our Root; they derive not from him, they depend not on him. (2.) Where there is not a principle, though there be a profession, we cannot expect perseverance. Those who have no root will endure but a while. A ship without ballast, though she may at first out-sail the laden vessel, yet will certainly fail in stress of weather, and never make her port.
2. Times of trial come, and then they come to nothing. When tribulation and persecution arise because of the word, he is offended; it is a stumbling-block in his way which he cannot get over, and so he flies off, and this is all his profession comes to. Note, (1.) After a fair gale of opportunity usually follows a storm of persecution, to try who have received the word in sincerity, and who have not. When the word of Christ's kingdom comes to be the word of Christ's patience, (Rev. 3. 10.) then is the trial, who keeps it, and who does not, Rev. 1. 9. It is wisdom to prepare for such a day. (2.) When trying times come, those who have no root are soon offended; they first quarrel with their profession, and then quit it; first find fault with it, and then throw it off. Hence we read of the offence of the cross, Gal. 5. 11. Observe, Persecution is represented in the parable by the scorching sun; (v. 6.) the same sun which warms and cherishes that which was well rooted, withers and burns up that which wanted root. As the word of Christ, so the cross of Christ, is to some a savour of life unto life, to others a savour of death unto death: the same tribulation which drives some to apostacy and ruin, works for others a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Trials which shake some, confirm others, Phil. 1. 12. Observe how soon they fall away, by and by; as soon rotten as they were ripe; a profession taken up without consideration is commonly let fall without it: "Light come, light go."
[3.] The thorny ground. Some fell among thorns, (which are a good guard to the corn when they are in the hedge, but a bad inmate when they are in the field,) and the thorns sprung up; which intimates that they did not appear, or but little, when the corn was sown, but afterwards they proved choking to it, v. 7. This went further than the former, for it had root; and it represents the condition of those who do not quite cast off their profession, and yet come short of any saving benefit by it; the good they gain by the word, being insensibly overcome and overborne by the things of this world. Prosperity destroys the word in the heart, as much as persecution does; and more dangerously, because more silently: the stones spoiled the root, the thorns spoil the fruit.
Now what are these choking thorns?
First, The cares of this world. Care for another world would quicken the springing of this seed, but care for this world chokes it. Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that deals much in them; (2 Sam. 23. 6, 7.) they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, Heb. 6. 8. These thorns choke the good seed. Note, Worldly cares are great hindrances to our profiting by the word of God, and our proficiency in religion. They eat up that vigour of soul which should be spent in divine things; divert us from duty, distract us in duty, and do us most mischief of all afterwards; quenching the sparks of good affections, and bursting the cords of good resolutions: those who are careful and cumbered about many things, commonly neglect the one thing needful.
Secondly, The deceitfulness of riches. Those who, by their care and industry, have raised estates, and so the danger that arises from care seems to be over, and they continue hearers of the word, yet are still in a snare; (Jer. 5. 4, 5.) it is hard for them to enter into the kingdom of heaven; they are apt to promise themselves that in riches which is not in them; to rely upon them, and to take an inordinate complacency in them; and this chokes the word as much as care did. Observe, It is not so much riches, as the deceitfulness of riches, that does the mischief: now they cannot be said to be deceitful to us unless we put our confidence in them, and raise our expectations from them, and then it is that they choke the good seed.
[4.] The good ground; (v. 18.) Others fell into good ground, and it is pity but that good seed should always meet with good soil, and then there is no loss; such are good hearers of the word, v. 23. Note, Though there are many that receive the grace of God, and the word of his grace, in vain, yet God has a remnant by whom it is received to good purpose; for God's word shall not return empty, Isa. 55. 10, 11.
Now that which distinguished this good ground from the rest, was, in one word, fruitfulness. By this true christians are distinguished from hypocrites, that they bring forth the fruits of righteousness; so shall ye be my disciples, John 15. 8. He does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but there were none that prevailed to hinder its fruitfulness. Saints, in this world, are not perfectly free from the remains of sin; but happily freed from the reign of it.
The hearers represented by the good ground are,
First, Intelligent hearers; they hear the word and understand it; they understand not only the sense and meaning of the words, but their own concern in them; they understand it as a man of business understands his business. God in his word deals with men as men, in a rational way, and gains possession of the will and affections by opening the understanding; whereas Satan, who is a thief and a robber, comes not in by that door, but climbeth up another way.
Secondly, Fruitful hearers, which is an evidence oftheir good understanding, which also beareth fruit. Fruit is to every seed its own body, a substantial product in the heart and life, agreeable to the seed of the word received. We then bear fruit, when we practise according to the word; when the temper of our minds and the tenor of our lives are conformable to the gospel we have received, and we do as we are taught.
Thirdly, Not all alike fruitful; some an hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. Note, Among fruitful christians, some are more fruitful than others: where there is true grace, yet there are degrees of it; some are of greater attainments in knowledge and holiness than others; all Christ's scholars are not in the same form. We should aim at the highest degree, to bring forth an hundred-fold, as Isaac's ground did, (Gen. 23. 12.) abounding in the work of the Lord, John 15. 8. But if the ground be good, and the fruit right, the heart honest, and the life of a piece with it, those who bring forth but thirty-fold shall be graciously accepted of God, and it will be fruit abounding to their account, for we are under grace, and not under the law.
Lastly, He closes the parable with a solemn call to attention, (v. 9.) Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Note, The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing the word of God. Some are for hearing sweet melody, their ears are only the daughters of music: (Eccl. 12. 4.) there is no melody like that of the word of God: others are for hearing new things; (Acts 10. 21.) no news like that.
24. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
