2: That is might he fulfilled which was ſpoken by r2c propnet, ſaying, I will open my mouth in parables, 1 will utter things which have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world.
Chriſt ſpake all the afore-mentioned chings to the Multitude, 2nd alfo to his Diſciples in Parables, dark Sayings, covering Divine and Spiricuai Trurhs with fir and proper Similitudes z and ar this tne he 4elivered himſelt wholly in this manner to them, tho at orher times he ſpake more plainly. He gave us the reafon be- fore, and by this way of ſpeaking ; alſo he made his own Diſciples more dilizent to arrend to whar chey heard, and more inquifitive 2er the rrue {enfe and meaning of ic. - And thus, faich the EvangeliS , that which was ſpoken by the Prophet , Plal. 78. 2. was alf9 fulfilled in Chriſt, vor char rhe F//i$f, wherher David or Aſap), 41d there Profefie concerning Chriſt, tor plainly che Plalmift inicnded to relate the Hiſtory of God's Dealing with the Fews, and their Behaviour coward him: Nor was it fulfilled, as tne Tpr in the Antitype, bur as a things of the fame Nature was done; the Prophet dchivered himſelf in dark Syings , ſo did Chriſt; bur inſtead of 7 «i utter dark Sayings of old , the Evan- glit hath, Which hve been kept jecret from the Foundation of the Wyld; he means the great and my ſterious Things of the Goſpel, bid from Agos and Generations, Rom. 16. 25. I Cor. 2. 7. Col.1.26, wiere it 13 called, the Revelation of the Myſtery which was kept jeeret fince the World bezan, Eph. 3. 9g. AS the Pſalmi$t opened his Mouth in grave Diſcourſes tending to the good of the People to wiom he ſpake : $5 Chriſt caughr tie People, by revealing the Myſteries of.che Goſpel, hid in Gas! from the beginning of the World, & P21 ſpeaks ro the Epn2ſe.mns.
- 36 Then Jeſus ſent rhe multitude away, and went into the houſe , and his diſciples came unto him, aying, Declare unto us the parable of rhe tares of tne field.
The Multitude wont away, { as moſt People do from Sermons) never the wiſer, underſtanding nothing of whar they heard, nor cant underſtand ir. Bur there was a more Conſcientious parr 07 Our S.rj9's 4uditory, who could nor thus farisfie themſelves; They follow Chri# inro the Houſe , and intreat him to open to wem the Parable of the Tares of the Field ; they ſay nothing of the ger ewo Parables, becaute probably they underſtood them) 77a 1t may be this Paruble did more atfedt them, in regard of the Teadtul Concluſion of it,
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27 Hz anſwered, and ſaid unto them , Ho that ſoweth the good ſeed, is the Son of min:
23 The field is the world: the go0d fed arc the children of the kingdom : bur the tares are * the children of the wicked one :
29 The enemy that {owed them is the deyil : * the harveſt is the end of the world : and the reap2rs are the angels.
The Deſran that Chriſt had in his Parable, was to ſhev them, That tho? he laid a good Fruindation of a Church in the World, calling fome home to himſelf, and making them parrakers' ot his citetual Grace, laying the Foundatio of his Gripel-Church in tuch as rook his Toke upon them; yer in proceſs ot time, whilcs choſe that ſhould ſucceed him in his Miniſtry flepr, ( nor being lo diligenr and watchful as they oughr to be, ) the Devil (who is full of Envy and Malice to Men's Souls , and is continually going abour, ſeeking whom he might devour ) would fow Er neous Opinions, and find a Party , even in the Byom of kis Church, who would hearken to him , and through their L:/!, comply with his Temptations, both to Errors in Do&rine, and 5; rrs in Pragice ; and it was his Will that there ſhould be in the Viſible Church a mixture of good and bad ; ſuch bad one: eſpecially as Men could nor purge our without a danger ot put- ting our fuch as were true and ſincere; but there would Lu a time, in the End of the World, when he would come with his Fan, and chrouzhly purge his F/57, and take to Heaven all 5c and ſncere Souls, bur rurn all Hypocrites inro Heil. This ap- pears, by our Saviour's Expyſitim ro have been our S2viour's plain meaning in this Parable. Hence he tells us, Thar by t:c Sower here, he meant himſelt the Son of Man. By the Fici! he meant the World, By the good Seed, he meant the Children 5f the Kingdom , ſuch as had a true Change wrought in their Hearts, were truly Regenerated and Converted. By the Tires, he meant the Children of the Wicked me; that is, of the Devil; ſuch as did the Works of the Devil, 70h. 8. 44. Thar the Enemy that ſ:wed theſe Tares, was the Devil, who, by his Suggeſtions , preſenting Objetts, gc. makes himſelf the Erther of all wicked Men. Ou: Saviour here faith nothing to thar part of the P.r.uble, where the Tzres are faid to be ſown, (while Men ſlept : ) Thac was plain and intelhgible enough. The Devil hath a Power to Seduce, Per - [wade, and Allure ; none to Force. Tf particular Pertons kepr their Warch as they might, the Devil could not by his Ten:pr.ction Firce them. If Magiſtrates and Miniſters kept their Watches ac- cording to God's Preſcription, there could not be fo much 97+ Wickeane/$ in the World, as there is. Neither doth our Savious give us any particular Explication of that «part of the Parable, viuch 1s v. 28,29. where the Servants fay to their Maſter, [4/; thou then that we go, and gather them up * And he ſaid unto thei, Nay ; le$F while you gather up the Tares, you root up alſo the iN he.:; with them. ] Our Saviour by this teacherh us, thar every p.;ſaze in a Parable 1s not tobe firred by ſomething in che Explic.ut in - It was not the Point that he deſigned in this Par.tble ro inftruct them in, how far Chyrch-Officers might or ought to at in pur.;insz the Church, bur only, char in the Viſeble Church they mutt expe a Mixture till the Day of Judgment. 2. That in that Day he would make a perfect Separation. So as thoſe that would from this pafſage in the Parable conclude, That all Erronens, and Loſe Perſons ought to be Tolerated in the Churcli till the day of Judgment, torget the Common Rule in Divinity, That Par ;- bolical Divinity is mt Argumentative, We can argue from no- thing in a Parale ' but from the main Scope and Tendency of it. However, it is bold Arguing trom a Paſſage in a Parable Ex- pounded by our Saviour himſelf, when he hath omitred the Exp/;- cation of that Paſlage : Nor can any thing be concluded , bur