The Works of John Bunyan, vol 3, John Bunyan [ebook reader color screen TXT] 📗

Son hath life, but he that hath not the Son of God, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him’ (John 3:36; 1 John 5:12). For ‘on either side of the river was there the tree of life.’

[The fruits of this tree.] ‘Which bare twelve manner of FRUITS.’

This word fruits, it may be taken two ways-either as it relates to God, or as it relates to man, for, as I said before, the fruit of this tree refreshes the heart both of God and man (John 9:9,14).

[1.] Now if it be taken with reference to God, then it signifieth the complete satisfaction that by the worthiness of the fruits of the passion of Christ is given to God for the salvation of the church; this city of God (Dan 9:24,26). He suffered to finish transgression, to make an end of sin, and to bring in everlasting righteousness; by this, I say, is the heart of God refreshed, and in this doth it rest (Matt 3:17).

[2.] If fruit here be taken with reference to men, then it signifieth the happiness and glory that those for whom he died and rose again should receive by this means. His fruit, I have showed you, is sweet to the taste of his church, which fruit is the effect of his undertaking for sinners and the comfortable savour of it in the soul.

[The variety of the fruits.] ‘Which bare twelve manner of fruits.’

In that he saith the fruits are twelve, he herein alludeth, 1. To the twelve tribes of the Israel of God; for which twelve tribes here will be found a suitable measure of food, healing food: ‘I will multiply the fruit of the tree,’ saith God, and also ‘the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen’ (Eze 36:30).

Again, These that John calleth ‘twelve manner of fruits,’ the prophet Ezekiel calleth ‘all manner of fruit for meat.’ For indeed, as I showed before, there is that to be found in Christ, both for fulness and variety, that is not to be found in heaven and earth beside. Here is fruit for body, fruit for soul, fruit for babes, fruit for strong men, fruit for fathers, yea, for glorified saints and angels. Fruits, variety of fruits, even twelve manner of fruits.

2. By twelve manner of fruits, he doth also allude to the apostles, who are called twelve, and are those who have made provision for the house of God, according to the twelve-fold manner of the dispensation of God unto them, and of the twelve-fold manner of operation of that holy Spirit which wrought in every one of them severally as he pleased. Which twelve were before figured unto us by the twelve offices of king Solomon, the type of Christ, which twelve were to make provision for the house of the king, according to the season of the year, and each man his month in the year (1

Kings 4:7). Which very thing the Holy Ghost also doth here cast his eye upon, and that makes him bring in the words of ‘every month,’ saying, it yields its fruit ‘every month.’ For indeed, whatever you read of concerning this city, in this description of John, you find something or other in the writings of the prophets that giveth ground for such expressions. Wherefore seeing the officers of Solomon were twelve, and the apostles of Christ twelve also; and seeing the officers of Solomon made provision for his house, each man his month in a year, and the fruits of this tree of life are called twelve manner of fruits, I do take the twelve manner of fruits here to be signified by the provision of Solomon’s officers, according to the twelve seasons of the year, and they a type of the twelve-fold doctrine of the twelve apostles of the Lord Christ, for it is their doctrine that is the bread of the church, yea, the milk for the babe, and the strong meat for men (1

Thess 2:7; 1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:11-14).

[The abundance of the fruits.] ‘And yielded her fruit every month.’

As this confirmeth what I have said before, so it further showeth us these three things. First, That the effectual fruits of Christ for the saving of the world, they are to be had especially at certain seasons. It ‘yielded her fruit every month.’ Second, It showeth also that at the building of this Jerusalem, these seasons will be very thick and quick; she yielded her fruit ‘every month.’

Third, It showeth us also the abundance of provision that this holy city shall then enjoy from the tree of life, even all manner of fruit every month.

First, For the first, that the gospel hath and will be especially effectual at certain seasons for the saving of the sons of men; it is showed us by the descending of the angels into the pool of Bethesda to trouble the water, which as it was at certain seasons, so he that in those seasons first stepped in, he only was made whole of whatsoever disease he had (John 5:4). It is showed us also in that parable of the Lord’s hiring men to work in his vineyard; which time of hiring, though it lasteth in general from the first hour to the eleventh, yet so as that there were vacant seasons between hiring-times and hiring-times, quite through the whole day; he went out at the first, third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hour, and not at every hour, to hire labourers (Matt 20:1-6).

For as God hath appointed out beforehand the number of his elect, so also he hath determined in his good pleasure the day of their bringing in, and will then have them as certainly as the wild ass is found in her month (Gal 1:15,16; Hosea 6:11; Jer 2:24). Of which times and season, because men are ignorant, therefore they should with all faithfulness wait upon God in all the seasons of his grace for their souls, even as he did for his body; who because he would be there at all seasons, brought thither his bed and couch to rest there (John 5:8).

Second, As by the fruit of this tree being yielded at certain seasons, we may gather that there are certain seasons in which the word in an especial manner shall be blessed and made successful to the salvation of many souls. So again, in that he saith this fruit is yielded every month, it signifieth that in the days of the building of the city, the New Jerusalem, these seasons will be very thick and quick. ‘Lift up thine eyes,’ saith God to this city, ‘all they gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters’ from the ends of the earth. ‘All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee’ so that thou wonderingly shalt say, ‘Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows!’ (Isa 60:4,7,8).

For ‘I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Behold these shall come from far; and lo these from the north, and from the west, and those from the land of Sinim’ (Isa 49:11,12).

Third, In that she is said to yield not only fruit, but all manner of fruit; and that not only one manner of fruit now, and another then, but all manner of fruit, and that every month; it argueth also that at this day Jerusalem shall have abundance of heavenly and spiritual provision, and of variety of dainties for her solace and refreshment; always new, I say, and immediately from the tree.

The fruits of the vine shall at that day be upon the mountains of Samaria, and shall be eaten ‘as common things,’ saith the prophet (Jer 31:5). ‘Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness do spring; for the tree beareth her fruit; the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad, then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the former’ and the latter ‘rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month; and the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm’ hath eaten.

‘And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord’ (Joel 2:21-25). And then shall every one not only sit under his own vine, and under his own fig-tree, but from thence they shall call each to other, to give to each other their dainties, and none shall make them afraid (Zech 3:10).

[The virtue of the leaves.] ‘And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.’ By leaves here, we may understand the blessed and precious promises, consolations, and encouragements, that by virtue of Christ’s undertaking for us, we have everywhere growing upon the new covenant; which promises and encouragements they are and will be most freely handed to the wounded conscience that will be tossed upon the restless waves of doubt and unbelief, as was the olive leaf by the dove brought home to Noah, when he was tossed upon the waves of that outrageous flood that then did drown the world (Gen 8).

But again, by this word, the leaves, you may conceive that still he hath his eye to the paradise in which at first God placed Adam and his companion, for it was to leaves they fled for covering after they had transgressed against their Maker (Gen 3:7). Now then, in his saying the leaves are for healing; it is as if he had said, the paradise that will be towards the latter end of the world will far outstrip the paradise that first was planted in the beginning thereof; for as the tree of life, which is the Christ and Saviour, shall stand where did the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is the old covenant and law of works: so the leaves of this tree shall be for healing, and for covering the nakedness of poor transgressors, though the leaves that Adam found in the first paradise, do what he could, did leave him naked.

Christ’s leaves are better than Adam’s aprons. Ezekiel saith that these leaves are for medicine (47:12), that is, they are for healing, saith John; the which may most fitly be applied to the blessed promise of grace. For as a leaf for medicine, when applied to a sore in the body, doth supple, mollify, and heal the wound; so the word of promise, when rightly applied to the soul, it doth supple, mollify, and heal the wounded conscience. ‘He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ (Psa 107:20,21).

‘And the leaves,’ &c. There is yet another mystery lieth in these words.

He doth not say, and the fruits thereof are for the healing of the nations, but the leaves, by which he would have us to understand that all the benefits and privileges that we do receive from Christ, they are as inferior to the glory we shall have from him when we come to heaven, as inferior, I say, as the leaves are to the fruit. Again, the comfort and sweetness that at any time we receive from the Lord, it is not before but after a