The Withered Fig Tree
A Sermon
(No. 2107)
Delivered on Lord's-day Morning, September 29th, 1889, by
C. H. SPURGEON,
At the [7]Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
"And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged
there. Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing
thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee
henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And
when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig
tree withered away!"'Matthew 21:17-20.
THIS is a miracle and a parable. We have books upon the miracles, we
have an equal number of volumes upon the parables: into which of these
volumes shall we place this story? I would answer, put it in both. It
is a singular miracle, and it is a striking parable. It is an acted
parable, in which our Lord gives us an object-lesson. He gets truth
before men's eyes, in this instance, that the lesson may make a deeper
impression upon the mind and heart. I would lay great stress upon the
remark that this is a parable; for, if you do not look upon it in that
light, you may misunderstand it. We are not of those who come to the
Word of God with the cool impertinence of the critic, thinking
ourselves wiser than the Book, and therefore able to judge it. We
believe that the Holy Spirit is greater than man's spirit, and that our
Lord and Master was a better judge of what is right and good than any
of us can be. Our place is at his feet: we are not cavillers, but
followers. Whatever Jesus does and says, we regard with deepest
reverence; our chief desire is to learn as much as we can from it. We
see great mysteries in his simplest actions, and profound teaching
about his plainest words. When he speaks or acts, we are like Moses at
the bush, and feel that we stand on holy ground.
Flippant persons have spoken of the story before us in a very foolish
manner. They have represented it as though our Lord, being hungered,
thought only of his necessity, and, expecting to be refreshed by a few
green figs went up to the tree in error. Finding no fruit upon the
tree, it being a season when he had no right to expect that there would
be any, he was vexed, and uttered a malediction against a tree, as
though it had been a responsible agent. This view of the case results
from the folly of the observer: it is not the truth. Our Lord desired
to teach his disciples concerning the doom of Jerusalem. The reception
given him in Jerusalem was full of promise, but it would come to
nothing. Their loud hosannas would change to, "Crucify Him!"
When Jerusalem was to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar a former time, the
prophets had not only spoken, but they had used instructive signs. If
you turn to the Book of Ezekiel, you will there see the record of many
signs and symbols which set forth the coming woe. These tokens excited
curiosity, secured consideration, and brought home the prophetic
warnings to the homes and hearts of the common people. Again, the
judgments of God were at the gates of the guilty city. Words'the words
of Jesus'had been wasted; and even tears'tears of the Saviour'had been
spilt in vain; it was time that the sign should be given'the sign of
condemnation. Ezekiel had said, "All the trees of the field shall know
that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and have dried up the
green tree"; and herein was suggested the very image which was employed
by our Lord. He saw a fig tree, by a freak of nature, covered with
leaves at a time when, in the ordinary course of things, it should not
have been so. Our Lord saw that this was a fine object lesson for him,
and therefore he took his disciples to see if there were figs as well
as leaves. When he found none, he bade the fig tree remain for ever
fruitless, and immediately it began to wither. Our Lord would have used
the fig tree to excellent purpose had he ordered it to be used a fuel
to warm cold hands, but he did better when he used it to warm cold
hearts. No wrong was done to any man; it was a tree on the waste, and
utterly worthless. No pain was inflicted; no anger was felt. In the
object-lesson, the Lord simply said to the fig tree, "Let no fruit grow
on thee henceforward for ever"; and it withered away. In this our Lord
taught a great lesson to all ages at a small expense. The withering of
a tree has been the quickening of many a soul; and if it had not been
so, it was no loss to any that a tree should wither when it had proved
itself barren. A great teacher may do far more than destroy a tree, if
he can thereby give demonstrations of truth, and scatter seeds of
virtue. It is the veriest idleness of criticism to find fault with our
Lord Jesus for a piece of fine poetic instruction, for which, had it
been spoken by any other teacher, the most lavish praise would have
been awarded by these very critics.
The blighted fig tree was a singularly apt simile of the Jewish state.
The nation had promised great things to God. When all the other nations
were like trees without leaves, making no profession of allegiance to
the true God, the Jewish nation was covered with the leafage of
abundant religious profession. Scribes, pharisees, priests and elders
of the people were all sticklers for the letter of the law, and boaster
of being worshippers of the one God, and strict observers of all his
laws. Their constant cry was, "The temple of the Lord, The temple of
the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these." "We have Abraham to our
Father" was frequently on their lips. They were a fig tree in full
leaf. But there was no fruit upon them; for the people were neither
holy, nor just, nor true, nor faithful towards God, nor loving to their
neighbor. The Jewish church was a mass of glittering profession,
unsupported by spiritual life. Our Lord had looked into the temple, and
had found the house of prayer to be a den of thieves. He condemned the
Jewish church to remain a lifeless, fruitless thing; and it was so. The
synagogue remained open; but its teaching became a dead form. Israel
had no influence upon the age. The Jewish race became, for centuries, a
withered tree: it had nothing but profession when Christ came, and that
profession proved powerless to save even the holy city. Christ did not
destroy the religious organization of the Jews: he left them as they
were; but they withered away from the root, till the Roman came, and
with the axes of his legions cleared away the fruitless trunk.
What a lesson is this to nations! Nations may make a profession, a loud
profession, of religion, and yet may fail to exhibit that righteousness
which exalteth a nation. Nations may be adorned with all the leafage of
civilization, and art, and progress, and religion; but if there be no
inner life of godliness, and no fruit unto righteousness, they will
stand for a while, and then wither away.
What a lesson this is to churches! There have been churches which have
stood prominent in numbers and in influence; but faith, and love, and
holiness have not been maintained, and the Holy Ghost has left them to
the vain show of a fruitless profession; and there stand those
churches, with the trunk of organization, and widely-extended branches,
but they are dead, and every year they become more and more decayed.
Brethren, such churches we have even among Nonconformists at this hour.
May it never be so with this church! We may have numbers of people
coming to hear the Word, and a considerable body of men and women
professing to be converted; but unless vital godliness is in their
midst, what are congregations and churches? We might have a valued
ministry, but what would this be without the Spirit of God? We might
have large subscriptions, and many outward efforts; but what of these
without the spirit of prayer, the spirit of faith, the spirit of grace
and consecration? I dread lest we should ever come to be like a tree,
precocious with a superlative profession, but yet worthless in the
sight of the Lord, because the secret life of piety, and vital union to
Christ, are gone. Better that the axe clear away every vestige of the
tree than that it stand out against the sky an open lie, a mockery, a
delusion.
This is the lesson of the text; but I do not want you to consider it
only in the gross, in its relation to nations and churches; but my
heart's desire is that we may learn the lesson in detail, and take it
home each one to his own heart. May the Lord himself speak to each one
of us this morning personally! In preparing the sermon, I have had
great searchings of heart, and I pray that the hearing of it may
produce the same results. May we tremble, lest, having a profession of
godliness, we should wear it conspicuously, and yet should lack the
fruitbearing which alone can warrant such a profession. The name of
saintship, if it be not justified by sanctity, is an offence to honest
men, and much more to a holy God. A pronounced and forward avowal of
Christianity without a Christian life at the back of it is a lie,
abhorrent to God and man, an offence against truth, a dishonour to
religion, and the forerunner of a withering curse.
May the Holy Spirit help me to preach very solemnly and powerfully at
this time!
Our first observation is this'There are in the world cases of forward,
but fruitless, profession; our second observation will be this'These
will be inspected by King Jesus; and our third remark will be'The
result of that inspection will be very terrible. Help us, O Holy
Spirit!
I. First, then, THERE ARE IN THE WORLD CASES OF FORWARD, BUT FRUITLESS,
PROFESSION.
The cases to which we refer are not so very rare. They far excel their
fellow-men. Their promise is very loud, and their exterior very
impressive. They look like fruitful trees; you expect many baskets of
the best figs from them. They impress us by their talk, they overpower
us by their manners. We envy them, and lash ourselves. This last might
not harm us; but to envy hypocrites can never be otherwise than
injurious in the long run; for, when their hypocrisy is discovered, we
are apt to despise religion as well as the pretenders to it. Do you not
know persons who are in appearance everything and in reality nothing? O
dark thought! may we not ourselves be such persons? See the man, he is
strong in faith, even to presumption; he is joyous in hope, even to
levity; he is loving in spirit, even to utter indifference about truth!
How very glib he is in talk! How deep he is in theological speculation!
Yet he has never entered the kingdom by the new birth. He has never
been taught of God. The gospel has come to him in word only. He is a
stranger to the work of the Holy Ghost. Are there not such persons? Are
there not persons who are defenders of orthodoxy and yet are heterodox
in their own conduct? Do we not know men and women whose lives deny
what their lips profess? We are sure it is so. All vineyards have had
in them fig trees covered with leaves, which have been conspicuous from
the foliage of their profession, and yet have brought forth no fruit
unto the Lord.
Such persons seem to defy the seasons. It was not the time of figs, yet
was this fig tree covered with those leaves which usually betokened
ripe figs. I suppose you all know what I have often seen for myself'the
fig tree puts forth its fruit before its leaves. Early in the year you
see green knobs put forth at the end and points of the branches, and
these, as they swell, turn out to be green figs. The leaves come
forward afterwards, and by the time the tree is fully covered with
leaves, the figs are ready for eating. When a fig tree is in full leaf,
you expect to find figs upon it; and if you do not, it will bear no
figs for that season. This tree put forth leaves abundantly before its
season, and therein excelled all other fig trees. Yes, but it was a
freak of nature, and not a healthy result of true growth. Such freaks
of nature occur in forests and in vineyards; and their like may be met
with in the moral and spiritual world. Certain men and women seem far
in advance of those round about them, and astonish us by their special
virtues. They are better than the best; more excellent than the most
excellent'at least in appearance. They are so zealous that they are not
chilled by the surrounding world: their great souls create a summer for
themselves. The backwardness of saints, and the wickedness of sinners,
do not hinder them; they are too vigorous to be affected by their
surroundings. They are very superior persons, covered with virtues, as
this fig tree with leaves.
Observe, that they overleap the ordinary rule of growth. As I have told
you, the rule is, first the fig, and afterwards the fig leaves; but we
have seen persons who make a profession before they have produced the
slightest fruit to justify it. I like to see our young friends, when
they believe in Christ, proving their faith by holiness at home, by
godliness abroad, and then coming forward and confessing their faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. That looks to be the sober and normal way of
proceeding, for a man first to be, and then to profess to be; first to
be lighted, and then to shine; first to repent and believe, and then to
confess his repentance and his faith in the Scriptural way, by baptism
into Christ. But these people think it unnecessary to attend to the
trifle of heart-work'they dare to omit the most vital part of the
matter. They attend a revival meeting, and they declare themselves
saved, though they have not been renewed in heart, and possess neither
repentance nor faith. They come forward to avow a mere emotion. They
have nothing better than a resolve; but they flourish it as if it were
the deed itself. Quick as thought, the convert sets up to be a teacher.
Without test or trial of his brand-new virtues, he holds himself forth
as an example to others. Now, I do not object to the rapidity of the
conversion; on the contrary, I admire it, if it be true; but I cannot
judge till I see the fruit and evidence in the life. If the change of
conduct is distinct and true, I care not how quickly the work is done;
but we must see the change. There is a heat which leads to
fermentation, and a fermentation which breeds sourness and corruption.
O dear friends, never think you may skip the fruit and come at once to
the leaf. Be not like a builder who should say, "It is all nonsense to
spend labor and material on works underground. Foundations are never
seen; I can run up a house in no time; four walls and a roof will not
take long." Yes; but how long will such a house last? Is it worthwhile
building a house without foundations? If you omit the foundation, why
not omit the house altogether? Is there not a tendency, especially in
these days, when men are either skeptical or fanatical, to cultivate a
mushroom godliness, which comes up in a night and perishes in a night?
Will it not be ruinous if conviction of sin is slighted, repentance
slurred, faith imitated, the new birth counterfeited, and godliness
feigned? Beloved, this will never do. We must have figs before leaves,
acts before declarations, faith before baptism, union to Christ before
union with the church. You cannot leap over the processes of nature,
neither may you omit the processes of grace, lest haply your foliage
without fruit become a curse without cure.
These people usually catch the eye of others. According to Mark, our
Lord saw this tree "afar off." The other trees were not in leaf, and
consequently, when he began to go up the hill toward Jerusalem, he saw
this one tree quite a long way before he reached it. A fig tree dressed
in its vesture of lovely green would be a striking object, and would be
observable at a distance. It stood, also, near the track from Bethany
to the city gate. It stood where every wayfarer would observe it, and
probably speak with wonder of its singular leafage for the season.
Persons whose religion is false are frequently prominent, because they
have not grace enough to be modest and retiring. They seek the highest
room, aspire to office, and push themselves into leadership. They do
not walk in secret with God, they have little concern about private
godliness, and so they are all the more eager to be seen of men. this
is both their weakness and their peril. Though least of all able to
bear the wear and tear of publicity, they are covetous for it, and are,
therefore, all the more watched. This is the evil of the whole matter;
for it makes their spiritual failure to be known by so many, and their
sin brings all the greater dishonor upon the name of the Lord, whom
they profess to serve. Better far to be fruitless in a corner of a wood
than on the public way which leads to the temple.
Such people not only catch the eye, but they often attract the company
of good men. Who blames us for drawing near to a tree which is in leaf
long before its fellows? Is it not right to cultivate the acquaintance
of the eminently good? Our Saviour and his disciples went up to the
leafy fig tree: not merely did it win their eye, but it drew them to
itself. Have we not been fascinated by the charming conduct of one who
seemed to be a brother in the Lord, more devout than usual, fearing God
above many? Like Jehu, he has said, "Come, see my zeal for the Lord;"
and we have been glad enough to ride in the chariot with him: he seemed
so godly, so generous, so humble, so useful, that we looked up to him,
and wished that we were more worthy to be associated with him. Young
converts and seekers are naturally apt to do this; and hence it is a
sad calamity when their confidence turns out to have been misplaced.
Whenever we see any standing out prominently, and making a bold
profession, what should be our thoughts about them? I answer, do not
judge them; do not fall into habitual mistrust. Your Lord did not stand
at a distance and say, "That tree is worthless." No, he went up to it,
with his disciples, and carefully inspected it. These prominent persons
may be wonders of divine grace: let us hope and pray that they may be.
Let the Lord and his love be magnified in them! God has his fig trees
that bear figs in winter; God has his saints who are filled with good
works when the love of others has waxed cold. The Lord raises some up
to be as standards for the truth, rallying points in the battle. The
Lord can make young men mature, and new converts useful. It has been
said, by way of proverbial expression, that "some men are born with
beards." The Lord can give great grace, so as to make spiritual growth
rapid and yet solid. He does this so often that we have no right to
doubt but what the prominent brother before us is one of these growths
of grace. Unless we are forced to see with bitter regret that there are
no marks of grace, no evidences of faith, let us hope for the best, and
be glad at the sight of God's grace. If we are inclined to be
suspicious, let us turn the point of that sword towards our own bosoms.
Self-suspicion will be healthy; suspicion of others may be cruel. We
are not judges; and even if we are, we had better keep to our own
court, and sit on our own judgment-seat, dispensing the law within the
little kingdom of our own selves.
Where those who are prominent turn out to be all they profess to be,
they are a great blessing. It would have been well if that morning
there had been figs upon that fig tree. It would have been a great
refreshment to the Saviour if he had been fed by the green fruit. When
the Lord makes the first in position to be first in holiness, it is a
blessing to the church, to the family, and to the neighborhood; indeed,
it may prove to ba a blessing to the whole world. We ought, therefore,
to pray the Lord to water with his own hand those trees which he has
planted; or, in other words, to uphold by his grace those men of his
right hand whom he has made strong for himself.
But when we take the text and lay it home to our own hearts, we need
not be so gentle with it as in the cases of others. We have, many of
us, for long years been like this fig-tree, as to prominence and
profession. And in this matter, so far, there is nothing of which to be
ashamed. Yet it is evidently to ourselves that the parable speaks; for
we have stood in open avowal and distinct service by the wayside, and
we have been seen "afar off." Certain of us have made a very bold
profession, and we are not ashamed to repeat that profession before men
and angels. Hence the enquiry: Are we truthful in it? What if we should
turn out to be contending for a faith in which we have no share? What
if in us there should be none of the life of love, and consequently our
profession should be "as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal"? What if
there should be talk, and no work; doctrine, and no practice? What if
we are without holiness? Then we shall never see the Lord. Whatever
terrible aspect this parable-miracle may have, it bears upon many of
us. I, the preacher, feel how much it bears upon me. In that spirit
have I thought it over, anxiously trusting that every deacon and every
elder of this church, and every member and every worker among you, may
have great searchings of heart. May every minister of Christ who may
have dropped in here this morning, say to himself, "Yes, I have been
like that fig tree in prominence and in profession; God grant that I be
not like it in being devoid of fruit!"
II. It is time that we remembered the solemn truth of our second head:
THESE WILL BE INSPECTED BY KING JESUS.
He will draw nigh to them, and when he comes up to them he will look
for fruit. The first Adam came to the fig tree for leaves, but the
Second Adam looks for figs. He searches our character through and
through, to see whether there is any real faith, any true love, any
living hope, any joy which is the fruit of the Spirit, any patience,
any self-denial, any fervour in prayer, any walking with God, any
indwelling of the Holy Spirit; and if he does not see these things, he
is not satisfied with chapel-going, church-going, prayer meetings,
communions, sermons, Bible readings; for all these may be no more than
leafage. If our Lord does not see the fruit of the Spirit upon us, he
is not satisfied with us, and his inspection will lead to severe
measures. Notice that what Jesus looks for is not your words, not your
resolves, not your avowals, but your sincerity, your inward faith, your
being indeed wrought upon by the Spirit of God to bring forth fruits
meet for his kingdom.
Our Lord has a right to expect fruit when he looks for it. When he went
up to that fig tree he had a right to expect fruit; because the fruit,
according to nature, comes before the leaf. If, then, the leaf has
come, there should be fruit. True, it was not the time of figs; but
then, if it was not the time of figs, it certainly was not the season
for leaves, for the figs are first. This tree, by putting forth leaves,
which are the signs and tokens of ripe figs, virtually advertised
itself as bearing fruit. So, however bad the times may be, some of us
profess that we will not follow the times, but will follow the one
immutable truth. As Christians, we confess that we are redeemed from
among men, and have been delivered from this perverse generation.
Christ may not expect fruit of men who acknowledge the world and its
changing ages as their supreme guide; but he may well look for it from
the believer in his own Word. He looks for fruit from the preacher,
from the Sunday-school teacher, from the church- officer, from the
sister who conducts a Bible class, from that brother who has a band of
young men around him, to whom he is a guide in the gospel. He does
expect it of all who submit to his gospel rule. As Christ had a right
to expect fruit of a leaf- bearing fig tree, so he has a right to
expect great things from those who avow themselves his trustful
followers. Ah me! how this fact should move the preacher with
trembling! Should it not affect full many of you in the same manner?
Fruit is what the Lord earnestly desires. The Saviour, when he came
under the fig tree, did not desire leaves; for we read that he
hungered, and human hunger cannot be removed by leaves of a fig tree.
He desired to eat a fig or two; and he longs to have fruit from us
also. He hungers for our holiness: he longs that his joy may be in us,
that our joy may be full. He comes up to each of you who are members of
his church, and especially to each of you who are leaders of his
people, and he looks to see in you the things in which his soul is well
pleased. He would see in us love to himself, love to our fellow-men,
strong faith in revelation, earnest contention for the once delivered
faith, importunate pleading in prayer, and careful living in every part
of our course. He expects from us actions such as are according to the
law of God and the mind of the Spirit of God; and if he does not see
these, he does not receive his due. What did he die for but to make his
people holy? What did he give himself for but that he might sanctify
unto himself a people zealous of good works? What is the reward of the
bloody sweat and the five wounds and the death agony, but that by all
these we should be bought with a price? We rob him of his reward if we
do not glorify him, and therefore the Spirit of God is grieved at our
conduct if we do not show forth his praises by our godly and zealous
lives.
And mark here, that when Christ comes to a soul he surveys it with keen
discernment. He is not mocked. It is not possible to deceive him. I
have thought that to be a fig which turned out to be only a leaf was a
mistake; but our Lord makes no such mistake. Neither will he overlook
the little figs, just breaking forth. He knows the fruit of the Spirit
in whatever stage it may be. He never mistakes fluent expression for
hearty possession, nor real grace for mere emotion. Beloved, you are in
good hands as to the trial of your condition when the Lord Jesus comes
to deal with you. Your fellow-men are quick in their judgments, and
they may be either censorious, or partial; but the King gives forth a
righteous sentence. He knows just where we are, and what we are; and he
judges not after the appearance, but according to truth. Oh, that our
prayer might this morning rise to heaven: "Jesus, Master, come and cast
thy searching eyes upon me, and judge whether I am living unto thee or
not! Give me to see myself as thou seest me, that I may have my errors
corrected, and my graces nourished. Lord, make me to be indeed what I
profess to be; and if I am not so already, convince me of my false
state, and begin a true work in my soul. If I am thine, and am right in
thy sight, grant ma a kind, assuring word to sink my fears again, and I
will gladly rejoice in thee as the God of my salvation."
III. I come, thirdly, by the help of the Spirit of God, to consider the
truth, that THE RESULT OF THE COMING OF CHRIST TO THE FORWARD, BUT
FRUITLESS, PROFESSOR WILL BE VERY TERRIBLE.
The searcher finds nothing but leaves where fruit might have been
expected. Nothing but leaves means nothing but lies. Is that a harsh
expression? If I profess faith, and have no faith, is not that a lie?
If I profess repentance, and have not repented, is not that a lie? If I
unite with the people of the living God, and yet have no fear of God in
my heart, is not that a lie? If I come to the communion-table, and
partake of the bread and wine, and yet never discern the Lord's body,
is not that a lie? If I profess to defend the doctrines of grace, and
yet am not assured of the truth of them, is not that a lie? If I have
never felt my depravity; if I have never been effectually called, never
known my election of God, never rested in the redeeming blood, and have
never been renewed by the Spirit, is not my defense of the doctrines of
grace a lie? If there is nothing but leaves, there is nothing but lies,
and the Saviour sees that it is so. All the verdure of green leaf to
him without fruit is but so much deceit. Profession without grace is
the funeral pageantry of a dead soul. Religion without holiness is the
light which comes from rotten wood'the phosphorescence of decay: I
speak dread words, but how can I speak less dreadfully than I do? If
you and I have but a name to live, and are dead, what a state we are
in! Ours is something worse than corruption: it is the corruption of
corruption. To profess religion and live in sin, is to sprinkle
rose-water upon a dunghill, and leave it a dunghill still. To give a
spirit an angel's name when it bears the devil's character, is almost
to sin against the Holy Ghost. If we remain unconverted, of what use
can it be to have our name written among the godly?
Our Lord discovered that there was no fruit, and that was a dreadful
thing; but, next, he condemned the tree. Was it not right that he
should condemn it? Did he curse it? It was already a curse. It was
calculated to tantalize the hungry, and take them out of their way to
deceive them. God will not have the poor and needy made a jest of. An
empty profession is a practical curse; and should it not receive the
censure of the Lord of truth? The tree was of no use where it was: it
ministered to no man's refreshment. So, the barren professor occupies a
position in which he ought to be a blessing, but, in truth, an evil
influence streams forth from him. If he has not the grace of God in
him, he is utterly useless, and in all probability he is a curse: he is
an Achan in the camp, grieving the Lord, and causing him to refuse
success to his people.
Our Lord did, however, use the fig tree for a good purpose when he
caused it to wither away; for it became, henceforth, a beacon and a
warning to all others who put forth vain pretenses. So, when the
ungodly man, who has exhibited a flourishing profession, is allowed to
fade away in his ways, some moral effect is produced upon others: they
are compelled to see the peril of an unsound profession; and if they
are wise, they will no longer be guilty of it. Would God it might be so
in every case whenever a notable religionist withers away!
After that, when the Saviour had condemned it, he pronounced sentence
upon it; and what was the sentence? It was simply, "As you were." It
was nothing more than a confirmation of its state. This tree has borne
no fruit, it shall never bear fruit. If a man chooses to be without the
grace of God, and yet to make a profession of having it, it is only
just that the great Judge should say, "Continue without grace." When
the great Judge at last shall speak to those who depart from God, he
will simply say to them, "Depart!" Throughout life they always were
departing, and after death their character is stamped with perpetuity.
If you choose to be graceless, to be graceless shall be your doom. "He
that is filthy, let him be filthy still." May the Lord Jesus never have
to sentence any of you in this way; but may he turn us, that we may be
turned, and work in us eternal life to his praise and glory!
Then there came a change over the tree. It began at once to wither. I
do not know whether the disciples saw a quiver run through it at once;
but on the next morning when they passed that way, according to Mark,
it had dried up from the roots. Not only did the leaves hang down, like
streamers when there is no wind; not only did the bark seem to have
lost every token of vitality; but the whole fabric was blighted
fatally. Have you ever seen a fig tree with its strange, weird
branches? It is a very extraordinary sight when bare of leaves. In this
case I see its skeleton arms! It is twice dead, dead from the very
roots. Thus have I seen the fair professor undergo a blight. He has
looked like a thing that has felt the breath of a furnace, and has had
its moisture dried up. The man is no longer himself: his glory and his
beauty are hopelessly gone. No axe was lifted; no fire was kindled; a
word did it, and the tree withered from the root. So, without
thunderbolt or pestilence, the once brave professor is stricken as with
the judgment of Cain. It is an awful fate. Better far to have the
vine-dresser come to you with the axe in his hand, and strike you with
the head of it, and say to you, "Tree, thou must bear fruit, or be hewn
down." Such a warning would be terrible, but it would be infinitely
better than to be left in one's place untouched, quietly to wither to
destruction.
Now I have delivered my heavy burden, laying it far more upon myself
than upon any one of you; for I stand more prominent than you; I have
made a louder profession than most of you; and if I have not his grace
in me, then I shall stand before the multitude that have seen me in my
greenness, and shall wither away to the very roots, a terrible example
of what God doth with those who bear no fruit to his glory.
But now I desire to conclude with tenderer words. Let no man say, "This
is very hard." Brother, it is not hard, is it, that if we profess a
thing we should be expected to be true to it? Besides, I pray you not
to think that anything my Lord can do is hard. He is all gentleness and
tenderness. The only thing he ever did destroy was this fig tree. He
destroyed no men, as Elias did when he brought fire from heaven upon
them; nor as Elisha did when the bears came out of the wood. It is only
a barren tree that he causes to wither away. He is all love and
tenderness: he does not want to wither you, nor will he, if you be but
true. The very least he may expect is that you be true to what you
profess. Are you rebellious because he asks you not to play the
hypocrite? If you begin to kick against his admonition, it will look as
if you were yourself untrue at heart. Instead of that, come and bow
humbly at his feet, and say, "Lord, if anything in this solemn truth
bears upon me, I beseech thee so to apply it to my conscience that I
may feel its power, and flee to thee for salvation." Many men are
converted in this way'these hard but honest things drive them from
false refuges, and bring them to be true to Christ and to their own
souls.
"But," saith one, "I know what I will do; I will never make any
profession; I will bear no leaves." My friend, that also is a sullen,
rebellious spirit. Instead of talking so, you should say, Lord, I do
not ask thee to take away my leaves, but let me have fruit. The fruit
is not likely to ripen well without leaves; leaves are essential to the
health of the tree, and the health of the tree is essential to the
ripening of the fruit. Open confession of faith is good, and must not
be refused. Lord, I would not drop a leaf.
"I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend his cause;
Maintain the honour of his word,
The glory of his cross."
Lord, I do not want to be set away in a corner; I am satisfied to stand
where men may see my good works, and glorify my Father who is in
heaven. I do not ask to be observed; but I am not ashamed to be
observed; only, Lord, make me fit for observation. If a commander said
to a soldier, "Stand firm, but mind you have your cartridges ready, so
that you may not lift an empty gun;" suppose that soldier answered, "I
cannot be so particular. I would rather run to the rear." Would that be
a fit reply? Coward! because your captain warns you that you must not
be a sham, you would therefore, run off altogether! Surely, you are of
an evil sort. You are not truly one of the Lord's, if you cannot bear
his rebuke. Let not these solemn truths drive us away, but let them
draw us on to say, "Lord, I pray thee, help me to make my calling and
election sure. I beseech thee, help me to bring forth the expected
fruit. Thy grace can do it."
I would suggest to everyone here to cry to the Lord to make us
conscious of our natural barrenness. Gracious ones, may the Lord make
us mourn our comparative barrenness, even if we do bear some fruit. To
feel quite satisfied with yourself is perilous: to feel that you are
holy, and indeed that you are perfect, is to be on the brink of the pit
of pride. If you hold your head so high, I am afraid you will strike it
against the top of the doorway. If you walk on stilts, I fear you will
fall. It is a safer thing to feel, "Lord, I do serve thee, and I am no
deceiver. I do love thee; thou hast wrought the works of the Spirit in
me. But alas! I am not what I want to be, I am not what I ought to be.
I aspire to holiness: help me to attain it. Lord, I would lie in the
very dust before thee to think that after being digged about and
dunged, as I have been, I should bear such little fruit. I feel myself
less than nothing. My cry is, 'God be merciful to me.' If I had done
all, I should still have been an unprofitable servant; but having done
so little, Lord, where shall I hide my guilty head?"
Lastly, when you have made this confession, and the good Lord has heard
you, there is one emblem in Scripture I should like you to copy.
Suppose this morning you feel so dry and dead and barren, that you
cannot serve God as you would, nor even pray for more grace, as you
wish to do. Then you are something like these twelve rods. They are
very dead and dry, for they have been held in the hands of twelve
chiefs, who have used them as their official staves. These twelve rods
are to be laid before the Lord. This one is Aaron's rod; but it is
quite as dead and dry as any of the rest. The whole twelve are laid in
the place where the Lord dwelleth. We see them next morning. Eleven are
dry rods still; but see this rod of Aaron! What has happened? It was
dry as death. See, it has budded! This is wonderful! But look, it has
blossomed! There are almond flowers upon it. You know they are rosy
pink and white. This is marvelous! But look again, it has brought forth
almonds! Here, you have them! See these green fruits, which look like
peaches. Take off the flesh, and here is an almond whose shell you may
break and find the kernel. The heavenly power has come upon the dry
stick, and it has budded and blossomed, and even brought forth almonds.
Fruit-bearing is the proof of life and favour. Lord, take these poor
sticks this morning, and make them bud. Lord, here we are, in a bundle,
perform that ancient miracle in a thousand of us. Make us bud and
blossom, and bear fruit! Come with divine power, and turn this
congregation from a fagot into a grove. Oh, that our blessed Lord may
get a fig from some dry stick this morning! at least, such a fig as
this, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" there is sweetness in that fig
as this, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief." Here is another,
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him"'that is a whole basketful
of the first ripe figs, and the Lord rejoices in their sweetness. Come
Holy Spirit, produce fruit in us this day, through faith in Jesus
Christ our Lord! Amen, and Amen.
PORTIONS OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON'Matthew 21:12-32.
HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"'100 (Ver. 1), 652, 645.