A30122:375
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.
It is a sad presage of an approaching Famine, (as one well observes) not of Bread nor Water, but of hearing the Word of God, when the thin Ears of Corn, devour the plump full Ones; when the lean Kine devour the fat Ones; when our Controversies about doubtful things, and things of less moment, eat up our Zeal, for the more indisputable and practical things in Religion; which may give us cause to fear, that this will be the Character by which our Age will be known to Posterity, that it was the Age that talked of Religion most, and loved it least.
Look upon those Churches where Peace is, and there you shall find Prosperity: When the Churches had rest, they were not only multiplied, but walking in the Fear of the Lord, and the Comforts of the Holy Ghost, they were edified▪ it is when the whole Body is in it together, as with Joints and Bands, that they increase with the Increase of God.
We are at a stand sometimes, why there is so little growth among Churches, why Men have been so long in ⟨p. 40⟩learning, and are yet so far from attaining the knowledge of the Truth; some have given one Reason, and some another; some say Pride is the cause, and others say Covetousness is the cause; I wish I could say these were no causes: but I observe, that when God entered his Controversy with his People of old, he mainly insisted upon some one Sin, as Idolatry, and shedding Innocent Blood▪ &c. as comprehensive of the rest; not but that they were guilty of other Sins, but those that were the most capital are particularly insisted on; in like manner, whoever would but take a review of Churches that live in Contentions and Divisions, may easily find that breach of Unity and Charity is their capital Sin, and the occasion of all other Sins. No marvel then, that the Scripture saith, the whole Law is fulfilled in Love; and if so, then where Love is wanting, it must needs follow, the whole Law is broken. It is where Love grows cold; that Sin abounds; and therefore the want of Unity and Peace is the cause of that leanness and barrenness that is among us; it's true in Spirituals as well