Mark, chap. 4. 1. faith , He began again to teach by the Sex(;,ts and there was gathered unto, him a great multitude ; ſo that 6» e- tred into a Ship, and ſate in the Sea, and the whole multitud: wi by the Sea, upon the Land. Luke, chap. 8. 4. faith no more char, When much People were gathered together, and came to him © « every City, he ſpake by a Parable. Two Evangeliſts agree, tha this Sermon of our Saviour's was Preached our of a Ship to Mul- ticudes that ſtood on the Shore: The occaſion of his goinz into a Ship, was the Throng of People, both for his own and their Convenience. Ir 1s here fad, [That he ſate ;] This we obſerved betore was the uſual Geſture of the Teacher amongſt the 7%; . This Sermon 1s ſaid to have been made the ſame Day , which ſome obſerve in Hiſtorical Narrarions, is to be taken ſtriftly, and lers us know the Affiduity of Chrift in his Work. And he tpike many things to them in Parables, The term Parable often in Scripture ſignifies Dark Sayings, or Proverbial Speeches, Ezek.17.2 and 20. 45. Bur in the Goſpel it generally hath another Sente, and ſignifies Similitudes or Compariſons of things, This being tie firſt time we have met with the term, and the firſt formed and perte&t Parable we have met with. Becauſe we ſhall meer vith the term often hereafter with many formed Parables, I ſhall here give tome Notes, which may be not only of uſe to underſtand the tollowing Parables we ſhall meer wich in this Chaprcr, bu: in the following part of the Goſpel. 1. A Parable ( in tle Goſpel-ſenſe of the term) ſignifieth a Similitude 2 hen from tit ordinary Afftions of Men, and made uſe of to inform us in one of Wi? Points of Spiritual DoFrines. 2, That ir 1s not neceflary to 2 Parable , That the matter contained in it ſhould be true in matte! © Fa# : For it 1s nor brought to inform us in a matter of Fatt, but in ſome Spiricual Truth, ro which it bears ſome proporcion. 1:5 we ſee in Fotham's Parable of the Tiees going to chuſe thenilel7es a King , &c. 3- Thar it is nor neceſſary, That all the 4in: 7 Men mentioned in a Parable, ſhould be Morally ju$ and hone. 1: Actions of the unjuſt Steward, Luk. 16. 1, 2, 3, 9c. were not 4. Thar for the righe underſtanding of a Parable : Our g#t.# £47 mu$t be, to confider the main Scope of it ; whither the Sicry rends, and what our Saviour defigned principally by rhe Parable, 9 i ſtru& and teach the People by that Difcourſe. $. Thar ihe mill Scope of the Parable is to be learned either from our S4vicul general, or more particular Explication of it z eicher from {2 7'7 parabola, or Preface ro%it; or from -the Epiparabola, or ite Cit claſion of it. 6. It is mt to be expeffed, that all paiiicies? Actions repreſented in a Parable ſhould be anfwered by fometh! 's » the Explication of it. 7. Laſtly, Tho the Scope of the pore the main thing we are to attend unto, and in which it £00 ſtru& us, yer it may Collaterally inform us in ſeveral tings gt” that Point which is in it chiefly intended, Te is faid , 07 = Saviour [ſpake many things to the Multitude in Parables, ) OV77 Truths under Similirudes , ferchr from ſuch ordinary ES Men did, or might do. This was a very ancient Way ” ©, ion by Fables or Parables, as we may learn by Zorpams Fes 71d. 9.7,8, (56. It is now much our of uſe wich us, bur arm's. the Zews very ordinary, So as our Saviour ſpake fo tem i ©,
Chap. X11
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2 And he ſpake many things unto them in para- Mcs. ſaving, Behold, a fower went forth to ſow. "And when he fowed , ſome /zeds tell by the vs fide,and the towls came and devoured them up.
- Some fell upon ſtony places, where they had or much earth : and forthwith they ſprung up,
h-cauſe they had no deepneſs of earth. 4 And when the ſun was up.they were ſcorched : and becauſe they had not root, they withered away, - And ſome fell amongſt rhorns, and rhe thorns ſnrung uPz and choaked them. © Put other fell into good ground, and brought
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{me thirty- told. ; * Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
There [5 ſome difference in the terms uſed by 374k and Luke [1 their Retations of this Parable, Afar. 4. 1,2,3,4,5. and Luk. 8. k, $, 5. but none that are material, nor much to be conſidered by us, being they are in the Parable.l ſhall when I come co 1c,more exaQly conſider what Ditferences there are berwixt the Evan- £:liſts in rhe rerms they uſe in the Explication which cur Saviour *verh us of the Parable ; which he did nor give before the Mul- tirade, bur when he was alone, ( faith Mnk, chap, 4. 10.) Thar which our Saviour ſpoke to the whole Multicude, was this: Now whether there were indeed any ſuch Sower yea or no, 1s not at all material. Our Saviour's Deſign was not to 1nform chem 1n a Matter of Fact, bur of che different Succeſs of the Preaching of the Word; and For this purpoſe he brought this Similitude, leaving the Generality of the Hearers to ſtudy our his meaning ; concluding, [ He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear; | which is ar Foiphonema, or Concluſion of a Speech we met with betore, and ſpake ſomerhing to. 7
10 And the diſciples came, and ſaid unto him, Why ſpeakeſt thou-unto them in parables ?