I have waited, saith God, these three years; I
have missed of fruit these three years; it hath been a cumber-ground
these three years; cut it down. Precept hath been upon precept, and
line upon line, one year after another, for these three years, hut
no fruit can be seen; I find none: fetch out the axe.
"Lord, let it alone this year also." Here is astonishing grace
indeed; astonishing grace, that the Lord Jesus should concern
himself with a barren fig-tree; that he should step in to stop the
blow from a barren fig-tree! True, he stopped the blow but for a
time; but why did he stop it at all? Why did he not fetch out the
axe? Why did he not do execution? Why did he not cut it down?
Barren fig-tree, it is well for thee that there is a Jesus at God's
right hand, a Jesus of that largeness of pity to have compassion for
a barren fig-tree; else justice had never let thee alone to cumber
the ground, as thou hast done.
See the care, the love, the labor, and way which the Lord Jesus, the
dresser of the vineyard, is fain to take with thee, if haply thou
mayest be made fruitful.
"Lord, let it alone this year." Lord, a little longer; let us not
lose a soul for want of means. I will try, I will see if I can make
it fruitful; I will not beg a long life, nor that it might still be
barren, and so provoke thee.
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