Lube repeaterh this Paſſage, but not as annexed to this Parable, hp. 10. 23. | Bleſſed are your _ The Eyes of your Bodies, and of your Minds, With the Eyes of your Bodies, you have 1cen the Promiſed Meſſi..s come in the Fleſh; and you have ſeen tie Works which I have done, confirming me to be the Mfr : And with the Eves of your Minds you have underſtood and believed: For [ many Prophets, many Righteous Men ( Luke adds,mary Kings have defired to ſee the things which you have ſeen, &c.] From tic very firſt giving our of the Promiſe of Chriſt ro Adam upon the Fall, Gen. 3. 15. there was in Believers an Expettation of rhe Meſſiah, who being ſo great a Good, ſo infinite a Eleffing ro Matr- kind, they could not bur have a defire ( it God had fo pleaſed ) to have ſeen him. Bur we are told that Abraham ſaw Chrift's Day, and rejyced. And Simem and Anna's ExpeQation of him, men- tioned Lub. 2. lers us know that other Pious Souls had fuch de- ſires, Our Saviour bleſſerh his Diſciples , thar- they. had ſeen with the Eyes of their Bodies, what others had only ſeen afar off by the Eyes of their Minds, FHe9. 11. 13:
18 * Hear ye the parable of the ſower.
Mzrb addeth a little Check he gave them, Mar. 4. 13. Know ye zt this Parable ? Hw then will you know all Parables ? Luke faith, The Parable is this, (that is) my meaning in and by the Parable was chis : Tu ſecing that you cannot fatisfie your ſelves, as the moit thac heard me, hearing a Sound of Words, without under- ſtzndins what rhey meant ; and ſeeing, that to you it 1s given to know che Myſteries of the Kingdom of God; and ſeeing that you you ſez, God hath opened your Eyes and Ears to Spiricual,Myſte- ries. { #:-7 the Parable of the Sower.) My true Senſe and Mean- ing in this Parable; my Scope in it was to ſhew you the dif- ferene Efo4s, waich the Word of God Preached hath upon
len's Hearts, and the Reaſons of that difference.
19 Whenany one heareth rhe word of the kingdom, and underſtandeth ir not,then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was ſown in his heart : this is he which received ſeed by the way-lide.
M:ab hath this thnas, chap. 4. v. 14,15. The Sower ſoweth the Wird. And theſe are they by the way-ſide , where the Word is ſown : but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the Word, which was ſown in their Hearts. Luke hath it thus, chap. B.11, 12. Tyre Seed is the Word : Thyſe by the way-ſide, are they that hear : Then cometh the Devil, and taheth away the Word eut of their Hearts, le$} they ſhould believe, and be ſaved. From Lite vec learn , that the Seed 1s the Word. From Mark, that te Sower 15 the Preacher ; Chriſt in the firſt place; then all who derive trom him as his Miniſters, and are exerciſed in Preaching the Gofpel, which Matthew callerh the Word of the Kingdom : becauſe it 15 the Inſtrument by which God raiſed up Chriſt's King- dom on Eurch, both in the Church, and in particular Souls, and by which he prepareth Men for the Kingdom of Glory, This is a mighry Commendation of the Mord. The Sil is the Heart, rhe Soul of Man, Now there are ſome Hearers ro whom the trad Preached Is like Seed that a Sower throweth upon ſome Foor-path, or High-way ; the Phw never turneth the Earth up- on i'r, or the Xzrrow never goeth over ir, ſo it liech bare, and 15 trodden down by the Feer of Paſſenzers, and the Fowls of the Air. come and pick it up : So, faich our Saviour, there are ſome char hear the Word, bur never medirate up2n ir, never lay ir to their Hearrs,never cover it with ſecond Thoughts : [ The Wicked on2s:]) the Devils, who are afraid of the Power of the Hord G'eftd, (like the Fwls of the Air,_) by ſuggeſting other Trowehts, o- by preſenting other ObjeFs to them , Catch away the Word tht wi: fown in their Hearts, Theſe are they whom I compa- }
THEW.
red to the Highway-Ground receiving the Seed. Eur ſome m
fay, How was it ſown in their Hearts , if the Devil could ©
carch it away? Anſw, By the Heart here, is meant the $ > wiiich hath ſeveral Powers and Faculties, Every thing we bs g5erh into our #2.rt, 1n ſome ſenſe, as the Heart may ſ1 we S. the Im.-gin.ztive P:wer of our Soul, or that P41 hy which We take che Notion of a thing. The Word doth enter 1... inners "oy ſo far as they ſpend ſome Thoughts upon it, ard ; au. we Know. ledge and Notion of 1t, yea they may entertain it wit tone tug. den and temporary Afffedim and Paſſim ; indeed ic js never {5 in their Hearrs as that rey truly believe ir, or that their Wi: 26 conquered inco the Obedience of ir. 4-00g
20 Bur he rhar received the ſeed into ſtony plac the ſame is he which heareth the word, and * q; with joy receiverh 1t.
21 Yet he hath no root in himſelf. a whild : for when tribulation or perſccution arifith becauſe of rhe vrord, by and by he is oft=r:474.
Both Mark and Luke have this wich no d'iference, ſave co\y jp words, Mar. 4. 16, 17, Luk. 8.13. Wit H:t19257 Cale; C:cay Grounds Luxe Calis the Rock, By the Sun but vp, ann (ooh, :!nz the Seed in the Parable, cur S:viour mcaric ©, '..,p 7 Perſecutim, which Luke callech a time ct Tempr..tion, chap. 6, j +, Stony piaces, are places where may be a little Exrch , but we much : He ts here likened to ſuch Ground , wio heareth the Mord, and anon (the Gr. is e/5us, which fignifiech proertl; ) with jy receiveth it , as Herod 1s \aid to have heard 7obn the Ba tis} gladly. The Word of God (as fome other ObjeRs) doth often on the ſudden affe& ſome Perſons, in whum it doth nor take any deep Root ;, a ſudden Paſſion ſurprizeth them , which is bu like the overtlowing of a Brook, which is quickly down. . | Ter hath }; n) Root in himſelf, &c. ] Our Saviour hefe affignerh two Caul;; of ſuch Hearers falling away, the one Internz), the other Extern, the former is the great Cauſe of the Jatrer. By Root in bim!:! ſome underſtand Conſtancy, or a ſerious Reſolution and Purpcje Heart ; hurt this is doubtleſs but the Prcdud of this K914 which is the ſame thing which the Apoſtle calls The Seed of God, 7: calls the Root of the Matter; a Principle of Grace in an Hear truiy rouched with the Love of God, and of his Truth. | He dureth 1; for a while; ] No longer than he thinks that ke can by his 7;:. feſſi-n attain the End he aimed at, and propuunded to himſe(, be it Riches, or Honour, and Reputation > Bur when | rift. 2 Perſecution ariſeth for the nhrgytoeneh or becauſe of the (i:
GS, ON Wi.
a
[2
=
LA