GRAPES FROM THORNS? FIGS FROM THISTLES? WHEN Jesus was upon earth, He never uttered a single word without a good purpose to answer thereby, and the important questions which stand at the head of this paper certainly formed no exception to this rule. His design in asking them was, to warn His hearers against those hypocrites who would endeavour to creep into their midst, like wolves in sheep's clothing.

If a flock of sheep perceived a wolf approaching, they would at once endeavour to reach a place of safety; but, supposing the wolf came disguised as a sheep, what would be the result? Why, without doubt, he would easily get into the midst of the flock, and his presence would only be discovered when he commenced to rend his helpless victim.

It is said that a Roman general, wishing to obtain possession of a city, appeared before its gates with a company of invalid soldiers, which he begged the inhabitants to care for, which they kindly consented to do. But the sick soldiers recovered so rapidly that they were soon walking about the town, looking at all the objects of interest, but especially keeping a sharp lookout upon its defences. The reason of this strange conduct was soon discovered, for one dark night, at a given signal, they overpowered the guards, opened the city gates, and admitted their general with his army, who were waiting outside. These kind but simple citizens discovered by a bitter experience the danger of harbouring wolves in sheep's clothing. If such deceivers do so much harm amongst the people of the world, surely their ravages are far more to be feared by the sheep and lambs of Christ's fold.

Jesus, however, tells us plainly how all such hypocritical wolves may be discovered-"By their fruits ye shall know them; for do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" Tested by this infallible rule, every deceiver must, sooner or later, stand revealed. But if, like the five foolish virgins, they should through life succeed in deceiving even the very elect, yet the midnight cry will certainly strike terror to their hearts, tear the masks from their faces, and declare their true characters before men and angels

"The day of death, not far,

Dissolves each golden dream;

Death will distinguish what you are
From what you only seem."

We will now consider briefly both the barren characteristics of thorns and thistles, and also the fruitful nature of the grapes and figs, in which we shall clearly see their opposite natures, and show

how impossible it is for grapes to grow on thorns, or figs to bet plucked from thistles.

Thorns and thistles came into the world through sin, hence we find that, when God told Adam of the punishment that his sin would bring upon him, He said, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee." Thus, from the fall of man, they have been clearly a badge of the curse. If we now pass over four thousand years, from Eden to Calvary, what do we witness in the wondrous sacrifice of God's dear Son? Why, His cruel foes have crowned Him-not, however, with the jewelled coronet of an earthly monarch, but with a crown of thornsnot such insignificant briers as grow on English soil, but prongs nearly three inches long, sharp and strong, that must have wounded deeply the poor Sufferer. Thus the thorns which were so conspicuous at the entry of sin into the world also played a prominent part in the putting away of sin.

Thorns are exceedingly painful things to deal with, and even a small one, if it enters our finger, gives us pain until it is extracted. Here, again, is an emblem of sin. But thorns may prick, serpents may bite, and wasps may sting, yet all of these combined cannot wound us so deeply as sin can do.

Joseph's brethren felt some of these pricking thorns when the strange treatment which they received in Egypt brought their almost forgotten sin to their remembrance. How clearly do their words betray their feelings-" We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us." How true did they find that important declaration, "Be sure your sin will find you out."

Thorns and thistles are troublesome things, and where is the person to be found who would not rather have their room than their company? They are often cut down by thousands and burnt, to get rid of them; but, in spite of this, others spring up in their place, only to be destroyed in their turn. We can but feel that the entire lack of spiritual fruit in the case of sinners is plainly described by these weeds, and, should not grace change their hearts, they must at length be banished from the Lord's presence, to suffer for ever the punishment due to their sin.

We will now turn over a new leaf. Having looked at the dark side, let us take a glimpse at the bright.

Grapes and figs are always more enjoyable than thorns and thistles. That grapes are intended to set forth the fruits of the children of God is abundantly evident from the words of Jesus to His disciples-"I am the Vine; ye are the branches." What a beautiful figure! How clearly does it set forth the union that

exists between Christ and His Church, for what can possibly be closer than the vine and its branches? We also see a great diversity in those branches. Some are small, others large; some crooked, others straight; some grow up, and others hang down; yet all bear fruit, and all are in the vine. So amongst the children of God there are all stages of experience-little children, young men, and fathers-some strong in faith, and others weak; some active, doing the Lord's service, while others serve Him passively in a path of affliction-yet all abide in Christ, receiving their all from Him.

It is said that one of the gates of the temple at Jerusalem was ornamented by a splendid vine, the stem and tendrils of which were of pure gold, while the grapes were composed of sparkling diamonds. But costly and beautiful as this vine must have been, its value is nothing in comparison with the preciousness of this heavenly Vine, for was not every branch of it purchased at a countless sum, "not with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ"?

The branches of this Vine can only be really known to the world by the fruit they bear

"When on the bough rich fruit we see,

'Tis then we cry, 'A goodly tree !'"

The fruit brought forth by this Vine may well be compared to the beautiful grapes of love, the clusters of which are more precious than the far-famed grapes of Eshcol. How highly did the Apostle value their fruit! He felt the highest earthly attainments or personal sacrifice were nothing if destitute of love (1 Cor. xiii.). Love to God is sure to be made manifest, but the subject of it is often found mourning over his lack of love to the God of love.

Good John Bradford, the martyr, was once observed weeping as he sat at table, and his tears dropped upon his wooden trencher. When asked the reason, he replied, "I am weeping because I love Christ so little." Truly his love to his Master was great, and was as clearly seen by his tears shed at the table, as by his aftersuffering at the stake.

Love to God can generally be gauged by the affection that is felt towards His people. Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, was only a slave in the palace at Jerusalem, but he feared and loved the Lord, which was clearly seen by his rescuing Jeremiah from the filthy dungeon into which his enemies had cast him, and the Lord blessed him in the deed (Jer. xxxviii., xxxix.).

Love to God is also manifested by love to His Word. The godly martyrs chose rather to die than to give up this treasure. But now, through God's grace, we are favoured with an open

Bible, and the estimation in which it is held is witnessed by many a well-thumbed Book, occasionally in the palaces of the great, but far more frequently in the cottages of the poor. How many thousands have found this precious Book their support in trouble, their counsellor in perplexity, and their comfort in death!

Love to God's ways is also discerned in all fruitful branches of the living Vine. The paths of sin and folly, which were once their delight, are gladly forsaken, when God takes possession of the heart, and then they prove the truth of Solomon's proverb, "Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Travellers tell us that the grapes of Sodom are delightful to the eye, but when squeezed between the fingers, they explode with a loud report, being filled with air, and are exceedingly poisonous in their nature. These wild grapes will easily deceive the eye, but their nature is known when brought to the test. How many, too, of those who appear to be the children of God will some day, we fear, prove to be only wild gourds! On the other hand, when real grapes are placed in the wine-press, their genuineness is known, not by the noise they make, but by the rich juice they yield. God always puts His children into the lawpress of conviction, which squeezes out from their hearts such lamentable cries as no hypocrite is ever the subject of. Surely the poor publican in the temple must have been in this press when he uttered that exceedingly bitter cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" This proved him to be a member of Christ, the living Vine, while the proud, noisy, whole-hearted Pharisee was equally made manifest to all as belonging unmistakably to the vine of Sodom.

We have next to consider the figs, from which many lessons are to be gleaned. For instance, figs are often found growing out of some cleft in a rock, where one would think that nothing could possibly grow. And who would ever expect to find God's grace manifest in the rocky heart of a sinner? Yet God, by His Spirit, rends the flinty heart, and implants therein the seed of the kingdom, which brings forth good fruit, where previously only thistles were to be found.

The fruit of the fig tree is not only most useful for food, and consequently most highly prized by the poor, but it is also very beneficial as a medicine. Hezekiah was told by Isaiah to apply it to his boil, and those similarly afflicted now may find relief from the same remedy. The Word of God may well be compared to a fig tree, for the children of God find therein food for their souls and a balm for their wounds.

The leaves of the fig tree are very large, and, consequently, it is not surprising that Adam and Eve chose them to make aprons to

cover their nakedness. The branches are also very wide-spreading, so that a shepherd and his whole flock can find abundant shelter beneath the shade of one tree. It was probably for this reason that Nathanael chose such a shady and retired spot for his devotions, and which doubtless gave rise to the remark which Jesus addressed to him-" When thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee;" and every child of God to this day loves to have some shady fig tree, where he can commune with his God; but such grapes do not grow on thorns, nor such figs on thistles.

Many years ago, a great king might be seen going out of Jerusalem, and down the hill-side into the adjoining valley, where was erected a brazen image, with the head of a calf, a hideous monster, which was intended to represent the idol god, Molech. Behold him falling before it in solemn worship. But bowing down is not sufficient. There must be an offering made, and that sacrifice must be a human one. The image, being hollow, has a fire lighted within it, and, when the brass is red hot, a child is placed in the arms of the monster, and there held till it is consumed, its cries being completely drowned by the beating of drums. This wicked king was also as cruel to his subjects as to his children, so that the very streets of Jerusalem were made to run with innocent blood. Probably he slew many of the priests and prophets of the Lord, who dared to reprove him, and advocate the worship of the God of heaven.

Let us turn from this sad picture to look at another. Many miles from Jerusalem, in a foreign land, confined in a miserable dungeon, behold the same king. How came he there? The Lord has delivered him, for his sins, into the hands of his enemies, who are thus ill-treating him. But hark! he is in prayer. To whom are his cries addressed? To the idol Molech? Nay, but to the God of heaven, to whom his godly father Hezekiah used to pray. And will the Lord hear such a monster of iniquity? Yes, indeed, for His ear is ever open to the cry of the needy. Manasseh is heard, deliverance is granted, and soon we find him restored to his kingdom, where he still further shows the genuineness of his repentance by putting down the idolatry which he had once so much loved and so energetically supported. Did not a thorn bear a grape, or a thistle a fig, in the case of Manasseh? Certainly not, however much appearances may seem to point that way.

The skilful husbandman, in performing grafting operations, does so by taking a good slip and grafting it into a bad tree. But not so with God, for He does just the reverse of this. He takes a wild branch-or rather, a man who is fitly compared to a thorn or a thistle-and grafts him into a good stock, even into Christ, and causes so much living sap to flow into the grafted branch