THE

BARREN FIG-TREE;

OR,

THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL

OF THE

FRUITLESS PROFESSOR.

TO WHICH IS ADDED THE

RIVER OF WATER OF LIFE.

BY

JOHN BUNYAN,

AUTHOR OF " PILGRIM'S PROGRESS," &c. &c.

16

EDINBURGH:

PETER BROWN, PRINTER, 19 ST JAMES' SQUARE.

MDCCCXLVIII,

THE

BARREN FIG-TREE.

A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none: cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? And he, answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it ; and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down-Luke xiii, 6-9.

At the beginning of this chapter we read how some of the Jews came to Jesus Christ, to tell him of the cruelty of Pontius Pilate, in mingling the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices: an heathenish and prodigious act; for therein he shewed not only his malice against the Jewish nation, but also against their worship, and consequently their God: an action, I say, not only heathenish, but prodigious also; for the Lord Jesus, paraphrasing upon this fact of his, teacheth the Jews that without repentance they should all likewise perish. Likewise; that is, by the hand and rage of the Roman empire. Neither should they be more able to avoid the stroke than were those eighteen upon whom the tower of

Siloam fell, and slew them, Luke xix. 42-44: the fulfilling of which prophecy, for their hardness of heart and impenitency, was, in the days of Titus, son of Vespasian, about forty years after the death of Christ. Then, I say, were these Jews and their city both environed round on every side, wherein both they and it, to amazement, were miserably overthrown. God gave them sword and famine, pestilence and blood, for their outrage against the Son of his love: so "wrath came on them to the uttermost," 1st Thess. ii. 16.

Now, to prevent their old and foolish salvo, which they always had in readiness against such prophecies and denunciations of judgment, the Lord Jesus presents them with this parable, in which he emphatically shews them that their cry of being the temple of the Lord, and of their being the children of Abraham, &c. and their being the church of God, would not stand them in any stead. As who would say, it may be you think to help yourselves against this my prophecy of your utter and unavoidable overthrow by the interest which you have in your outward privileges: but all these will fail you; for what think you, "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none." This is your case. The Jewish land is God's vineyard, I know it; and I know also that you are the fig-trees. But, behold, there wanteth the main thing, fruit, for the sake and in expectation of which he set this vineyard with trees. Now, seeing the fruit is not found amongst you, the fruit, I say, for the sake of which he did at first plant this vineyard, what remains, but that in justice he command to cut you down, as those that cumber the ground, that he may plant himself another vineyard? "Then said he to the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this figtree, and find none; cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground ?" This therefore must be your end, al

though you are planted in the garden of God; for the barrenness and unfruitfulness of your hearts you must be cut off, yea, rooted up and cast out of the vineyard.

In parables there are two things to be taken notice of and to be inquired into of them that read.

First, The metaphors made use of.

Secondly, The doctrine or mysteries couched under such metaphors.

The metaphors in this parable are-1. A certain man; 2. A vineyard; 3. A fig-tree, barren or fruitless; 4. A dresser; 5. Three years; 6. Digging and dunging, &c.

The doctrine or mystery couched under these words is to shew us what is like to become of a fruitless or formal professor. For,

1. By the man in the parable, (Luke xv. 11,) is meant God the Father. 2. By the vineyard, (Isa. v. 7,) his church. 3. By the fig-tree, a professor. 4. By the dresser, the Lord Jesus. 5. By the figtree's barrenness, the professor's fruitlessness. 6. By the three years, the patience of God, that for a time he extendeth to barren professors. 7. This calling to the dresser of the vineyard to cut it down, is to shew the outcries of justice against fruitless professors. 8. The dresser's interceding is to shew how the Lord Jesus steps in and takes hold of the head of his Father's axe, to stop, or at least to defer present execution of a barren fig-tree. 9. The dresser's desire to try to make the fig-tree fruitful is to shew you how unwilling he is that ever a barren fig-tree should yet be barren and perish. 10. His digging about it and dunging of it, is to shew his willingness to apply gospel helps to this barren professor, if haply he may be fruitful. 11. The supposition that the fig-tree may yet continue fruitless is to shew that, when Christ Jesus hath done all, there are some professors will abide barren and fruitless. 12. The determination upon this supposition at last to cut it