dom, as it is called in v. 19. This is the immediate and primary means or instrument which the Holy Spirit employs in producing spiritual life and holiness. See Col. i. 5, 6; 1 Pet. i. 3.—The written word of God is the true seed. Tradition, whether written or unwritten, is chaff, or something worse. He who expounds and preaches the inspired word, having been lawfully called thereto by a Christian congregation, is a true and complete minister of Christ. The soil is the world, or the soul of every individual; the word is designed to work upon the understanding, affections, and conscience of the hearers; and its effect is according to the state of mind and heart of those who hear it.

Some seeds fell by the way side.— Careless, thoughtless, or unbelieving men, who turn a deaf ear to God's word, or who hear it without attention and respect, derive from it no good impression whatever. Into their minds and hearts it does not even enter. And "the wicked one cometh," and soon occupies the soul with other subjects, and makes it yield to another influence. Our attention must be given, and our hearts engaged, as a first step towards obtaining benefit from Gospel truth.— The seed is said to be sown in that heart which is described as being hard and impenetrable as a beaten path. So it is, according to the design and intention of the Sower; and yet it is not received into the heart, through the fault of the hearer.

Some fell upon stony places.-These are those who hear the word of God,

and give some attention to it,-make profession of religion, and even seem to " run well" for a time; while yet their hearts are hard and unhumbled,-all that appears to be good is only on the surface of their feelings, desires, and character,-they do not adhere to Christ by faith,—and so their judgment, will, and affections, are without any really good principles or habits. In some season of trial or temptation, when they practically feel the difficulty and cost of maintaining and acting upon religious principles, they take offence at the from their appacross, fall away rently hopeful state, and perhaps even abandon their profession of religion.

And some fell among thorns. Worldly cares, or the pleasures attendant upon worldly wealth, are great, and sometimes fatal, hindrances to the growth of faith and true religion. They occupy or consume the energies of the soul, like weeds that draw away the strength of the soil; they propose vain objects of love or fear, of hope or aversion, and thus hinder the soul from seeking and receiving divine grace, like weeds that keep off the sunshine, and absorb the moisture of rain and dew; they bring with them many temptations and snares; they create false grounds of confidence; -and thus, in various ways, check or destroy the influence of divine truth within the heart. If we set our minds and affections on these things, we shall soon have no room left in our hearts for the things of God. "Ye cannot serve God and

mammon." "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

not perceive the things which it reveals. Wilful ignorance is punished by increasing blindness.

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit.—See Isa. lv. 10, 11; John xv. 8.-The hearers of God's word who duly profit by it, and are made wise unto salvation, are those who honestly desire to be taught of God, who attend to the word spoken, with humility and faith, with consideration and self-application, and who yield to its influence upon their lives and conduct. They receive the word into their understanding, memory, and hearts; they adopt its principles and act upon its dictates; they listen to it and obey it as the voice of God. And, while some attain greater degrees of holiness than others, yet all bring forth those "fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,”—through his Gospel and the power of his Spirit, "unto the glory and praise of God."-The word of God, faithfully received through grace given, will make that heart good and fruitful, which is naturally bad and barren, or fit to bring forth only weeds.

Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, &c.-When men make some

Lest at any time they should see, &c.-Such would be the happy effect of their giving due attention to divine truth, with humility and simplicity of mind; but since they would not do this, therefore they could not be converted and healed. Their own unbelief and impenitence hindered them from receiving these blessings. Lest, &c. denotes not the purpose or design of God, but the effect or result of wilful neglect and disobedience on the part of man. The issue is the same as though men had designed the hindrance of their own conversion.

given, God will give more. If they neglect or abuse that gift, God will not only withhold a farther supply, but will take from them what they have already received, and will leave them to themselves, to abuse and degrade even their natural judgment, affections, and conscience. He justly takes away light from those to whom he has given it, but who shut their eyes against its influence, and will

between conversion and salvation. If these men had duly attended to the word of Christ, their hearts would have been converted, and they would have been saved, not only from sin itself, but from all its guilt and consequences.

Blessed are your eyes, &c.—Blessed in enjoying the peculiar favour of the Gospel revelation, and in receiving that divine message, with a lively

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?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 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.

:

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, "The

the Leaven, and the Hidden Treasure.

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:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his

way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the housholder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three + measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; "I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 'The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

t ch. iii. 12.-u Is. ii. 2, 3. Mic. iv. 1. Mark iv. 30. Luke xiii. 18, 19.- Luke xiii. 20. The word in the Greek is a measure containing about a peck and a half, wanting a little more than a pint.-y Mark iv. 33, 34.z Ps. lxxviii. 2. a Rom. xvi. 25, 26. 1 Cor. ii. 7. Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 26.-b ch. xxiv. 14; & xxviii. 19. Mark xvi. 15, 20. Luke xxiv. 47. Rom. x. 18. Col. i. 6. c Gen. iii. 13. John viii. 44. Acts xiii, 10. 1 John iii. 8.-d Joel iii. 13. Rev. xiv. 15.-e ch. xviii. 7. 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2. || Or, scandals.-f ch. iii. 12. Rev. xix. 20; & xx. 10. g ch. viii. 12. ver. 50.-h Dan. xii. 3. Wisd. iii. 7. 1 Cor. xv. 42, 43, 58. i ver. 9.

Reader. The words of the prophet, here said to have received their full accomplishment in the teaching of our Lord, are found in Ps. lxxviii. 2. The things which had been formerly kept secret, or revealed only in types and shadows and by the gradual light of prophecy, were openly proclaimed by the preaching of the Gospel. See Eph. iii. 9; Rom. xvi. 25; 1 Cor. ii. 7; Col. i.

26.

READER. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. The sower, according to the exposition, is the Son of man. Christ proclaims divine truth, and implants holiness in the heart, by his Spirit, and the instrumentality of his word, written and preached.-The good seed are the children of the kingdom, that is to say, these are the produce of the good seed. They are such as are ruled by the word and grace of Christ, who is the King and Head of his people, governed by the Gospel and that principle of holiness which they have received from Christ.

While men slept.-Satan watches for, and seizes, every opportunity of doing mischief to the souls of men. He takes advantage of every circumstance which may assist in propagating sin and misery. See 1 Pet. v. 8. -His enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat,-tares, the children of the wicked one, who bear the image of Satan, believe his lies, do his works, and submit to his tyranny; John viii. 44; Eph. ii. 2.And went his way. "When Satan is doing the greatest mischief he studies most to conceal himself, for his design is in danger of being spoiled, if he be seen in it. - Such is the proneness of fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may even go his way; they will spring up, and do hurt."

When the blade was sprung up, &c. -The principles of good and evil are often, for some time, latent in the heart. But eventually they spring up, and appear; and they are known by the fruits which they produce. So also, in the world at large, good and bad men are undiscerned for a time; but circumstances arise, which mark their character.

So the servants of the housholder came, &c.-Well may we be surprised to find so much evil in the church, seeing that it has been blessed with the good word and grace of God!

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.-Christ does not upbraid the ministers of his Gospel with the existence of evil that does not happen through their fault.-We cease to be astonished at the prevalence of

sin and error in the visible church of Christ, when we consider that an enemy is at work, and that we have been forewarned of the success of his endeavours.

Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?-The zeal of good Christians is sometimes too hasty in seeking to root out sin and error from the church by the punishment of evil men. See Luke x. 54–56.

But he said, Nay, &c.-No such violent process of separating the good from the bad, the sincere from the hypocrite, is to be pursued, in the existing state of the church, by human ministers. Men may mistake in their judgment, and therefore are not fit to execute the task: and besides this, the bad may be made better, and therefore the time for separation is not yet. The church must, indeed, be kept free from scandalous offenders, by the exercise of godly discipline;-but the wicked are not yet consigned to punishment. Let us remember Samaria (compare Luke ix. 54, with Acts viii. 14), and the case of persecuting Saul.

Lest, while ye gather up the tares, &c.-Wicked men are preserved from present destruction partly for the sake of the godly; who are, in more ways than one, the salt of the earth.

In the time of harvest.-At harvest-time, the crop is ripe, and ready for the sickle;-the whole, being thus ready, is reaped, no part of the field being left uncleared; and every man reaps what he sowed. So, at the last great day, men will be ready for judgment;-all will be