Doctrine 3: Unfruitful Professors Are Not Only Unprofitable But Also Hurtful to God's Vineyard

DOCTRINE III. That unfruitful Professors are not only unprofitable in, but also very hurtful to Gods Vineyard.

This the Landlord insinuates as a reason why he will have this figtree to be cut down, why cumbers it the ground! Not only, why does it bear no fruit; why does it do not good? Why does it make me to lose all my cost and care about it? The word [cumber] as was formerly intimated, signifies, to render a things idle, to make it to do no work; and it is the ground that it does this detriment to: and under this resemblance we may take the occasion to observe how not only useless, but mischievous too, barren professors are in the visible Church: and there are several things by which it may be illustrated.

1: A barren fruit-tree in a vineyard is a very great disgrace to it. The credit of a vineyard, is that it yields much fruit: this is it which gains it esteem, and makes it to he preferred before the wilderness. Every tree then that bears proportionably, confers its share to this credit, and consequently, any one that bears nothing diminisheth from it, and is oftentimes more taken notice of than the others that do bear; and it is certain, that there is a great deal of reproach that accrues to the Church of Christ, by the occasions of those in it that do not bring forth the fruits which God requires of them. As God expects more, so men look for more of such than of others: and as it is a shame for such who make an eminent profession, and have so many advantages for it, to do nothing for the glory of God, so the reflexion is wont to be made upon the whole, and the Church of Christ which they appertein to must have dirt cast upon them for it; and they shall suffer more reproach for one such, than get commendation from an hundred exemplary Christians, from the world, who envy them their reputation, and wait for matter of scandal against them. This is one argument Paul useth with the Jews to convince them (Romans 2:24). Men are ready to measure all by that one, these are your Church-Members, these are the Children of the Church, that have owned the Covenant, and openly professed their subjection thereunto, and yet such they are, and so they live; and what shall judge of the rest of them? Thus Christ's Vineyard gets a bad name by such as these.

2. A barren tree in the vineyard, takes up the room which might be better employed. There is a considerable quantity of ground allowed for a tree to stand and grow in: he who plants an Orchard, allows convenient distances, for the trees to spread themselves in, and to have the advantage of the sun-beams, that so they may have the help afforded them that is requisite for their flourishing, and bearing of fruit: now if the tree be unfruitful, all this ground is lost, and left idle, as to any profit, it is as good to have nothing at all upon it, as that which yields nothing; and that must needs be a cumber: and in the mean while it occupies the place in which another that would bear, might stand. The same ground would do for a fruitful tree, that is lost upon a barren one; and if there were such a one there, the same ground and the same tillage would be serviceable for something; whereas this turns to no account at all. Unregenerate sinners, that do nothing for God, take up as much room in the visible Church as others, they have a like outward privileges with them; but the room they occupy is lost as to them: if in their stead there were such as love God, as fear and serve him, such means and advantages would forward them abundantly, and what a cumber must God needs account this to be?

3. Hence, a barren tree in a vineyard draws away the sap and strength of the ground to no purpose. The ground spends, and its virtue is as much exhausted by maintaining a barren tree, as one that bears never so much fruit: it sucks away its virtue, and makes it require as much mending, and all for nothing: and this is really mischievous to it. It is the same soil to appearance, the same fruitful hill in which Hypocrites and formal Professors are planted, that sincere Christians grow in, for Gods vineyard is upon a fruitful hill (Isaiah 5:1), and the same means are used with them, the same cost is laid out upon the one and the other, so far as concerns means, for God demands what he could do more, verse 3. And it is by a formal improvement of these, that an Hypocrite maintains his profession, and makes such a flourish in those leaves which he bears. It is from the vineyard's fatness that he sucks up his formality, makes his brags and boasts, and by which he upholds himself, or else he would wither away quickly; and by this means it comes to be spent unprofitably, and to damage.

4. Hence, all that is done to the barren tree, is thrown away upon it. All the digging and mending, all the showers and dews which fall upon it, all the warm sun-beams that influence it turn to no account, because it is barren still: for if it bears no fruit it does nothing to answer the end for which it was there planted. And thus it is in respect of such as bring forth no spiritual fruit in the Church of God: not only do they themselves miss of their end and Gods just expectation, but all that is done for them does, for the present, prove frustrate also. That God will be no loser in the end by them, is no thank to them, they do all that in them lies to defeat him; and did not his infinite Wisdom know how to make his pennyworths out of them, he should never get any thing by them. But however, the direct and next end of all means being their serving God, and doing good works, this is altogether frustrated by them; all the Sabbaths they enjoy, and Ordinances they partake in are lost, all the dews of Heaven that fall upon them are dried up, and no good comes of them; all the mercies and afflictions that are expended on them make them worse. The stone wall, and wine-press and tower are kept up and repaired in vain as to them: and, in as much as they belong to the Vineyard, that is also damnified hereby.

A barren tree in a vineyard does damage to all the plants that grow near it. It is not only useless in itself, but others that are planted within its verge and shadow are damaged by it, they are great sufferers for its vicinity, it draws away the sap from them which might have nourished, and made them more fruitful; it shades them, keeps off the influences of the sunbeams from them, and so they are stunted, their flourishing is prevented by it, and their fruit has neither so good a color nor taste as else it would, and this is much to the vineyard's detriment. And truly empty and barren professors in the visible Church, do a great deal of harm to others in the society which they belong to, and especially to such as they have the most intimate converse withal: and there are several ways in which they are harmful to others and hinder bearing: especially;

Such as these encourage one another by evil counsels, and society, in their unprofitable and pernicious courses: and by this means they wonderfully hinder the efficacy of the means of grace upon them, how many good motions of the Spirit upon their souls are by these ways quenched; the word of God takes hold of this or that barren soul in an ordinance, and leaves awakenings upon him, and this is one step to fertility, if it were followed; but he gets among his vain lewd companions, and they draw him away again to his former courses, and make him to lose all those impressions which he had upon his mind: and if they observe any disquietment to be upon his spirit, they either mock or collogue him out of it. How do vain young men strengthen each other in wickedness, and harden one another's hearts against the fear of God! How often have there been good hopes that these and those might have been persuaded to return to God, and lay hold on Jesus Christ, if they had not lived in such houses, or associated themselves with such persons, where they have been encouraging one another in wickedness, and been learning each of the other to laugh at the counsels and warnings of God, and to make a mock of sin, and flout at godliness, thus are we told (Ecclesiastes 9:18), one sinner destroys much good.

Their example is pernicious to many, and especially the example of those who talk much, and speak high of religion, and have made a more open profession of the Covenant of God: and this more principally in reference to such as have a peculiar relation to or dependance upon them; such are parents in respect to their children, family governors relating to them that are under their watch; when possibly they keep up a form of godliness, as to matters of external worship; they read the Word, and pray in their families, and catechize their children; are constant in frequenting ordinances; and in the mean while, they are careless in their conversation, are vain and frothy in their communication, quarrelsome and give ill language in their passion, deceitful in their dealings with men, loose in their ordinary carriage, and too excessive in their allowances of themselves in the using, or rather abusing the things of this life: oh what an influence have such examples upon others? How can they draw them down into self-justification? And plead, that if such things were not consistent with Christianity, these would not so do: such persons are the devil's decoys with which he draws men into the snare, and keeps them from devoting themselves wholly to the service of God, and doing the works of righteousness, see how Paul acquits himself from any such things as this (1 Thessalonians 2:10): "You are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly, and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe."

They many times damp the graces of true believers; and thereby they prevent their bearing so much fruit as else they would. The fruit that God looks for, is the exercise of those graces which he has put into us. They therefore that have no grace, can bear no fruit; they that have it, may be hindered by occasion of some obstruction given to their grace in its exercise: a bearing tree may by some casualty miss a season; and how often does the society of carnal professors hinder Christians in their work? God's children draw out each other's grace, by mutual excitation; and they are many times damped and suppressed by vain communication; and carnal professors do much this way, by offering vain converse, unprofitable discourse, and often by stirring up the corruptions of the godly, for they also have a body of death, which is sometimes set on going, and advantaged by the communication of others, and none more like to do it, than such as are themselves without the root of the matter in them.

These do oftentimes set themselves to oppose the power of godliness; and this produces pernicious effects among visible professors, and it is not unusual that these that are most zealous for set forms, are most opposite to the power. Such were the Pharisees, who were great sticklers for the traditions of their fathers, but would neither enter into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves nor suffer them that would. And it is certain, that when men dwindle away into formality, the life of religion is wanting, how then should the good fruits of it appear? And what woeful ruins this has brought to Christianity, and how it has almost brought the visible Church into a wilderness of profaneness and immorality, is awfully to be observed, and while men spend their time and thoughts in things of little or no moment, mere shadows, they lose the substance, and there is but a lifeless carcass of religion left among them.

All this barrenness turns to the owner's damage. He in the mean while has not his revenue coming in: it is his cost and care that is laid out on the vineyard, and he loses it when this and that tree returns him no fruit. God's name is greatly dishonored by such professors; it is his tribute which is due to him from his vineyard, that by this occasion is not paid to him: and this also is to the grief of his people that fear him: all that, being in the Church, are sincerely devoted to God, and set for his glory, are greatly grieved, when they see that he is not acknowledged by such as bear his name, and partake in his Gospel favors (Psalm 119:165): "Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because men keep not your Law." And as long as such are in the vineyard, the godly are kept in mourning, and their hearts are sorrowful, and this is a great cumber to them.