains, and labour of God in his church, by the fruit that thou bringest forth, what might they say, is he not slothful, is he not careless, is he not without discretion? O! thy thorns, thy nettles, thy barren

heart

heart and barren life, is a continual provocation to the eyes of his glory, as likewise a dishonour to the glory of his grace.

Barren fig-tree, hast thou heard all these things: I will yet add one more.

And he came and sought fruit thereon.

The question is not now, What thou thinkest of thyself, nor what all the people of God think of thee, but what thou shalt be found in that day, when God shall search thy boughs for fruit. When Sodom was to be searched for righteous men, God would not, in that matter, trust his faithful servant Abraham, but still as Abraham interceded, God answered, "If I find fifty, or forty and five there, I will not destroy the city,' Gen. xviii 20-27. Barren fig-tree, what sayest thou? God will come down to see, God will make search for fruit himself.

"And he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he to the dresser of the vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none, cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?"

These words are the effects of God's search into the boughs of a barren fig-tree; he sought fruit, and found. none, none to his liking, none pleasant and good.Therefore, first, he complains of the want thereof to the dresser, calls him to come and see, and take notice. of the tree; then signifieth his pleasure: he will have it removed, taken away, cut down from cumbering the ground.

Observe, The barren fig-tree is the object of God's displeasure; God cannot bear with a fruitlest professor. Then said he, &c.

Then, after this provocation; then, after he had sought and found no fruit, then. This word then doth shew us a kind of inward disquietness: as he saith also

in.

in another place, upon a like provocation, "Then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousy, shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book, shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven," Deut. xix. 18, 19, 20.

Then, intimateth, That he was now come to a point, to a resolution what to do with this fig-tree. "Then said he to the dresser of this vineyard," that is to Jesus Christ, "behold," as much as to say, come hither, here is a fig-tree in my vineyard, here is a professor in my church, that is barren, that beareth no fruit.

Observe, However the barren professor thinks of himself on earth, the Lord cries out in heaven against him, Isa. v. 5. "And now I go to, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down."

Behold, these three years 1 come seeking fruit, &c. Observe, These three years. God cries out that his patience is abused, that his forbearance is abused: Behold, these three years I have waited, forborne; these threee years I have deferred mine anger : "Therefore will I stretch out mine hand against thee, and destroy thee: I am weary with repenting," Jer. xv. 6.

These three years. Observe, God layeth up all the time; I say, a remembrance of all the time, that a barren fig-tree, or a fruitless professor, mis-spendeth in this world. As he saith also of Israel of old, " forty years long was I grieved with this generation," Psal. xcv. 10.

These three years, &c. These three seasons: Observe, God remembers how many seasons thou hast mis-spent: for these three signify so many seasons. "And when the time of fruit drew nigh," that is, about the season they began to be ripe, or that according to the season might so have been. Barren fig-tree, thou hast had time, seasons, sermons, ministers, afflictions, judgments, mercies, and what not! and yet hast not been fruitful: Thou hast had awakenings, reproofs, threaten

ings, comforts, and yet hast not been fruitful: Thou hast had patterns, examples, citations, provocations, and yet hast not been fruitful. Well, God hath laid up thy three years with himself. He remembers every time, every season, every sermon, every minister, affliction, judgment, mercy, awakening, pattern, example, citation, provocation; he remembers all: As he said of Israel of old," They have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice," Numb. xxiv. 22. And again," I remember all their wickedness," Hos.vii. 2.

These three years, &c. He seeks for the fruit of every season: He will not that any of his sermons, ministers, afflictions, judgments, or mercies, should be lost, or stand for insignificant things; he will have according to the benefit bestowed, 2 Chron. xxxii. 24, 25. Ezek. xiv. 23. He hath not done without a cause all that he hath done, and therefore he looketh for fruit: Look to it, barren fig-tree.

I came seeking fruit.

Observe, This word seeking signifies a narrow search; for when a man seeks for fruit on a tree, he goes round it, and round it, now looking into this bough, and then into that, he peeps into the inmost boughs, and the lowermost boughs, if perhaps fruit may be thereon.

Barren fig-tree, God will look into all thy boughs, he will be with thee in thy bed-fruits, thy midnightfruits, thy closet-fruits, thy family-fruits, thy conversation-fruits, to see if there be any among all these that are fit for or worthy of the name of the God of hea"He sees what the children of Israel do in the dark," Ezek. viii. 12. "All things are open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do," Heb. iv. 12, 13. Seeking

ven.*

*The all-seeing eye of the Deity pervades universal nature: he beholds all things at a single glance the most secret thoughts are naked and open to him. That God, with whom we have to do, has a most intimate knowledge of all persons and things, and to him we must give an account,

E