Well, now the axe begins to be heaved higher, for now indeed God is ready to smite the sinner:  yet before he will strike the stroke, he will try one way more at last; and if that misseth, down goes the fig-tree.

Now this last way is to labor and strive with this professor by his Spirit.  Therefore the Spirit of the Lord is now come to him; but not always to strive with man, Gen. 6:8; yet awhile he will strive with him, he will awaken, he will convince, he will call to remembrance former sins, former judgments, the breach of former vows and promises, the misspending of former days.  He will also present persuasive arguments, encouraging promises, dreadful judgments, the shortness of time to repent in; and that there is hope if he come.  He will show him the certainty of death and of the judgment to come, yea, he will pull and strive with this sinner.  But behold, the mischief now lies here; here is laboring and striving on both sides.  The Spirit convinces, the man turns a deaf ear to God; the Spirit saith, Receive my instruction and live, but the man pulls away his shoulder; the Spirit shows him whither he is going, but the man closeth his eyes against it; the Spirit offers violence, the man strives and resists:  he has “done despite unto the Spirit of grace.”  Heb. 10:29.  The Spirit parleyeth a’second time and urgeth reasons of a new nature, but the sinner answereth, No; I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.  Amos 4:  6-12.  At this, God comes out of his holy-place, and is terrible; now he sweareth in his wrath they shall never enter into his rest.  Ezek. 34:13.  I exercised towards you my patience, yet you have not turned unto me, saith the Lord.  I smote you in your person, in your relations, in your estate, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.  “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”

The second sign that such a professor is almost, if not quite past grace, is when God hath given him over, or lets him alone and suffers him to do any thing, and that without control; helpeth him not either in works of holiness, or in straits and difficulties:  “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.”  “Woe be to them when I depart from them.”  “I will laugh at their calamity; I will mock when their fear cometh.”

Barren fig-tree, thou hast heretofore been digged about; God’s mattock has heretofore been at thy roots; thou hast heretofore been striven with, convinced, awakened, made to taste and see, and cry, O the blessedness!  Thou hast heretofore been met with under the word; thy heart has melted, thy spirit has fallen, thy soul has trembled, and thou hast felt something of the power of the gospel.  But thou hast sinned, thou hast provoked the eyes of his glory, thy iniquity is found to be hateful; and now perhaps God has left thee, given thee up, and lets thee alone.

Heretofore thou wast tender; thy conscience startled at the temptation to wickedness, for thou wert taken off from the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 2:  20-22; but that very vomit that once thou wert turned from, now thou lappest up again,