the Scripture, and is not found in any Greek writer: but it is thought to mean the darnel, rather than the tares, because that is known in the East as growing abundantly in their corn fields; and in Syria the plant is, as is described in this figure of speech, drawn up by the hand in time of harvest, and is then gathered out and bound up in separate bundles; all which would suit better with the terms of this parable, which shows, that iniquity can neither be prevented nor immediately punished consistently with the wisdom and goodness of God; but that, when the state of probation has ceased, and that of retribution has began, then the wicked shall be separated from the righteous, and banished from the presence of God, and that the former shall not then be doomed to live with such cursed society, but may live for ever with God and with beings who love and imitate Him*. SECT. XLIX.-The Parables of the Seed growing secretly, of the Mustard Seed, of Leaven, of the Hidden Treasure, of the Pearl, and the Drawnet.-Matt. xiii. 31-52; Mark iv. 26-32. OUR Lord also delivered at this time various other similitudes equally instructive and important. He referred them to the gradual increase of corn by the inexplicable principle of vegetation as a representation of His spiritual kingdom. The 3 Pictorial Bible. ' Dr. Jortin. seed is cast into the ground, and, without any further care of the husbandman, it rises insensibly, and advances by degrees to a state of maturity, till, when fully ripe, it is cut down and gathered into the barn. The same instruction is conveyed in the parable of the mustard seed'. This, which with us produces only a small plant, grows in the East to a great height: it is said to thrive so rapidly that it is as big as one's arm, and so high and thick that it looks like a tree; and travellers profess to have passed through groves of it, where the birds build their nests, as mentioned in the Gospel. The seed is not, strictly speaking, smaller than all seeds, but than most other seeds; and the meaning to be conveyed by the parable is, that the Gospel of Christ, which, at its first appearing, seemed mean and contemptible, received only by a few, and those of low condition, should, in time, spread over the whole earth, and should be embraced and be flourishing among all the nations. Our Lord confirmed and illustrated the same truth by the parables of the Leaven put into a barrel of meal, which may lie concealed for a time, as if it had no effect; but, as its fomentation spreads, by degrees it will diffuse itself through the whole mass. In order to show the different dispositions of the Dr. Robinson. • Pictorial Bible. s Dr. Robinson. converts which the Apostles would make to the Gospel, Jesus likens them unto hidden treasure; some would embrace it with joy, as it were by accident, like treasure hid in a field: others were found after diligent search, like a merchant seeking precious pearls, who would eagerly purchase the field and the pearl of great price, with all their substance. Again, alluding to the former occupation of many of His Apostles as fishermen, He represents them as catching men, as fishermen with a net catch fish, indiscriminately, of all sorts, both good and bad, to compose the Church of Christ'. Thus solemn and instructive were the addresses of Jesus. Let His servants in the Gospel ponder upon the question with which Jesus concluded at this time His discourse, "Have you understood all these things?" He warns them that they should lay up these doctrines in their minds, "like unto an household," that they may be able on all occasions to bring forth out of their memories, as out of a well-furnished storehouse, instructions suited to persons of all capacities'. The truths which Jesus spake now to them, showing how the law and the prophets were fulfilled in Himself, and how the Church of His Gospel was under every discouragement to extend itself in the world, were • Dr. Hales. ' Dr. S. Clarke. well calculated to make men "scribes, well instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, bringing forth out of their treasure things new and old "." SECT. L.-Christ showeth how He is to be followed.— Matt. viii. 18-22; Luke ix. 57-62. In the evening of the very same day on which Jesus had been teaching the people by parables, out of a ship upon the sea of Tiberias, or lake of Gennesareth, He gave commandment to His disciples to "pass on to the other side." But as He prepared to take ship, certain persons, (St. Matthew says two, and St. Luke three,) one of whom must have been a person of some note, being "a Scribe," who had probably seen our Lord's miracles and heard His doctrine, were desirous of attaching themselves to Him, under the hope of sharing some advantage3. To the Scribe, who naturally from his position may have entertained the most exalted expectations of advancement, from an idea that Jesus was the Messiah that would establish a temporal dominion amongst them, He instantly repressed his interested views by declaring His poverty, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." This is the first time that Jesus is recorded as giving to Himself the title of the "Son of Man," alluding probably to an expression relative to the Messiah in the Abp. Sumner. 2 3 Dr. Robinson. • Grotius. This title is found in prophecies of Daniel'. all the Gospels under the peculiar circumstances of being applied by Christ to Himself, but is never used of Him or towards Him by any other person. To the others who had hesitated to accept His permission to follow Him, because they had some worldly business to transact, such as to attend on a dying father, or take a farewell of their families, our Saviour replies in proverbs, to the effect that worldlyminded men had better mind worldly things'; and that as no man is fit to manage a plough, who is not intent on his work, so no man must think of taking upon himself the profession of the Gospel, who allows worldly considerations to be uppermost in his mind. SECT. LI.-Christ stilleth the Tempest on the Sea.-Matt. viii. 18-22; Mark iv. 35-41; Luke viii. 22—25. WHEN Jesus had now taken ship, and was launched into the deep, a severe storm arose. A strong current is caused in the lake of Gennesareth by the river Jordan passing through the midst of it, and when this is opposed by contrary winds, sweeping from the mountains into the lake, a boisterous sea is suddenly and instantly raised, which the small vessels of the country are ill qualified to resist'. How strange, how inconsistent does it appear to us, that |