A30122:189
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.
Lord, let it alone this Year.]
Lord, a little longer, lets 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.
Barren Fig-tree, Dost thou hear what striving there is between the Vine-dresser and the Husband-Man for thy Life. Cut it down, says one; Lord, spare it, saith the other: 'Tis a cumber-ground, saith the Father: one Year longer prays the Son, Let it alone this Year also,
Until I shall dig about it, and dung it.
Vntil 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.