4

3. There is still a third obstacle to the fruitfulness of the word. Besides the cares and the riches, the lusts of other things, or as St. Luke writes, "the pleasures of this life," entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. St. John describes these as "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life:"" which "are not of the Father," neither proceed from his grace, nor tend towards his love: "but are of the world;" spring out of it, perish with it, and cause those who follow them, to perish also. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." They who are of the world, must "perish with the world."

The Lord has drawn a lively portrait of one ensnared by this temptation, and has left it for our warning. He represents a certain rich man, whose ground brought forth plentifully, so that he had no room where to bestow his fruits.6 "And he said; This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease; eat, drink, and be merry." What is this, but the lust of other things entering in? the heart neglecting its proper business, and giving itself to things which have no concern with God and his kingdom? When a man's" ground brings forth plentifully:" i. e. when the providence of God increases his means, he supplies him with fresh talents to "trade with:" he does not say, Use them to rejoice thy youth, to nourish thy vanity, to gratify thy desires: to go forth,

4 Luke viii. 14.

5 1 John ii. 15.

Luke xii. 17-19.

and walk after the thoughts of thine heart and the sight of thine eyes. The command is very different: "Occupy till I come:"7 use what is assigned thee according to the will of him who lends it; and be ready to give an account of thy stewardship. The warning is given; "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." "Set your affections on things above." King Solomon has left us a striking lesson. He had indulged the love of other things to an extent that few can reach had enjoyed whatever wealth or power could procure him: and yet he was forced to acknowledge that "all was vanity and vexation of spirit." All that was innocent, was vanity; left nothing useful behind and all that was not innocent, like too many of "the pleasures of this life," was "vexation:" ended in a troubled spirit, and a conscience ill at ease. And too much reason had Solomon to say this. He had once "tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come." 9 But the lusts of other things entering in, choked the word: and the fruit which in his advanc

ing years he " brought to perfection," was not the fruit of the Spirit, but those works of the flesh "which war against the soul," and which the Christian is taught to crucify. For "to be carnally minded, is death." One "that liveth in pleasure, is dead while he liveth :" dead to all the real purposes of life, instead of being "alive to God," his will, and his glory.

1

Such are the dangers of the world: the thorns and briars which impede the path of those who hear the

7 Luke xix. 13.

9 Heb. vi. 9.

Eccles. ii. 1—11.

1 1 Tim. v.

6.

word.

The cares, or the riches, or the pleasures of this life in our progress through it, choke the word which ought to be growing up in the heart, and bringing forth fruit unto holiness. So that the Lord has too often cause to say, "Behold, I come these three years seeking fruit" from those who "call me Lord, Lord," "and find none:" find "leaves only:" the profession of a faith in Christ, but the practice of those who "seek their portion in this world.”.

Too late, this is discovered, and makes the bed of death the scene of vain lamentation. The cry of the foolish virgins is repeated; "Our lamps are gone out." The world has extinguished them. Satan beguiled our hearts into the belief that all was as it should be. We were usefully occupied; we were lawfully improving the circumstances of our family; or we were thankfully enjoying the pleasures of a scene which was soon to pass away. So we flattered ourselves; and spoke peace to our hearts, "when there was no peace." But now the veil is removed, and the truth flashes upon our minds: we were "living to ourselves," and not to God; not to him "who loved us, and gave himself for us," for the express purpose that he might "deliver us from the present evil world." Had we been faithful to his word, he would not now have cast us off, but have given us a portion in a world "that fadeth not away."

3

Such is the painful close of an unfruitful life, where the soul has been at all awakened. When death seems approaching, or sorrow brings the mind to reflection, it needs some proof that the soul has

2 Luke xiii. 7.

* Gal. i. 4.

ground to rest on: some sign that the life which has been lived, has been "lived in the faith of the Son of God," on whom alone there is dependence for eternity. There will be no such sign or proof when the word has been choked by cares, or riches, or the lusts of other things. And these will choke the word, unless they are carefully fenced out and guarded against: unless the heart is turned aside from the course which it would naturally follow, "the course of this world," and occupied with something better; occupied in a work which requires all our thought and diligence, the business of "working out our salvation." Then the cares of life will have a second place; and the culture of the soul will be first minded: other cares will be cast upon God, trusting the promise given to those who love and fear him. Then riches will be treated as a talent rather to be received with fear, than sought with eagerness and the great concern will be, to prove "good stewards of the manifold gifts of God." Then the desire of other things will be restrained; of all things which do not advance the arduous journey in which we are engaged. The refreshments of life will not be made the business of life, any more than the traveller makes the inn his permanent abode. The one work which we have to do, needs to be aided rather than impeded, by all the means we can employ. It is no slight task to subdue indwelling sin, to defend the heart against temptation, to keep its rebellious movements in subjection. It is no slight task to be "faithful over the things" assigned us, whether few or many: no slight task to keep our lamps trimmed and our lights burning, and be pre

pared to meet our Lord. We have need to "watch and pray always," that we "may be accounted worthy to escape those things which are to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

LECTURE XXV.

SEED SOWN ON GOOD GROUND.

MARK iv. 20.

20. And these are they which are sown on good ground: such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Some hearts. as the former part of this parable has shown, are like the way side, and give no admission to the seed. Others are light and shallow, so that the seed will not take root in them. Others are overcome with cares, so that they have no produce; the ears are like the ears of famine in Pharaoh's dream, "withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind." Still the promise is fulfilled: the word of the Lord does "not return unto him void, but accomplishes that whereunto he sends it." There are hearts which the grace of God opens, that the word enters them, and lodges in them, and makes head against tares and briars, and so becomes fruit

Luke xxi. 36.

Gen. xvi. 23.

2 Isa. lv. 11.