Part 26

_The sower of the seed_ is our Lord himself, and those, who are in all the ages of his Religion or Gospel kingdom, commissioned and employed by him. _The seed sowed_ is the word of the kingdom. During our Saviour's personal Ministry, he was assiduous and active in his divine work, patient and persevering under all discouragements and want of success. Herein he was a perfect pattern to all the servants of his household, who are called to minister in holy things, or to sow the seed of the word. That he has ministering servants, and that it is his will there should be, to sow the seed of the word, and to dispense holy ordinances, is as plain as any one principle of his Religion, and cannot be disputed by any, if they would be self-consistent, who seriously believe in divine Revelation. While our Lord was performing his own personal Ministry, he met with great and unjust opposition. He was reviled and abused by those, whom he came to save, whose good he sought with attentive care, and to whom he displayed all the sweetness of a tender and benevolent mind. Very often, indeed, he saw the seed sowed without the desired fruit, and all his exertions to render man happy, repaid with cruel ingratitude. But he went on with his work, as a divine Teacher, with a fortitude, which we cannot help admiring, and which ought to be continually in our eye, as an object of imitation.--_He that soweth the good seed is the son of man._

_In the next place,_ another observation upon the Parable of the Tares, is that we can have no PURE CHURCH on Earth. It is not necessary for a Church, in order to be the true Church of Christ, to be _pure._ If so, we could never have a true Church, for there never was a _pure_ one yet, nor ever will be, as long as man is imperfect and unable to lift up the veil, and see what is in the heart, infallibly. There will always be Tares among the wheat, false among true professors--the hypocritical among the sincere, the vile with the precious. The field where the seed is sowed is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, but the Tares are then Children of the wicked one. By a _pure_ Church is meant a collection of real Saints without one hypocrite, or false-hearted professor. The invisible Church which Christ, at the last day, will present in triumph to his Father, will be _pure_ or spotless, in the highest sense; there will be no hypocrites in it, or any remains of sin. Speaking of this true invisible Church, says the Apostle, _that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it, unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish._ Nothing unclean or impure can be admitted into the New-Jerusalem or Church of the first born, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. _And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life._ An unanswerable proof against the notion of a _pure_ Church, is that none can know the heart. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? It is one of the prerogatives of the omniscient God to look into the hidden mysteries of the heart. Before him all things are open. The darkness and the light are both alike with him. His eye pervades the whole immensity of space. It can penetrate the thickest veil of hypocrisy. No fair disguises can screen us from his all-seeing view. _All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits._ He searches the heart, and tries the reins of the Children of men. Before we can have a _pure_ Church, we must not only know our own hearts, so as never to be deceived or mistaken about them; but we must likewise know the hearts of others. But the Psalmist exclaims, _who can know his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults._ And he prefers to his Maker the following petition: _Search, me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting._ In order to have a _pure_ Church, those who admit persons to Church order and privileges, must have the power of _discerning spirits,_ or they cannot shut the door against hypocrites and deceivers. But this power none have. It was peculiar to the Apostles, and to them only upon some special occasions. For Peter when he baptized Simon the Sorcerer, believed him to be sincere. He knew not the baseness and perfidy of his heart. None of the Apostolic Churches were _pure_ in the sense now under consideration, designing and hollow-hearted men there always will be, among the sincere, as a trial of their graces--of their faith, patience, and meekness. There was a Judas among the Apostles. One traitor was found even in our Lord's own select family. He professed no doubt, as much zeal and love to his Master, as the rest of the disciples. His other fellow disciples, who were with him all the time, never once suspected his sincerity. So artfully did he assume the appearance of a friend to the cause, in which they were all embarked. But yet he was all the while insincere. He became an Apostate from the truth, and betrayed his Master with the token of friendship. His name is odious. And has come down to us, loaded with infamy. And it will still descend as an epithet of the most finished treachery.

How unreasonable then to look for perfection in any, or a _pure_ Church! Untold mischief has been done to Religion by the pretenders to a _pure_ Church. They usually divide and break up the peace of Churches. Censoriousness occupies the place of Charity. Meekness, humility, condescension, and brotherly love fall before a mad and intemperate zeal, self-confidence, ignorance, and high pretensions to superior sanctity.

Though no _pure_ Church is to be seen on earth, and the idea of it, be a vain and delusive one, yet all the real friends of the Gospel ought to strive to have the greatest purity in doctrines--in worship--in discipline, in ordinances, and conduct. That Church is the purest, which is the most scriptural in its doctrines, ordinances and worship, discipline, and manners. Churches should take the greatest care to be built upon the only foundation, the order and faith of the Gospel, rejecting all human inventions and traditions, having the word of God for their only rule of faith and practice.

How happy would it be, if we have no Tares to defile and dishonour the cause of God, and to injure the precious grain! They often spring up, where good seed had been sown and where least expected. Every thing on earth is changing. Misfortunes and evils arise from quarters, where comfort and happiness were most looked for. While we deplore the mutability of all human things, we may learn the most useful lessons; and one of the most useful is the folly of trusting our own hearts, or the stability of others. Tares are sowed in the field. _In the parable of the sower,_ the seed means the doctrines of the Gospel. _In the Parable of the Tares,_ the seed sown seems to mean pious and upright members of the Gospel-kingdom; or _secondly,_ truth, as truth is instrumental in saving and enlightening the soul. The _Tares,_ mean then, not hypocrites only, but errors, heresies, and divisions among the professing people of God. One of the clearest proofs of human depravity is the proneness of man to wander into the wilderness of error and delusion. Though conscience and reason be on the side of what is right and just in doctrine and practice, yet the corrupt passions or evil dispositions of the heart lead to all that is wrong. The good man drops tears of grief over abounding errors and immoralities--the want of union, of charity--of peace in the Church of God. We do not see eye to eye. Before there will be a full uniformity of opinions on the doctrines of Religion, we must wait till the openings of celestial day, when that which is in part shall be done away, and that which is perfect is come. But it is exceedingly comfortable to think, however many tares there are in the Church here below, there will be none in the Church above in heaven. No enemy will gain entrance there, to sow them. In the Church triumphant will be no tares, or errors, or evils. In its harmony there will be no interruption. In its doctrines, no dissent. In its worship no coldness. And in its peace no end. But here in the Church militant, there will be hatred, variance, strife, hypocrisy, and errors. Tares will infest the field. And it is worthy of particular notice, they are always sowed by an enemy, open or concealed. _But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed Tares among the wheat, and went his way. The enemy that sowed them,_ says our Saviour, is the Devil: He does it by his agents. In the original it is an _envious man_: one who hates Religion; and the order and peace, purity and harmony of the Church; one who hates Christ and his ordinances and doctrines, and wishes to make mischief and spread confusion. _The enemy comes into the field_ and is active and zealous to _sow Tares,_ what may corrupt and poison, the grain, or hurt the harvest. _The enemy_ is sly and concealed in doing his mischief--he came in the night, _while men slept, sowed his Tares, and went away._ The servants are astonished when, in process of time, they discover the evil. _But when the blade sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also._ In nature's soil evil seed soon springs up. And so it does when sown in the garden of the Lord.--False doctrines or errors soon spread, being agreeable to the vicious inclinations of the heart.--Often what is most pleasing and promising at first turns out, to our great mortification, far otherwise. When we hoped for a plentiful harvest, and the ground was highly cultivated, _tares appeared also._ This teaches us to rest our hope in him, who changes not; and whose favour is life. How artful is the enemy of our souls, and of the peace and welfare of the Gospel-kingdom! He is full of devices--of subtle devices. And his instruments and agent to carry on his designs, are usually chosen with skill.

_In the third place,_ We notice in this parable of the Tares, the great tenderness and care of the Householder for the precious grain. A rash proposal was made by his servants to go and gather up the Tares. They were honest in this proposal, and doubtless viewed it best to root out the Tares immediately. But though the proposal were well meant, yet it was mis-timed. We admire the honesty and faithfulness of the servants. But they could not perform what they were willing to undertake. It is impossible to keep hypocrites, false professors, pretended friends, errors and heresies--delusions and false religions, visions and impulses from mingling with the Children of the kingdom, or to prevent the tares from being among the wheat. _So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence hath it Tares? He said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them._ Thus wonderful is the tenderness of Christ for the pious and upright. He dearly values his friends and the truth. He will preserve and bless them, and in due time own it. He always had his Church in the world, and always will have. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it--No antient or modern heresy or superstition shall destroy it. They may injure it. They may exceedingly distress and persecute it. But no weapon formed against Zion however much at present it may, shall eventually prosper. There is no enchantment against Israel, or divination against Jacob. Error may come in like a flood--the love of many may wax cold, and infidelity may diffuse, far and wide, its poison.--But the cause of God will live and remain, in spite of all persecution or opposition from Earth or hell. The wheat must not be rooted up. Jesus Christ will protect and defend his true Church, in the darkest times. If tares be sown while men sleep, they shall not be permitted to destroy the valuable grain. "While Ministers, while Magistrates, while Parents," says one, "sleep, the enemy sows tares."

_In the fourth place,_ another observation which I shall make upon the Parable before us, is that a period of separation between _the tares and the wheat_ is fixed by our Lord. Here he gives to all his people, in all ages and places, most needful and excellent instruction and counsel, in their Church state. A rule is here laid before them of prudence, meekness, and wisdom. No rash expedients have his countenance. No undue severity is admissible by him. As he was all meekness and benevolence himself, so he presses, with all the weight of his authority and ardour of persuasion, the same temper upon all his disciples. They are to be meek and lowly in heart as he was. _Judge not,_ says he, _that ye be not judged._--Be more ready to take the beam out of your own eye, than the mote out of your neighbour's eye. Let a bitter censorious spirit never be exercised. Condescension, forbearance, humility and meekness are the temper of the Gospel. But we are not to be indifferent about truth, and duty. We are to _hold fast_ the form of _sound words,_ the Apostles' doctrines;--and to _contend earnestly_ for the faith once delivered to the Saints:--to be firm and courageous in our Lord's work. But we are not to go and gather up the tares to the danger of the wheat--both must stand till the harvest. A day is appointed, in which exact justice shall be distributed, and a perfect discrimination will be made of characters and principles. The day is that of the harvest. And the harvest is the end of the world. _Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of the 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 into my barn. The harvest is the end of the world: the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire: so shall it be in the end of the world. The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity! and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father._ There is an inimitable beauty and grandeur in this account of the end of the righteous and wicked, in the day of judgment.

Our blessed Saviour, so much disregarded by impious men--some denying his divinity--some his humanity--some his doctrines--some his spirit--and some his ordinances, will preside in that awful solemnity. Angels will be his attendants. They will be employed as agents in carrying on the important transactions of that day. The judge will appear in all the majesty of God. For he will come in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. All things will be brought to light. The hidden things of dishonesty will be in open day. Such forms of guilt will be revealed, as shall strike horror into the mind. Clouded characters will clear up. The rotten hearts of false professors will be seen--Errors will be unmasked--and all characters pass in review. A full and perfect separation will be made by him whose eyes are as a flame of fire. We cannot make the separation between the tares and the wheat. It must be left with him, who is the head of the Church, to dispose of all, according to their works.--And he shall render unto every man according to his works.----

_The last observation_ to be made on this Parable, is the different fate of the _tares and wheat_; the righteous and wicked. Truth and duty will be at last triumphant, and honoured with a glorious reward. Error and all evil will be frowned upon and rejected. Nothing but Virtue will, in the final result of things, be recompensed. All vice, in all its multiplied forms, will be condemned. With the wicked there shall be weeping and wailing forever. They must be cast into a furnace of fire. They will be rendered as miserable as they have made themselves sinful. The more vile the more miserable. The greater their turpitude of heart and the more their sins of life, the heavier will be their condemnation. All things that offend, and that work iniquity shall be gathered out of the kingdom of Christ. The angels will be honoured with the office of making the final separation. And the righteous will be rewarded forever, and the wicked will be punished forever. Our Lord solemnly affirms this. And we may believe him with all possible safety. The wheat shall be gathered into the barn, and the tares be burnt with fire--be always miserable. _The son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom ALL THINGS THAT OFFEND, and which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth_--strong expressions to denote remorse and anguish. _Then shall the righteous shine forever as the sun in the kingdom of their Father._ That there will be as wide a difference in the situation of persons, in another world, as there is in their moral characters in this, is altogether consonant to the dictates of sober reason, and is clearly affirmed in the following words, _Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner. But he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire._ If such language as this can be explained away, so as to get rid of the doctrine of the perpetuity of future misery; any could, which might be used. Besides, it is perfectly consistent with reason, that a discrimination should be eternally made, between Virtue and Vice, right and wrong, between the precious and vile. If there should not, it would infringe upon all our ideas of justice. It is, of course, unreasonable to imagine there will not be such a discrimination. The judge of all the earth will do, all that is right to be done; and nothing but what is so. The wicked, therefore, will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.--Can any thing be more absurd in itself, or contrary to reason and nature, or repugnant to revelation, in its whole drift, than to suppose no difference will be made by the Lord of the Universe, between the _tares and the wheat_--that both will be gathered into one place--and no separation be made.--Certainly there is not. How unaccountable is it, that any, while they hold to the divinity of the scriptures, should affect to believe that all the human race, the wicked as well as the righteous, are at last to be admitted to the joys of a blissful immortality?--After persons have cast off a belief of the scripture, we are not to be surprised that they should embrace any error--or even deny a future state of rewards and punishment, and adopt, as one article of their Creed, the mortality of the soul. For when persons leave the plain truths and principles of the Gospel, they are on dangerous ground, and no conjecture can be made, how far they may be permitted to proceed in delusion, and vain imaginations, in error and vice--they may not stop till they have landed in absolute scepticism--or atheism. Hence we are exhorted to be _steadfast_--to be _immovable_--to _abound_ in the work of the Lord. Hence too we are cautioned against instability of principle--_Meddle not with them that are given to change._

Having made the observations upon the Parable of the tares, which seemed to be naturally suggested from it, it remains only to close the discourse, with some practical improvement.

And our subject may very properly put us upon a close and impartial examination of our hearts and ways, that we may know to our satisfaction, whether we may rank in the number of the Children of the kingdom, the precious grain. The field is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, belong to Christ's kingdom on earth, and are heirs of his kingdom of glory, but the tares are the Children of the wicked one. In all our inquiries into the state and temper of our hearts, we are carefully to guard against self-flattery. Man loves to think well of himself, and ill of others. In general, he is confident that he is right in principles and conduct, and that others, who differ from him, are wrong. Pride, self-will, and sinister motives have too much influence over all, both in forming their principles, and regulating their conduct. A fair outside, and a specious appearance catch many, who have not patience to investigate truth and duty, or discernment to descry danger, or to detect the insidious arts of the designing. _He saith unto them an enemy hath done this._ We are to be upon our guard, lest we be led away by the enemy of our souls, and to see that we be true, sincere, and upright--that we act upon pure and worthy motives--that we keep near to the Saviour of the world in duty--that we abide in his doctrines--that we live up to his laws, then shall we have the comforts of his spirit, and at last, the rewards of faithful followers will be conferred upon us.--What great tenderness has he for all his true followers, the Children of the kingdom. Whatever evils are permitted to happen, he will watch and guard them--will protect them in the midst of all dangers, however alarming, and support them in the darkest hours. He has an eye to pity them, and an arm to save them. He is the good shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep. And his sheep know his voice, and a stranger they will not follow.----

2ndly. We learn from what hath been said, how restless and uneasy the enemy of God and man is, except he be plotting evil. _The tares are the Children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the Devil._ He is a roaring Lion going about seeking whom he may devour. His devices are as subtle as numerous. Concealed and out of sight, he employs his cunning to ensnare and beguile souls--to ruin the incautious--to sow tares, errors and heresies, false principles and divisions. _And while men slept, his enemy came, and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way._ He is ever active to do all the mischief, in his power, to the truth, to religion, and to the cause of God. His policy is deep laid. The factors or agents whom he employs, are commonly selected with great skill. He is a liar from the beginning; and his attacks are generally begun with misrepresenting the truth, and varnishing over error. His kingdom, indeed, has always been supported, in the world, by delusion and Idolatry--BY IMPULSES, or SUPPOSED DIVINE IMPRESSIONS upon the soul; changing himself into an angel of light, is of all others, his most subtle device, and the most successful. People are usually seduced from the right ways of the Lord, by being made to believe, either by corrupt writings, or by artful deceivers, that error is truth--that superstition is real piety, and enthusiasm a more spiritual way of serving God.--In days of prevailing error and irreligion it is a rich consolation to the serious mind, that God reigns: that the enemy of souls can carry his corrupt designs against piety and Virtue, no further than he is permitted. The wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder thereof he will restrain. Wise ends are to be answered in all events that take place, in divine Providence. While it is our duty to bewail the evils we behold, our vigilance, and prayerful exertions should be awakened, lest we be led away with the error of the wicked.--