most deplorable. We trust that the benevolent teachers who devoted themselves to this work, may receive much pleasure and much benefit from this their labour of love, and that the Lord may make them instrumental, in his great mercy, of saving many souls from death, of those who were so ready to perish among the DEAF AND DUMB, and the BLIND.-Lesson System Magazine for October.

THE BARREN FIG-TREE.

IT has been universally observed, that the most interesting and important instructions in religious truth, given by our blessed Lord to his disciples, were generally conveyed by means of parables. A parable is a picture of spiritual things an illustration of some religious truth, borrowed from the common concerns of life, with which all were familiar. This mode of instruction was most frequently adopted by our Lord; and, therefore, whether we find him addressing the church or the world, still he speaks unto them by parables. Among the many parables wherein the professing Christian church is addressed, there are none, perhaps, more profitable for its members individually to meditate upon, and to apply diligently to heart, than that one wherein our Lord compares the professor of religion to a fig-tree planted in a vineyard. The story is short, but every word contained in it is replete with valuable instruction and awful warning; and, there fore, my reader, before we begin to consider the spiritual meaning of this beautiful passage of Scripture, let me entreat you to lift up your heart in prayer to God for his Holy Spirit, that if you have hitherto read this parable with a careless heart, and without self-application, you may now be led to know and to feel that it is addressed especially to you that your own state is particularly described in it.

In the first place, it may be well to observe, that "this parable primarily refers to the Jews, as a nation, and predicts the awful judgment with which they were visited; but also points out the certain doom of men, professors of religion, who continue unfaithful in grace and holiness, after much culture has been bestowed upon them, and much patience exercised towards them." "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard." The vineyard represents the visible church of Christ. A person is, as it were,

planted in the vineyard, when at baptism, he is admitted into the church as a member, and thereby becomes a partaker of all the outward privileges of religion, attending upon the ordinances and other means of grace. Thus he is planted in the vineyard. He partakes of all the reli gious advantages which the other members enjoy:-like trees in the same garden, they are watered by the same showers-the same dew descends upon them-they hear the same blessed Gospel proclaimed they are invited to come to Jesus for pardon and salvation-they are exhorted to repent, and to bring forth fruit meet for repentance-they are warned of the danger of having "merely a name to live"-of the necessity of growth in grace, and are invited to draw from the fulness of Jesus a supply for all their wants. They are alternately warned, and encouraged, and comforted. All the privileges (and many and great they are) of being members of the visible church of Christ are theirs. It may be said of those who are members of a congregation, who enjoy the faithful and living instructions of a really devoted minister of Christ, that they are like "Capernaum exalted up to heaven." O may none of us, by neglecting to improve these blessings, bring upon ourselves the awful denunciation which follows, "Thou shalt be thrust down to hell." Have we profited by the various means of grace with which the Lord has blessed us? or are we, in this day of increasing Gospel light, still receiving the grace of God in vain? The next subject brought before us in the parable, will help us to decide upon this important point. The Lord is described as coming to seek fruit on this fig.tree. "He came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.' This is the test by which we shall each be tried-are we barren or fruitful trees? Have the instructions we have received, or the knowledge which we profess to have of the blessed truths of religion, caused us to bring forth the fruit of holiness in heart and life? Are we bringing forth fruit unto God? As an old author has well observed, God expects fruit according to the seasons of grace you are under, according to the rain that comes upon you. Perhaps you are planted in a good soil, by great waters, that you may bring forth branches, and bear much fruit; shall he not, * therefore, seek for fruit answerable to the means? How many showers of grace, how many dews from heaven, have fallen! how many silver streams of the river of God run gliding by your roots, to cause you to bring forth

fruit! These showers and streams, and the drops that hang from your boughs, must all be accounted for; and will they not testify against you, that you justly deserve punishment? The Gospel has in it the forgiveness of sin, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life; but what fruit has your profession of belief in these things put forth in your life? Have you given yourself to the Lord? And is all that you have in the world to be ventured for his name? Do you walk like one who is "bought with a price?" In the case described here, we find the Lord came and sought fruit, and found none." The tree had leaves, indeed, but no fruit! Just so, a person may be a partaker of all the means of grace and religious advantages which we have here described; he may even have a name in the church, and be received into communion with real believers, and yet still be unchanged in beart,-unfruitful-unholy. The Lord of the vineyard comes seeking fruit. It is not a profession of religion-it is not merely a regular attendance upon the means of grace-it is not merely a clear head-knowledge of the truths of the gospel, which the Lord requires, or will be pleased with-it is fruit. It is that our hearts should be changed by the renewal of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the word; and that this change should be evidenced by our walking in newness of life; and in every one who bears the name of Christ, he is looking for this fruit; and is it not to be feared, that too many of us resemble this barren fig-tree? It had leaves, no doubt, like the other trees in the garden, therefore we should naturally expect to find fruit also upon its branches. Some of us have much outward profession of religion; is it not reasonable to expect that the fruit of holiness in heart and life would accompany it? But is it so? Alas! we fear not. Many, many there are, who, Sabbath after Sabbath, hear the glorious sound of the Gospel, and to whom the preacher's words are as a lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. They sometimes even delight in hearing the word, but they do it not; their hearts go after their own lusts, and they bring not forth fruit unto God." Such persons can talk fluently on the subject of religion, and appear to have a great zeal for the Lord; but the inward fruits of the Spirit are wanting, and nothing without this can prove us true disciples of Christ; as Newton says

“Knowledge, and zeal, and gifts, and talk,
Unless combined with grace and love,
And witnessed by a Gospel walk,

Will not a true profession prove."

There is no greater delusion than for a poor sinner to rest satisfied with merely hearing the word, and in the performance of some outward duties. It is to the heart that God looks; of what avail, therefore, is it, if we have the form of godliness, but are destitute of its power; building our hopes for eternity on a foundation of sand, which will give way and disappoint us, when we most require its support."

The Lord is next described as addressing the dresser of the vineyard. The dresser of the vineyard may represent the Lord Jesus Christ, in his office of mediator and intercessor; but it more probably means the faithful minister of the Gospel. The Lord of the vineyard says, behold those three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree. Oh ! sinner, is not this a picture of the long-suffering and forbearance of God towards thee? Long may he have been looking for fruit in thy barren heart,-not three, but, perhaps, for thirty, forty, or fifty years he has come seeking fruit, and still he is disappointed; he finds none. What is the use of keeping this tree in the garden? The vine and fig-tree are of no use if they bear not fruit.-Ezek. xv. 2, 3, 4, 5; John xv. 6. "Cut it down-why cumbereth it the ground." The fruitless professor of religion is a cumberer of the ground. He is unprofitable to himself— to the church-and to the world. Like a barren tree, he occupies the place which might probably have been usefully filled by others. This is especially applicable to the case of those who are unfaithful ministers of the Gospel. How important is the situation which they fill. Hundreds of immortal souls depending upon them for example and instruction; but they, regardless of the charge committed to them, go through the meagre routine of duty, which we may say they are obliged to perform, and, then, too often join the world in forgetting God! and thus lose their own souls; and by occupying a situation of such awful responsibility, ruin the souls of many poor sinners. The unfaithful, careless, minister of the Gospel, is surely a cumberer of the ground, in the most enlarged and awful sense of the term which we can conceive.

But the unfruitful professor is not only unprofitable to

others, he is, besides, injurious. He injures those around him by his example. Suppose him to be the head of a family, or that he occupies some other influential situation in society; and if it be observed by those around him, that he acts as if nothing more were required, than a head well stored with doctrinal knowledge, with regular attendance upon the outward forms of religion, will they not be led to conclude that nothing more is necessary? when, on the contrary, if they see the power of religion exemplified by the holy lip and conversation of such a person, might they not, by the grace of God, be induced thereby to go and do likewise? (1 Pet. ii. 12.) "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground?" This is the just, though awful sentence; and must we not feel, that if our God were not a God of infinite mercy, and also a God that heareth prayer, the sentence should, long ere this, have been executed upon many of us? Our God is, indeed, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and easily entreated; he bears the prayer of the faithful minister, who watches for the souls of his people, as one that must give account; and whose greatest anxiety is for those of his flock, who have long been in the habit of hearing the message of salvation, and profess to believe it, but in whom the fruit of holiness is not found; and when he weighs these characters in the balance of the sanctuary, he perceives they are wanting: they have "a name to live, but they are dead;" they are therefore the objects of his special prayer. He knows the awful denunciation contained in the word of God against all those "who profess to fear God, but in works deny him" he knows that they do especially provoke the divine anger, (Matt. vii. 21; xxii. 23; Psal. 1. 16–21; Isa. xxix. 13, 14; Rev. iii. 1-3.) He prays the Lord to spare them yet a little longer, that he may, like the skil ful husbandman, bestow more culture upon them. Oh! what a privilege do those enjoy who are under the care of a faithful pastor. "He is the ambassador for Christ, beseeching them in his stead to be reconciled unto God." And the end of every plan which he adopts for the spiritual improvement of his people is, that fruit may be produced in them-first that they may in earnest be led to Jesus for repentance and pardon. And, then, that they may walk in newness of life, growing daily in conformity to the image of Christ: this is also the fruit which God looks for. If it bear fruit,