hardness of its surface, could not receive the seed; so that whatever seed might chance to fall upon it, was speedily trampled down by the carried away by the fowls of the air.

wayfarers, or Thus "when kingdom, and

any one heareth the word of the understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside."

This is a correct description of the frivolous, thoughtless, careless hearer, upon whom the word makes no impression whatever. His spiritual nature has been crushed, while yet in the process of development. His heart has become the highway of corrupt thoughts and lawless passions; so that its higher sensibilities are blunted, and its moral power is enfeebled. The terrors of Sinai cannot make him tremble, the love of Calvary cannot rouse his sympathy. He may be charmed by the eloquence of the preacher, and beguiled by the solemnity of the worship; but the eloquence of the preacher and the solemnity of the worship, are after all as trivial in his estimation, as an idle tale or a pleasant song.

This hearer "understandeth" not the word. He does not realize its relation to himself. It is something, which, if it have any weight at all, merely concerns other people. Hence the attitude of in

difference which he assumes; hence he imagines himself a disinterested spectator, who simply watches for his own amusement the fierce struggle carried on between good and evil in the world, having nothing to lose and nothing to gain by the defeat of the one or the success of the other.

Of this hearer Satan makes an easy prey. The wicked one is never tired of observing the way in which he hears. Whenever the word comes in contact with his mind, though ever so slightly, he loses no time in devising means to rub off the impression. No sooner does he leave the pew in which he sits, apparently attending to the earnest appeal made to him to flee from the wrath to come, and to accept the salvation which is by Jesus Christ, than Satan sends his messengers to divert his attention, and straightway the word is as completely forgotten as if it had never been heard.

II. THE SUPERFICIAL HEARER.

"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away." It frequently happens that a rocky surface is covered by a thin layer of soil. Whenever seed is sown upon this soil, it germinates with amazing rapidity;

its growth is wonderful to behold; but then, when it is once exposed to the scorching heat of the sun, it lacks the moisture necessary to sustain life, and therefore it must inevitably wither and die. Thus "he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while, for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."

The superficial hearer receives the good news of God with a heart overflowing with gladness. He is delighted with its blessed promises, its ample provisions, its glorious rewards. He is dazzled with bright prospects of glory, honour, and immortality in the world to come. He eagerly clings, as it were, to the Saviour, and says, "I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." He wonders much at his own past apathy, and wonders more at the present apathy of others. Religion is everything with him; religious exercises are his chief delight, religious people are his only friends, religious books are his constant companions; anybody might think that neither life nor death could separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. But alas! all this endures only for a while. He has never taken into his calculation the clouds which may obscure his sky, or the storms which may disturb his course. So when offences come, when tribula

tions, afflictions, and persecutions arise, he is filled with disappointment, and his piety vanishes away.

This hearer has no "root in himself." Ah! here lies the secret of his failure. The gospel moves his outer nature, while it leaves his inner nature untouched; it transforms the visible man, while the invisible man remains unchanged; it is like a breeze which ripples the surface of a pool, while the depths below are undisturbed. You know that the most important part of a man's character is out of sight. As in the case of a building; the foundation upon which its stability depends is out of sight; but if the foundation be faulty, the building will certainly fall. As in the case of a tree; the root upon which its life depends is out of sight; but if the root be rotten, the tree will surely die. Thus the strength of a true believer is out of sight, and the weakness of a false believer is out of sight; the reason why the true believer flourishes, when exposed to persecutions is, that he has root in himself; and the reason why the false believer withers away, when exposed to similar trials is, that he has no root in himself.

Nevertheless this superficial hearer generally manages to get through life in the easiest manner conceivable. He makes no enemies, he courts no opposition; everybody, in fact, has a good word to say for him wherever he goes. The reason is plain;

it is due to his impulsive nature; his feelings are readily moved, his sympathies are easily enlisted. He weeps with those who weep, he rejoices with those who rejoice. He is apparently very kind, very affable, very generous; everybody considers him well-disposed; whereas in reality that for which he is so much liked, indicates his greatest fault-the shallowness of his character, which makes him utterly incapable of strong feelings or lasting impressions. His character reminds us of those significant words of our Lord, "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

III. THE WORLDLY HEARER.

"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them.” In this case the ground was not altogether barren; it was better in every respect than the wayside, or the stony places already referred to; it had sufficient depth and moisture to sustain a large amount of growth. But then the soil had not been properly cleared and purged; it contained the hidden roots and seeds of thorns; so when the good seed began to grow, the thorns sprang up and overtopped them, shut from them the light of the sun, and deprived their roots. of the moisture and strength of the soil; and the consequence was, that they "yielded no fruit."