2

things, "fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." Religion may not be thrown off entirely; it may keep a place in their thoughts and habits; but the love of God does not predominate: the corn runs up, and even comes to ear, but together with the corn such a crop of thorns and weeds, that no fruit is brought to perfection.

15. "But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

The word is still the same: the whole difference is in the heart. So, where the seed is the same, the whole difference is in the soil. In the former cases it had been unbroken, or rocky, or overspread with thorns; here it is good ground. And what makes it so ?

No human heart is good of itself, so as to "receive the things of the Spirit of God." It is rendered such from above. It was "the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia, (Acts xvii. 14.) that she attended to the things spoken of Paul." "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, gives the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.""

But as the husbandman both labours much, and can effect much in preparing his ground for seed; as he can soften what is hard, break up what is stony, and clear away briers and weeds;

2

1 Tim. vi. 9.

3

Eph. i. 17.

so there is much which every man can do, and must do, to entertain the Spirit of God, and prepare his heart for the word. He must attend to it, as if it concerned him; he must resolve to treat the care of the soul as the one thing needful; he must not expose himself to needless cares and temptations, he must watch and pray, that the seed may enter into the heart, and abide, and take root there, and so spring up to everlasting life.

And this is the chief thing to be considered; has the seed done this? There is much in the nature of different soils, which no philosopher can trace or explain. And there is much that is mysterious in the dispositions of the heart, and the operations of the Spirit. One thing we know, that the Spirit prevents us, that we may have a good will, and works with us when the will is present with us. But whether we have the good will or not, is the fact of primary importance; and this fact of primary importance cannot be doubtful or mistaken. honest and good heart, having heard the word, keeps it, and brings forth fruit with patience. It brings forth the beautiful and wholesome fruit of Christian duties and graces; love to God, and love to man; charity, honesty, meekness, temperance. This is the sure test of the quality of the soil. However well it may look and promise before hand, so as to raise the hopes even of a practised husbandman, if it does not

4 Art. x.

The

bear its proper return of corn it cannot be called good ground. So with the heart. If sin is not gradually subdued; if temptations have not less power; if passion has not less vehemence; if worldly pleasures are not less esteemed; if worldly cares are not less oppressive to the mind; if the affections are not more and more set on things above; there is no proof of the word having yet been so received as to be retained. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, neither can a sound tree bring forth evil fruit, or be altogether barren. Therefore by your fruits shall ye know yourselves, and be known of others. "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

LECTURE XLI.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

LUKE X. 30-37.

We know how the Jewish teachers perverted the law of God, when to the command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour," they added the clause, "and hate thine enemy." It was likely that such teachers would proceed to limit the term neighbour within very narrow bounds. They did so. To commit murder against a foreigner

was not a capital crime; nor did they think themselves bound to rescue him, if in danger of death. The irrelevant question by which the lawyer evaded the argument of our Lord, when willing to justify himself, he asked, And who is my neighbour? gave an opportunity of inculcating that universal benevolence which is the glory of the Christian faith from which it springs.

30. "And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31. "And by chance there came down a certain priest that way and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

32. "And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34. "And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil, and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35. "And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36. "Which now of these three, thinkest thou was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37. "And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

Go, and learn, that every man of every nation, to whom you can possibly do good, is

intended of God when He commands, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The traveller whom the Samaritan assisted, was not his relation, his friend, or even his countryman. He was called to relieve him by no tie, natural or civil, except that he was a creature of God like himself, and in need. The priest and the Levite passed him by because he was a stranger, and left him to his own people: the Samaritan took pity on him: and Jesus says to every one of His disciples, Go, and do thou likewise.

He indeed has taught us this by example, as well as by precept; for none of the human race can be further removed from us, than the whole of mankind was alienated from God, when God so loved the world as to send His only Son. In this "God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." "Herein was love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And hence the just and universal inference, "If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

The story further teaches, that no man must quiet his conscience by reflecting after any such manner as this: Charity is indeed a Christian virtue, a delightful ornament to the man who practises it, and to the society in which it is practised; but it is a virtue which requires leisure and convenient opportunity; it cannot fairly be expected of those who have great worldly business on their hands, and are fully