culty, to resist the secret contagion of worldly men, and the open profaneness of the wicked Such is the general ordinance; first toil, then victory. Our Lord himself showed what must be the lot of his followers: he did not enter upon his ministry, till he had first encountered and overcome the enemy. He "himself suffered being tempted." Shall the disciple be greater than his Master, the servant than his Lord? No-the trial of our faith "worketh patience." "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." "To him that overcometh, I will give to sit with me on my throne."

2. Further, that the tares are suffered to grow up with the wheat unto the harvest, answers the purpose of God's will with respect to the unrighteous. It is a continued reproof of their corrupt ways; a continued call to repentance and conversion. In every situation, in every walk of life, there are faithful disciples of "the Lord who bought them," witnesses in the world for God and his righteousness: these silently warn the bad by their example, and are ready to assist them by their counsel.

For I must here point out a difference between the tares in nature, and the corrupt men with whom they are compared in the parable.' In nature, nothing can change a weed into valuable

This, whether they admit it or not, is not generally remarked by commentators. But it seems very obvious. Paul would certainly have been rooted out as a tare. M. Henry well observes; "It is not possible for man to distinguish between tares and wheat, but what he may be mistaken. The tares, if continued, may become good corn; therefore have patience with them."

corn. But it is not so in the world of grace. Di. vine power is daily performing such miracles; is converting the tares into wheat, the followers of Satan into the followers of God. And the apostles often urge it on their disciples as an additional reason for a blameless and holy life, that others may be led to seek the same grace which had converted them. St. Peter writes, "Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Pet. ii. 12.) And again, "Ye wives be in subjection to your husbands; that if any obey not the word, they may also be won by the conversation of their wives; when they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear." (1 Pet. iii. 1.)

Thus a glorious object is set before all, who have taken upon them their Saviour's yoke, that they "adorn his doctrine" by their temper, their charity, their uncorruptness, their consistent practice. They may, perhaps, "convert a sinner from the error of his way, and save a soul from death." There is no weed so rank in itself, or so noxious to the crop, but it may become, through grace, both beautiful and useful, fitted for the "garner of the heavenly husbandman."

Indeed all that is now most promising among the wheat, had once the nature of tares: the good seed, the children of the kingdom, were children of Adam, like the worst among us. They have either been improved early, by the gracious care of their Saviour, nurturing their tender years by an educa

tion according to the gospel,-or they have even been far gone, perhaps, in actual trespasses and sins so that one beholding them years ago, might have been ready to say with the servants in the parable, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? Their Lord, however, spared them for a time; and by the power of his grace the tares have become wheat.

Christ has

That change may take place in all. made atonement: the gospel is ready to instruct, the Holy Spirit to aid, and God to receive the penitent nothing is wanting but the will on their part to "cease to do evil and learn to do well." May "the Lord" so shed abroad his spirit amongst us, as to "add to his Church daily such as shall be saved!"

LECTURE XXXV.

TREASURE REVEALED IN THE GOSPEL.-NET CAST INTO THE SEA.

MATT. xiii. 44-58.

44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls:

46. Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

These comparisons are both to the same effect; and are intended to point out, by a familiar example, what will be the conduct of those who have found the kingdom of heaven; that is, who are led by the Spirit to "lay hold on eternal life," as dis closed to us by Christ Jesus in the Gospel. They will sell all that they have, to secure that treasure. They will never rest, unless they have obtained by faith an interest in him who offers it; nor unless they are maintaining that interest "by pureness, by knowledge, by kindness, by love unfeigned, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." Such was the conduct of those, who, like the apostles and their converts, were first called to be heirs of the heavenly inheritance: and such must be the conduct of all, in every age, to whom the offer of salvation is not made in vain. In one sense, indeed, they are not required to sell all that they have; they are not required to leave father and mother, and wife and children, and lands and country, and even life itself, like those who first discovered the pearl of great price, and lighted on the hidden treasure: but they are equally required to leave whatever separates their hearts from Christ, or interrupts their complete obedience to the will of God.

Alas! how few have learnt the lesson so plainly taught in these parables.

If we survey the ways of men, we observe that

some, instead of making religion every thing, treat it as nothing: "God is not in all their thoughts:" they seek "their portion in this life." Pleasure, or gain, or honour, or some object which this world offers, is the only pearl they prize, the only treasure they know or value.

Others cannot be said to treat religion as nothing, for they do pay some attention to it. They make it a little thing; an occasional business; a Sunday duty, which requires a few thoughts, or a few forms in the week or in the year, that it may not be entirely neglected. But how does this agree with the doctrine of Him, whom alone we can trust in this matter? For do such occasional thoughts, or does the observance of certain outward ordinances, answer the description here given of those who found a treasure? who having found one pearl of great price go and sell all they have, and buy it? Such practice might be safer, if we were told that eternal life were a treasure which we could not help stumbling upon; or a pearl which might easily be picked up as we pass along the beaten road of this present evil world. But He who is "the truth," speaks very differently. He says that those alone are wise who make religion the chief thing. And let those who are making it so, who are really "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," take this parable for their support and encouragement.

If a man had sold all that he had, in order to be in possession of some treasure which he valued more than all, it could not fail to be manifest to himself and clear to others. So it ought to be evi