One black sheep is soon espied, although in company, that is taken with the first case of the eye; its different colour still betrays it. I say, therefore, a church and a profession are not places where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves from God, who seeks for fruit; My Vineyard, saith God, which is mine, is before me, Song viii. 12. And he came out and sought fruit thereon (and found none). Barren Fig Tree, hearken-The continual nonbearing of fruit is a dreadful sign, that thou art to come to a dreadful end, as the winding up of this Parable concludeth. : And found none.— -None at all, or none to God's liking For when he saith, He came seeking fruit theron, he means fruit, meet for God, Heb. vi. 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 hewn down, and cast into the fire, Mat. iii, 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 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 forth no fruit to perfection. This man's fruit is withered, wrin kled, smitten fruit, and is in effect no fruit at all. : 2. There is an hasty fruit such as the corn upon the house top, Psal. cxxix, or that which springs up on the dunghill, that runs up, suddenly, violently, with great stalks, and big show, and yet at last proves empty of kernel. This fruit is to be found in those Professors, that on a sudden are so awakenéd, so convinced, and so affected with their condition, that they shake the whole family, the endship the whole town. For a while they cry hastily, vehemently, dolefully, mournfully and yet all is but a pang, an agony, a fit; they bring not forth fruit with patience. These are called those hasty fruits, that shall be as a fading flower, Isa, xxviii. 4. : 3. There is a fruit that is vile, and ill tasted, Jer, xxiv. how long soever it be in growing, Hos. ix 16; the root is dried, and cannot convey a sufficient sap to the branches to ripen the fruit. These are the fruits of such professors, whose heart is estranged from communion with the Holy Ghost, whose fruit groweth from themselves, Hos. x. 1 from their parts, gifts, strength of wit, natural or moral principles. These, notwithstanding they bring forth fruit, are called empty Vines: such as bring not forth fruit to God. 66 Their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay, even the beloved fruit of their womb." 4. There is a fruit that is wild-I looked for grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes, Isa. v. 4. I observe, That as there are trees and herbs that are wholly right, and noble, fit indeed for the Vineyard, so there are also their semblance, but wild; not right, but ignoble. There is the grape and the wild grape; the vine and the wild vine; the rose and the canker-rose; flowers and wild flowers; the apple and the wild apple, which we call the crab. Now fruit from these wild things, how ever they may please the children to play with, yet the prudent and grave count them of little or no value. There are also in the world a generation of Professors, that, notwithstanding their profession, are wild by nature; yea, such as were never cut out, or off, from the wild olive-tree, no never yet planted into the good olive-tree. Now these can bring nothing forth but wild olive-berries, they cannot bring forth fruit unto God. Such are all those that have lately taken up a profession, and crept into the Vineyard without a new-birth, and the blessing of regeneration. Fruit 5. There is also untimely fruit, Even as a figtree casteth her untimely figs, Rev. vi. 13. out of season, and so no fruit to God's liking. There are Two sorts of Professors subject to bring forth untimely fruit. and 1. They that bring forth (Fruit) too soon. 2. They that bring forth (Fruit) too late. First, They that bring forth too soon. They are such as at presént receive the word with joy; anon, before they have root downwards, they thrust forth upwards; but having no root, when the sun ariseth they are smitten, and miserably die without fruit, These Professors are those light and inconsiderate ones, that think nothing but peace will attend the Gospel, and so anon rejoice at the tidings, without foreseeing the trouble: Wherefore when the trouble comes, being unarmed, and so not able to stand any longer, they die and are withered, and bring forth no fruit. He that receiveth the seed into stany places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth, because of the word, by and by they are of fended, There is, in Isa. xxviii, mention made of some whose glorious beauty shall be a fading flower, because it is fruit before summer, Isa. xxviii. 4. Both these are untimely fruit. Secondly, They also bring forth untimely fruit, that stay till the season is over. God will have his fruit in his season; I say he will receive them of such men as shall render them to him in their seasons, Matt. xxi. 41; the missing of the seasons is dangerous, staying till the door is shut, Matt. xxv. 10, 11, is dangerous.. Many there be that come not till the flood of God's anger is raised, and too deep for them to wade through: Surely in the flood of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto him, Psal. xxxii. 6. Esau's afterward is fearful: For ye know, that afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of Repentance though he sought it carefully with tears, Heb. xii. 16, 17. So the children of Isael, they brought to God the fruits of obedience too late their Lo we be here, came too late; their We will go up, came too late, Numb. xiv. 40, 41, 42. The Lord had sworn before that they should not possess the land, ver. 21, 22, 23. All these are such as bring forth untimely fruit, Matt. xxv. 10, and xxvii. 3. It is the hard hap of the reprobate to do all things too late, Gen. iv. 13, 14, to be sensible of his want of Grace, too late, Luke xiii. 25, 6, 27; to be sorry for sin, too late; to mourn for sin, too late; seek repentance, too late; to ask for mercy, and to desire to go to glory, too late. to 1. Thus you see that fruit smitten in the growth, that withereth, and that comes not. to maturity, is no fruit. Luke viii. 14. the 2. That hasty fruit, such as the corn upon house top, Psal. cxxix. 6, withereth also before it groweth up, Jer, ii. 4, and is no fruit. 3. That the fruit that is vile and ill-tasted, is no fruit. Isa. v. 4. 4. That wild fruit, wild grapes, are no fruit, untimely fruit, such as comes too soon, or that comes too late, such as comes not in their season, are no fruit. He came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Nothing will do but fruit: He looked for grapes; when the time of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruit of it. Matt. xxi. 34. Quest. But what fruit doth God expect? Answ. Good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, Matt. vii. 19. Now before the fruit can be good, the tree must be good; for good fruits make not a good tree; but a good tree bringeth forth good fruit: Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, Luke vi. 43, 44, 45. A man must be good, else he can bring forth no good fruit; he must have righteousness imputed, that may stand good in God's sight from the curse of his Law. He must have a principle of righteousness in his soul, else how should he bring forth good fruits; and hence it is, that a Christian's fruits are called, the fruits of the spirit, Gal. v. 22, 23, the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, Phil. i. 11. The fruits of the spirit, therefore the spirit must first be there; but to particularize in a few things briefly. First, God expecteth fruit that will answer, and be worthy of repentance, which thou feignest thyself to have. Every one in a profession and that |