I. Scripture-light the most sure light ... delivered in three sermons on 2 Pet.…

Answ. 4 Fourthly: As for your unprofitableness, and unfruitfulness under the Means and Ordinances, ye know that there is a difference between Unfruitfulness, and less Fruitfulness; the good Ground brings forth Fruit, in some thirty, in some sixty, in some an hundred fold; thirty is less than sixty, yet this is not unfruitfulness; sixty is less fruit than an hundred fold, yet this is not ⟨p. 314⟩barrenness. A good man may be less fruitful than another, or th•• he was formerly, yet he may be fruitful; and it may be thus with you. But suppose you cannot profit under the means, and be indeed unfruitful; yet there is a great deal of difference between the unfruitfulness of the good Tree, and the barrenness of the barren fig-tree. 1. Though a good man be unfruitful, yet he is very sensible of his unfruitfulness, O! (saith he) there is not a more barren, vile, wretched, unprofitable heart in all the world than mine: 'tis not so wth the barren soul. 2. Though a good man may be too unfruitful, yet he doth not cumber the ground; the barren fig-tree doth, Luke, 13. that is, he doth eat out the heart of the soil from others, & doth hinder others; he is a cumber to the place & family where he grow and lives: the good man is not so, but though he is unprofitable in his own eyes, yet in truth he is profitable to the souls of others. 3. Though a goo• […] doth not profit so much as he should and would, yet he is […] that any means should be used with him for his profit and growth, even to be digged about, and dunged: And I will dig about it, ¹and dung it. Upon which words, saith Bernard; Non refugit faeditatem medii, qui expectat facunditatem animae: Dung is a means unsavoury, and he that desires the growth of his Grace, will not refuse the foulness of the means, that means which to flesh and blood is unsavoury. 4. Though a good man may be very unfruitful, yet God will not cut him down, he will prune him, and cut him in such a time as he may grow thereby, but he will not cut him down. But the barren Fig-tree, he will cut it down; cut it down, saith the owner, why should it cumber the ground any longer? But however it be, Art thou unfruitful, unprofitable under the means? then have you cause to be humbled: Humble your self therefore before the Lord your God, yet be you not discouraged.