Matthew 13

How sad is it to see religion wearing a coat of diverse colors, to see Christians of so many opinions, and going so many different ways. It is Satan has sown these tares of division (Matthew 13:39); he first divided men from God, and now divides one man from another. 2. One in a…

Resp. Fourfold, 1. An historical or dogmatical faith, which is the believing the truths revealed in the word, because of divine authority. 2. There is a temporal faith, which lasts but for a time, and vanishes (Matthew 13:21). Yet he has not root in himself, but endures for a wh…

The hypocrite, who has only some smack or taste of religion (as one tastes a gargle) may fall away. 4. And have felt the powers of the world to come.] That is, they may have such apprehensions of the glory of heaven, as to be affected with it, and seem to have some joy in the th…

Quest. But what is it to have other gods besides the true God? I fear upon search we have more idolaters among us than we are aware of. Resp. To trust in any thing more than God, is to make it a God. 1. If we trust in our riches, then we make riches our God: we may take comfort,…

It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. The saints' bodies then shall shine as sparkling diamonds (Matthew 13:43). Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun.

I was an hungred and you gave me meat, thirsty and you gave me drink, naked and you clothed me: Thus God will set a trophy of honor upon all his children at the last day. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43). 18. If God b…

Quicquid cor non facit, non sit; in religion, what the heart does not do, is not done. Therefore Christ says of some, Hearing they hear not (Matthew 13:13). How could that be?

This is a great hindrance to the word preached. The seed which fell among thorns was choked, (Matthew 13:22). An emblem of the word being preached to a covetous hearer.

Covetousness hinders the efficacy of the word preached. In the parable the thorns (which Christ expounded to be the cares of this life) choked the good seed (Matthew 13:7). Many sermons lie dead, buried in earthly hearts.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. It was the devil that sowed another man's ground (Matthew 13:25). But how is the hedge of this commandment trodden down in our times!

Nothing does prejudice us but unbelief. Unbelief stops the current of God's mercy from running: It shuts up God's bowels, closes the orifice of Christ's wounds, that no healing virtue will come out (Matthew 13:58): He could do no mighty works there because of their unbelief. Why…

Many take a prejudice at religion, and on this rock dash their souls; they are prejudiced at Christ's person, his truths, his followers, his ways. (1.) They are prejudiced at his person (Matthew 13:57): And they were offended in him; what is there in Christ that men should be of…

When the fowler sees a bird sit still and perch upon the tree, now he shoots it. So when Satan observes us to sit still, now he shoots his fiery darts of temptation at us (Matthew 13:25); while men slept the enemy sowed tares. So while men sleep in sloth Satan sows his tares.

Many desire heaven but will not come up to the price. Affections of joy may be stirred: in the Parable the second sort of hearers are said to receive the Word with joy (Matthew 13:20). What was this but to have the affections moved with delight in hearing: yet that this did not…

Q. How does Christ all these things in the Church? A. He does them all by his word, which is therefore called the word of the kingdom (Matthew 13:19). Q. And how is Christ King of the elect?

Thus may young men travel for learning or the tongues, especially such as intend thereby to fit themselves for public service, so it be with safety of religion, and security of conscience. Sixthly, if it be for the practice of a man's lawful calling, as for traffic: and thus Mer…

The other sort are they, which being baptized in the Church, hear the word effectually, and receive the Lord's Supper worthily, to their salvation; because God doth establish his Covenant in their hearts. This difference is plain in Scripture, in the parables of the dragnet, (Ma…

Yea, this is one main point that Paul urges to Timothy, in both his Epistles; to keep faith, and a good conscience. And our Savior Christ in one of his parables, Matthew 13:44, compares the kingdom of heaven, to a treasure hid in the field; which, when a man finds, he hides it,…

He says not, If riches increase, refuse them; but, set not thy heart on them: and thus much of these Questions. Now this practice of the Patriarchs is as necessary for us in these days as ever it was; for the cause why we profit little after much hearing of God's word, is this:…

Seeing no man can say, (that is confessed) that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Hence I find it written (John 1:11), Jesus came to his own, but his own received him not, that is, for the Christ, that Messiah which was to come: but only for the Carp…

They expected righteousness, light, and grace, but knew not the way of them. From there their prophets, righteous men, and kings desired to see the things of the Gospel, and saw them not (Matthew 13:17; Luke 10:24). And therefore John the Baptist, who was greater than any of the…

This expression is sometimes used absolutely for the original of the world in its creation; for the absolute beginning of time and all things measured by it (Ephesians 1:4; Matthew 25:34; John 17:24; 1 Peter 1:20). Sometimes from what immediately succeeded on that beginning (Mat…

So our Lord Jesus Christ expressly opposes speaking in parables, to a clear, plain, open teaching, so as to be understood of all. See (Matthew 13:10, 11, 12, 13; John 16:28, 29). Now speaks you openly, and no parable.

1. The ground thus dressed, thus bearing fruit and blessed of God, are true and sound believers. So our Savior declares it to be in the interpretation of his own parable to this purpose (Matthew 13). They are such as receive the Word of God in good and honest hearts, and bring f…

And if upon enquiry we find ourselves at a loss which sort of ground we do belong to, because of our barrenness and leanness, unless we are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, we will give ourselves no rest until we have better evidences of our fruitbearing. We may do well to…

The Heathens say that there are many Gods: you are no Heathen; it is well, so far; yet remember the Devils believe too, and tremble. So then, a man may believe, and be affected also, with what he does believe, and yet his faith, for all that, be no other than a dead faith, thoug…

So it is with many, they seem to have much love for a season, but in time it withers, as (John 5:35). The reason is, they never knew Christ, nor themselves neither, not thoroughly: and hence it is with them, as with the stony ground (Matthew 13:5, 20, 21). There wanted deepness…

We have shown that Christ himself is closed with by a true faith; now I add more particularly; in all his offices he is closed with, or accepted of, otherwise we fall short of him at last. As a Prophet: Jesus Christ is a Prophet; and it is a precious consideration: it was foreto…

In Church-reformation, it is an observable truth (says [illegible] on the Parable of the Tares) that those that are for too much strictness, do more hurt than profit the Church. See Diodati on Matthew 13:29. Cyprian Epist. 51. 3. There is apparently a greater danger of corruptio…

The laws of this kingdom are the word of God in the books of the old and new testament. Therefore it is called the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13), the Gospel of the kingdom (Mark 1:13), the rod of his mouth (Isaiah 11:4), the arm of God (Isaiah 53:1). As a king by his laws bring…

3. The author of the Epistle is described by his kindred and relation, [and Brother of James.] There were two in the college of the Apostles of that name, James of Zebedee, and James the son of Alpheus, who was also called the Brother of the Lord, that is, his cousin german, who…

A man may go with a heedless spirit from ordinance to ordinance, abide all his days under the choicest teachings, and yet never be improved by them. For heart neglect is a leak in the bottom — no heavenly influences, however rich, abide in that soul (Matthew 13:3-4). The heart t…

What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ (Philippians 3:7). The kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure hid in a field, the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof, goes, and sells all that he has, and buys that field (Matthew 13:44, 45, 46)…

Great truths were thus parabolically delivered, enigmatical and hard to be understood and discerned — a singular judgment upon gospel-despisers for their contumacious infidelity — lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their he…

What is the finest and purest beauty of mortals compared to the incomparable beauty of the saints in the resurrection? Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43). In this hope you part with them; therefore act in a manner consi…

The laws of this kingdom, is the word of God, in the books of the Old and New Testament. Therefore it is called the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13), the Gospel of the kingdom (Mark 1:13), the rod of his mouth (Isaiah 11:4), the arm of God (Isaiah 53:1). As a king by his laws brin…

So it is said, that all flesh shall come and worship before the Lord (Isaiah 66:23), and that all flesh should see the glory of God together (Isaiah 40:5), and that all flesh should come to him that hears prayer (Psalm 65:2). Christ compares the kingdom of heaven in this world t…

There is not the least reason to think, that all this will be brought to pass as it were at one stroke, or that from the present lamentable state of things, there should be brought about and completed the destruction of the Church of Rome, the entire extirpation of all infidelit…

No one will deny that to see is the same as to know or understand — that use of the sense of words is most frequent in sacred Scripture. That by the kingdom of God He intends the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven — that is, the doctrine of the gospel — the Lord Jesus shows in s…

Theology as a complex of spiritual gifts — Extraordinary or ordinary gifts — Ordinary gifts peculiar to the ministry or common to all — Christ the bestower of all gifts (Psalm 68:19; Acts 2:33; Ephesians 4:8) — The Hebrew word signifies both to receive and to give — Christ the a…

3. Neither will we speak to these sovereign causes on God's part, who in His holy justice gives up people to unfruitfulness, when they receive not the truth in love. Neither Fourthly, shall we insist on these causes that may arise from the Devil, who waits on wherever the Word i…

1. You would not take up our meaning in it so, as if we made every common work that lively means may have on the hearers of the Gospel, to be conversion; the preaching of the Word will sometimes make folks tremble, as we see in Felix, and will waken convictions and terrors in th…

We call you then to Historical Faith, as necessary, though not sufficient, but not to this Faith of Miracles, it being neither necessary nor sufficient. A third sort of Faith is Temporary Faith, spoken of in Matthew 13, and set out under the parable of the seed sown on stony gro…

And the reason of this is, 1. Because there is nothing that is not saving, but a natural man may have it; now, this doctrinal faith is not saving, and so a natural man may have it — yea, the devils believe and tremble; and James does not dispute with these to whom he writes on t…

For, though they believed it to be truth which He spoke, yet they rested not on Him. So in the parable of the sower, (Matthew 13), there are three grounds that receive the seed, which implies in two of them, at least a kind of believing, but the fourth ground is only good. 3. Be…

The conduct of many among ourselves is a sad proof of it, for we are afraid that many of you do not believe to this day, though there has been among you much, long, many years, and powerful preaching of the gospel, but you are still living without faith, and perishing. If this b…

The very hazard of a soul, will be like a fire burning the heart that is tender and zealous of the spiritual good of souls. 3. The respect that a faithful minister has to the duty in his hand, has influence on this; for such a one loves to perform his duty neatly, and to go neat…

You will find yourselves in them again and again ranked and classed according to your different spiritual estates, and the various cases and conditions of your souls, and wonderful discoveries made of yourselves to yourselves, that I somewhat doubt, if there be so much as one so…

Yet these ways are among themselves all false, and they do not agree one with another. Consideration 1. The gospel is the will of God from heaven; yet it is a riddle, a parable not understood (Matthew 13:14). In the Law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips wil…

And man is led and taken with reason. Christ is a convincing thing, and invincibly binds reason: so the forlorn Son, before he returns to his Father, argues (Luke 15:17), My Father has bread, he gives it to servants, and I am a starving son; therefore I'll return to my Father; a…