N00458:432
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.
DOCTRINE III. That unfruitful Professors are not only unprofitable in, but also very hurtful to Gods Vineyard.
This the Landlord insinuates as a reason why he will have this figtree to be cut down, why cumbers it the ground! Not only, why doth it bear no fruit; why doth it do not good? why doth it make me to lose all my cost and care about it? The word [cumber] as was formerly intimated, signifies, to render a things idle, to make it to do no work; and it is the ground that it doth this detriment unto: and under this resemblance we may take the occasion to observe how not only useless, but mischievous too, barren professors are in the visible Church: and there are several things by which it may be illustrated.
THis the Landlord insinuates as a reason why he will have this figtree to be cut down, why cumbers it the ground! Not only, why doth it bear no fruit; why doth it do not good? why doth it make me to lose all my cost and care about it? The word [cumber] as was formerly intimated, signifies, to render a things idle, to make it to do no work; and it is the ground that it doth this detriment unto: and under this resemblance we may take the occasion to observe how not only useless, but mischievous too, barren professors are in the visible Church: and there are several things by which it may be illustrated.
1: A barren fruit-tree in a vineyard is a very great disgrace to it. The credit of a vineyard, is that it yields much fruit: this