A30122:81
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.
And found none.] None at all, or none to God's liking: For when he saith, He came seeking Fruit thereon, he means Fruit meet for God, (Heb. 6.) pleasant Fruit, Fruit good and sweet.
Alas, it is not any Fruit will serve; bad Fruit is counted none. Every Tree that bringeth not forth Good Fruit, is hewen down, and cast into the Fire, Matth. 3. 10.
1. There is a Fruit among Professors that withers, and so never comes to be ripe, a Fruit that is smitten in the growth, and comes not to maturity, and this is ⟨p. 24⟩reckoned no Fruit. This Fruit those Professors bear, that have many fair beginnings, or blossoms: That make many fair offers of Repentance and Amendment; that begin to pray, to resolve, and to break off their Sins by Righteousness; but stop at those beginnings, and bring no Fruit forth to perfection. This Man's Fruit is withered, wrinkled, smitten Fruit, and is in effect no Fruit at all.