A30122:378
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.
Seventhly; Where Unity and Peace is wanting, our Prayers are hindered: The Promise is, that what we shall agree to ask, shall be given us of our Heavenly Father: No marvel we pray and pray, and yet are not answered, it is because we are not agreed what to have.
It's reported, that the People in Lacedemonia, coming to make Supplications to their Idol God, some of them asked for Rain, and others of them asked for fair Weather: The Oracle returns them this Answer, That they should go first and agree among themselves: Would a Heathen God refuse to answer such Prayers, in which the Supplicants were not agreed; and shall we think the True God will answer them?
We see then that Divisions hinder our Prayers, and lay a prohibition on our Sacrifice: If thou bring thy Gift to the Altar, (saith Christ) and there remember that thy Brother hath ought against thee, leave thy Gift, and go, and ⟨p. 42⟩first be reconciled to thy Brother, and then come and offer it: So that want of Unity and Charity hinders even our particular Prayers and Devotions.