A30122:111
The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor showing…The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing…
The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor showing that the day of grace may be past with him long before his life is ended : the signs also by which such miserable mortals may be known / by John Bunyan ; to which is added his Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing that the day of grace may be past with him long before his life is ended : the signs also by which such miserable mortals may be known / by John Bunyan ; to which is added his Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.
London: printed for J. Robinson, 1688
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
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 ⟨p. 36⟩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?