A30122:256
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.
5. Well, Now the Axe begins to be heaved higher, for now indeed God is ready to smite the Sinner, yet before he will strike the stroke, he will try one Way more at the last, and if that misseth, down goes the Fig-tree. Now this last way is to tug and strive with this Professor by his Spirit. Wherefore the Spirit of the Lord is now come to him: But not always to strive with Man, Gen. 6. 8. yet a while he will strive with him, he will awaken, he will convince, he will call to remembrance former Sins, former Judgments, the breach of former Vows and Promises, the misspending of former Days; he will also present persuasive Arguments, encouraging Promises, dreadful Judgments, the shortness of time to repent in; and that there is hope if he come. Further, he will show him the certainty of Death, and of the Judgment to come; yea, He will pull and strive with this Sinner. But, behold, the mischief now lies here, here ⟨p. 97⟩is tugging and striving on both sides. The Spirit convinces, the Man turns a deaf Ear to God; the Spirit saith, Receive my Instruction and live; but the Man pulls away his Shoulder; the Spirit shows him whither he is going, but the Man closeth his Eyes against it; the Spirit offereth violence, the Man strives and resists, They have done despite unto the Spirit of Grace, Heb. 10. 29. The Spirit parleyeth a second time, and urgeth Reasons of a new nature; But the Sinner answereth, No, I have loved strangers, and after them I will go, Amos 4. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11. At this God's Fury comes up into his Face, now he comes out of his holy Place, and is terrible: now He sweareth in his Wrath, they shall never enter into his Rest, Ezek. 24. 13. I exercised towards you my Patience, yet you have not turned unto me, saith Lord. I smote you in your Person, in your Relations, in your Estate, yet you have not returned •nto me, saith the Lord. In thy filthiness is lewdness, because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged; thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I cause my Fury to rest npon thee. Cut it down, why doth it cumber the ground?