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 servants1 of the householder came and said unto him, Sir didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

11 Cor. iii. 5-9.

sin, and change of heart. An enemy may do it to deceive them, and to bring dishonour on religion. Sowed tares. By tares is probably meant a degenerate kind of wheat, or the darnel grass growing in Palestine. In its growth and form it has a strong resemblance to genuine wheat. But it either produces no grain, or that of a very inferior and hurtful kind. Probably it comes near to what we mean by chess. It was extremely difficult to separate it from the genuine wheat, on account of its similarity while growing. Thus it aptiy represented hypocrites in the church. Strongly resembling Christians in their experience, and, in some respects, their lives, it is impossible to distinguish them from genuine Christians, nor can they be separated until it is done by the great Searcher of hearts at the day of judgment. An enemy the devil-hath done it. And no where has he shown profounder cunning, or done more to adulterate the purity of the gospel. And went his way. There is something very expressive in this. He knew the soil; he knew how the seed would take root, and grow. He had only to sow the seed, and let alone. So Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that in the human heart it will take deep and rapid root. It needs but little culture. Grace needs constant attendance and care. Error, and sin, and hypocrisy, are the native products of the human heart; and, when left alone, start up with deadly luxuri

ancy.

26. Then appeared the tares also. That is, then was first discovered the tares. They had grown with the wheat, but so much like it as not to be noticed, till the wheat began to ripen. So, true

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The ser vants 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 2 Ch. iii. 12; xxii. 10-14. Mal. iii. 18. 1 Cor. iv. 5.

piety and false hopes are not known by professions, by blades, and leaves, and flowers, but by the fruit.

29. Ye root up also the wheat. They so much resembled the true wheat, that even then it would be difficult to separate them. By gathering them, they would tread down the wheat, loosen and disturb the earth, and greatly injure the crop. In the harvest it could be done without injury.

30. Let both grow together. They would not spoil the true wheat; and in time of harvest it would be easy to separate them. Our Saviour teaches us here: 1. That hypocrites and deceived persons must be expected in the church. 2. That this is the work of the enemy of man. They are not the work of Christianity, any more than traitors are of patriotism, or counterfeiters are of the proper effect of legislating about money. They belong to the world; and hypocrisy is only one form of sin. The Christian religion never made a hypocrite; nor is there a hypocrite on the face of the earth whose principles and practice it does not condemn. 3. That all hope of removing them entirely would be vain. 4. That an attempt to remove them altogether would injure real Christianity, by causing excitements, discord, and hard feelings ever among Christians. 5. That he will himself separate them at the proper time. There is no doubt that it is the duty of the church to attempt to keep itself pure, and to cut off gross and manifest offenders. 1 Cor. v. 4, 5. He refers to those who may be suspected of hypocrisy, but against whom it cannot be proved; tc those who so successfully imitate Christians as to make it difficult or impossible for man to distinguish them.

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 2 into my barn.

31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a 3 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 2 Luke iii. 17. 3 Mark iv. 30. Ezek. xlvii. 1-5.

1 Mal. iv. 1. Pea. lxxii. 16.

31, 32. See also Mark iv. 30-32. The kingdom of heaven. See Note, Matt. i. 2. It means here either piety in a renewed heart, or the church. In either case the commencement is small. In the heart, it is at first feeble, easily injured, and much exposed. In the church, there were few at first, ignorant, unknown, and anhonoured; yet soon it was to spread through the world. Grain of mustard seed. The plant here described was very different from that which is known among us. It was several years before it bore fruit, and became properly a tree. Mustard, with us, is an annual plant: it is always small, and is properly an herb. The Hebrew writers speak of the mustard tree as one on which they could climb, as on a figtree. Its size was much owing to the climate. All plants of that nature grow much larger in a warm climate, like that of Palestine, than in colder regions. The seeds of this tree were remarkably smail; so that they, with the great size of the plant, were an apt illustration of the progress of the church, and of the nature of faith. Matt. xvii. 20.

Young converts often suppose they have much religion. It is not so. They are, indeed, in a new world Their hearts glow with new affections. They have an elevation, an ecstasy of emotion, which they may not have afterwards, like a blind man suddenly restored to sight. The sensation is new, and peculiarly vivid. Yet little is seen distinctly. Their pressions are indeed more vivid and cheering, than those of him who has long seen, and to whom objects are familiar. In a little time, too, the young convert

is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, 5 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 6 of meal, till the whole was leavened.

34 All these things spake Jesus

Ezek. xvii. 23. • The Greek word signifies a measure of about a peck and a half wanting a little more than a pint.

will see more distinctly, will judge more intelligently, will love more strongly, though not with so much new emotion, and will be prepared to make more sacrifices for the cause of Christ.

This

33. The kingdom of heaven. phrase means the same here as in the last parable; perhaps, however, denoting more properly the secret and hidden nature of piety in the soul. The other parable declared the fact that the gospel would greatly spread, and that piety in the heart would greatly increase. This declares the way or mode in which it would be done. It is secret, silent, steady; pervading all the faculties of the soul, and all the kingdoms of the world, as leaven, or yeast, though hidden in the flour, and though deposited only in one place, works silently till all the mass is brought under its influence. Three measures. These were small measures; see the margin; but the particular amount is of no consequence to the story. Nor is any thing to be drawn from the fact that three are mentioned. It is mentioned as a circumstance giving interest to the parable, but designed to convey no spiritual instruction. The measure mentioned here probably contained about a peck and a half.

34, 35. That it might be fulfilled. This is taken from Psalm lxxviii. 2, 3. The sense, and not the very words of the Psalm are given. Christ taught as did that prophet, Asaph, in parabies. The words of Asaph described the manner in which Christ taught, and in this sense it cou'd be said that they were fulfilled. See Notes on Matt. i. 22 23.

36-43. Declare unto us. That is, explain the meaning of the parable. This was done in so plain a manner as to render comment unnecessary. The Son of man, the Lord Jesus, sows the good seed; that is, preaches the gospel. This he did personally, and does now by his ministers, his providence, and his Spirit, by all the means of conveying truth to the mind. This seed was by various means, to be carried over all the world. It was to be confined to no particular nation or people. The good seed was the children of the kingdom; that is, of the kingdom of God, or Christians. For these the Saviour toiled and died. They are the fruit of his labours. Yet amidst them were wicked men. All hypocrites and unbelievers in the church are the work of Satan. They must, however, remain together till the end; when they shall be separated, and the righteous saved, and the wicked lost. The one shall shine clear as the sun; the other be cast into a furnace of fire, a most expressive image of suffering. We have no idea of more acute suffering, than to be thrown into the fire, and to have our

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; 7 and the reapers are the angels.8

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire;9 so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all 10 things that offend, and 11 them which do iniquity;

42 And 12 shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there 13 shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43 Then shall the righteous shine 14 forth as the sun in the Who kingdom of their Father. hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Joel iii. 13. 8 Rev. xiv. 15-19. 9 Ver. 30. 11 Luke 10 Or, scandals. xiii. 27. 12 Ch. iii. 12. 13 Ver. 50; ch. viii. 12. XV. 49.

Rev. xix. 20; xx 10. 14 Dan. xii. 3. 1 Cor.

bodies made capable of bearing the burning heat, and living on in this burning heat for ever and for ever. It is not certain that our Saviour meant to teach here that hell is made up of material fire; but it is certain that he meant to teach that this would be a proper representation of those sufferings. We may be further assured that the Redeemer would not deceive, or use words to torment and tantalize us. He would not talk of hell-fire which had no existence; nor would the God of truth hold out frightful images merely to terrify mankind. If he has spoken of hell, then there is a hell. If he meant to say that the wicked shall suffer, then they will suffer. If he did not mean to deceive mankind, then there is a hell; and then the wicked will suffer. The impenitent, therefore, should be alarmed. And the righteous, however much wickedness they may see, and however many hypocrites there may be in the church, should be cheered with the prospect that soon the just shall be separated from the unjust, and that they shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

44. The kingdom of heaven. The gospel. The new dispensation. The offer of eternal life. See Matt. iii. 2. He compares it to a treasure hid in a field. That is, to money concealed; or more likely, to a mine of silver or gold, that was undiscovered by others, and unknown to the owner of the field. He hideth. That is, he conceals the fact that he has found it; he does not tell of it. With a view of obtaining this treasure, a man would go and sell his property, and buy the field. The conduct of the man would be dishonest. It would be his duty to inform the owner of the field of the discovery. He would be really endeavouring to gain property belonging to another at far less than its real value; and the principle of real integrity would require him to inform him of the discovery. But Christ does not intend to vindicate his conduct. He merely states the way in which men do actually manage to obtain wealth. He states a case, where a man would actually sacrifice his property, and practise diligence and watchfulness, to obtain it. The point of the parable lies in the earnestness, the anxiety, the care, to obtain the treasure. The gospel is valuable as such a treasure. Psa. xix. 10. Prov. iii. 13-15. From most men it is hid. When a man sees it, and hears it, it is his duty to sacrifice all in the way to his obtaining it; and to seek it with the earnestness with which other men seck for gold. The truth often lies buried; it is like rich veins of ore in the sacred scriptures; it must be searched out with diligence; and it will repay him for ai: his sacrifices. Luke xiv. 33. Phil. in. 8.

45, 46. The kingdom of heaven is like

pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered 5 of every kind :

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

49 So shall it be at the end of Prov. iii. 14, 15; viii. 11. 5 Ch. xxii. 10. unto a merchant man. The meaning is, that the proper seeking for salvation, or the proper conduct in reference to religion, is like the conduct of a merchantman. In his searches he found one pearl of great value, and sold all his possessions to obtain it. So, says he, men seeking for happiness and finding the gospel, the pearl of great price, should be willing to lose all other things for this. Pearls are precious stones, found in the shells of oysters, chiefly in the East Indies. Matt. vii. 6. They are valuable on account of their beauty, and because they are rare. The value of them is greatly increased by their size. The meaning of this parable is nearly the same as the other. It is designed to represent the gospel as of more value than all other things, and to impress on us the duty of sacrificing all that we possess in order to obtain it.

But

47-50. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, &c. This parable does not differ in meaning from that of the tares. The gospel is compared to a net, dragging along on the bottom of the lake, and collecting all, good and bad. The gospel may be expected to do the same. in the end of the world, when the net is drawn in, the bad will be separated from the good: the one will be lost, and the other saved. Our Saviour never fails to keep before our minds the great truth that there is to be a day of judgment, and that there will be a separation of good and evil. He came to preach salvation; and it is a remarkable fact, alse, that all the most striking accounts of hell, and of the sufferings of the damned, are from his lips. How does this agree with the representation of those who say that all will be saved?