p. 91. l. 17. r. to p. 111. l. 10. r. eternally p. 119. l. 1. dele the. p. 129. l. 17. r. have p. 133. l. 15. r. affected ib antip r. their p. 141. l. 3. r. then p. 142. l. 7. dele us 144. l. 20. r. if 162. l. 7. r. own p. 171. l. 8. dele and. p. 185. l. 20. dele and. p. 186. l. 23. r. us as 202. l. 10. r. slighted p. 223. l. 3. r. were p. 227. l. 13. r. his 228. l. 28. r. breaking p. 234. l. 12. r. struck so p 239. l. 6. r. behaviour p. 241. l. 16. dele such ib. l. 17. r. which 245. l. 17. r. that p. 252. l. 12 r. Mankind p. 257. l. 29. r. general 266. l. 12. r. Relief p. 284. l. 14. r. of p. 289. l. 23. r. from p. 328. l. 13. r. Indignus ibid. l. 15. r. Charae p. 329. l. 6. r. accordingly p. 332. l. 3. r. sleep p. 333. l. 6. r. unspeakably p. 335. l. 12. r. we p. 342. l. 28. r. Dewes p. 355. l. 29. dele Publick p. 361. l. 25. r. your p. 374. l. 18 19. for they r. he p. 378. l 10. r. she p. 380. l. 10. r. those ibid. l. 29. r. Passions p. 382. dele Crysippi porticus grex ibid. r. prava p. 392. l. 4. for Saviour r. Father 404. l. 3. r. in the Favour 405. l. 27. r. makes p. 415. l. 27. r. could not p. 416. l. 26. r. irreconcileable p. 430. l. 2. r. numbed p. 441. l. 25 r. encourager p. 457. l. 23. r. Favour p. 470. l. 25. r. bitter p. 475 l. 29. r. depreciate PARABLE I. Of the Sower that went forth to sow his Seed Matth. xiii 3 4 5 6 7 8. Behold a Sower went forth to sow And when he sowed some Seeds fell by the Way-side and the Fouls came and devoured them up Some fell upon sttony Places where they had not much Earth and forthwith they sprung up because they had no Deepness of Earth And when the Sun was up they were scorched and because they had not Root they withered away And some fell among Thorns and the Thorns sprung up and choaked them But other fell into good Ground and brought forth Fruit some an Hundred-Fold some Sixty-Fold some Thirty-Fold THIS Parable is very fitly placed first as giving Account of the Causes of Mens Fruitfulness or Unfruitfulness in Christianity and consequently shews what is to be avoided and directs to what is to be done in order to Men's being better'd by the Sermons of the Gospel Which is a thing first of all to be taken notice of by such as would be Christians endeed Our Lord's Interpretation of this Parable Matth. 13.19 Mark 4.14 Luk. 8.11 from a Collation of the Three Evangelists that record it is this The Seed is the Word of God or the Word of the Kingdom that is the Gospel the Religion that Christ Jesus came to teach the World When any one heareth this Word and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one or Satan immediately and catcheth away that which was sown in his Heart lest he should believe and be sav'd this is he who receiv'd Seed by the Way-side But he that receiv'd the Seed into rocky or Stony Places is he that heareth the Word and presently with Joy receiveth it yet hath not Root in himself and so endures or believes but for a while for when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth because of the Word he is soon offended or discouraged and falls away in Time of Temptation He also that receiv'd Seed among the Thorns is he that heareth the Word and goeth forth and the Cares of this World and the Deceitfulness of Riches and the Lusts and Pleasures of this Life entring in choak the Word and it becometh Unfruitful or at best bringeth no Fruit to Perfection But He that received Seed into the good Ground is he that having heard the Word Understandeth or considereth it and receiveth and keepeth it in an honest and good Heart and bringeth forth Fruit with Patience according to his Ability whether Thirty Sixty or an Hundred-Fold From the Parable thus interpreted by its Divine Author it appears as was said that the Design of it is to shew what are the Causes of Men's improving or not improving under the preaching of the Gospel that so we may know what to avoid and what to embrace and endeavour after in order to our being fruitful under those Means of Instruction we enjoy We shall now consider each Part of this Parable with its Interpretation The First is Behold a Sower went forth to sow And when he sowed some Seeds fell by the Wayes-side and were trodden down and the Fowls of the Air came and devour'd them up The Interpretation is that the Seed which is sown is the Word of God and when any one heareth this Word and understandeth it not then cometh the Devil or the wicked one immediately and catcheth away that which was sown in his Heart lest he should believe and be saved This is he that receiv'd Seed by the Way-side or this is that Seed which fell by the Way-side The Word of God is compared to Seed because of its fructifying growing and encreasing Nature because it hath in it an Active Principle and will when sown unless kill'd and made unfruitful by Accidental Injuries spring up into excellent Fruits and in great Abundance to the Glory of God and the nourishing strengthening nav the immortalizing of Men for of this Divine Seed consists that Heavenly Bread which whoso eateth of shall live for ever 'T is this Seed that bringeth forth those Graces of Christianity which keep up the Divine Life in the Soul 't is this that makes it grow in Grace and in the Knowledg and Love of the best and noblest of Objects our Lord Jesus 't is this that is its Preparation for Heaven and an Earnest of that Immortal and Glorious Inheritance For wheresoever that Seed is sown Rom. 6.22 and springs up and brings forth Fruit unto Holiness the End most certainly will be Everlasting Life And this Word of God is not only for these Reasons compared to Seed but to Seed sown 'T is not only potentially fruitful but the Powers of it are now call'd forth into Act 't is actually sown the Gospel is preach'd and made known to the World its excellent Precepts are openly declar'd and planted in Men's Hearts by the Proposal of infinite Rewards and Punishments to such as do or do not obey and practise them And this Seed thus sown is water'd with the Dews of Heaven with the Distillations of the Divine Grace and Blessing which are in sufficient Plenty afforded to every Man so that God the great Husbandman is not wanting in any thing that is necessary to the Flourishing and Encrease of that Seed which he hath thus committed to their Hearts And therefore he expects and 't is but reasonable he should to see it grow and bring forth Fruit where'ere 't
to redeem their mis-spent Time and talk of nothing but Raptures and of reaching great Hights and Eminencies of Piety when all on the suddain they are at a Stand there 's a Lyon in the Way a right Hand must be cut off or a right Eye put out i. e. some Favourite Vice must be cashier'd if they move any further and that 's a hard Saying and the Men begin to cool a Stifness seizes their over-heated Limbs and a senseless Torpor invades every Part of 'em Mark 10.21 and like the young Man in the Gospel whom our Lord began to love for his discreet Answers and towardly Disposition when they must part with their Riches to the Poor and deny themselves their corrupt Desires and Inclinations and take up their Cross and follow their Saviour Then they become sad and with Grief and Dissatisfaction leave him and fold their Hands and return again to their Dream of Vanity Just like those in the former Parable compar'd to stony Ground who receiv'd the Word at first with Joy but having not sufficient Deepness of Earth i.e. for want of through Consideration and beholding the smooth Side of Religion only endure but for a while and in Time of Temptation and Difficulty fall away and their forward Piety becomes dry and wither'd Or like those mention'd in another Parable Luke 14.28 which was spoken upon this very Account and which for its great Affinity with this Part of the Parable we are now upon I shall not particularly discourse of who begin to build and sit not down first and count the Cost whether they be able to finish and so proceeding no further than Foundation become the Scorn of all Men. But Secondly as a State of careless Inadvertency to the things of Religion is like Sleep in its Cause and Beginning so likewise is it in its Progress and Effects For like Sleep it locks up all the Powers and Faculties of the Soul and suspends their Action it dulls its Apprehension and makes it take Evil for Good and Good for Evil it vitiates its Reasoning and makes it draw false and fantastick Consequences and Conclusions and therefore corrupts its Will and Affections and makes its Choices strangely foolish and ridiculous such as preferring Earth before Heaven a little Ease and imperfect Pleasure here before Rivers of ineffable Pleasures that are at God's right Hand for evermore and the like The lower Life is in this Case predomimant and wild Dreams and incoherent Fancies make up such Men's Divinity and their Rule of Life and Manners In short the Life of such Men is but a Dream their Notions like those of Men in a Slumber dark hovering and uncertain their Discourse about religious Marters broken disjointed unconcluding full of Fallacies and dangerous Sophistry to cheat themselves of all Expectation here and Enjoyment hereafter of what is their greatest nay their only Happiness Their Actions are like those done in a Dream too extravagant brutish and unaccountable startled at Chimaera's and the Shadows of Danger and insensible of the Approaches of real and substantial Misery though just ready to overtake them fond of a Bundle of Feathers in love with an aery Nothing whilst their true Interest is not in all their Thoughts And to compleat the Parallel they are as deaf to all Reproofs as Men asleep as little affected with good Instruction and Advice and so bewitch'd with the Fanci'd Sweetness of their Slumber that they are as loath to be awaken'd And when by rudeer Applications they are like Men that have taken too large a Dose of Opium they are presently o'ercome with Heaviness and shut their Eyes against all Conviction and fall asleep again And the final Event is this that as natural Drowsiness cloaths a Man with Raggs so the moral will cloath him with Shame and utter Confusion And now from this short Parallel which I have drawn between the Sleep of the Soul and the Body as we may see the Fitness of the Expression in the Parable so we may learn what Guard to keep upon our selves to prevent our infernal Enemies sowing his Tares or making us become as such by his wicked Insinuations and Suggestions 'T is while Men thus sleep are thus thoughtless and inadvertent to Religion and taken up with the Gaieties and Pleasures of this World which like pleasant Dreams entertain the Fancy and Imagination with much Delight but soon vanish and become utterly unprofitable then it is that this subtle Enemy makes use of his Opportunity and unobserv'd steals in his wicked Injections which divert the Soul still more and more from attending to her main Interest and promote this spiritual Slumber so long 'till too often it becomes chronical and habitual and an utter Oblivion of all religious Obligations an incurable Numness and Stupidity of Soul God knows too often follows and Men become like Tares empty of all substantial Goodness and at best but Christians in Name and Shew and fit for nothing but when God shall see fit to be gathered up from among the Wheat and burnt Wherefore it highly concerns all those that hope to be sav'd not to sleep as do others but to watch and be sober to awake to Righteousness and walk circumspectly not as Fools diverted by every Feather and gay Appearance but as Men that are wise to Salvation always in a Posture of Watchfulness and Defence Fixing our Attention upon our Duty and the exceeding great Reward of it and often reflecting upon that intolerable Misery which will certainly be the Consequence of such fatal Slumberings and still pressing on with greater Courage as the Difficulties of Religion increase upon us and daily endeavouring still more and more to shake off dead Stupidity to Religion which so easily besets us and to rouze up the Faculties and employ 'em upon those noblest of Objects patiently receiving Instruction and Reproof rejecting every Notion and Opinion that would destroy the Necessity of a good Life and studiously avoiding Idleness and Sloth and according to our Lord 's most excellent Advice adding Prayer to Watchfulness that we enter not into Temptation This Course if we take we shall defeat this generally prevailing Stratagem of the subtle Tempter and being always in a Readiness to resist him make him fly from us with Shame and Disappointment And our Souls will then grow more and more substantial in Piety and abound in it as the good Corn and at length being grown ripe for the Glories and Felicities of Heaven be gather'd in Peace and laid up in Repositories of eternal Rest and Safety as in the blessed Garner of our Lord. Thirdly this Parable informs us of the Time of Discovery of the Tares the hypocritical Religionists namely the Time of bringing forth Fruit When the Blade was sprung up and brought forth Fruit or when the Grain appear'd in the Ear then appear'd the Tares also Then appear'd the Difference between the good Corn and the Cockle which at first coming up look'd as flourishing
Lamp and make the Way of the Just like a shining Light shining more and more unto the perfect Day and which when they fail spiritual Darkness will follow as in a Lamp gone out And if the Light that is in you be Darkness says our Lord how great is that Darkness But the Christian Vertues were very aptly represented by Oyl upon these further Accounts First Because Oyl was generally reckonen in the eastern Countries as a great Part of a Man's Riches and when they would express great Wealth they do it by magnifying the Plenty of Oyl Thus Job when he reflected in his Affliction upon his former opulent Condition the Rock or the stone Jar that was made use of to preserve Oyl in says he pour'd me out Rivers of Oyl Job 29.6 And the Prophet Micah when he represented the Impossibility of appeasing his offended God even by the most rich and costly Offering will the Lord be pleas'd says he with ten Thousand Rivers of Oyl Micah 6.7 and in Abundance of Places of Scripture the Increase of Oyl signifies the Increase of Riches And therefore to have a Soul plentifully stored with divine Graces and Vertues whereby we lay up a Treasure in Heaven and become rich towards God being the greatest and only true and durable Riches is very aptly represented by having Oyl in our Vessels and our Lamps Secondly Oyl was likewise among the Easterns a Symbol of the greatest Honours as is evident from the whole Story of the Bible where we read that at the solemn Consecration and Inauguration of Kings and Priests Oyl was always us'd and that among the Jews by the Appointment of God himself and is still in Use with us at the Coronation of our Kings And therefore very fit to represent those Christian Vertues which so highly enoble the Soul as to render it like to God holy as he is holy pure as he is pure perfect as he is perfect and whereby through the Merits of Christ we become Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.6 and shall reign with him for ever Thirdly Oyl was an Emblem of Joy and Pleasure and much us'd therefore in Feasts and Entertainments as is evident not only from heathen Writers but from holy Scripture There we read of the Oyl of Joy and Gladness and our Lord in his Directions concerning fasting bids his Disciples not make a vain glorious Shew of it by an affected Sullenness and Down Look disfiguring their Faces as the Hypocrites did But thou when thou fastest says he anoint thy Head that thou appear not unto Men to fast i. e. make Semblance rather by this means as if thou wert going to a Feast And David when he recounts God's Goodness to him says amongst other things thou hast prepar'd a Table for me thou hast anointed my Head with Oyl and my Cup runneth over Psal 23.5 which signifies the Happiness of his Condition in general as well as his being advanc'd to the Throne of Israel Many other Places there are of this Nature but these are sufficient to shew how fitly those Christian Graces are express'd by Oyl which cause the greatest Joy and Satisfaction to a holy Soul and the Practice of which is full of Pleasure and unspeakable Delight Sincere Religion is the most chearing thing in the World and a good Conscience a continual Feast Indeed to rejoyce is only proper for a good Christian whose Mind is clear and undisturb'd and in constant Hope and Expectation of the Happiness of Heaven But he whose Mind is rack'd with a Sense of his deep Guilt and feels the Lashes of an enraged Conscience and is terrified with the unexpressible Fears of Damnation has little Reason to have Joy or Comfort in any thing Oyl therefore or the Emblem of Joy and Chearfulness is of nothing more aptly expressive than of the Graces of our holy Religion whose Ways alone are indeed Ways of Pleasantness and Joy By the Virgins all slumbering and sleeping while the Bridegroom tarry'd is signified the Inadvertency and Frailty of even the best of Men. Because this divine Bridegroom delayeth his Coming we are all of us too apt to lay aside the Thoughts of it to think but little upon Death and Judgment as things a great Way off and for which there will be Time enough to provide hereafter And for want of due Advertency to these rousing Subjects we are apt to grow heavy in our Religious Performances and suffer spiritual Drouziness to creep too much upon us This made holy David call upon God so often to quicken him in his Righteousness and St Paul to exhort his Corinthians to awake to Righteousness and thus to rouze the Ephesians awake thou that sleepest Eph. 5.14 And in this spiritual Slumber though the unavoidable Frailty of humane Nature will in Part be accepted as our Excuse by our merciful Saviour who knows and pities our Infirmities yet even the best of us indulge our selves too much and enter into the Number of the foolish Virgins and endanger the Extinction of our Lamp through the Decay of our Virtues and expose our selves to many Dangers and Temptations and frequent Falls For this Inadvertency to that great Truth that the End of all things is at hand is one great Reason why even the righteous fall seven times a Day whereas would we oftner set our Lord before us as coming to judge the quick and the dead and reflect that perhaps the next Hour our Soul may be required of us by him that gave it and so an End put for ever to our State of Probation and an irreversible Sentence soon after be pass'd upon us according to our Deservings we should not dare to be so often mov'd from our Duty but be careful and circumspect and always upon our Guard lest that Day surprize us unawares and while we drouze away our Opportunity our Lamps go out and the Bridegroom call before we are ready to enter with him into the Marriage Chamber and so the Door be shut It therefore highly concerns even the best of us not to sleep as do others but to watch and be sober having our Loins girded about and our Lights burning as our Lord expresses it and our selves like unto Men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the Wedding that when he cometh and knocketh we may open to him immediately Blessed are those Servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find thus watching I verily I say unto you Luke 12.35 c. that he shall gird himself and make them sit down to Meat and after the Manner of Bridegrooms will come forth and serve them i. e. will impart to them the Joys and Felicities of his heavenly Kingdom And if he shall come in the second or third Watch that is in the Time most addicted to Vanity and Inadvertency as is Youth and Manhood Blessed in a more especial Manner are those Servants And what the Angel said to the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.2 is very