this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful, (Luke, And are choked with cares, and riches, and pleasures, and bring no fruit to perfection.) Worldly cares are compared to thorns, not only because of their pernicious efficacy in choking the word, but because it is with great pain and difficulty that they are eradicated. In the parable, the hearers of this denomination are distinguished from those who receive the seed on stony ground, not so much by the effect of the word upon their minds, as by the different natures of each; for in both the seed sprang up, but brought forth no fruit. The stony-ground hearers are incapable of retaining the impressions made by the word, they have no root in themselves, no strength of mind, no firmness of resolution to resist temptations from without. Whereas the thorny-ground hearers have the soil, but then it is filled with the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the love of pleasures, which sooner or later stifle the impressions of the word, by which means in the issue they are as unfruitful as the former. And both are distinguished from the way-side hearers by this, that they receive the word and yield to its influences in some degree. Whereas the others do not receive the word at all, hearing without attention; or if they do attend, forgetting it immediately. The way-side hearers hold the first place in the parable, because they are by far more numerous than the rest, and the good ground hearers the last, because they are but few in number. Luke viii. 15. But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart having heard the word (Mark, receive it) keep it, in opposition to the way-side, which never received the seed at all, but bearing it on its surface, offered it to the fowls that first came, which devoured it. Matthew expresses this sentiment as follows, xiii. 23. But he that received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, to intimate to us, that the right understanding of the word is a great help to our receiving and keeping it-which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty: they bring forth the fruit of good actions, in proportion to the talents and opportunities God hath bestowed upon them. Luke takes notice of another excellent quality of this sort of hearers, viii. 15. and bring forth fruit with patience, in opposition both to the stony and thorny grounds, which nourished the seed that was cast into them only for a while; the former till the sun arose, the latter till the thorns sprang up. The goodness of heart for which this kind of hearers are applauded, consists in their capacity, which having been duly cultivated by them, they understand what they hear, as Matthew informs us. But the honesty of their heart consists in their disposition to believe the truth, though contrary to their prejudices, and to practise it, though though opposite to their inclinations. This is what Mark calls receiving the word. All who hear the word with these qualifications, and join thereunto patience, that is, firmness of resolution, and the government of their passions, never fail to bring forth some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty; they bring forth fruits of righteousness, in proportion to the different degrees of strength, in which they possess the graces necessary to the profitable hearing of the word. When Jesus had ended his interpretation of the parable of the sower, he did not direct his discourse to the people, but continued speaking to the apostles, shewing them by the similitude of the lighted lamp, the use they were to make of this, and of all the instructions he should give them. As lamps are kindled to give light unto those who are in an house, so the understandings of the apostles were illuminated, that they might fill the world with the delightful light of truth. Mark iv. 21. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick? Luke viii. 16. That they which enter in may see the light. He told them farther, that though some of the doctrines of the gospel were then concealed from the people, on account of their prejudices, he had revealed them to his apostles, that they might all in due time be preached openly and plainly through the world, for which reason it became his apostles, to whom God had given both a capacity and an opportunity of hearing these doctrines, to hear them with attention. Mark iv. 22. For there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. (Matt. be known and come abroad.) 23. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. See on Mark iv. 9. p. 292. also on Matt. xiii. 43. § 54. But because it was a matter of great importance that the disciples, who were chosen to publish his doctrine through the world, should listen to his sermons with the closest attention, he repeated his admonition. 24. And he said unto them, Take heed what you hear; (Luke, Take heed therefore how ye hear,) with what measure ye met, it shall be measured to you as ye have the charge of preaching the gospel committed to you, in proportion to the fidelity wherewith you discharge that trust, so shall it fare with you, not only in point of future reward, but even in respect of present privileges. And unto you that hear (aright, see on Matth. ver. 13. pag. 293.) shall more be given; agreeably to that law of the divine administration which I mentioned in the beginning of my discourse, Mat. xiii. 12. p. 293. 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. (Luke viii. 18. seemeth to have.) § L. The parable of the tares of the field. Mat. xiii. 24,-30. HAVING thus privily in the boat explained the parable of the sower, and shewed by the similitude of the lighted lamp what use his disciples were to make of his instructions, Jesus turned about to the multitude on the shore, and raising his voice a little, delivered the parable of the tares cast into a field, which an industrious husbandman had sowed with good grain. Those tares in the blade being very like to wheat, were not at first observed, but as they grew up, they shewed themselves to the no small surprise of the husbandman's servants, who knew that the field had been sowed with good seed. They proposed therefore to root them out immediately. But the husbandman forbade it, lest they should hurt the wheat, telling them that at the harvest he would order his reapers to gather them in bundles, and burn them. In this parable therefore we are taught, that through the craft of the devil, incorrigible sinners will intrude themselves into the visible church; that though good men may judge it for the interest of religion to extirpate such by violent methods, God does not allow it, both because wicked men cannot be certainly distinguished, and because they are oft times so connected with the righteous, that, if they are touched, the righteous will suffer withal, and that God has reserved the full exercise of justice upon wicked men, to the last day, when he will unerringly distinguish between the good and the bad. According to this view of the parable, we may consider it as a vindication of the wisdom of God, both in permitting the wickedness of men professing Christianity, and in suffering it to go unpunished during this life. The wickedness of men cannot be prevented, without disturbing the fixed order of nature; that is, to prevent wickedness, men must be deprived of their freedom of agency, God must interpose miraculously, and the operation of second causes must be suspended. Nay, it is not fit to punish even incorrigible sinners in this life; because, being oft times closely connected by a variety of ties with the righteous, the latter would necessarily be involved in their ruin. Matt. xiii. 24. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: The erection of the kingdom of heaven by Messiah, or the establishment of a visible church on earth, and the corruption thereof through the creeping in of hypocrites, may be illustrated by a man's sowing good seed in his field. 25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sorved tares among the wheat, and went his way: So zealous and industrious was this enemy to do mischief, that while the servants of the husbandman, compelled by the calls of nature, were refreshing themselves with sleep, he took the opportunity to spoil the field which he had cultivated with so much care, by sowing tares in it. 26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? These tares, though very like to wheat, were in their nature so entirely different from it, that by no culture whatever could they be changed into wheat. The servants therefore proposed to root them out, because it was to no purpose to let them remain, or because they fancied they would spoil the wheat. 29. But he said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. The husbandman considering better of the matter than his servants, forbade them to meddle with the tares, because they might mistake them, and because, in rooting them up, they might pluck up much of the wheat along with them. 40. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles, to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. § LI. The parable of the seed that sprang up imperceptibly. Mark iv. 26,-29. AFTER the parable of the tares, Jesus delivered that of the seed, which sprang up imperceptibly, representing the influence of the preaching of the gospel upon mankind. Mark iv. 26. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground. 27. And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how: The influence of the preaching of the gospel upon the minds of men, is oftentimes as imperceptible as the growth of corn, which cannot be discerned with the naked eye, though the person who has sowed it, looks at it ever so often and narrowly; it is likewise as inexplicable. However, as the earth of herself bringeth forth fruit gradually to perfection, so the preaching of the gospel, without any other care of its ministers, will of itself, with the blessing of heaven, produce both faith and holiness in the world. 28. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come: Though the ministers of religion, after having preached the gospel, can do nothing more for its propagation, just as the husbandman after having sown the seed can do nothing to make it grow, also, though they cannot discern the operation of the gospel upon the minds of men, any more than the husbandman can discern the growth of the corn, yet when their preaching has produced its effects, they can discern them just as the the husbandman knows when his corn is ripe for harvest. Moreover, those who by the preaching of the gospel are converted, they can gather into the church, as the husbandman puts in the sickle because the harvest is come. In this parable we are informed, that as the husbandman does. not by any efficacy of his own cause the seed sown to grow, but leaves it to be nourished by the soil and sun; so Jesus and his apostles, having taught men the doctrines of true religion, were not by any miraculous force to constrain their wills, far less were they by the terrors of fire and sword to interpose visibly for the furthering thereof, but would suffer it to spread by the secret influences of the Spirit, till at length it should obtain its full effect. Moreover, as the husbandman cannot by the most diligent observation, perceive the corn in his field extending its dimensions as it grows, so the ministers of Christ cannot see the operation of the gospel upon the minds of men. The effects however of its operation when these are produced they can discern, just as the husbandman can discern when his corn is fully grown and fit for reaping. In the mean time, the design of the parable is not to lead the ministers of Christ to imagine that religion will flourish without due pains taken about it. It was formed to teach the Jews in particular, that neither the Messiah nor his servants would subdue men by the force of arms, as they supposed he would have done, and also to prevent the apostles from being dispirited when they did not see immediate success following their labours. LII. The parable of the grain of mustard-seed. See § 90. THE next parable he spake was that of the mustard, which from a small seed becomes in those eastern climes a spreading tree. Matt. xiii. 31. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, (Mark iv. 30. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God, or with what comparison shall we compare it?) The kingdom of heaven, i. e. the conversion of the world to the outward profession of Christianity, is like to a grain of mustard seed, may be compared to the growth of a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds, (Mark, that be in the earth,) but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree; (Mark, becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches,) so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the VOL. II. * Ver. 32. Becometh tree.] vivirai divdgov, arborescet. This phrase is applied by botanists to plants or the larger kind which grow to the magnis tude or shrubs, and for that reason are called planta arborescentes +Ver. 2. Lodge in the branches.] Karaon, they find shelter, and pass their time there, both in the day time while the weather is bad, and during the night while they sleep. |