Doctrine 1: God Expects Every One Planted in His Vineyard to Bear Fruit

DOCTRINE 1. God expects that every one that is planted in his Vineyard should bring forth fruits answerable to this planting.

And this is a rational expectation. What husbandman that sees a fruit-tree in his enclosure, would expect otherwise?

In clearing up this doctrine, three things may be enquired into.

1. What fruit is it that God expects?

2. In what respect he may be said thus to expect it?

3. What reason there is why he may justly so expect?

1. What fruit it is that God expects?

A. Not any fruit of what kind soever; for if so, then God would never miss of his expectation. All men are doing something or other; every man has his works which he must be called to an account for, be judged by, and receive a recompense accordingly (2 Corinthians 5:10). There are the fruits of the flesh, as well as of the spirit; but there are some fruits that are reckoned as worse than none, and let men have never so many of them, they are for all accounted barren (Hosea 10:1). Every man looks that his trees should bear, according to the kind they were planted for, and had a resemblance of: they do not go about to gather figs of thistles; but they promise themselves, that if they be fig-trees, they will surely bear figs, and good ones too; if therefore the vine bear grapes, yet if they prove wild and sour, they are as bad as none (Isaiah 5:2). They that are placed in the visible Church are fig-trees, they seem at least to be so, they bear such leaves upon them; not that God can be deceived in any, he knows what they are indeed, but by their outward profession they declare themselves to be such: they say they are God's people, called by his name, devoted to his service; they are visibly plants of righteousness. The fruits then which God expects of such are the fruits of righteousness; that they should live a life of faith which works by love; that they should serve and obey him in all things, should walk in a holy conformity to his revealed will, should do the works of God; live answerably to the teachings of the grace which has appeared to them (Titus 2:11, 12). In sum, that they walk in conformity to the rules of God's Word, frame their lives in all things according to it: these are fruits pleasing to him, and such as become his Vineyard, and those wherein you may show forth his praise.

2. On what account he may be said thus to expect it?

A. Though God condescends to speak to us in our language, yet it becomes us always to interpret him so as is becoming his sacred majesty. All things therefore that imply any infirmity in men, are to be removed from our thoughts in our interpretation of him, in what he declares to us. Here then let us observe that when men are said to expect a thing, it implies, 1. That they are at some loss about it before hand. 2. That they entertain it in a hope. 3. That this hope depends upon probabilities that may be frustrated, and so they may miss. We are not to suppose any such thing concerning the great God, for, what he desires, he does: he knows all things beforehand, for they depend upon his all-efficiency, he cannot therefore be disappointed, or lose his hope. This expectation therefore is not to be attributed to him in respect of his secret will, decrees, or purposes; as if he had left any of them dubious or uncertain, or depending on the creature, on which he must wait before he can determine what will be, this is altogether incompatible to the divine nature. But it must be interpreted of his revealed will, in respect of the transactions that have past between God and his people: for, as he treats with them as men, so he is said to look for this or that from them, after the manner of men. It notes the connexion between the end and the suitableness of the means for the advancing of the end; here then observe in particular.

1. That there is some worthy end of God's planting a Church in the world. God's works are all done in wisdom: nor wisdom always proposes to itself a worthy end in all that it does. God does nothing in vain. There is a great deal of God's care, and singular providence discovers itself in and about the affairs of his Church; in the raising up of instruments, and sending them forth into the world, with a commission to gather men out of it into his Vineyard; in giving them his Gospel and ordinances; in making of his Covenant known to them there is something peculiar which God does to and for these, from what he does for other men, he has not dealt so by all nations. There must therefore be some peculiar and eminent design in it, or otherwise he would not have thus done: and it is worthy our enquiry after, that so we may be able to give him the honor that is due to him for it.

2. We are to distinguish between the end of the purpose and of the precept. If we speak of God's purposes, he knows all his works concerning them, before the foundation of the world, and here he can never be at a loss or disappointed: but that is secret to us, and therefore belongs not to our curious search (Deuteronomy 29:29). But then the precept of God is that in which he is pleased to reveal himself to us, and shows us what is his will concerning our duty, or what he has seen meet to make a duty incumbent upon us; now in the preceptive discovery of God's will to his people, he has told them what it is they ought to propose to themselves as their end, and what are the means which they are to make use of in order to their obtaining it; and this is that which we call man's end, because he is commanded to seek it, and God's end too, because he has enjoined men to seek it, and which he intends also to bring about in all these whom he has ordained to eternal life (John 28:28).

That the end which every one in the visible Church is called and pointed to, is to bear fruit. It is true, God has a purpose of his own concerning them, which shall never be frustrate, he will have his honor by them, whether they fructify or no; which way soever it falls, he will have his glory, Paul is a sweet savour of God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. But this is that which God enjoins them all in: this is his positive command, which he has laid upon every one that are taken so near to him: that they do serve and obey him (Isaiah 43:2). This people have I formed for my self, they shall shew forth my praise. God requires this of every one, and what men require, they are wont to expect: for, because all men owe obedience to all the commands of God, and his people are under peculiar, as well as general obligations hereunto, who that is so related would not look that such should obey him? For men then to fail in this respect, is to come short of their end; and God complains as if he had done for them in vain (Jeremiah 2:30).

That all the means that are used with them look directly this way. We are wont to judge of mens designs, by their actions; and by their designs we rationally judge of their expectations; for all men have a secret hope that their designs will succeed, else they would not be at cost to promove them. Now he that shall but rightly consider the nature and tendency of all that is done by God to & for his visible Church, and every one in it, must needs say that all has a direct and proper reference to their bearing the fruits of holiness: for what else does the Gospel Covenant oblige men to, but to glorify God? And that is by a rightly ordered conversation; what else do all the Gospel commands serve to, but to shew man the way how he is thus to do? What are all the promises for, but to give them all encouragment needful, to excite and engage them hereunto? And what is the aspect of all the threatnings, but to awaken them, and make them careful of their duty, and afraid to neglect it; and what are all the afflictive providences they meet with for, but to purge them that they may bear more fruit?

Hence God may truly be said on this account to expect it. Who would not be obeyed in his just commands? And there are two things which among men, are wont eventually to discover to us what they expected, and both these may be attributed to God, according to scripture.

They are wont to be pleased when their expectations are answered; it gives them a great deal of satisfaction, and we shall find that God is well pleased with the obedience of his people (Hebrews 13:16). With such sacrifices God is well pleased. He is therefore said to smell a savour of rest in such things: if Abel offers his firstlings and the fat, God has a respect to him (see Hebrews 11:5). He will therefore say to them that husband their talents profitably, well done good and faithful servant: and he has gracious rewards to bestow upon such, wherein he testifies how grateful they are to him.

They are wont to be displeased, if they miss of their expectation, they take it ill, and it is a matter of trouble to them; and the reason is, because, they promised themselves the contrary. Now God in his Word bears witness to his great displeasure at all such as are in his Church, who do not bear fruit — so he did at this fig-tree: verse 7. [illegible] which kindles his anger against his people, and is the occasion of all the judgments that are brought upon them: when therefore the Scripture gives us an account of the many fearful calamities which God made his people to undergo, this [illegible] made the procuring cause of them; they did not obey him, but they sinned against [illegible] and all this intimates that which to men would amount to a seeking or expecting of fruit from such as these are.

What reason there is why he may justly so expect?

If there be any reason for a husbandman to expect fruit, of a tree that he has laid out cost and care upon, then well may God look for it of those that are planted in his visible Church, for there is nothing wanting there as to means for their help hereunto. Therefore we have the demand (Isaiah 5:4), What could I have done more? This will appear if we consider.

They have sufficient conviction afforded them of the unreasonableness of disobedience, and reasonableness of obedience. In the Word and Ordinances these discoveries are plentifully made to them, in which the nature, and evil fruits of sin are plainly set before them, the beauty of holiness, and rationality as well as profitableness of the service of God is made clear by several demonstrations. They are but poor, dark and glimmering notions of these things that the Heathen discover, by the best improvement of the light of nature; but in the visible Church, these things are from time to time exhibited, and the undeniableness of these truths made to appear.

They have here also sufficient direction afforded them, to point out the way to them, in which they may serve God, & bear the fruits of obedience (Micah 6:8). He has shewed you the way O Man! The world are unacquainted with this, the way of natural obedience is but [illegible] to them, but that of Gospel obedience is altogether hidden from them (Romans 3:17). The way of peace have they not known. But these have such discoveries (Psalm 147:16), he sheweth his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel. The object of their obedience, namely God in Christ, is here made known in his glorious excellencies and perfections; the way how fallen man may serve God acceptably, that is, by faith in Christ, and grace derived from him, is here declared: the duties in which he is thus to be obeyed, and the sins that are to be avoided, are here deciphered, and from time to time explained to [illegible].

They have plentiful warnings against sin, and encouragements to obedience laid before them. God here tells them the danger of the one, and the great benefit that shall accrue to them by the other; the threatnings and the promises do fully exhibit these things: the death and destruction that by living in sin they shall bring themselves to; the life and glory that is to be enjoyed in fearing and serving God are urged upon them. God is often saying to them, as (Romans 8:13) if you live after the flesh you shall die, &c. In the Law is discovered the wrath of God against all unrighteousness; in the Gospel, the great salvation purchased by Christ, and applied to them that believe in him and serve him, is made known.

All needful help is offered them, to enable them thus to serve God, and bring forth fruits to his praise. Man indeed is in himself without strength, he cannot serve God, his moral powers are enervated, and altogether disabled by original sin: but this is no excuse to him, because God has told him where his help is (Hosea 13:9), and he has promised his spirit to them that ask him, yes and bids them to ask him; no, the spirit himself offers his help to them, and is grieved that they refuse him, and quench his motions in them, he is ready to relieve their infirmities, to supply them with a new principle of grace, and strength, and continued influence to help them to be fruitful.

All proper pains and endeavours are used with them, to bring them to bear fruit to God. They are God's husbandry (1 Corinthians 3:9), they have line upon line, &c., they have the dews and showers of ordinances falling upon them continually, counsels, reproofs, warnings, inward motions and stirrings of the spirit in and with the outward dispensation of the ordinances; many mercies to allure them to obedience, and seasonable afflictions to reclaim them from sin, and quicken them to holiness, to wean them from the world, and prompt them to mind the things of highest concernment for their souls.

All this is afforded to reasonable creatures. Men that are able in other things to consult, advise, and determine, according to the rules of discretion; and why should they not so do in these too, which are set before them with as clear demonstration, and urged with greatest seriousness and solemnity, who can tell? And when we have put all things together, what can be said against it, why God may not in all reason expect, that those who are thus advantaged above others, should do more than others, and make their profiting known to all men by their fruits?