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CCXXXV. THE SPRINGING FIELD.

Mark iv. 26-29. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if à man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

THERE is a rich variety in the parables delivered by our Lord

Almost every thing around him was made a vehicle of divine knowledge

Agriculture in particular afforded him many illustrations of his doctrines

He dwelt on that subject the more because it was so adapted to his hearers

In the passage before us he compares the kingdom of God to seed springing up in the field

This comparison is applicable to the erection of his visible church in the world

But we shall consider it rather in reference to a work of grace in the soul

There is a resemblance between seed in a field, and grace in the heart

1. In the manner of their growth

In the parable of the sower our Lord comprehends those characters who receive not the word aright

In this he confines himself to those characters that are truly upright

The growth of grace in their hearts resembles that of corn in a field, in that it is

1. Spontaneous

[Seed, when harrowed into the earth, is left wholly to itself

The husbandman "sleeps by night," and prosecutes his labours "by day" without attempting to assist the corn in the work of vegetation—

Whatever solicitude he may feel, he abstains from such. fruitless endeavours

"The earth must bring forth the fruit of itself," or not

at all

There is a principle of life in the corn which causes it to vegetate

Nor is it indebted to any thing but the kindly influences of the heavensa

Thus it is with divine grace when sown in the heart of

man

We do not mean that any man naturally, and of his own will, lives to God

This is contradicted by the whole tenor of scripture

But grace is a seed which has within it a principle of life→→→ It operates by a power inherent in itself, and is dependent only on him who gave it that powerd

The exertions of ministers, however unremitted, cannot make it growe

It must be left to the operation of its own native energy It will then put forth its virtue, through the invigorating beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and the refreshing showers of the Spirit of God-]

2. Gradual

[Seed does not instantly spring up in a state fit for the sickle

It passes through many different stages before it arrives at · maturity—

Thus also in a work of grace "the blade, the ear, and the full corn" arise in regular succession

A Christian in his earliest attainments wears a different pearance from what he ever did before

ap

He is not less altered that a grain of wheat when it puts forth "the blade"

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He feels himself a sinful, helpless and undone creatureHe cleaves to Christ as a suitable and all-sufficient Saviour

And shews by his whole deportment that he has been quickened from the dead—

But still he is prone to entertain self-righteous hopes-
And too often yields to unbelieving fears-

Hence, though sincere at heart, his attainments are but small

In process of time he shews himself solid and hopeful as "the ear"

His knowledge of self is more deep, and his views of Christ more precious

a 1 Cor. xv. 38.

b Rom. viii. 7,

c 1 Pet. i. 23. Hence Christ, from whose fulness we receive that is said to live in us, and to be our life. Gal. ii. 20. Col. iii. 4.. f John iv. 14.

grace,
d 1 Cor. xv. 10.

Heb. v. 13.

VOL. III.

e 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7.

I

His dependence on the power and grace simple and firm—

of Christ is more

Hence though his conflicts may be more severe, he is more able to sustain them

Nor is there any part of his conversation wherein his profiting doth not appearh

After much experience, both of good and evil, he becomes like "full corn in the ear”.

Though his views of himself are more humiliating than ever, he is not discouraged by them

He only takes occasion from them to live more entirely by faith on Christ

There is an evident ripeness in all the fruit that he brings forth

Above all he lives in a nearer expectation of " the harvest”— He sits loose to all the concerns of this present life

And longs for the season when he shall be treasured up in the garner-]

3. Inexplicable

[The most acute philosopher "knoweth not how" the grain vegetates

That it should die before it springs up,' and then so change its appearance as to put forth the blade, &c. is a mystery that none can explain—

Thus the operations of grace in the soul of man are also inexplicable

We know how the Spirit of God acts on the powers of our mind

We discover that he does so by the effects; but how, we cannot tell

In this view our Lord compares the Spirit's agency to the wind, the precise point of whose rise or destination we are unable to ascertainm

Nor is the mysteriousness of these changes, which we see in the natural world, ever made a reason for disbelieving themNeither should the difficulty of comprehending some things in a work of grace render us doubtful of its reality-]

This resemblance, already so striking, may be further

seen

II. In the end for which they grow

The seed grows up in the field in order to the harvest

h To this effect is St. John's description of the young men who are in an intermediate state between children and fathers. 1 John ii. 13, 14.

i Heb. v. 14.

! 1 Cor. xv. 36.

k1 Cor. i. 7. 2 Cor. v. 1-4. m John iii. 8.

[The husbandman in every part of his labour has the harvest in view

He manures, and plows, and sows his ground in hopes of reaping at last

In every successive state of the corn he looks forward to the crop"

And "when the harvest is come," he "immediately puts in the sickle"-]

Thus also grace springs up in the souls of men to prepare them for glory

[God, having from the beginning chosen his people to salvation, orders every the minutest incident for the accomplishment of his own purpose

All the dispensations of his providence concur for this endall the operations of his grace are adjusted with the same view

The first infusion of a principle of life into our souls is in order to our eternal happiness

All the ordinances, whereby that life is preserved, are for the same end

For this, the word distiles as the dew, and the clouds drop fatness

For this, the very things which seem for a time to retard its growth, are permitted

The gloomy chilling influences of temptation and desertion, are overruled for its final good

When the soul is ripe for glory, "immediately will the sickle be put in"

When we are fully meet for the mansion prepared for us, God will receive us to it

Then will Christ, the great husbandman, rejoice in the fruit of his laboursP

The ministers also, who laboured under him, will rejoice together with him

And that promise which our Lord has given us shall be fulfilled-]

This is a rich source of comfort to ministers, and of encouragement to their people.

[Ministers, like the husbandman, are scattering the seeds of God's word

But, through impatience, are often ready to complain that they have laboured in vain

They forget that the seed lies long under the clods before it vegetates

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And that much of their seed may spring up, when they have ceased from their labours

They are often discouraged too by the drooping aspect of their people→→→

They would wish them to grow up to a state of perfection

at once

And to attain to ripeness without the changes of succeeding

seasons

But it is by such changes that they are brought to maturity

Well therefore may ministers procecute their work with cheerfulness

Leaving events to God, they should follow the direction given them in the word'

And expect that the promised success shall in due time attend their labours"—

People also, of every description, may receive much encouragement

They often are ready to doubt whether "the root of the matter be indeed in them".

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Because their progress is not so rapid is not so rapid as they could wish, they are apt to despond

It is right indeed to examine whether we be really endued with life

Nor should we rest contented with low degrees of growthWhatever joy we feel in seeing the blade, we should grieve if it made no progress

Thus we should never be satisfied without going on unto perfection

But let us wait with patience for the former and the latter rain

Let us expect a variety of seasons as well in the spiritual as the natural world

Let us commit ourselves to God that he may perfect us in his own way

Thus in due season shall we be fit for the granary of heaven

The sickle shall then separate us from all our earthly con

nexions

And we shall be carried in triumph to our appointed rest-]

s Rom. v. 3—5.
Isai, lv. 10, 11.

t Eccl. xi. 5, 6.

* Job v. 26.

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