LECTURE XII.

MATTHEW xiii. continued.

THE

HE laft Lecture concluded with a recital of the parable of the fower, and our Lord's explanation of it; and I now proceed to lay before you those reflections which it has fuggefted to my mind.

In the first place then it must be obferved, that this parable, like many others, is prophetic as well as inftructive; it predicts the fate of the Chriftian religion in the world, and the different forts of reception it will meet. with from different men. And as this prediction is completely verified by the present state of religion, as we fee it at this hour existing among ourselves, it affords one very decifive proof of Chrift's power of foreseeing future events, and of course tends ftrongly to establish the truth of his pretenfions, and the divine authority of his religion.

In the next place it is evident that there are four different claffes of men here described, which comprehend all the different religious or irreligious characters that are to be met with in the world. The first confifts of those "that hear the word of the kingdom (as our Lord expresses it) and understand it not; then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was fown in their hearts. These are they, fays he, which received feed by the wayfide." By thefe are meant those persons whofe minds, like the beaten high road, are hard and impenetrable, and inacceffible to conviction. Of thefe we all know there are too many in the world; fome who have imbibed early and deep-rooted prejudices againft Chriftianity; who either conceiving themfelves fuperior to the reft of mankind in > genius, knowledge, and penetration, reject with scorn whatever the bulk of mankind receives with veneration,

and erect favourite fyftems of their own, which they con ceive to be the very perfection of human wisdom; or, on the other hand, having been unfortunately very early ini tiated in the writings of modern philofophifts, implicitly adopt the opinions of thofe whom they confider as the great luminaries and oracles of the age, receive ridicule as argument, and affertion as proof and prefer the filly witticifms, the fpecious fophiftry, the metaphyfical fubtlety, the courfe buffoonery, which diftinguifh many of the most popular opponents of our faith, to the fimplicity, dignity, and fublimity of the divine truths of the Gospel. Thefe are the profeffed infidels, or, as they choose to style themfelves, the difciples of philofophy and reason, and the enemies of prieftcraft, fanaticism, and fuperftition.

But befides thefe there is another defcription of men, on whom the good feek makes little or no impreffion; thefe are the thoughtlefs, the inattentive, the inconfiderate, the trifling, the gay, who think of nothing beyond the prefent fcene, and who do not confider themselves as in the fmallest degree interested in any thing else. These men, without profeffing themselves unbelievers, without formally and explicitly rejecting the Gofpel, yet do in fact never concern themselves about it. It forms no part of their fyftem, it does not at all enter into their plans of life. The former fort above described are infidels on principle; these are practical infidels, without any principle at all. Being born of Chriftian parents, and instructed perhaps in the first rudiments of Chriftianity, they call themfelves Chriftian; they attend divine fervice, they repeat their prayers, they liften to the difcourfes of the preacher, they make no objections to what they hear, they queftion not the propriety of what they are taught? but here their religion. ends; it never goes beyond the furface, it never penetrates into their hearts, it lies on the hard beaten highway. The inftant they leave the church, every idea of religion vanishes out of their thoughts; they never reflect for one moment on what they have heard; they never confider the infinite importance of what is to happen after death? the awful profpects of eternity never prefent themselves to their minds, neither excite their hopes nor alarm their fears.

With their mouths indeed they confefs the Lord Jefus, but they do not believe with their hearts unto falvation ;” and although perhaps in the wide wafte of a trifling infignificant life, a few worthy actions or a few folitary virtues appear, yet their affections are not fet on things above, their hopes are not centered there, their views do not tend there; their treasure is on earth, and there is their heart. alfo.

These two characters, the hardened unbeliever, and the mere nominal Chriftian, constitute the first class described by our Saviour in the parable of the fower. These are they which receive the feed by the way fide, where it lies neglected upon the furface, till "the fowls of the air devour it, or the wicked one catcheth it out of their hearts ;" and there is an end at once of all their hopes of falvation, perhaps for ever.

Secondly, Thefe is another fort of foil mentioned in the parable, which gives the feed at first a more favourable reception. When it falls on ftony ground, it finds no great difficulty in gaining admiffion into a little loofe earth fcattered upon a rock; it fprings up with amazing rapidity; but no fooner" does the fun rife upon it with its fcorching heat, than it withers away for want of depth of earth, root, and moisture."

What a lively reprefentation is this of weak and unftable Chriftians! They receive Chriflianity at first with gladnofs; they are extremely ready to be made eternally happy, and fuppofe that they have nothing else to do but to repeat their creed, and take poffeffion of heaven. But when they find that there are certain conditions to be performed on their parts alío; that they must give up their favourite interefts and reitrain their ftrongeft paffions, muft ⚫ fometimes even pluck out a right eye or tear off a right arm; that they must take up their cross and follow a crucified Saviour through many difficulties, diftreffes, and perfecutions, their ardour and alacrity are inftantly extinguifhed. They want ftrength of mind, foundnefs of principle, and fincerity of faith to fupport them. No wonder then that they fall away and depart from their allegiance

to their divine Mafter and Redeemer. This is the fecond fort of hearers defcribed in the parable, "that receive the word at first with joy; but having no root in themselves, when tribulation and perfecution arife because of the word, by and by they are offended." This refers more immediately to the firft difciples and first preachers of the Gofpel, who were expofed in the discharge of their high office to the fevereft trials, and the crueleft perfecutions from their numerous and powerful enemies. Some of them undoubtedly, who had not fufficient root in themfelves, gave way to the ftorms that affailed them, and made fhipa wreck of their faith, as our Lord here foretels that they would. But others we know ftood firm and unmoved, amidst the moft tremenduous dangers, and underwent, with unparalleled fortitude, the most excruciating torments. The defcription which the writer to the Hebrews gives of the faints and prophets of old, may, with the ftrictest truth, be applied to the apoftles and their fucceffors in the firft ages of the Gofpel, under the various perfecutions to which they were expofed. "They had trial of cruel mockings and fcourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonments. They were ftoned, they were fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the fword, were deftitute, afflicted, tormented*." All these barbarities they endured with unfhaken patience and firmnefs, and thereby bore the ftrongeft poffible teftimony, not only to their own fincerity, but to the divine and miraculous influence of the religion which they taught. For it is juftly and forcibly obferved by the excellent Mr., Addifon, that the astonish ing and unexampled fortitude which was fhewn by innumerable multitudes of martyrs, in those flow and painful torments that were inflicted on them, is nothing less than a ftanding miracle during the three first centuries. "I can

not, fays he, conceive a man placed in the burning iron chair of Lyons, amidst the infults and mockeries of a crowded amphitheatre, and ftill keeping his feat; or ftretched upon a grate of iron over an intenfe fire, and breathing out his foul amidst the exquifite fufferings of fuch a tedious execution, rather than renounce his religion, or blafpheme his Saviour, without fuppofing fomething

Hebrew xi, 37.