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then 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. Let both grow together till 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.

To his disciples Jesus afterwards gave the following explanation of the parable.

"He that sowed the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them who 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. Who hath ears to hear let him

hear."

The first sentiment which presents itself from the parable is this; that Jesus Christ has a people in this ruined world; a people redeemed by his blood, sanctified by his Spirit, and set apart for himself. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom."

From our apostate race, Christ is raising up a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom he has for a time stationed on earth, in the midst of a wicked world. Nevertheless it is a distinct body. Though his people are in the world, they are not of the world, but are citizens of heaven. They have a character in some measure suitChrist ed to their final home. has chosen them out of the world, and ordained them that they should be holy, the sons of God without rebuke, bearing the resemblance of their Saviour and King.

Upon them he sets the marks of his special love, forms them into one family, and lets the world know, that it is the place of gracious abode and rest. The real members of Christ's kingdom are truly good. Though by nature the children of disobedience, they are renewed in knowledge and holiness after the image of God. Oh, how beautiful is Zion, the holy city and habitation of God!

But the parable teaches, that the church in the present state is not pure; that it has a mixture of the children of the wicked one, The field had tares among the wheat. All who belong to the visible kingdom of Christ are not of the same character. A part of those who number themselves among the people of God are the servants of sin. The church universal, and perhaps almost every particular church, contains some, who love the creature more than the Creator, and are slaves to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. This was the in the first and purest of Christianity. Some,

case

age

who confessed Christ before men, forsook the doctrines and practice of Christianity, and thus manifested that they had never been washed from their sins. "They went out from us," says John, "but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not of us." It is to be feared, that our best churches embrace many, who are in real ity foes to truth and holiness. Of those, who surround the same sacramental table, eat of the same bread, and drink of the same cup, some are travelling in the way to Zion, others in the way to death. Those, who belong to the same visible church, will hereafter, in many instances, be separated from each other, and have the impassable gulf placed between them. A foundation for such a difference in their future condition is now laid by the difference which marks their characters. Some professors are as distant from others in the temper of their minds, as the bosom of Abraham is from the dreadful fire of perdition.

You will further learn from the parable, that mingling the children of the wicked one with the children of the kingdom is the work of the enemy. It is a la mentable circumstance of the church in the present world, that it contains such a mixture of characters; that so many profess the religion of Christ, without knowing its power. Though for wise ends it is divinely permitted, yet, in itself, it is a great evil. It is evidently desirable, in itself considered, that the church should contain

those only, who are the devoted servants of Christ. When it is otherwise, it is the work of the enemy. The servants, surveying the field, and observing tares with the wheat, say to the householder, "Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?" He answers; an enemy hath done this.

In like manner, when we survey the visible church, and find that it contains many, who are strangers to grace, we must conclude that an enemy hath done it. Satan and his adherents hate the purity, and envy the happiness of the church, and therefore strive to introduce corrupt principles, false teachers, and hypocritical members. In this way the peace of the church is disturbed, the excellence of religion> is sullied, and great advantage put into the hands of the adversary. It gratifies his malignant spirit to see those profess religion, who are dead in trespasses and sins; for he well knows, it will occasion offences, injure the church, and open the mouth of the opposing, blaspheming world.

But although this corrupt mixture in the church is to be mainly ascribed to the malice and subtlety of the enemy, the real servants of Christ are not excusable. It is partly through their supineness and sloth, that men of the world are so often found within the pale of the church. The enemy came and sowed tares, while the servants of the husbandman slept. Had they, according to their duty, maintained a strict and unremitting watchfulness, the enemy would have found it more diffi

cult to sow his tares. If church- evil. When the servants, see

es and pastors were suitably watchful; if they would attend with sufficient eare to the characters of those, who offer themselves for admission; if they would faithfully and devoutly examine their exercises and sentiments, and observe their conduct, and seriously endeav. our, according to the rules of the gospel, to keep the church pure; we inight hope, there would be a much smaller proportion of unbelievers joining in profession with the followers of the Lamb. But, alas! Christian churches, what matter of lamentation it is, to see so much negligence in this great concern. How little do Christians watch against the designs of the enemy? How does almost every one care for his own things, and not for the things of Christ? And have we not cause to fear, that some not only neglect to guard against the work of the enemy, but, with their own rash hand, sow tares among the wheat? Does not this charge lie with peculiar force against those who, without any discriminating regard to charac ter, are earnest to gather as many as possible into the visible church?

Another observation, which naturally occurs, is, that seasonable watchfulness and resolution may prevent evils, which, having once taken place, cannot be removed. Faithful attention to the admission of members will do much more to secure the church from corruption, than equal exertion afterwards. By unremitting vigilance the servants might have kept the enemy from sow ing tares. But after they were sown, it was too late to avoid the

ing what was done, and willing to make some amends for their negligence, proposed to go and gather up the tares, the Master said, nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. This is not intended to forbid the proper exercise of church discipline towards offenders; which cannot be neglected without great guilt. The intimation in the parable is evidently designed to guard against rash and irregular proceedings. The work, which the servants proposed, was of a hurtful tendency. So, should the servants of Christ proceed at once to extreme measures with every erring brother; especially, should they enter on the rash design of expelling all the ungodly, of gathering out all the tares, and purifying the church, they would not meet the approbation of their Lord. He would tell them, 66 nay.” It is a diffie cult, and, to you, an impossible work. Timely care and faithfulness would, indeed, have done much to prevent these evils. But now they must be left to the great day. There may be many persons in the church, who give little evidence of the Christian spirit, and are far from conducting themselves according to their profession, who must, nevertheless, be suffered to continue in the church. There are many ways of manifesting the want of religion, for which a church cannot publicly censure a member. His conduct may be such, as to give the church just reason to fear he is unrenewed, and yet may not be such, as to authorise any direct proceeding against That a church censure

him.

may be unexceptionable, there must be a manifest violation of gospel rules. There must be satisfactory evidence of palpable immorality. As, on the one hand, a person out of the church may have many seemingly good qualities, and yet not give that evidence of godly sincerity, which justly entitles him to a place in the church; so, on the other hand, the conduct of a visible member may be such, as denotes the want of piety, at least such, as leaves his piety very doubtful; and still may not be such, that the church can justly exclude him. Many must be continued in the church, who, with the selfsame character, could not properly be admitted, if they were out of the church. We must let the tares continue in the field where they are sown, though we ought not willingly to suffer them to be sown there. To introduce them is the design of the enemy; to let them remain till the harvest is the dictate of Christian prudence.

Here we may reflect on our inability to know the hearts of men, and our consequent inability to make a certain distinction beween the good and the bad. The fruit of tares, is, indeed, essentially different from that of wheat, and when come to maturity and carefully examined, may be clearly distinguished from it. So when the whole practice of the impenitent is taken into view, and sufficiently understood, there is no difficulty in distinguishing them from the penitent. But at present, we cannot survey the whole conduct. Many parts of men's lives are concealed from our view, which, if known, might help us at once to determine

their character. Many sins are committed in secret, the discov ery of which would leave no doubt in our minds respecting those who commit them. But while men's sins are undiscovered, we may be totally deceived concerning their character. And most of all does our ignorance of the heart disqualify us for deciding the question of character. So ignorant are we of the heart, which essentially constitutes the character, that if we should take upon us the office of judge, we should be in great danger, in many instances, of clearing the guilty, and condemning the innocent. Many of those, whom we regard, as the disciples of Christ, may be false professors. Many that we esteem as gold, and silver, and precious stones, in the building of the church, may be hay, and wood, and stubble. While others, whom our wayward judgment condemns as worthless and vile, may be numbered among Christ's jewels. When we look with the most discerning eye upon the churches, we are unable to determine, who will be approved of God, and who will be rejected.

This introduces our last particular.

There is a time at hand, when the characters of men will be made known, and a complete eternal separation take place between the righteous and the wicked. This is a most important sentiment in the parable. "In the time of harvest, says the householder, 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, and the reapers are

the angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things which offend, and them which do iniquity." Every man's character shall be tried; the all revealing day shall declare it. Though we can look only on the outward appearance, there is one who searcheth the heart, and is thus qualified to divide the good from the bad, and assign to all their proper places. Men may be unknown till the judgment day; but then every secret thing shall be disclosed. At present we cannot determine what proportion of the visible church are the children of this world; but the great day will declare it. Hypocrites may now pass for Christians; but then the veil will fall off, and the form which it covered openly appear. Some upright persons may now labour under such disadvantages, that we hardly imagine them the heirs of God. But when that day arrives, they will be presented faultless before their Father's throne. At present the peace of the church is interrupted, and its glory shaded by erroneous guides and unholy professors. But then the church will be freed from the incumbrance of hypocrites and unbelievers. Christ will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend. No unrehewed sinner can then hold his place among the people of God. How many, who have here come before God, as his people, conversed with the children of the

kingdom, and with them celebrated the dying love of Jesus, will then be cast away, as chaff and stubble! How many, who have concealed a proud, selfrighteous, or worldly heart under the mask of religion; how many nominal Christians, who have been secretly alienated from the cause of truth and sanctity; how many such will then be gathered as in bundles, and cast into a furnace of fire, where shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth! And their anguish and despair will be exceedingly aggravated by all the privileges they once enjoyed, and by all the hopes they once entertained. Awful, momentous day, which shall burn as an oven, and consume all the proud and wicked as stubble, leaving them neither root nor branch. Oh Lord, gather not our souls with sinners. How different from them will the saints appear! Delivered from all the corruptions of the world, and sanctified by the divine Spirit, they will be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a pure and heavenly church; will sit on thrones, and forever shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father.

Churches of Christ, these are the words of truth, and shall surely come to pass. What manner of persons, then, ought we to be! With what watchfulness, and prayer, and holy diligence, should we wait for the day of the Lord! Behold, that day cometh quickly! Blessed are they, who are prepared for its solemn transactions.

PASTOR.

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