called to speak or act, do we perform our duty without favour or affection?

Are we all this, without hypocrify? Are we what we feem to be, or what we profefs and pretend? Are we, as far as we know our own hearts, unfeigned and fincere in all our conduct before God and man?

What matter do these reflections afford for humiliation, repentance and amendment? Those who have ground of hope towards God, let them be quickened to increase in every Christian virtue, and in every branch of piety. Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Let hypocrites drop their masks, and impure finners awake to confideration. Let the wicked forfake bis way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

SERMON XXV.

THE BARREN FIG-TREE.

BY

:

ALEXANDER MACWHORTER, D. D. Minister of the First Prefbyterian Church, Newark, New-Jersey.

MARK XI. 12, 13, 14.

And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry; and seeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon; and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves ; for the time of figs was not yet: And Jesus answered and faid unto it, No man eat fruit of thee bereafter for And his difciples heard it.

ever.

FR

RUITFULNESS in religion, love, faith, humility and devotion towards God; purity, temperance and chaflity towards ourselves; and righteousness, truth, mercy and charity towards our neighbours, are of infinite importance. Not bringing forth fruits meet for repentance, barrenness, or unprofitablenefs, are heinous evils indeed. They difhonour God, fruftrate the defign of the bleffed

bleffed gospel, injure fociety, and entail certain ruin upon the immortal foul. This we have finely illuftrated,

and strongly enforced in this hiftory before us, of our Lord's deftruction of the barren fig-tree.

Before we proceed to the intention of Christ Jefus in this tranfaction, and the use which we ought to make of it, fome obfervations may be made upon the objections which have been offered to this relation. As St Matthew relates this ftory, there is no difficulty attending it whatsoever. He informs us what our Lord did with refpect to the fig-tree, without adding any circumstances of the action. But St Mark has occafioned fome perplexity, and many evil remarks from prejudised readers, by his more particular and circumftantial account. He has added two expreffions, from which the enemy of Christianity have endeavoured to give a disadvantageous idea of its author. To what St Matthew fays of this fact, St Mark fubjoins thefe two circumftances; the one, If baply be might find any thing thereon; and this other, for the time of figs was not yet.

By the firft of thefe expreffions, it appears that the expectations of our Lord were raised by feeng a fig-tree afar off; he hoped to relieve his hunger, fuppofing there might be fruit on a tree, which promised fo well at a distance. But, when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. Here this queftion has been reproachfully asked, to the ftumbling of the weak, and the diftrefs of the fincere," How can this confift with the divinity and per"fection of Jefus Chrift, that he should be deceived or. "mistaken?" But this may be easily folved. Outward objects made the fame impreflion upon our Saviour which they did upon other men. In common life he acted as men ordinarily do in fimilar circumstances. Therefore, the fig-tree presented to his fight when he was

hungry, raised in him the defires and fenfations it would have done in another. Hunger was a fenfation our Lord felt in common with other men. It was a natural appetite, and to be fatisfied in the ufual way. He never wrought miracles when there was no need of them, or no important end to be answered by them. Hence, we find him sending his disciples to buy provifions; he asks water to drink of a Samaritan woman, &c. Our Lord, notwithstanding he thought it no robbery to be equal with the Father, and did claim equal homage and worfhip, and was a Divine person, yet was truly and really man; fubject to all the appetites, infirmities, and imperfections proper to human nature, fin only excepted.

In this view, we can eafily explain that observation of St Luke, relating to our Saviour, That be increased in wisdom and ftature; that is, he improved in body and mind; he grew wife-he advanced in knowledge and understanding, as he advanced in years. He acquired human knowledge as others do in a way of obfervation, experience, reafoning and reflection. Jefus Chrift, as man, was not born with a fund of knowledge, or with all that flock of ideas which he was ever to have.

These remarks plainly obviate the difficulty.-No imperfection can be imputed to our Lord from what is here faid in this paffage, only fuch as is the neceffary confequence of human nature. Though his knowledge, as man, was not abfolutely perfect, it can no more be a diminution of his character, than it can to any other person, that his fcience is not infinite.

I have not gone into these observations on the imperfections of the human nature in Chrift, merely to folve the difficulty in this text, but to place this fubject in a juft and true light. A proper idea of this matter will render many apparent difficulties in Scripture easy and

plain. The want of attention here often leads to confufion in the minds, and difcourfes of fome, while they feem to talk and think as if the human was fwallowed up in the Divine nature.

The knowledge of Chrift may be confidered in a threefold view; as Divine, human and infpired. His Divine knowledge, as God, is infinite and infallible-his human, as man, was limited, uncertain, and acquired by degrees-his inspired knowledge was alfo partial, and communicated to him at feafons.

In relation to the first fort Simon Peter must be understood to speak, when he afcribes all knowledge to Jefus, even of the fecrets of the heart.-Lord, thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that I love thee. Of his human knowledge St Mark here speaks in our text. His prophetic knowledge, mentioned in many places, confirmed in the beginning of the revelation. velation of Jefus Chrift, which God gave unto him.

is

plainly

The re

Further, it is proper to be remarked, with regard to the actions of our Saviour, they were often done upon very different motives from what appeared at first to the fpectators. His actions, as well as his difcourfes, were defigned for inftruction. There was often a moral in his behaviour, as well as in his parables. When he girded himfelf with a towel, and washed his difciples feet, he had more in view than merely to cleanfe them. His intention was to teach them humility, condefcenfion, kindnefs, love, and a train of virtues, in the most moving and fenfible manner. Yet they did not take his design till it was exprefsly explained to them. Thus is the cafe before us; he went to the fig-tree, not merely to satisfy his hunger, but to inftruct his difciples throughout all ages; to teach them, who were prefent with him, the future. deftiny of Jerufalem for their mifimprovement of the most diftinguished

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