Parable of the grain .A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. CCL. 3. 27 So the servants of the housholder reapers, Gather ye together first the A.M.4031. An. Glymp. came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? A. D. 27. An. Olymp CCI. 3. 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like to a 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 is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Estl. 7. 6.- b Luke 9. 54. 1 Pet. 1. 23. Ch. 3. 12.—d Isai. 2. 2, 3. Mic. 4. 1. Mark 4. 30. Luke 13. 18, 19. tares also.] Satan has a shoot of iniquity for every shoot of corrigible sinner, yet he should proceed no farther-the man grace; and when God revives his work, Satan revives his is not to be persecuted in his body or goods, because he is not also. No marvel, therefore, if we find scandals arising sud-sound in the faith-GOD tolerates him; so should men. False denly to discredit a work of grace, where God has begun to doctrines are against God--he alone is the judge and punisher pour out his Spirit. Verse 27. So the servants—said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow] A faithful and vigilant minister of Christ fails not to discover the evil, to lament it, and to address himself to God by prayer, in order to find out the cause of it, and to receive from him proper information how to behave on this oc casion. Verse 28. An enemy hath done this.] It is the interest of Satan to introduce hypocrites and wicked persons into religious societies, in order to discredit the work of God, and to favour his own designs. Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?] A zeal which is rash and precipitate, is as much to be feared as the total lack of strict discipline. Verse 29. But he said, Nay] God judges quite otherwise than men, of this mixture of good and evil in the world: he knows the good which he intends to produce from it; and how far his patience towards the wicked should extend, in order to their conversion, or the farther sanctification of the righteous. Men often persecute a true Christian, while they intend only to prosecute an impious person. "A zeal for the extirpation of heretics and wicked men," said a pious Papist, "not regulated by these words of our blessed Saviour, || allows no time for the one to grow strong in goodness, or to the other, to forsake their evil courses. They are of a spirit very opposite to his, who care not if they root up the wheat, provided they can but gather up the tares." The zeal which leads persons to persecute others for religious opinions, is not less a seed of the devil, than a bad opinion itself is. Verse 30. Let both grow together] Though every minister of God should separate from the church of Christ, every in of them—man has no right to interfere in this matter. They who burnt Vanini for atheism, usurped the seat of judgment, and thus proved themselves to be not less a diabolic seed, than the person they thus, without God's leave, hurried into eternity. MARY, of execrable memory, and the inquisitorial tormentors she employed, were all of this diabolic sowing. See more on this parable at ver. 37, &c. Verse 31. The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed] This parable is a representation of the progress of the gospel in the world; and of the growth of grace in the soul. That grace which leads the soul to the fulness of glory, may begin, and often does, in a single good desire—a wish to escape hell, or a desire to enjoy God in heaven. Verse 32. Which indeed is the least of all seeds] That is, of all those seeds which produce plants, whose stems and branches, according to the saying of the botanists, are apt devdgiew, arborescere, to grow into a ligneous or woody substance. Becometh a tree] That is, it is not only the largest of plants which are produced from such small seeds, but partakes, in its substance, the close woody texture, especially in warm climates, where we are informed it grows to an almost incredible size. The Jerusalem Talmud, tract Peah. fol. 20. says, "There was a stalk of mustard in Sichin, from which sprang out three boughs; one of which being broken off, served to cover the tent of a potter, and produced three cabes of mustard seed. Rabbi Simeon ben Chalapha said, A stalk of mustard seed was in my field, into which I was wont to climb, as men are wont to climb into a fig-tree." See Lightfoot and Schoetgen. This may appear to be extravagant; and it is probable, that in the case of the three cabes of seed, there is considerable exaggeration: but if it had not been medium of earthly things. If God should speak to us in that language which is peculiar to heaven, clothing those ideas which angelic minds form, how little should we comprehend of the things thus described? How great is our privilege in being thus taught! Heavenly things, in the parables of Christ, assume to themselves a body, and thus render themselves palpable. usual for this plant to grow to a very large size, such relations as these would not have appeared even in the Talmud; and the parable of our Lord sufficiently attests the feet. Some soils being more luxuriant than others, and the climate much warmer, raise the same plant to a size and perfection far beyond what a poorer soil, or a colder climate, can possibly do. Herodotus says, he has seen wheat and barley in the country about Babylon, which carried a blade full four Verse 35. By the prophet] As the quotation is taken from fingers breadth and that the millet and sesamum grew to an Psal. lxxviii. 2. which is attributed to Asaph, he must be the incredible size. I have myself seen a field of common cab-prophet who is mcant in the text; and, indeed, he is exbages in one of the Norman isles, each of which was from seven to nine feet in height; and one in the garden of a friend, which grew beside an apple-tree, though the latitude of the place is only about 48°. 13'. North, was fifteen feet high, the stem of which is yet remaining, (September 1798). These facts, and several others which might be added, confirm fully the possibility of what our Lord says of the mustard-tree, however incredible such things may appear to those who are acquainted only with the productions of northern regions and cold climates. Verse 33. The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven] On the nature and effects of leaven, see the note on Exod. xii. 8. As the property of leaven is to change, or assimilate to its own nature, the meal or dough with which it is mixed; so the property of the grace of Christ is to change the whole soul into its own likeness: and God intends that this principle should continue in the soul till all is leavened, till the whole bear the image of the heavenly, as it before bore the image of the carthly. Both these parables are prophetic, and were intended to shew, principally, how, from very small beginnings, the Gospel of Christ should pervade all the nations of the world, and fill them with righteousness and true holiness. Verse 34. All these things spake Jesus-in parables] Christ descends from divine mysteries to parables, in order to excite us to raise our minds, from and through natural things, to the great God, and the operations of his grace and Spirit. Divine things cannot be taught to mau but through the pressly called a prophet, 1 Chron. xxv. 2. Several MSS. have Hoa, Isaiah; but this is a manifest error. Jerom supposes that Asaph was first in the text, and that some ignorant transcriber, not knowing who this saph was, inserted the word Isaiah; and thus, by attempting to remove an imaginary error, made a real one. Verse 36. Jesus went into the house: and his disciples came] Circumstances of this kind should not pass unnoticed: they are instructive and important. Those who attend only to the public preaching of the Gospel of God, are not likely to understand fully the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. To understand clearly the purport of the divine message, a man must come to God by frequent, fervent, secret prayer. It is thus that the word of God sinks into the heart, is watered, and brings forth much fruit. Declare unto us (Fęztov, explain) to us the parable of the tares of the field.] To what has already been spoken on this parable, the following general exposition may be deemed a necessary appendage: I. What is the cause of EVIL in the world? 1. We must allow, that God, who is infinite in holiness, purity, and goodness, could not have done it. Nothing can produce what is not in itself. This is a maxiin which every man subscribes to: God then could not have produced sin, forasmuch as his nature is infinite goodness and holiness. He made man at first in his own image, a transcript of his own purity; and since sin entered into the world, He has done every thing consistent with his own perfections, and the freedom of the The explanation of the parable ST. MATTHEW. of the tares and the wheat. A.M. 4031. that soweth the good seed is the Son | burned in the fire; so shall it be in the A. M.4 $1. of man; end of this world. A. D. 27. An. Olymp. CCL. 3. 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked d A. D. 27. An Olymp. CCL. 3. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, kingdom all do iniquity; and they shall gather out of his things that offend, and them which 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. a Ch. 24. 14. & 28 19. Mark 16. 15, 20. Col 1. 6. Gen. 3. 13. John 8. 44. Rev. 14. 15. Joel 3. 13. Luke 24. 47. Rom. 10. 18. Acts 13. 10. 1 John 3. 8. d Ch. 18. 7. 2 Pet. 2. 1, 2.-—— Or, scandals.——fch. 3. 12. Rev. 19. 20. & 20. 10.————8 ch. 8. 13. ver. 50.———2 Dan. 12. 3. Wisd. 3. 7. 1 Cor. 15. 42, 43, 58. human mind, to drive it out; and to make and keep man holy. 2. After a thousand volumes are written on the origin of evil, we shall just know as much of it as Christ has told us here-An enemy hath done it; and this enemy is the Devil, verse 39. 1. This enemy is represented as a deceitful enemy: a friend in appearance, soliciting to sin, by pleasure, honour, riches, &c. 2. A vigilant enemy. While men sleep, he watches, ver. 25. 3. A hidden or secret enemy. After having sown his seed, he disappears, ver. 25. Did he appear as himself, few would receive solicitations to sin; but he is seldom discovered in evil thoughts, unholy desires, flattering discourses, bad books, &c. II. Why was evil permitted to enter into the world? 1. There are doubtless sufficient reasons in the Divine Mind for its permission; which, connected with his infinite essence, and extending to eternity, are not only unfathomable by us, but also, from their nature, incommunicable to men. 2. But it may be justly said, that hereby many attributes of the Divine Nature become manifest, which otherwise could not have been known; such as mercy, compassion, long-suffering, &c. All of which endear the Deity to men, and perfect the felicity of those who are saved. the exercise of many of the graces of the Spirit, on which our spiritual perfection greatly depends. 3. Nor could the grace of God be so manifest in supporting and saving the righteous; and consequently could not have that honour which now it justly claims. 4. Were not this evil tolerated, how could the wicked be converted? the bastard wheat, by being transplanted to a better soil, may become good wheat; so sinners may be engrafted in Christ, and become sons of God through faith in his name; for the long-suffering of God leads multitudes to repentance. IV. Observe the end of the present state of things: 1. The wicked shall be punished, and the righteous rewarded. The wicked are termed bastard wheat-the children of the wicked one, ver. 38. the very seed of the serpent. This Observe the place in which the wicked shall be punished,a FURNACE. The instrument of this punishment, FIRE. is an allusion to a punishment inflicted only on those supposed to be the very worst of criminals. See Dan. iii. 6. They were cast into a burning fiery furnace. The effect of it, DESPAIR; weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, ver. 42. 2. Observe the character and state of the righteous; Fer-1. They are the children of the kingdom, a seed of God's sowing, ver. 38. III. But why does he suffer this mixture of the good and bad seed now? 1. Because of the necessary dependance of one part of the creation on the other. Were the wicked all rooted up, society must fail-the earth be nearly desolated-noxious things greatly multiplied-and the small remnant of the godly, not being able to stand against the onsets of wild beasts, &c. must soon be extirpated, and then adieu to the economy of grace. 2. Did not the wicked exist, there would be no room for 2. As to their persons, they shall be like the sun. 3. The place of their felicity shall be the kingdom of heaven and, 4. The object of it, GoD in the relation of FATher, ver. 43. This is a reference to Dan. xii. 2, 3. Some learned men are of opinion, that the whole of this parable refers to the Jewish state and people; and that the words συντελεία του αιώνος, which are commonly translated the end of the world, should be rendered the end of the age, viz. the end of the Jewish polity. That the words have this meaning in other places, there can be no doubt; and this may be Verse 44. The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid the salvation of God, 1. As our only treasure, and value it in a field] Broang xxguppow, to a hidden treasure. We are above all the riches in the world. 2. Search for it in the Scriptures, till we fully understand its worth and excellence. 3. Deeply ponder it in the secret of our souls. 4. Part with all we have in order to get it. 5. Place our whole joy and felicity in it; and 6. Be always convinced that it must be bought, and that no price is accepted for it but the blood of the covenant; the sufferings and death of our only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. not to imagine that the treasure here mentioned, and to which the Gospel salvation is likened, means a pot or chest of money bidden in the field, but rather a gold or silver mine, which he who found out, could not get at, or work, without turning up the field, and for this purpose he bought it. Mr. Wakefield's observation is very just; "There is no sense in the purchase of a field for a pot of money, which he might have carried away with him very readily, and as honestly too, as by overreaching the owner by an unjust purchase." He hideth-i. e. he kept secret, told the discovery to no person, till he had bought the field.-From this view of the subject, the translation of this verse, given above, will appear proper—a hidden treasure, when applied to a rich mine, is more proper than a treasure hid, which applies better to a pot of money deposited there, which I suppose was our translator's opinion:-and kept secret, or concealed, will apply better to the subject of his discovery till he made the purchase, than hideth, for which there could be no occasion, when the pot was already hidden, and the place known only to himself. Our Lord's meaning seems to be this. The kingdom of heaven,-the salvation provided by the gospel—is like a treasure--something of inestimable worth hidden in a field; it is a rich mine, the veins of which run in all directions in the sacred Scriptures; therefore, the field must be dug up, the records of salvation diligently and carefully turned over, and searched. Which, when a man hath found-when a sinner is convinced that the promise of life eternal is to him; he kept secret—pondered the matter deeply in his heart; he examines the preciousness of the treasure, and counts the cost of purchase; for joy thereof-finding that this salvation is just what his needy soul requires, and what will make him presently and eternally happy, went and sold all that he had-renounces his sins, abandons his evil companions, and relinquishes all hope of salvation, through his own righteousness; and purchased that field-not merely Verse 45. A merchant man, seeking goodly pearls] A story very like this is found in the Talmudical Tract Shabbath: “Joseph, who sanctified the sabbath, had a very rich neighbour; the Chaldeans said, All the riches of this man shall come to Joseph, who sanctifies the sabbath. To prevent this, the rich man went and sold all that he had, and bought a pearl, and went aboard of a ship; but the wind carried the pearl away, it fell into the sea, and was swallowed by a fish. This fish was caught, and the day before the sabbath it was brought into the market, and they proclaimed, Who wishes to buy this fish? The people said, Carry it to Joseph, the sanctifier of the sabbath, who is accustomed to buy things of great value. They carried it to him, and he bought it, and when he cut it up he found the pearl, and sold it for thirteen pounds weight of golden Denarii!" From some tradition of this kind our Lord might have borrowed the simile in this parable. The meaning of this parable is the same with the other; and both were spoken to impress more forcibly this great truth on the souls of the peopic: eternal salvation from sin and its consequences, is the supreme good of man, should be sought after above all things, and prized beyond all that God has made. Those merchants who compass sea and land for temporal gain, condemn the slothfulness of the majority of those called Christians, who, though they confess that this salvation is the most certain, and the most excellent, of all treasures; yet seek worldly possessions in preference to it! Alas for him who expects to find any thing more amiable than God, more worthy to fill his heart, and more capable of making him happy! The parable of the drag-net, A. D. 27. ST. MATTHEW. C and its explanation. A.M.401. great price, went and sold all that he 50 And shall cast them into the An. Olymp. had, and bought it. furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. CCI. S. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered 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. A41. An. Olymp. A. D. 27. CCI. 3. Verse 47. Is like unto a net] A drag-net. This is the proper meaning of Lynn, which the Latins translate verriculum, a sweep-net, Quod in aquam jacitur ad pisces comprehendendos; imprimis, cujus usus est extrahendis iis à fundo. MARTINIUS. Which is cast into the water to catch fish, and the particular use of which is to drag them up from the bottom. As this is dragged along it keeps gathering all in its way, both good and bad, small and great; and when it is brought to the shore, those which are proper for use are preserved, and those which are not, are either destroyed or thrown back into the water. By the net may be understood the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, which keeps drawing men into the profession of christianity, and into the fellowship of the visible church of Christ: By the sea may be represented that abyss of sin, error, ignorance and wickedness in which men live, and out of which they are drawn by the truth and Spirit of God, who cordially close in with the offers of salvation made to them in the preaching of the Gospel. By drawing to shore, may be represented the consummation of all things, see ver. 49. when a proper distinction shall be made between those who served God, and those who served him not; for many shall doubtless be found who shall bear the name without the nature of Christ. By picking out the good, and throwing away the bad, ver. 48. is meant that separation which God shall make between false and true professors, casting the former into hell, and bringing the latter to heaven. Instead of ra xaxa the good, the Cod. Beza, and five copies of the old antehieronimian, or Itala version, read ra xahOTO the best, the very best :-every reader would naturally hope that this is not the true reading, or that it is not to be understood literally, as it seems to intimate that only the very best shall be at last saved. It is probable that this parable also refers, in its primary meaning, to the Jewish state, and that when Christ should come to judge and destroy them by the Roman power, the genuine followers of Christ only should escape, and the rest be overwhelmed with the general destruction. See chap. xxiv. ver. 30, &c. Verse 50. Into the furnace of fire] See the note on chap. viii, ver. 12. Verse 51. Have ye understood all these things?] Divine truths must not be lightly passed over.--Our Lord's question here, shews them to be matters of the utmost weight and importance; and that they should be considered again and again, till they be thoroughly understood. Verse 52. Every scribe] Minister of Christ-who is instructed-taught of God: in the kingdom of heaven-in the mysteries of the gospel of Christ;-out of his treasury—his granary, or store-house, things new and old—a Jewish phrase for great plenty. A small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a preacher of the gospel. The Sacred Writings should be his treasure, and he should properly understand them. His knowledge does not consist in being furnished with a great variety of human learning, (though of this he should acquire as much as he can ;) but his knowledge consists in being well instructed in the things concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the art of conducting men thither. Again, it is not enough for a man to have these advantages in possession: he must bring them forth, and distribute them abroad. A good pastor will not, like a miser, keep these things to himself to please his fancy; nor like a merchant traffick with them, to enrich himself, but like a bountiful father or householder, distribute them with a liberal though judicious hand, for the comfort and support of the whole heavenly family. A preacher whose mind is well stored with divine truths, and who has a sound judgment, will suit his discourses to the circumstances and states of his hearers. He who preaches the same sermon to every congregation, gives the fullest proof that however well he may speak, he is not a scribe who is instructed in the kingdom of heaven. Some have thought that old and new things here, which imply the produce of thre past, and the produce of the present year, may also refer to |