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and hearing they might not understand." We must here not forget to what kind of people the Lord was speaking. He had preached to those people before, and He had not spoken to them in dark sayings, but in childlike words; for in his first chapter Mark informs us: "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God," but they received not His Word. Now He spake to them in parables which they could see and yet not see, which they could understand and yet not understand. They could understand the words seed, sowing, wayside, etc., but the parabolic, the hidden meaning thereof they could not understand. And the Lord spake to them in this manner to induce them to seek after the hidden meaning of His words, as the disciples did who came asking an explanation. If the multitude would have come asking further instruction they would have received it just as well as the disciples; for Jesus never rejected any one who came unto Him.

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II.

If Satan cannot hinder the seed from taking root and beginning to grow in the heart his aim will next be to cause it to wither. Of the second class of hearers the parable says: " Some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture." In explanation the Lord says: They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." On a rock with but a thin layer of soil seed will spring up very quickly, but hot sunshine and dry winds cause it to wither quickly. This class of hearers do truly believe for a while, but seeing a young and promising faith spring up is hateful to the enemy and he will do his best to cause the young Christian to fall into sin or to be offended at the cross of Christ. Many are the instances of awakenings which seemed to promise great things, but soon died away like young wheat on a rock is singed.

Why do many become backsliders so quickly? "And these have no root." A shallow surface only was cultivated in them, and underneath the rock remained unbroken. They repent,

but not thoroughly. Hosea 7, 16, says of them: "They return, but not to the Most High: they are like a deceitful bow." Many are carried away by momentary emotions. The Word does lay hold on them and for a while it seems that they would become zealous and exemplary Christians, but it is all only superficial. In the depth of the heart, in the background of the soul the rocky soil remained unbroken, and when a heat, a temptation, an affliction comes they fall away. Therefore the prophet Joel 2, 13, exhorts: "Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God." Let the plough-share of the law penetrate deeply and turn up the soil thoroughly that the seed of the Gospel can strike firm root and can endure the drought when it comes.

III.

There is another danger to the growing seed, beside being consumed by the drought. " And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it." Of these the Lord says in His explanation: "That which fell among thorns, are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection." Seed sown among thorns will not die so quickly as that on the rock, it may grow very luxuriantly for a while, but when the thorns begin to crowd it, then it turns yellow, becomes sickly and gradually dies. Therefore the Lord does not say of those among thorns that they bring no fruit at all, but they "bring no fruit to perfection." They are true Christians, spiritually alive, and they begin to bring the fruits of the Spirit by walking in good works, but the thorns come up and they gain ground until they infest the whole heart. So the spiritual life is choked and the fruit unto salvation does not follow.

The thorns are all sins and evil lusts, of which the Lord specifies three: "Cares and riches, and pleasures of this life.” Indeed, three most dangerous thorns. Many turn to the Lord in all earnestness, and especially do many in their youth vow allegiance unto the Lord, in uprightness of heart pledging them

selves to walk in the ways of the Lord to the end of their lives, but in after years they become entangled and choked in the cares of this life. They enter business, have much to occupy their mind, a household to care for, and the care for the soul becomes less until other cares have crowded it out; and though they remain church members and preserve the outward form of godliness, yet the spiritual life in them which was once so fresh and green, has died out, and it must be said of them as of the church at Sardis: "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." -With others the desire to gain a competence awakes, and they know, to be saving and to gather up the fragments is not wrong, but by and by their deceitful heart leads them beyond the line, their saving money is turned into craving money, and so the love of money gradually takes possession of their heart and the love of Christ is choked.-Others are lured by sensual lusts or worldly pleasures, and they say, it is allowable enjoyment, but they suffer it to draw them away from the care for the soul, and by and by fornication, intemperance or some other carnal vice fixes its hold on them, or the love of the world chokes the love of God in their hearts. This is the history of many thousands who once were the children of God, but who, like Solomon and Demas, suffered the thorns to grow up and to choke the spiritual life within them.

Because this is so we should, in turning to the Lord, be careful to root up all the thorns and to leave none remaining in the heart, as Jeremiah 4, 3, exhorts; "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." Turning unto the Lord, see that you bid farewell to every sin and then watch day after day lest rank thorns or vicious weeds grow up again. If you allow a place to the brier of intemperance, or the hawthorn of avarice, or the nightshade of carnal pleasure it will surely bring death to the inner man. Make it your practice frequently to scan the field of the heart with the eyeglass of the law, and when you discover a weed let there be no temporizing with it, that your heart may remain like to that ground of which the parable says:

IV.

And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred fold." Explaining this the Lord says: "That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." These are they who hear the Word, understand it. believe it, bring fruit to perfection and are saved. They are those who reach the end of faith, the salvation of the soul.

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How can the Lord here say: And other fell on GOOD GROUND," when the Scriptures testify that Adam "begat a son in his own likeness," and: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh?" The Lord compares the hearts of these with good ground, not because they are good in themselves before the seed comes to them, or even because they are one whit better than the hearts of those by the wayside, but because the seed falls into them, makes them good ground and grows and brings fruit in them. That this is the meaning is unquestionable from the Lord's words to the disciples: " Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God." That the hearts of the disciples were a good soil was not of themselves, it was the gift of God.

It is the seed that makes the ground good and produces the fruit. Without the seed neither good ground, nor any fruit. If we would be good ground and bring fruit we must occupy ourselves continually with the Word. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." We must hear the Word, read it, keep it and ponder it in our heart, and, surely, the soil will not be too hard for that seed, it will strike root and grow. Then when the seed has sprung up we are to bring forth fruit with patience. Where that seed is growing the weather will not always be fair, tempests will come, heat will fall upon it, tares will strive to choke it, but we should " bring forth fruit with patience," knowing that the harvest will come, when they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, and they that went forth weeping shall bring their sheaves with rejoicing. Amen.

QUINQUAGESIMA

TEXT: Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered anto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day be shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. Luke 18, 31-34.

We again stand at the threshold of that period of the year which our forefathers set apart for the special consideration of the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and which was regarded by them as a sacred time. Surely, a good and laudable ordinance of the church; for the suffering, death and rising again of the Lord is the very center of the whole work of our redemption and salvation. Any one who does not understand this part of Christ's work; any one who does not know wherefore Christ suffered, why He died and for what purpose He rose again, can nevermore understand the plan of salvation. Whosoever would come to a living knowledge of God and the Savior whom He has sent; whosoever would know the will of the Father and understand the work of the Son, must study the meaning of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. So long as the disciples did not understand these things the Scriptures were a sealed book to them and their eyes were holden that they could not see the true glory of Jesus; for when He spake to them of His suffering and death "this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken." This is Christ's true glory, that through suffering and death He redeemed us from sin and death. For this the perfected saints ascribe unto Him everlasting glory, saying: "Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," Rev. 5, 9, and Hebrews

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