ye mete, it shall be measured to yon : and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given : and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
22 For there is nothing hid, winch shall not be manifested ; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he saith unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure
These verses seem intended to enforce the parable of the sower on the attention of those who heard it. They are remarkable for the succession of short, pithy, proverbial sayings which they contain. Such sayings are eminently calculated to arrest an ignorant hearer. They often strike, and stick in the memory, when the main subject of the sermon is forgotten.*
We learn, from these verses, that we ought not only to receive knowledge, but to impart it to others.
A candle is not lighted in order to be hidden and concealed, but to be set on a candlestick and used. Ke- ligious light is not given to a man for himself alone, but for the benefit of others. We are to try to spread and diffuse our knowledge. We are to display to others the precious treasure that we have found, and persuade them to seek it for themselves. We are to tell them of
* The passage now under consideration is one among many proofs that our Lord used the same words and the same ideas on many dif- ferent occasions. The proverbial saying about the " candlestick under a bushel," will be found in the Sermon on the Mount. So also the saying, " there is nothing hid that shall not be manifested" — and the saying " with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again" — are both to be found in the Gospel of Matthew, but in both cases in an entirely different connexion from the passage in St. Mark now before us. (Matth. x. 26, and Matth. vii. 2.)
The subject is one that deserves attention. The needless difficul- ties that have been created by attempting to harmonize the Grospels, and to make out that our Lord never said the same thing more than once, are neith few nor small.
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the good news that we have heard, and endeavor to make them believe and value it themselves.
We shall all have to give account of our use of know- ledge one day. The books of God in the day of judg- ment will show what we have done. If we have buried our talent in the earth — if we have been content with a lazy, idle, do-nothing Christianity, and cared nothing what happened to others, so long as we went to heaven ourselves — there will be a fearful exposure at last : " There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested."
It becomes all Christians to lay these things to heart. It is high time that the old tradition, that the clergy alone ought to teach and spread religious knowledge, should be exploded and cast aside for ever. To do good and diffuse light is a duty for which all members of" Christ's Church are responsible, whether ministers or laymen. Neighbors ought to tell neighbors, if they have found an unfailing remedy in time of plague. Christians ought to tell others that they have found medicine for their souls, if they see them ignorant, and dying for want of it. What saith the apostle Peter ? " As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another." (1 Peter iv. 10.) They will be happy days for the Church when that text is obeyed.
We learn, in the second place, from these verses, the importance of hearing, and of considering well what we hear.
This is a point to which our Lord evidently attaches great weight. We have seen it already brought out in the parable of the sower. We see it here enforced in two remarkable expressions. " If any man have an ear to hear, let him hear." " Take heed wha ye hear."