The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-07-25
Our Young People
BY REV. R. H. RIVERS, D. D.
Nothing but Leaves.

Bethany. This was a little Yillag
a short distance from Jerusalem
Jesus often staid there. 1t was no
far from the Mount of Olives, wher
he often prayed during the Who'll,
night. 1t is possible that He ma
have been in the Mount praying
and that He was returning to Jeru
salem without His break fast. Jesus
was very poor. He was not as ricl
as the birds of the air. He had NJ
house Of His own to shelter Him
and said Himself that in this re
spect the wild foxes were better of
than He was. After a night oil
wakefulness He was hungry. He
saw fig tree by the roadside. II
was covered with leaves. A fig tree
has the igs first, and the leaves af
forwards AS this tree had many
full grown leaves upon it, it ought
to have had fruit also. Jesus went
to the tree to get His humble break
fast. AS man, He might not have
known that the tree had no figs on
it. AS God, He knew everything.
1t was the man that was hungry,
and as man He might have expected
to make His breakfast from the figs
which He would gather. At the
same time He could rest awhile I'M
der the shade; but if He expected
any figs He was disappointed. The
tree bore nothing but leaves. Je-
sus then said, ''Let no fruit grow
on thee forever" 1t was fearful
curse that He uttered. 1t was as
though He had said, command the
clouds to send no more fruitful
showers upon thee. l command
the earth to dry up around thy
roots, and to send no more sap
along thy trunk and through thy
branches. Thou shalt wIther Blight
shall fall upon thee. Thy leaves
shall be dried up, and people shall
wonder at the quickness with which
all thy beauty shall depart. Jesus
had never done so before. He did
not come to curse, but to bless. He
did not come to make things die,
but to give life and JOY to the world,
Why then did he curse the barren
fig tree2 He did it to leave you a
lesson. You must bear fruit. You
must have something more than
leaves, God expects it. Jesus
claims fruit. A boy that will not
study his lessons; that never reads
his Bible; that hates the Sunday
school; that learns no sweet songs;
that commits to memory no verses
of Scripture, is like the barren fig
tree. The boy that makes large
promises and breaks those promises
as often as he makes them, bears
nothing but leaves. Remember that
the fig tree promised much, but
when the Savior asked for fruit, it
had no fruit to give. He could not
satisfy His hunger with leaves. So
if you make big promises and do
not keep them, that will not satisfy
the Savior. He wants fruit. Let
me show you what kind OF fruit He
asks you TO give Him. He wants
faith. You must believe all He
says. You must trust in Him just
as a child trusts in his mother. A
mother says to her little boy, Tom
my, shut your eyes and open your
mouth" Tommy does it. Why?
Because he trusts that his mother
will put candy in his mouth. If it
were bad boy that said to him,
open your mouth and shut your
eyes, Tommy would not do it, be-
cause he would fear that his mouth
would be filled with pebbles or
something else. But he can trust
his mother; he knows that she loves
him; he is sure she will not place
that is bad in his mouth.
Now, my children, that is faith. Je
sus tells you to open your heart
and he will fill it with love. Trust
him. He will help you. He will
bless you. If the little boy would
just open the heart to Jesus as he
would his mouth to his mother, he
would never be cursed for bearing
nothing but leaves. Then you must
bear love. Jesus deserves your
love. He is full of love for you.
He Is sc pure, so good, that if you
would only think of Him as you
ought, you would be sure to love
Him. Then He feeds you and
clothes you. He has given you
kind parents and a sweet pleasant
home. He gives you the Bible and
the Sunday-school. He makes the
sun shine for you, and the rain pour
Down for you. Then He has pre-
pared Heaven for you. Love him,
because He loves you. Then Jesus
expects the fruit of obedience. You
must not be wicked and Maynard.
He tells you to pray in secret. Do
what He tells you t. do. If L were
boy again l would pray three
lines a day for Jesus to make me
good. Oh! it is the praying boy
hat Jesus loves. He will never |
pronounce a curse on the little boy /
n girl who constantly prays to |
Him. If you want to bear fruit,
,ray. If you desire to be free from
he awful doom which God brings |
Ipon the wicked, you must be sure |
o bear something more than leaves. |
Make no promises that you do not |
intend to keep.
-