Doctrine 2: It Is a High Aggravation of Guilt to Remain Barren After Long Patience and Great Pains

DOCTRINE 2. It is an high aggravation of the guilt of sinners in the visible Church that they remain barren after long patience, and great pains used with them.

Here lies the emphasis of the complaint, that he had tarried so many years, and come so frequently, and the fig-tree continues barren: and he speaks it as a strange thing, that calls for observation; Behold! That the sins of men do admit of aggravations, or are greatened by circumstances, is evident from Scripture. Not only are some sins in themselves more heinous and scandalous than others; but the same sins in themselves, may be made more provoking and deeper dyed; and there are divers ways in which they come so to be, and among other rules by which this is to be judged of, here is one: namely, the greater obligations that God has upon men, to repent of and turn from their sins to him, the greater must the provocation needs be. This was it that made Saint Solomon's sin the more observable, because God had appeared to him twice: this aggravated David's sin, because God had done so much for him: this made the sins of Capernaum so terrible, because Christ had done so many wonderful works among them: this put an emphasis upon the sin of the Woman Jezebel, that God had given her a space to repent, and she repented not. Now among these obligations, the most comprehensive are these two contained in our Text, namely, God's long patience with them, and his often coming to them; and here we may enquire, 1. When men may be said to remain barren under all? 2. From where it is that they so do? 3. Wherein this appears to be so great an aggravation of their guilt?

1. When men may be said to be barren after all?

A. It has been already expressed under a former doctrine, what are the characters of a fruitless tree in the Vineyard. All I shall here add is only to observe, that there is a twofold barrenness that may be taken notice of in professors that sit under the means of grace, and have long enjoyed God's patient strivings with them, namely, total and partial.

1. Total barrenness is when men, after all, remain in their natural state, unconverted to God. Every child of Adam, in his unconverted state, is barren: he is utterly incapable of bringing forth any fruit that is acceptable to God; he is a briar and thorn, and cannot bear figs. The sinner, before conversion, has no saving principle in him, and therefore he cannot serve God; his best moral actions are but glittering abominations: as long therefore as he abides thus, and does not truly turn to God, he is the same man that he was born: whatever men obtain by means, though they get a great deal of literal knowledge in the things of God, and obtain so much of a civil and moral conversation, as the young man in (Matthew 19), yet if he be not savingly changed, if he be not throughly turned to God, he is an empty vine, his works are dead works, he is still dead in trespasses and sins. Nature under all its moral refinings, is but nature still; grace is another manner of thing, and he is a stranger to it; he is yet in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity.

2. Partial barrenness is when professors do not bring forth fruit answerable to their tilling. When Christians have a new principle of grace in them, and do bear real fruit, but it is little they bring forth, nothing in comparison with the cost and pains that is laid out upon them: and good scarce deserves to be called so, in them from whom far better is expected. God does not afford to all his people alike advantages; and a tree may be counted fruitful for one soil that may be reputed unfruitful in another: and it is apparent, that some Christians that enjoy the same helps, that grow in the same Vineyard, do abundantly less for God than others do; now these may be said in a degree to be barren: and although the doctrine more especially aims at the former, yet these also come under the consideration of it.

2. From where it is that they are so? That is, that they abide unfruitful after all endeavours patiently used with them.

A. There are these things here to be observed:

1. In respect of total barrenness?

1. That man's natural barrenness cleaves to him so close, that no creature can remove it. They cannot bear, except they be changed, and there is no power in themselves, nor in any man or angel to do it for them. It is a work of divine power to make any soul spiritually fruitful: the stock, and root and branches are dead; and as a dead tree cannot bear, so art cannot put life into it, a miracle only can (John 1:13).

2. That hence the means, though proper as means, yet have their efficacy absolutely depending on him who has made them means. Every man cannot wield Goliath's sword. The word indeed is compared to a two-edged sword, but none can make it to cut but the Spirit: an instrument is then serviceable, when one that is able and skillful applies it; the Word then converts, when the Spirit makes it a converting word. If God touch Lydia's heart, while Paul is preaching, she shall yield to the call: if he puts quickening efficacy into it, men shall be quickened by it, else they remain dead in trespasses and sins, for all the endeavours of moral instruments.

3. There is a natural resistance in the hearts of men, to all the endeavours which are used with them in the means. The unregenerate corruption which men bring with them into the world, has in it a strong enmity against all which is good (Romans 8:7), and by virtue of this they set themselves to resist the Spirit of God, and so withstand all the calls and counsels that are given them, despising the goodness and forbearance of God, and turning the Gospel grace into wantonness: and thus will all men do as long as they are left to themselves, by reason of the wickedness that is in their hearts.

4. That God does often judicially leave men to their own choice. He gives them up to their hearts' lusts, they resist his grace, and he calls, and convinces, and waits, but they will not hear him, and thereupon he suffers them to take their course, because they will not receive instruction: and it is righteous with him so to do, because they in this resistance, shut their eyes against rational conviction, and are wilful against the clearest light; and while it is so, let him wait never so long, and come never so often, they will be never the better, but abide barren still.

2. In respect of partial barrenness.

There is a root of corruption, tending to unfruitfulness, in God's children in this life, Paul has his body of death which pesters him; and what is the tendency of death but barrenness? A dead womb is a barren womb; a dead heart, a barren heart. The acts of grace are life acts, death therefore is directly contrary to them, and this was the thing which made Paul so unable to do the things that he would.

There are a great many temptations that the children of God do meet with to hinder them in their constant serving of God. The world we live in, is a place of temptation, and every thing is full of it: and the tendency of it is to allure or discourage the Christian from his work. There are the temptations of carnal pleasures, of worldly encumbrances, of difficulties and threatening dangers in duty. Riches have their shares, and so has poverty: peace has its allurements, and persecution its affrightments.

The corrupt part that is in us, often takes advantage by these temptations to obstruct the Christian in his business. It is by these things that the law in his members brings him into captivity; and if the Spirit of God leaves him to himself to try what is in him, it is always so: he either dallies with allurements, and diverts unhappily to these things, and spends his time with them; or he stops at discouragements, and sits still disheartened; and by these means he neglects the work of God, which causes the fruits of holiness to grow very thin upon him, as the grapes on the vines after the vintage (Micah 7:2).

3. Wherein this appears to be so great an aggravation of their guilt?

A. This will be seen by laying those things together.

That it is the duty of sinners to hearken to the voice of God. Whatever pleas men may pretendedly make of their own impotency, it gives them no discharge from the obligation of duty which is lying upon them. God is the rightful Lord and Lawgiver; and his commands have an obedience due to them from the creature, who cannot withhold it without the guilt of rebellion. Besides, the Gospel takes off all excuse here; because it looks upon men as being without strength in themselves, and has accordingly provided and offered all help to them in Christ, whose Spirit is ready and able to do all that is wanting. Now it is certain that God requires fruit of all that enjoy the means: he looks for it, Text. It is his will that they bear it (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

That this patience of God gives men a great deal of opportunity to bring forth fruit, if they had a heart to it. This life is a time of serving God in; that which follows is the time of reward: the longer therefore men live in God's vineyard, the greater season they have of doing him service: every day that they are there continued, puts a new price into their hands, which, when once God's patience is at an end, men must never more expect to enjoy: and hence the more of it is now allowed them, which they improve not, the more opportunity is lost. It gives them space to bethink themselves, to reflect upon their ways and courses, to recover their lost time, and to redeem their season, by a better and more diligent improvement of it.

The means afforded them are very proper as means, to the end of fruitfulness. Means indeed are to be looked at in their proper place, and acknowledged as so; and in this respect there is nothing wanting to them, which is proper and suitable in this affair. Our fruit is a reasonable service (Romans 12:1); the means which God comes to us in, are very well accommodated to such a service, for its help (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). They serve to inform the understanding in the doctrines of salvation, and tell men wherein God is to be served; what is the fruit that he expects and will accept; where strength is to be had, and how to be improved; to establish the judgment in the excellency of obedience, and great benefits of serving God; to convince the conscience of all sin and disobedience: to terrify sinners from their sinful unprofitableness; to encourage holiness, by all the precious promises which are made to all such as bear fruit: and what more can be desired in means.

Hence this patience, and these pains which God uses are leading to repentance. If the goodness and forbearance of God exercised towards heathen are so (Romans 2:3), how much more are these Gospel endeavours so, which he lays out upon men that are under the dispensations of it? They lead by way of conviction, showing men what reason there is why they should so do; and they lead also by way of invitation: there is an invitation in the things themselves, patience says that God is not willing these sinners should perish, else he needed not to have waited on them, who every day gave him provocation; and that has a loud call in it. Every time God comes in an ordinance or providence, he does therein bespeak men: and to be sure all the secret approaches of the Spirit of God to their hearts in and by these, have a close call in them.

Hence the more men have of these, and continue unfruitful under them, the more is God despised, and his favours abused. Barrenness under God's patience and pleading with men, adds contempt to unprofitableness, and by this means all the expense that is laid out upon them comes to be lost, as to their benefit, and they do what in them lies to frustrate God of his just expectation. For a tree in the wilderness to bear nothing is not so much, but when it is transplanted into the vineyard; and has stood there from year to year, under all the care and tendance which is here used, still to bear nothing — it has so much labor and time spent upon it in vain, [illegible] sinners have now the guilt of neglecting so many endeavours, spending so many days to no purpose, trampling upon so many calls and counsels: and if God sets a great value on these things, their guilt must needs be greatly heightened, who slight and contemn them all.

Hereby unregenerate sinners the more discover their impenitence and desperate hardness of heart: yes, indeed, they are made the more obstinate and hard-hearted. Unprofitableness under the means that God uses with men in his house, makes them more rooted in sin, and they that are not converted by them, are set farther off from it, and that not only judicially, but naturally too; for sin gets head and ripens no where faster, than under the Gospel, which, where it is not a favor of life, will be a favor of death, that is, it will leave men more dead, more unbelieving; set them farther off from God, and under a greater moral difficulty of conversion; and this also is an aggravation.

Hereby believers discover the strength of their natural corruption, and do also carry it unworthy of their vocation. It is unbecoming for God's children to fall into any unprofitable frame, because they are new-born that they might live to the glory of God; and that honor which God has by them, is by their bearing: but for them to live and continue unfruitful notwithstanding all the means, which are so advantageous to stir up and nourish their graces, to rouse and encourage them, must needs be exceeding unworthy, and consequently very offensive to God, as being contradictory to their profession, and a losing of the greatest part of the benefit which they enjoy: it therefore evidences that they give way to the body of death, and indulge that lust which they ought to be always mortifying, else it would not be so, and this must needs bring guilt upon them.