4 And when much people were ga- thered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable :
6 A sower went out to sow his seed : and as he sowed, some fell by the way side ; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock ; and as soon as it was sprung up, it with- ered away, because it lacked moisture.
• 7 And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, say- ing, What might this parable be ?
10 And he said. Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God : but to others in parables ; that
seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this : Tha seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side ere they that hear ; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are theij, which, when they hear, receive the word witn joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temp- tation fall away.
14 And that which fell amongthoruB are they, which,whcn they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
16 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep tV, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The paratle of the sower, contained in these verses, is reported more frequently than any parable in the Bible. It is a parable of universal application. The things it relates are continually going on in every congregation to which the Gospel is preached. The four kinds of hearts it describes are to be found in every assembly which hears the word. These circumstances should make us always read the parable with a deep sense of its impor- tance. We should say to ourselves, as we read it : "This concerns me. My heart is to be seen in this parable. I, too, am here."