A30122:387
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.
The Peace of Churches is that which the Apostle prays for in all his Epistles; in which his desire is, that Grace and Peace may be multiplied and increased among them.
Secondly; They that would endeavour the Peace of the Churches, must be careful who they commit the care and oversight of the Churches to; as, first, (over and besides those Qualifications ⟨p. 46⟩that should be in all Christians) they that rule the Church of God, should be Men of Counsel and Understanding; where there is an ignorant Ministry, there is commonly an ignorant People, according as it was of old, Like Priest, like People.
How sad is it to see the Church of God committed to the care of such that pretend to be Teachers of others, that understand not what they say, or whereof they affirm: No marvel the Peace of Churches is broken, when their Watchmen want skill to preserve their Unity, which of all other Things is as the Church's Walls; when they are divided, no wonder they crumble to Atoms, if there is no skilful Physician to heal them: It's sad when there is no Balm in Gilead, and when there is no Physician there. Hence it is, that the Wounds of Churches become incurable, like the Wounds of God's People of old, either not healed at all, or else slightly healed, and to no purpose. May it not be said of many Churches at this day, as God said of the Church of Israel, That he sought for a Man among them that should stand ⟨p. 47⟩in the Gap, and make up the Breach, but he found none?
How sad is it to see the Church of God committed to the care of such that pretend to be Teachers of others, that understand not what they say, or whereof they affirm: No marvel the Peace of Churches is broken, when their Watchmen want skill to preserve their Unity, which of all other Things is as the Church's Walls; when they are divided, no wonder they crumble to Attoms, if there is no skilful Physician to heal them: It's sad when there is no Balm in Gilead, and when there is no Physician there. Hence it is, that the Wounds of Churches become incurable, like the Wounds of God's People of old, either not healed at all, or else slightly healed, and to no purpose. May it not be said of many Churches at this day, as God said of the Church of Israel, That he sought for a Man among them that should stand