The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-16
STIRRING SERMON
BY DR.. BARNWELL
Parable Of Fig Tree Applied
to Mems Lives Today
PARISH is INDIVIDUAL
Church of the Advent Crowded Yes
terday at the Morning Service
and Hear FOrceful
Sermon
PARISH is INDIVIDUAL


At the morning service at the Church
of the Advent the Rev. NJ S. Barnwell
preached a stirring sermon before a
large congregation. using the parable of
the fig tree as his text Mr.. Barnwell
referred to the problems of today and
pointed out many of the opportunities
church people have to carry on the Mas
ter's work:
Mr.. Barnwell said in part:
"St. Luke xiii, to 9. A certain man
had fig tree planted in his vineyard.
And he came and sought fruit there
on, and found none Then sal dhe to
the dresser of the vineyard, Cut it
down. Why cumbereth 1t the ground?
And the vine dresser pleaded for
the tree and the lord of the vineyard
gave it another chance"
gospel those two words contain. How
the tree would have shuddered had it
been sentient! How it would have shrunk
from imminent DOOM "Cut it down"
Cast it out" "Why cumbereth it the
ground?' How the tree would have re-
joiced in it's reprieve had it heard and
understood. Another year in the sun
light and gently falling rain. Another
year, while the husbandman digged about
it and cared for it. Another year, when
the master of the vineyard should come
again and when his heart should be re-
joiced because of the abundant harvest
4 that that tree would bear. The gospel
of another chance applied to a poor tree,
that could not think, that could not
reason, nor understand.
But it was a parable the Master was
speaking. He was not greatly concerned
about fig trees r. was concerned with
human souls, and with the getting Of
His work done by men among men here
on earth. He was concerned with teach
ing those souls and with reaching those
souls with the saving power of God He
was anxious to gather them into the
Fathers barns and so the story of the
fig tree was just a parable, just the il
Illustration to point to the reality with
which He was chiefly concerned. The
gospel of another chance was not in
tended to be limited to trees. 1t was in
tended for men. 1t was intended for a
world to which the patriarchs had
spoken; with which the prophets had
pleaded in vain And SO another chance
was given. Jesus Himself came and
sent His disciples into the world to be
the vine dressers. He established His
church to be the fruit bearing tree.
And He is giving us all our other chance
now. Here we have all the care and
spiritualS training that any of us need
and more than many of us will use.
And the Master of the vineyard is wait
ing .to see if we make good" And He
is coming again to see what has been
done in His vineyard wnere SO much low
ing labor is being spent And if the tree
bears fruit, well. But if not, then the
Master shall cut it down!
/ CONTEMPORARY HISTORY
Yes, it was parable. but it almost
seems like contemporary history, SO
closely and intimately does it apply to
you and me.
For here is Gods vineyard; all the peo-
pie of all the world. Here is the place
where we must labor; among these tens
of thousands with whom we come in
daily contact; among these people that
pass our doors; whose little children play
in our streets and alleys, whose sons
work for their living in our great indus
trial plants; whose daughters stand be-
hind the counters in department stores
and sell to us for money the beautiful
laces and satins for which sometimes
they sell their souls. Gods vineyard,
is not merely pretty figure of speech,
where Gods work must be done. Gods
vineyard is Armenia, where human be-
ings this morning are eating grass and
carrion before they lay themselves down
to starve. Gods vineyard is China,
where unnecessary children are cast out
to die by those who have never learned
the God-likeness of parenthood. Gods
vineyard is Birmingham with her
churches and her brothels; with her
| fr;1, nd wi
righteousness and her sin. And in this
vineyard, which so sorely needs redemp-
ton God has given you and me to labor.
This is the soil in which God has plant
ed his fig tree.
You hold lump of earth in one hand
and a ripe, luscious fig in the other. Con-
trast them. How unlike they are. Com
mand the most skilled craftsman in the
world to take the earth and make from
it fig, and you set for him an impos-
sible task, and yet the fig tree did it.
The task of fig tree in the vineyard
was to do just that; to gather in the es-
sential elements from the soil, and to
carry them up and up and change them
and then to set them forth as figs for
the use of the Master, and because the fig
tree in the parable failed in that, its
chefest mission, the Master condemned
it.
| CALLED TO LABOR
In this vineyard that we spoke of a
moment ago, wherein we are called to
labor. God has set tree 1t is to do the
work of tree, to gather in the life from
the soil of the vineyard to lift it up
and change it and at last set it forth as
fruit for the Master. That fig tree is the
church of God. You take a sodden, sim
full wretch on the one hand, man or
woman who has set aside every law OF
God and man; whose life has gone down
to the lowest depths of RIGHTEOUSNESS and
drunkenness and sin; you take such a
man on the one hand and a saint of God
on the other. Contrast them How I'M
like they are. Command some crafts
man in human nature to take the sin
ner and make from HIM a saint, and you
| set for him an impossible task, and yet,
the church of God was set here to do
| just that. That is the task of the church.
That is what the Master planted it for;
to gather up the dirty souls of men from
the vineyard floor; to draw them into
herself and through herself; to work
upon them and change them; to lift them
up and ever up until at last she sets
them forth as fruit for the Master That
is the task the Master has set. And
when the church fails in 1t, the Master
condemns
The tree in the parable had plenty of
leaves, but no fruit. How like so many
people that was, How like so many
parishes, for after all a parish is but
the individual writ larra The troa on