engross his attention. We should be very cautious lest our affectionate solicitudes for friends, or children, or other relations, may not act as thorns, choking the word. Even things which are lawful and amiable in themselves may become a snare and an injury to our spiritual growth. All our attachments should be sanctified-they should not exist within us as distinct and independent affections of our nature detached from Christ, but should ever be under the control of divine grace, and subordinate to our love to him. 23. But he that received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. There were three cases in which the seed did not produce fruit to perfection, yet this did not result from any defect in the seed; it is the same seed which brings forth fruit in the good ground, possessing in itself the principle of production. The fourth case is here mentioned. We should be careful to notice, that all good ground is prepared ground, made ready for the reception of the seed by God, who is the husbandman. There is nothing in the natural heart of man to afford root for the truth of God. Men would drive Christ out of their hearts with as much reckless malignity as the Jews drove him out of the world. But God can soften the stony heart, and by the arrangements of his providence, prepare it for the welcome reception of his grace. We have here the marks of a real Christian: he is one who habitually and constantly hears the word, who understands it, and in whom it acts as a living and practical principle. The latter part of this verse shows that there are different degrees of attainment amongst Christians; all have not the same capacities or opportunities; some therefore make more progress than others, but all must bring forth some fruit. Let those who have made but small progress not despair, and let. not those who have advanced far in spirituality and grace be tempted to presumption or pride. Let all say in the language of the Apostle, "By the grace of God I am what I am." The Parable of the Tares. 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 housedidst not thou sow good seed in holder came and said unto him, Sir, 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 go and gather them up? we 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. Our Lord gives an explanation of this important parable in the subsequent part of this chapter, which we must anticipate, to a considerable extent, in unfolding these verses. The former parable of the sower going forth to sow, was intended to convey a general view of the manner in which the gospel would be received amongst men; whereas this parable, which is prefaced by the words "The kingdom of Heaven is likened," &c. is intended to describe the condition of the world, considered as the locality in which the church is placed, during the entire of the interval between the first and second advent of the Saviour. All the parables in this chapter, except the first, commence with the same words, intending to show to what the kingdom of Heaven is like. But there is a difference to be observed between them: the three first, which were addressed to the multitude, were intended to exhibit the external aspect and manifested condition of the kingdom; the three latter were intended to denote its inward nature and intrinsic preciousness. and instantly to perceive. Though men may sleep, Satan never does: he is always active and vigilant, ready to take advantage of everything calculated to promote his purposes of mischief. But we have here, as well as in other passages, clear and decisive proof that his power is limited; he can not root up or destroy the good seed; all he can do is, to sow bad seed amongst the good. The Saviour's people are safe beneath his special care, neither can any pluck them out of his hands. The enemy is here said to sow "tares." The word in the original rather denotes an inferior degenerate kind of bastard wheat, which, at first, very much resembles the good wheat, but which produces nothing but barren stalks, such as those to which Virgil alludes in his first Georgic: "interque nitentia culta Infelix lolium, et steriles dominantur avenæ." It might have been better to have converted the original Greek word into an English form, and to have rendered the passage thus: "His enemy came and sowed zizan among the wheat." It is here to be observed, that the zizan was not sown at first, or at the same time that the good seed was sown by the Saviour. The church continued for a short period in a pure and unmixed state, as we learn from the de In this parable, the Sower is explained, in the 37th verse, to represent the Saviour himself. The seed is, in the first instance, as explained in the 19th verse, "The word of the kingdom," the saving truths of the everlasting gospel which Jesus came into the world in order to disseminate. These truths, when planted in the heart, and when they take root and spring up under the nurturing care of the Holy Spirit, become so identified with the very character and moral constitution of men, that they may be even said to be the seed itself; as it is said in verse 38, "the good seed are the children of the kingdom." This seed is called "good," for Christ never sows bad seed: whatever evil there is in the world must be traced to another source. The "field" in which the seed is sown, is explained, in the 38th verse, to be "the world." It is said, in reference to the sower, to be "his field;"scription given of its condition in the 2nd for the world is the Saviour's property by a double title, by right of creation, and by right of redemption. As God he created it, and as man he redeemed it. As soon as the seed is sown, the field is entrusted to persons appointed to guard it, and to keep it; these persons, however, are represented as sleeping, and thus giving an opportunity to the enemy of the owner to enter the field. By this is denoted the negligence and unfaithfulness of the ministers and servants whom the Saviour hath appointed to guard his church. The "enemy" who sows the bad seed is said, in verse 39, to be the devil" his enemy"-the enemy of Jesus, as if he had only one enemy; for so it is, the devil is the only absolute and original enemy of Christ. All evil spirits and wicked men become his enemies in consequence of the instigations of Satan. It was while "the men slept" that Satan came to sow the bad seed: he can only do mischief when men give him the opportunity; but this he is sure to be on the watch for, chapter of the Acts-"They that gladly We next read, that when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the zizan also. For some time the two were so like each other that the difference was not seen. Thus it is in spiritual things. For some time, the difference between the mere professor and the real Christian is not perceptible;-when the time comes, however, for bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, each is compelled to give an outward manifestation of their in- | Christ would desire to remove all false proward condition. As soon as the zizan was fessors of Christianity out of the Church, perceived, "the servants of the householder which occupies this world as its locality, yet came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou the Saviour acts upon a different principle. sow good seed in thy field? from whence He tolerates the bad during this dispensation, then hath it tares?" Now here we should out of regard for his own real and devoted carefully observe, that though the owner of followers. And when the time for exterthe field and the householder are the same minating and rooting out the evil doers, in person, yet these two designations refer to order that the meek may inherit the earth, different relationships which he sustains. shall have arrived, this important office shall The field is the world, in which the Sa- be committed to beings of higher faculties viour's people are growing in grace, and ad- and powers than man-even to angels, who vancing through the several stages of moral are not only ministering spirits sent forth and spiritual progress: the house denotes to minister to them who shall be heirs of the assemblage of all other worlds in which salvation, but are likewise agents for conthe inhabitants are living in the enjoyment ducting the ordinary and general designs of of the immediate presence of their Creator, God's universal providence. The work of as the members of his family. The servants discrimination in this matter does not belong of the householder, also, appear to be dif- to man: he has neither discernment nor caferent from "the men who had been ap- pacity for gathering out the zizan from the pointed to watch and take care of the field. world. Let each attend to his own salvaChrist has many ranks of ministers under tion, and devote himself to the important him, whose office it is to act as instruments work of plucking up the zizan out of his in effecting the purposes and plans of Pro- own heart. vidence. When the appearance of the zizan excited the astonishment of the servants, and led to an inquiry as to its cause, the householder at once accounted for it by informing them that an enemy had planted it. We may remark that the sowing of the zizan was an act of unprovoked and deliberate malice. The devil can never defend nor justify his wickedness and enmity against the Saviour, on the ground of any previously received provocation: his hatred is gratuitously malignant, and his chief employment is to endeavour to frustrate and defeat the merciful and benevolent purposes of God. The proposal of the servants to go and gather up the zizan, as being the spontaneous suggestion of a real and sincere zeal, was so far commendable; but it did not meet with their Master's sanction, because his wisdom led him to see that in doing this, danger might result to the wheat, and this work was to be performed, not by them, but by the reapers. It is difficult for any finite judgment to distinguish with correctness, in every case, between those who are the real children of God, and those who are only professors. The characters of both must be developed very fully, and the moral effects of their respective principles must be considerably matured, before the distinction between them can be clearly and directly apprehended. And thus it is, that although the servants of But let us observe the decision of the householder in reference to the zizan and the wheat "Let both grow together until the harvest." Thus we see that the present existence of evil men in the world is not in consequence of any positive appointment on the part of God. Their existence is to be traced back to the enmity of Satan; their being allowed to continue in existence is in consequence of the passive permission of God, resulting entirely from a merciful concern for the welfare of the good. The "harvest" is explained, in the 39th verse, to be "the end of the world." It is extremely unfortunate that the same English term should be employed in explaining both "the field" and "the harvest." The "field" is said to be "the world ;" and the harvest is said, in the very next verse, to be "the end of the world." And yet in the original there are two distinct terms employed by the Evangelist: the one, where the field is said to be "the world," is xóouos, the inhabited world in which we live, and is employed to denote the locality in which both the wheat and the zizan are sown; the other, where the harvest is said to be "the end of the world," is aww, which does not signify the world, but the age, and is intended to denote the time during which the wheat and the zizan are allowed to remain intermixed in the same field. The whole phrase in the 39th verse should be rendered "the consummation of the age," which refers to the winding up of the present dispensation, when the Lord, having received his kingdom from the Father, shall be about to return to give effect to the redemption of this world, which is the seat and locality of that kingdom. Now the harvest is not any dispensation or age which is to succeed the present, but it is the winding up of the present dispensation, introductory to the bringing in of the succeeding millennial dispensation. And all that is to be done in this time of harvest is to gather together the zizan into bundles, preparatory to its being afterwards, when the time of judgment shall succeed the present dispensation, consigned to the flames. And we should carefully observe that the zizan is to be gathered into bundles, before the wheat is touched, for the command to the reapers is this-"Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." As soon as the zizan is gathered in bundles, it remains lying in the field in that state until the wheat is gathered into the barn, in order that it may be out of the reach of the fire which is to consume the zizan. Having thus noticed these circumstances in the parable, we shall now proceed to explain it according to the exposition which is afterwards given by Christ. The parable clearly shows that there will be no such thing as universal righteousness before the harvest, or before the consummation of this present age; nay, that there shall not be even a pure church before that time. But as the clearing of the field is effected by gathering together the zizan into bundles in order to be burnt, so the clearing of the world shall be commenced by wicked and ungodly men being classified and formed into confederacies and associations, in order that they may become more visibly marked and distinguished from the sincere and genuine. followers of Christ, preparatory to those judgments which shall come upon them "when the Lord shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." As soon as the zizan is gathered into bundles, and before it is burnt, the wheat is gathered into the barn; and thus, as soon as the providence of God shall have completed the work of classifying the wicked in companies and societies, the Lord's people shall be brought into a place or condition of security, where they are to continue, but only for a time, during the visitation of judgments upon the wicked. This place of security is represented in the parable by the "barn," in which wheat is deposited for a time until it is brought forth for the master's use. The same is referred to by the prophet Isaiah, in the 20th and 21st verses of his 26th chapter, where he represents God as saying-" Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself, as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For behold the Lord cometh out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." The barn, then, is a temporary place of security which the righteous shall occupy during the millennial age, whilst the wicked are undergoing those judgments which are denoted by the burning of the zizan. But when the judgments on the wicked shall have been fully poured out, then shall the millennial age come to its termination, and the everlasting state of glory and blessedness shall begin, when, as it is stated in the 43d verse, “ the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." We may observe, in conclusion, that the binding of the zizan in bundles is beginning to be fulfilled even now. Atheists and blasphemers, and infidels of every degree, are forming themselves into associations, ignorantly supposing that by so doing they are increasing their strength; but this is happening in consequence of the invisible arrangements of divine Providence, preparatory to their destruction at the coming of the Lord. The plant which is described in this parable was very different from that which is known in this country as a mustard plant. The mustard plant used to grow to a very large size in warm climates. Its seed was a direct or prominent part of the parable intended to set forth any religious truth, but as simply mentioned by way of subordinate embellishment, and to illustrate and convey an idea of the size of the mustard tree. The Parable of the Leaven. 33. Another parable spake he woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. so very small that it was used proverbially unto them: The kingdom of hea- may This parable seems to have been intended to give a prophetic representation of the kingdom of heaven, as it is developed in the diffusion of divine truth, or in the external growth of the visible Church during the present dispensation. The man who plants the seed represents the Saviour: he came into the world to sow the prolific principle of eternal truth, and to water it with his own blood. The single seed denote the unity of truth; for all the doctrines of the everlasting Gospel have as their root and originating source this single principle" God is love." These doctrines have spread and diffused themselves whereever the Gospel has been preached, and have afforded a peaceful shelter for all who have been led by divine grace to believe them. Or the single seed may denote the unity of the Church. Jesus himself in his divine nature cast his humanity as seed into the earth, and became the root of his Church, which at first was the smallest of all societies in the world, but has since spread out her branches over the world. We may perhaps explain the fowls of the air lodging in the branches of the tree as having a reference to sinners, who flock into the Church for shelter from the impending storms of divine justice. Or we may regard the mention of this circumstance as not constituting This parable is also prophetic as well as the former. It is generally thought to represent the manner in which Christian truth operates in diffusing its influence whereever it extends, and wherever its power is felt. "Leaven" is invariably used in Scripture to symbolize some principle, which first operating invisibly, afterwards shows itself in the external effects which it produces, Luke xii. 1; 1 Cor. v. 8, 9; Gal. v. 8, 9. Thus the truths of the everlasting Gospel, when they are implanted in the heart by the Holy Spirit, work gradually, silently, insensibly, and irresistibly, diffusing their own nature through the soul, and spreading their influence through the entire moral constitution of the sinner, till every faculty and affection are brought under their power. In this view of the parable, there is nothing in the circumstance of its being a "woman" who is here mentioned, nor in the precise number of three measures of meal being specified, which is intended to denote any spiritual mystery. In this, as well as in other cases, it is the general outline, and not the minute incidents in the parable, which illustrates truth. A woman is mentioned, and three measures of meal, to preserve the natural propriety and symmetry of the parable itself, inasmuch as the occupation alluded to is a domestic employment, usually performed by women; and the quantity, which is a little more than three pecks of our measure, was the usual and probable quantity employed, under ordinary circumstances, in making household cakes for the use of a family, Gen. xviii. 6. This parable is, both here and in Luke xiii. 18-21, given in connection with the |