MATTHEW, CHAP. XIII.-VERSES 1-23. MARK, CHAP. IV. - VERSES 1-20, 25. LUKE, CHAP. VIII. VERSES 1-15, 18. CHAP. X.-VERSES 23, 24.

Parable of the Sower.

Matth. xiii. (1) And on the same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat down by the lake. (2) And large crowds gathered to him, so that he entered the boat and sat down, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. (3) And he taught them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow. (4) And as he was sowing, some fell near the road, and the birds came and devoured it. (5) But some fell in the rocky places, and immediately sprang up, for it had no depth of earth. (6) But when the sun had risen, it was scorched, and having no root, it was destroyed. (7) But some fell among thistles, and the thistles sprang up and choked it. (8) But some fell on good ground, and yielded fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. (9) He that hath ears to hear let him hear. (10) And his disciples came to him, and said, Wherefore dost thou speak to them in parables? (11) And he answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but it is not given to these. (12) For to whomsoever hath, it shall be given unto him, and he shall have abundance, and whomsoever hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him. (13) Therefore I speak to them in parables, that seeing they shall not see, and hearing they shall not hear, nor understand. (14) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not comprehend, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. (15) For the heart of this people is frozen, and they hear dully with their ears, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should repent, and I should heal them. (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. (17) For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and just men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard. (18) Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. (19) As for every one who heareth the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one cometh, and snatcheth away that which was sown in his heart; this is he who received the seed near the road. (20) But he who received the seed in stony places, is he who heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy. (21) And he has no root in himself, but is a timeserver, and when affliction or persecution cometh on account of the word, he is immediately offended. (22) And he who receiveth seed among thistles is he who heareth the word, and the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (23) And he who receiveth the seed on good soil, is he who heareth the word and understandeth it, who then yields fruit, and produces some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.

Mark iv. (1) And he went again to teach near the lake, and a great crowd gathered to him, so that he embarked in the boat on the lake, and sat down, and all the crowd was on land near the lake. (2) And he taught them many things in parables, and said to them in his

teaching, (3) Give heed, Behold, the sower went forth to sow. (4) And it came to pass that while he was sowing, some fell near the road, and the birds of heaven came and devoured it. (5) But some fell on rocky places, where there was not much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. (6) But when the sun arose, it was scorched, and having no root, it was destroyed. (7) And others fell among thistles, and the thistles sprang up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. (8) And other fell on good soil, and yielded fruit, springing up and increasing, and bore some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some an hundredfold. (9) And he said to them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (10) And when he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parable. (11) And he said to them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those without all these things are in parables. (12) That seeing they may see, and may not perceive, and hearing they may hear and may not understand, lest at any time they should repent, and should be delivered from their sins. (13) And he saith to them, Do ye not understand this parable? and how will you understand all the parables? (14) The sower soweth the word. (15) And these are them near the road. When the word is sown and they do not listen, then cometh Satan, and snatcheth away that which was sown in their hearts. (16) And these are like those who were sown in stony places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, (17) And have no root in themselves, but are time-servers; then cometh affliction or persecution through the word, and they are immediately offended. (18) And these are they who were sown among thistles: these are they who hear the word, (19) And the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire of other things having entered in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (20) And these are they who were sown on good ground, who hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some an hundredfold. (25) For whomsoever hath, to him it shall be given; and whomsoever hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.

Luke viii. (1) And it came to pass afterwards that he went through town and village, preaching, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. (2) And the twelve were with him, and certain women who had been healed by him of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary who is called Magdalene, from whom he cast out seven demons, (3) And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who supplied him from their possessions. (4) And a large crowd having assembled, from those who had gone out to him from the city, he spoke to them in parables. (5) The sower went out to sow his seed, and as he was sowing, some fell near the path, and was trodden under foot, and the winged things of heaven devoured it. (6) And some fell on the rock, and having grown, it was uprooted, because it had no moisture. (7) And some fell in the midst of the thistles, and the thistles grew up with it, and choked it. (8) And some fell on the good scil, and grew up, and yielded fruit an hundred fold. Speaking these things, he said, Let him hear who hath ears to hear. (9) And his disciples questioned him, saying, What may this parable be? (10) And he said, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and that hearing they may not hear. (II) And this is the parable; the seed is the word of God. (12) And those near the road are those who hear; then cometh the devil, and snatcheth away the word from their hearts, lest they

should believe and be saved. (13) And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root. They believe for a time, and in time of temptation they stand aloof. (14) And those falling among thistles are those who hear, and going away, are choked by the deceitfulness of riches and of the pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to perfection. (15) And those in the good soil are those who listen with a good and pure heart. They receive the word, and bring forth fruit in patience. (18) Take heed, therefore, how you hear; for to whomsoever hath, it shall be given unto him, and from whomsoever hath not, even that which he seemeth to have shall be taken away from him.

Luke x. (23) And turning his gaze towards his disciples, he said, Blessed are your seeing eyes which see. (24) For I say unto you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things which you see, and they have not seen, and to hear the things which you hear, and they have not heard.

§ 164. The parable of the sower requires no explanation. That which Jesus gave to his disciples, as far as they were able to receive it in the incarnate state, for the fulfilment of their mission, is enough to enable you to understand it. Nevertheless it will be useful for you who are Spiritists, or about to become so, to receive special explanations developing the whole meaning of the words of Jesus, by freeing the spirit from the letter. But we must first teach you how to understand the words spoken by Jesus to the multitude in the parable, and those addressed to the Apostles as its explanation; for some words here spoken by the gentle and indulgent Master-the Good Shepherd, who would not desire that one of his sheep should be lost-seem to contradict all the actions of his apparently human life.

The generation of spirits who lived at the time of the mission of Jesus, was composed of proud and vain spirits, wilfully blind and deaf, rebellious to all authority, and who, even before incarnation, had rejected every opportunity offered them to improve themselves. They were the children of the Hebrews who had marched from Egypt; spirits who had continued their experiences for centuries without losing the tendency to revolt and murmuring which was characteristic of the Hebrews from the very commencement of their nationality. If they had been capable of receiving the unveiled truth, they would have made themselves still more guilty by refusing to submit to it.

How admirable is the foreseeing goodness of this pattern of perseverance and gentleness, who spared the rash and rebellious child the punishment which he had deserved, by not imposing a command upon him which he knew him to be unable to bear!

As the words of Jesus were veiled, those who wished to improve themselves could, like the Apostles, attempt to discover their hidden meaning. Those, on the contrary, who would have been unwilling to bow to a law which imposed too heavy a reformation on their evil natures, were only guilty of indifference in not attempting to fathom mysteries which they did not understand.

When Jesus said that he only spoke to them in parables and similitudes, lest they might repent, he spoke of those who would be drawn into the movement on the first impulse, and would have made an effort to advance, but would soon have been arrested by their evil instincts, and have relapsed in such a manner as to draw upon themselves a severer punishment. For you must remember that much is given to him who already possesses something. He who desires progress and struggles to deserve it will be upheld on all sides; but from him who hath not, even the little that he hath shall be taken away, because he is careless about keeping what has been given to him, and neglects it, and allows bad passions to take possession of his heart; and instead of the few virtues which he might have possessed, and which he has neglected, he will be assailed by vices and evils which will oppress him for centuries.

Although the explanation of the parable which Jesus gave to his disciples was made public in the Gospels, as well as by the apostles and disciples, it was only after the fulfilment of his earthly mission, when the multitude had been strongly impressed by the words which he had spoken, and the actions which he performed up to the period of his "Ascension." They were thus prepared to hear the explanation with profit from the apostles and disciples; as well as other lessons which the Master had given them, in the degree and manner in which they were able to receive it. They were

also prepared to receive the Gospel narrative at a later period, which, moreover, was intended to be the book of progress, for all ages, either under the dominion of the letter, or of the spirit; for it is the source from which light and truth must always radiate.

(Matth. xiii. 10-13; Mark iv. 11–20, 25; Luke viii. 1018.) The following words express the thought of the Master, when the spirit is freed from the letter, apart from all uncertainty respecting the meaning of the text.

"To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, and the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to them it has not been given, but has only been laid before them in parables." At the period when Jesus spoke, it was given to the apostles and disciples to know these mysteries, because they were more elevated spirits than the men around them, and were prepared to disseminate the truths which Jesus brought to the world; and in order that they might do so, it was necessary that they should first understand them; and he gave them only what they were able to receive, and needed for the accomplishment of their mission.

It is the same in your own age. Your intelligence has advanced, and we bring you revelations of the invisible world, the secrets of the kingdom of God; and we will enable you to understand them, that you in your turn may be able to diffuse this knowledge throughout the world, and that you also may go from town to town, and from village to village, preaching repentance, and proclaiming like the disciples, "Hasten, for the time is at hand."

The expressions, "The kingdom of the heavens," "the kingdom of God," are images to express the happiness of the blessed; for to attract the attention of those who regard only matter, it is needful to present a material figure of that other life, which they would be unable to comprehend if it were shown to them in its full spirituality.

"The mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens," and "the secrets of the kingdom of God," were the knowledge, previously unknown, of the means of attaining it. Until the