SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN.

BY JOHN BUNYAN,

'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'-Heb. xi. 4.

London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688.

This Title has a broad Black Border

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tired from the world, that Nathaniel poured out his heart in prayer, when our Lord in spirit witnessed, unseen, these devotional exercises, and soon afterwards rewarded him with open approbation. Jn. i. 48. In these secluded pleasant spots the Easterns spend much of their time, under their own vines or fig. trees, sheltered from the world and from the op

of Christ. In this vineyard stood a fig-tree-by
nature remarkable for fruitfulness-but it is bar-
ren. No inquiry is made as to how it came there,
but the order is given, Cut it down.' The dresser
of the garden intercedes, and means are tried to
make it fruitful, but in vain. At last it is cut
down as a cumber-ground and burnt. This vine-
yard or garden represents a gospel church; the
fig-tree a member-a barren, fruitless professor.
'It matters not how he got there,' if he bears no
fruit he must be cut down and away to the fire.

THIS solemn, searching, awful treatise, was pub. lished by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear to have been reprinted until a very few months after his decease, which so unexpectedly took place in 1688. Although we have sought with all possible diligence, no copy of the first edition has been discovered; we have made use of a fine copy of the second edition, in possession of that thorough Bun-pressive heat of the sun—a fit emblem of a church yanite, my kind friend, R. B. Sherring, of Bristol. The third edition, 1692, is in the British Museum. Added to these posthumous publications appeared, for the first time, An Exhortation to Peace and Unity,' which will be found at the end of our second volume. In the advertisement to that treatise are stated, at some length, my reasons for concluding that it was not written by Bunyan, although inserted in all the editions of his collected works. That opinion is now more fully confirmed, by the discovery of Bunyan's own list of his works, published just before his death, in 1688, and in which that exhortation is not inserted. I was also much pleased to find that the same conclusion was arrived at by that highly intelligent Baptist minister, Mr. Robert Robinson. His reasons are given at some length, concluding with, it is evident that Bunyan never wrote this piece." Why it was, after Bunyan's death, published with his Barren Fig-tree,' is one of those hidden mysteries of darkness and of wickedness that I cannot discover. The beautiful parable from which Bunyan selected his text, represents an enclosed ground, in which, among others, a fig-tree had been planted. It was not an enclosure similar to some of the vine yards of France or Germany, exclusively devoted to the growth of the vine, but a garden in which fruits were cultivated, such as grapes, figs, or pomegranates. It was in such a vineyard, thus re

General Doctrine of Toleration, 8vo, 1781.

He

To illustrate so awful a subject this treatise was written, and it is intensely solemn. God, whose omniscience penetrates through every disguise, himself examines every tree in the garden, yea, every bough. Wooden and earthy professor, your detection is sure; appearances that deceive the world and the church cannot deceive God. will be with thee in thy bed fruits-thy midnight fruits-thy closet fruits-thy family fruits-thy conversation fruits.' Professor, solemnly examine yourself; in proportion to your fruitfulness will be your blessedness.' Naked and open are all things to his eye.' Can it be imagined that those that paint themselves did ever repent of their pride? How seemingly self-denying are some of these creeping things.' 'Is there no place will serve to fit those for hell but the church, the vineyard of God?' 'It is not the place where the worker of iniquity can hide himself or his sins from God.' May such be detected before they go

TO THE READER.

But I will keep thee no longer out of the book. Christ Jesus, the dresser of the vineyard, take care of thee, dig about thee, and dung thee, that thou O thou cumber-ground, God expects fruit, God mayest bear fruit; that when the Lord of the vinewill come seeking fruit shortly.

My exhortation, therefore, is to professors that nounce the sentence of damnation on the barren they look to it, that they take heed. fig-tree, thou mayest escape that judgment. The cumber-ground must to the wood-pile, and thence to the fire. Farewell.

Then

down as those that cumber the ground, that he
may plant himself another vineyard?
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 cumber-
eth it the ground?' This therefore must be your
end, although you are planted in the garden of
God; for the barrenness and unfruitfulness of
your hearts and lives you must be cut off, yea,
rooted up, and cast out of the vineyard.

blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices. A
heathenish and prodigious act; for therein he
showed, not only his malice against the Jewish
nation, but also against their worship, and conse-
quently their God. An action, I say, not only
heathenish, but prodigious also; for the Lord
Jesus, paraphrasing upon this fact of his, teach-
eth 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. Lu. xiii. 1–5.
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 amaze-ging and dunging, &c.
God gave
ment, were miserably overthrown.
them sword and famine, pestilence and blood, for
their outrage against the Son of his love. So
wrath came upon them to the uttermost.' 1 Th.

ii. 16.

1

be

you

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. Second, 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. Dig

The doctrine, or mystery, couched under these words is to show us what is like to become of a fruitless or formal professor. For, 1. By the man in the parable is meant God the Father. La xv. 11. 2. By the vineyard, his church. Is. v. 7. 3. By the Now, to prevent their old and foolish salvo, fig-tree, a professor. 4. By the dresser, the Lord which they always had in readiness against such Jesus. 5. By the fig-tree's barrenness, the proprophecies and denunciations of judgment, the fessor's fruitlessness. 6. By the three years, the Lord Jesus presents them with this parable, in patience of God that for a time he extendeth to which he emphatically shows them that their cry barren professors. 7. This calling to the dresser of being the temple of the Lord, and of their of the vineyard to cut it down, is to show the outbeing the children of Abraham, &c., and their cries of justice against fruitless professors. 8. The being the church of God, would not stand them dresser's interceding is to show how the Lord in any stead. As who should It may say, Jesus steps in, and takes hold of the head of his think to help yourselves against this my prophecy Father's axe, to stop, or at least to defer, the preof your utter and unavoidable overthrow, by the sent execution of a barren fig-tree. 9. The dresser's interest which you have in your outward privileges. desire to try to make the fig-tree fruitful, is to show But all these will fail you; for what think you? you how unwilling he is that even a barren figA certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vine-tree should yet be barren, and perish. 10. His yard, 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

1 This awful destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is narrated by Josephus in his sixth book of the Jewish Wars, in language that makes nature shudder. Multitudes had assembled to celebrate the passover when the invading army beleagured the city; a frightful famine soon filled it with desolation: this, with fire and sword, miserably destroyed one million, three hundred and thirty-seven thousand, four hundred and ninety Jews, while the Christians fled before the siege, and escaped to the mountains. Well might the sun vail his face at that atrocious deed, which was so quickly followed by

such awful punishment.-ED.

digging about it, and dunging of it, is to show 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 show, that when Christ Jesus hath
done all, there are some professors will abide bar-
12. The determination upon
ren and fruitless.
this supposition, at last to cut it down, is a certain
prediction of such professor's unavoidable and eter-

nal damnation.

But to take this parable into pieces, and to discourse more particularly, though with all brevity, upon all the parts thereof.

A certain MAN had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard.'

The MAN, I told you, is to present us with God the Father; by which similitude he is often set out in the New Testament.

Observe then, that it is no new thing, if you

Had a fig-tree PLANTED.

This word PLANTED doth also reach far; it supposeth one taken out of its natural soil, or removed from the place it grew in once; one that seemed to be called, awakened; and not only so, but by strong hand carried from the world to the church; from nature to grace; from sin to godliness. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.' Ps. lxxx. 8. Of some of the branches of this vine were there unfruitful professors.

find in God's church barren fig-trees, fruitless pro- | he finds nothing in them but the fruits of unright fessors; even as here you see is a tree, a fruitless eousness. Mat. vii. 22, 23. They were altogether barren tree, a fruitless fig-tree in the vineyard. Fruit is and fruitless professors. not so easily brought forth as a profession is got into; it is easy for a man to clothe himself with a fair show in the flesh, to word it, and say, Be thou warmed and filled with the best. It is no hard thing to do these with other things; but to be fruitful, to bring forth fruit to God, this doth not every tree, no not every fig-tree that stands in the vineyard of God. Those words also, 'Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away,' assert the same thing. Jn. xv. 2. There are branches in Christ, in Christ's body mystical, which is his church, his vineyard, that bear not fruit, wherefore the hand of God is to take them away: I looked for grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes, that is, no fruit at all that was acceptable with God. Is. 5. 4. Again, Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself,' none to God; he is without fruit to God. Ho. x. 1. All these, with many more, show us the truth of the observation, and that God's church may be cumbered with fruitless fig-trees, with barren professors.

Had a FIG-TREE.

Although there be in God's church that be barren and fruitless; yet, as I said, to see to, they are like the rest of the trees, even a fig-tree. It was not an oak, nor a willow, nor a thorn, nor a bramble; but a FIG-TREE. They come unto thee as the people cometh.' Eze. xxxiii. 31. They delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching to God,' and yet but barren, fruitless, and unprofitable professors. Is. lviii. 2-4. Judas also was one of the twelve, a disciple, an apostle, a preacher, an officer, yea, and such a one as none of the eleven mistrusted, but preferred before themselves, each one crying out, Is it I? Is it I?' Mar. xiv. 19. None of them, as we read of, Jn. vi. 70, mistrusting Judas; yet he in Christ's eye was the barren fig-tree, a devil, a fruitless professor. The foolish virgins also went forth of the world with the other, had lamps, and light, and were awakened with the other; yea, had boldness to go forth, when the midnight cry was made, with the other; and thought that they could have looked Christ in the face, when he sat upon the throne of judgment, with the other; and yet but foolish, but barren fig-trees, but fruitless professors. Many,' saith Christ, 'will say unto me in that day,' this and that, and will also talk of many wonderful works; yet, behold,

1 Reader, do not imagine that this was peculiar to Bunyan's days; look not upon your neighbours to find an example, but search your own heart-Lord, is it I?' and strive and pray that you may bring forth more fiuit.-(ED.)

It must be concluded, therefore, that this professor, that remaineth notwithstanding fruitless, is, as to the view and judgment of the church, rightly brought in thither, to wit, by confession of faith, of sin, and a show of repentance and regeneration; thus false brethren creep in unawares! 2 All these things this word planted intimateth; yea, further, that the church is satisfied with them, consents they should abide in the garden, and counteth them sound as the rest. But before God, in the sight of God, they are graceless professors, barren and fruitless fig-trees.

Therefore it is one thing to be in the church, or in a profession; and another to be of the church, and to belong to that kingdom that is prepared for the saint, that is so indeed. Otherwise, Being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east-wind toucheth it? It shall wither in the furrows where it grew.' Eze. xvii. 10.

Had a fig-tree planted in HIS vineyard.

In HIS vineyard. Hypocrites, with rotten hearts, are not afraid to come before God in Sion. These words therefore suggest unto us a prodigious kind of boldness and hardened fearlessness. For what presumption higher, and what attempt more desperate, than for a man that wanteth grace, and the true knowledge of God, to crowd himself, in that condition, into the house or church of God; or to make profession of, and desire that the name of God should be called upon him?

For the man that maketh a profession of the religion of Jesus Christ, that man hath, as it were, put the name of God upon himself, and is called and reckoned now, how fruitless soever before God

The mode of admitting a member to church-fellowship, among the Baptists, was and now is by introducing the trembling convert to a private meeting of the whole church, that they may hear why the union is sought, how the soul became alarmed, and fled for refuge to Christ, with the grounds of hope; inquiries having been previously made into Christian character and godliness. If, with all these precautions, a barren professor gains admittance, the punishment is not upon the garden, but upon the barren trec.-(ED.)