May 9

He looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. - Isaiah 5:2.

WAS God, then, disappointed? He was, and he was not. We must make a distinction. We must distinguish between disappointment in fact, and disappointment in right. As to disappointment in fact, God is never liable to it. His understanding is infinite; he sees the end from the beginning. But as to disappointment in right, observe, if a man expect a crop by sowing upon the sand of the sea, it would be very unreasonable; but not so if he manured and improved the soil, and gave it every kind of advantage and culture: he would have a right then to look for produce according to his expenditure and pains. So it is here, and therefore God may justly complain. He is denied his right. To the same purpose is the parable of our Saviour. He one day said, “A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he, answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it, and if it bear fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

We are not told whether this intercession was successful; but we have every reason to believe that it was, and that the vine-dresser did not pray in vain, for the Father “heard him always,” and God is long-suffering, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Some years ago, a minister had in his garden a tree that never bore. One day he was going thither with the axe in his hand to fell it: his wife met him in the pathway, and pleaded for it, saying, “Why, the spring is now very near; stay and see whether there may not be some change, and if not, you can deal with it accordingly.” As he never repented following her advice, he yielded to it now: and what was the consequence? In a few weeks the tree was covered with blossoms, and in a few weeks more it was bending with fruit. “Ah!” said he, “this should teach me; I will learn a lesson from hence, not to cut down too soon; that is, not to consider persons incorrigible or abandoned too soon, so as to give up hope, and the use of means and prayer in their behalf.”

A member of the church at Broadmead, Bristol, had behaved very improperly, and when reproved was very perverse, and showed such a disposition that at the church meeting it was resolved to excommunicate him. The Sabbath before, Caleb Evans, the pastor, preached in the morning from the words, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” and the man was there, and seemed hardened and resentful. But it so happened that a stranger was engaged to preach in the afternoon, and, without knowing what had occurred, he took the following words:-“Let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well, and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” The man was again present, but now his very heart was broken, and he wept bitterly, and went into the vestry, and confessed freely his guilt, and threw himself upon the mercy of the church, and they were satisfied with only suspending him for a season. Here we may see how the goodness of God leadeth to repentance.