N00458:156
The barren fig trees doom. Or, A brief discourse wherein is set forth the…
The barren fig trees doom. Or, A brief discourse wherein is set forth the woeful danger of all who abide unfruitful under Gospel privileges, and Gods husbandry. Being the substance of sixteen sermons preached on Christ's parable of the fig-tree. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Matthew]The barren fig trees doom. Or, A brief discourse wherein is set forth the woful danger of all who abide unfruitful under Gospel priviledges, and Gods husbandry. Being the substance of sixteen sermons preached on Christ's parable of the fig-tree. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Matthew]
Boston: printed by Benjamin Harris, 1691
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.
SERMON IV.
DOCTRINE II. God doth particularly and curiously look after every one that lives under the means of grace, to see whether they bear fruit accordingly.
HE not only looks after the places in general where his Gospel is enjoyed, and he hath a visible Church, with a more critical eye than he doth other places; but this Observation, and exact inspection of his extends to every individual there: he so looks after every one, as if there were but that one and no more to set his observation upon. God is here compared to a curious and provident Husbandman, who, having a vineyard, is often in it, and walks from tree to tree at every season, and takes a full view ⟨p. 57⟩of each, to see how it sprouts, buds, blossoms, sets for fruit, &c. not omitting of one.
Here three things may be enquired after, 1. What is this curious observation of God? 2. How it appears that he doth this by every individual? 3. Why he so doth?