I. In their present growth —
The Church, hke a field in which different grains are sown, contains persons of very different characters —
[Jesus sows much "good seed" in this wretched world: whatever use he makes of his ministers, the glory is his alone. But " Satan" is indefatigable in " sov,'ing bad seed" in the Church : he takes advantage of the sloth and carelessness of Christ's servants^, and raises up hypocrites wherever Christ raises his elect.]
These grow together to the grief of all who are truly upright —
[Faithful ministers carry their complaints to their Lord and Master ; and from zeal for his honour would pluck up the tares'^: but God will not suffer them to make this arduous attempt. No man whatever is capable of distinguishing all characters. Many, who have specious appearances, would be left by us as wheat ; while many, who are inwardly sin- cere, would be plucked up as tares. From regard to these God commands us to forbear*^. He suffers us indeed, and commands us, to exclude the notoriously profligate ; but he reserves to himself the office of judging the hearts of men. Till the harvest day therefore we must expect this mixture. Nor will it, in the issue, prove injurious to the saints. They are now stirred up the more to watchfulness and prayer ; and hypocrites themselves have the offers of grace and mercy con- tinued to them.]
The reproach occasioned by this will all be wiped away,
II. In their future separation —
The day of judgment is as the harvest —
[The angels are represented by our Lord as his angels ; and these he will use as his reapers^. He will endue them with wisdom to discern the characters of all, and will guide them infallibly in the execution of his will.]
Then the different characters shall be separated from each other —
[The "tares" are they who "offend," that is, by a false profession cause others to stumble at the ways of God *'; and they, who, making no profession, "commit iniquity" without restraint. All these shall be gathered fhst and "bound up in bundles s." Thus will they, who have been partners in sin,
^ ver. 25. = ver. 27. ^ ver. 29. and Matt, xviii. 14.
^ ver. 39. ^ ver. 41. s ver. 30.