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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>M A R K.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. IV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter, we have,
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I. The parable of the seed, and the four sorts of ground
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:1-9">ver. 1-9</A>),
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with the exposition of it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:10-20">ver. 10-20</A>),
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and the application of it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:21-25">ver. 21-25</A>.
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II. The parable of the seed growing gradually, but insensibly,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:26-29">ver. 26-29</A>.
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III. The parable of the grain of mustard-seed, and a general account
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of Christ's parables,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:30-34">ver. 30-34</A>.
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IV. The miracle of Christ's sudden stilling a storm at sea,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:35-41">ver. 35-41</A>.</P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Parable of the Sower.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TR><TD><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was
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gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a
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ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea
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on the land.
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2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto
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them in his doctrine,
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3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
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4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side,
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and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
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5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth;
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and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
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6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had
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no root, it withered away.
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7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and
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choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
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8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that
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sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some
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sixty, and some a hundred.
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9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him
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hear.
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10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the
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twelve asked of him the parable.
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11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the
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mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without,
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all <I>these</I> things are done in parables:
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12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they
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may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be
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converted, and <I>their</I> sins should be forgiven them.
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13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how
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then will ye know all parables?
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14 The sower soweth the word.
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15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown;
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but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh
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away the word that was sown in their hearts.
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16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground;
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who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with
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gladness;
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17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a
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time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the
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word's sake, immediately they are offended.
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18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear
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the word,
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19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of
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riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the
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word, and it becometh unfruitful.
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20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as
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hear the word, and receive <I>it,</I> and bring forth fruit, some
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thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The foregoing chapter began with Christ's <I>entering into the
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synagogue</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>);
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this chapter begins with Christ's <I>teaching again by the sea
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side.</I> Thus he changed his method, that if possible all might be
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reached and wrought upon. To gratify the nice and more genteel sort of
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people that had seats, <I>chief seats, in the synagogue,</I> and did
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not care for hearing a sermon any where else, he did not preach always
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by the <I>sea side,</I> but, having liberty, went often <I>into the
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synagogue,</I> and taught there; yet, to gratify the poor, the mob,
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that could not get room in the synagogue, he did not always preach
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there, but <I>began again to teach by the sea side,</I> where they
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could come <I>within hearing.</I> Thus are we <I>debtors both to the
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wise and to the unwise,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+1:14">Rom. i. 14</A>.</P>
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<P>
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Here seems to be a new convenience found out, which had not been used
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before, though he had before preached by the sea side
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+2:13"><I>ch.</I> ii. 13</A>),
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and that was--his standing <I>in a ship,</I> while his hearers <I>stood
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upon the land;</I> and that inland sea of Tiberias having no tide,
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there was no ebbing and flowing of the waters to disturb them. Methinks
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Christ's carrying his doctrine into a ship, and preaching it thence,
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was a presage of his sending the gospel to the <I>isles of the
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Gentiles,</I> and the shipping off of the kingdom of God (that rich
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cargo) from the Jewish nation, to be sent to a people that would bring
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forth more of the fruits of it. Now observe here,</P>
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<P>
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I. The <I>way of teaching</I> that Christ used with the
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<I>multitude</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>);
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He <I>taught them many things,</I> but it was <I>by parables</I> or
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similitudes, which would <I>tempt them to hear;</I> for people love to
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be spoken to in their own language, and careless hearers will catch at
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a plain comparison borrowed from common things, and will retain and
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repeat that, when they have <I>lost,</I> or perhaps never <I>took,</I>
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the truth which it was designed to explain and illustrate: but unless
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they would take pains to search into it, it would but amuse them;
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<I>seeing they would see, and not perceive</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>);
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and so, while it gratified their curiosity, it was the punishment of
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their stupidity; they wilfully shut their eyes against the light, and
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therefore justly did Christ put it into the dark lantern of a parable,
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which had a bright side toward those who applied it to themselves, and
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were willing to be guided by it; but to those who were only <I>willing
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for a season to play with it,</I> it only gave a flash of light now and
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then, but sent them away in the dark. It is just with God to say of
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those that <I>will not see,</I> that they <I>shall not see,</I> and to
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hide from their eyes, who only look about them with a great deal of
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carelessness, and never look before them with any concern upon the
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things that belong to their peace.</P>
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<P>
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II. The way of <I>expounding</I> that he used with his <I>disciples;
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When he was alone</I> by himself, not only the <I>twelve,</I> but
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others that were <I>about him with the twelve,</I> took the opportunity
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to <I>ask him</I> the meaning of the parables,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
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They found it good to be <I>about Christ;</I> the nearer him the
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better; good to be <I>with the twelve,</I> to be conversant with those
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that are intimate with him. And he told them what a distinguishing
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favour it was to them, that they were made acquainted with the
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<I>mystery of the kingdom of God,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
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<I>The secret of the Lord was with them.</I> That <I>instructed</I>
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them, which others were only <I>amused</I> with, and they were made to
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increase in knowledge by every parable, and understood more of the way
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and method in which Christ designed to set up his kingdom in the world,
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while others were dismissed, never the wiser. Note, Those who know the
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<I>mystery</I> of the <I>kingdom of heaven,</I> must acknowledge that
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it is <I>given to them;</I> they receive both the light and the sight
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from Jesus Christ, who, after his resurrection, both <I>opened the
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scriptures,</I> and <I>opened the understanding,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+24:27,45">Luke xxiv. 27, 45</A>.</P>
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<P>
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In particular, we have here,</P>
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<P>
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1. The parable of the sower, as we had it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+13:3">Matt. xiii. 3</A>,
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&c. He begins
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>),
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with, <I>Hearken,</I> and concludes
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>)
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with, <I>He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.</I> Note, The words
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of Christ demand attention, and those who speak from him, may command
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it, and should stir it up; even that which as yet we do not
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<I>thoroughly</I> understand, or not <I>rightly,</I> we must carefully
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attend to, believing it to be both intelligible and weighty, that at
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length we may understand it; we shall find more in Christ's sayings
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than at first there seemed to be.</P>
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<P>
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2. The exposition of it to the disciples. Here is a question Christ put
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to them before he expounded it, which we had not in Matthew
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>);
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"<I>Know ye not this parable?</I> Know ye not the meaning of it? <I>How
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then will ye know all parables?</I>"
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(1.) "If ye know not this, which is so plain, how will ye understand
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other parables, which will be more dark and obscure? If ye are
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gravelled and run aground with this, which bespeaks so plainly the
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different success of the word preached upon those that hear it, which
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ye yourselves may see easily, how will ye understand the parables which
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hereafter will speak of the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of
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the Gentiles, which is a thing ye have no idea of?" Note, This should
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quicken us both to prayer and pains that we may get knowledge, that
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there are a great many things which we are concerned to know; and if we
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understand not the plain truths of the gospel, how shall we master
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those that are more difficult? <I>Vita brevis, ars longa--Life is
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short, art is long. If we have run with the footmen, and they have
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wearied us,</I> and run us down, then <I>how shall we contend with
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horses?</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+12:5">Jer. xii. 5</A>.
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(2.) "If ye know not this, which is intended for your direction in
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hearing the word, that ye may profit by it; how shall ye profit by what
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ye are further to hear? This parable is to teach you to be attentive to
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the word, and affected with it, that you may <I>understand</I> it. If
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ye receive not this, ye will not know how to use the key by which ye
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must be let into all the rest." If we understand not the rules we are
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to observe in order to our profiting by the word, how shall we profit
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by any other rule? Observe, Before Christ expounds the parable,
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[1.] He shows them how sad <I>their</I> case was, who were not let into
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the meaning of the doctrine of Christ; <I>To you it is given, but not
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to them.</I> Note, It will help us to put a value upon the privileges
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we enjoy as disciples of Christ, to consider the deplorable state of
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those who want such privileges, especially that they are out of the
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ordinary way of conversion; <I>lest they should be converted, and their
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sins should be forgiven them.</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
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Those only who are <I>converted,</I> have <I>their sins forgiven
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them:</I> and it is the misery of <I>unconverted</I> souls, that they
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lie under <I>unpardoned</I> guilt.
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[2.] He shows them what a shame it was, that they needed such
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particular explanations of the word they heard, and did not apprehend
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it at first. Those that would improve in knowledge, must be made
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sensible of their ignorance.</P>
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<P>
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Having thus prepared them for it, he gives them the interpretation of
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the parable of the sower, as we had it before in Matthew. Let us only
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observe here,</P>
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<P>
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<I>First,</I> That in the great field of the church, the word of God is
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dispensed to all promiscuously; <I>The sower soweth the word</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
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sows it at a venture, <I>beside all waters,</I> upon all sorts of
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ground
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+32:20">Isa. xxxii. 20</A>),
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not knowing where it will light, or what fruit it will bring forth. He
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<I>scatters</I> it, in order to the <I>increase</I> of it. Christ was
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awhile <I>sowing</I> himself, when he went about teaching and
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preaching; now he sends his ministers, and sows by their hand.
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Ministers are sowers; they have need of the skill and discretion of the
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husbandman
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+28:24-26">Isa. xxviii. 24-26</A>);
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they must not observe winds and clouds
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+11:4,6">Eccl. xi. 4, 6</A>),
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and must look up to God, who <I>gives seed to the sower,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+9:10">2 Cor. ix. 10</A>.</P>
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<P>
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<I>Secondly,</I> That of the many that hear the word of the gospel, and
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read it, and are conversant with it, there are, comparatively, but few
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that receive it, so as to bring forth the fruits of it; here is but one
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in four, that comes to good. It is sad to think, how much of the
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precious seed of the word of God is lost, and <I>sown in vain;</I> but
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there is a day coming when <I>lost sermons</I> must be accounted for.
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Many that have heard Christ himself <I>preach in their streets,</I>
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will hereafter be bidden to depart from him; those therefore who place
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all their religion in hearing, as if that alone would save them, do but
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deceive themselves, and build their hope upon the sand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jam+1:22">Jam. i. 22</A>.</P>
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<P>
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<I>Thirdly,</I> Many are much affected with the word for the present,
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who yet receive no abiding benefit by it. The motions of soul they
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have, answerable to what they hear, are but a mere flash, like the
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crackling of thorns under a pot. We read of hypocrites, that they
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<I>delight to know God's ways</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+58:2">Isa. lviii. 2</A>);
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of Herod, that he heard John gladly
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+6:20"><I>ch.</I> vi. 20</A>);
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of others, that they <I>rejoiced in his light</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+5:35">John v. 35</A>);
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of those to whom Ezekiel was a <I>lovely song</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+33:32">Ezek. xxxiii. 32</A>);
|
|
|
|
and those represented here by the stony ground, received the word
|
|
<I>with gladness,</I> and yet came to nothing.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Fourthly,</I> The reason why the word doth not leave commanding,
|
|
abiding, impressions upon the minds of the people, is, because their
|
|
hearts are not duly disposed and prepared to receive it; the fault is
|
|
in themselves, not in the word; some are careless forgetful hearers,
|
|
and these get <I>no good at all</I> by the word; it comes in at one
|
|
ear, and goes out at the other; others have their convictions
|
|
overpowered by their corruptions, and they lose the good impressions
|
|
the word has made upon them, so that they get no <I>abiding</I> good by
|
|
it.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Fifthly,</I> The devil is very busy about loose, careless hearers,
|
|
as the fowls of the air go about the seed that lies above ground; when
|
|
the heart, like the <I>highway,</I> is unploughed, unhumbled, when it
|
|
<I>lies common,</I> to be trodden on by every passenger, as theirs that
|
|
are great company-keepers, then the devil is <I>like the fowls;</I> he
|
|
comes swiftly, and carries away the word ere we are aware. When
|
|
therefore these fowls come down upon the sacrifices, we should take
|
|
care, as <I>Abram</I> did, to <I>drive them away</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+15:11">Gen. xv. 11</A>);
|
|
|
|
that, though we cannot keep them from hovering over our heads, we may
|
|
not let them nestle in our hearts.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Sixthly,</I> Many that are not openly <I>scandalized,</I> so as to
|
|
throw off their profession, as they on the stony ground did, yet have
|
|
the efficacy of it secretly <I>choked</I> and stifled, so that it comes
|
|
to nothing; they continue in a barren, hypocritical profession, which
|
|
brings nothing to pass, and so go down as certainly, though more
|
|
plausibly, to hell.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Seventhly,</I> Impressions that are not <I>keep,</I> will not be
|
|
<I>durable,</I> but will wear off in suffering, trying times; like
|
|
footsteps on the sand of the sea, which are gone the next high tide of
|
|
persecution; when <I>that</I> iniquity doth abound, the love of many to
|
|
the ways of God waxeth cold; many that keep their profession in fair
|
|
days, lose it in a storm; and do as those that go to sea only for
|
|
pleasure, come back again when the wind arises. It is the ruin of
|
|
hypocrites, that they <I>have no root;</I> they do not act from a
|
|
living fixed principle; they do not mind <I>heart-work,</I> and without
|
|
that religion is nothing; for he is the Christian, that is <I>one
|
|
inwardly.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Eighthly, Many are hindered from profiting by the word of God, by their
|
|
abundance of the world. Many a good lesson of humility, charity,
|
|
self-denial, and heavenly-mindedness, is choked and lost by that
|
|
prevailing complacency in the world, which <I>they</I> are apt to have,
|
|
on whom it smiles. Thus many professors, that otherwise might have come
|
|
to something, prove like Pharaoh's <I>lean kine</I> and <I>thin
|
|
ears.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Ninthly, Those that are not encumbered with the cares of the world, and
|
|
the deceitfulness of riches, may yet lose the benefit of their
|
|
profession by the <I>lusts of other things;</I> this is added here in
|
|
Mark; <I>by the desires which are about other things</I> (so Dr.
|
|
Hammond), an inordinate appetite toward those things that are pleasing
|
|
to sense or to the fancy. Those that have but little of the world, may
|
|
yet be ruined by an indulgence of the body.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Tenthly,</I> Fruit is the thing that God expects and requires from
|
|
those that enjoy the gospel: fruit according to the <I>seed;</I> a
|
|
temper of mind, and a course of life, agreeable to the gospel;
|
|
Christian graces daily exercised, Christian duties duly performed. This
|
|
is <I>fruit,</I> and it will abound to our account.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Lastly,</I> No good fruit is to be expected but from good seed. If
|
|
the seed be sown on <I>good ground,</I> if the heart be humble, and
|
|
holy, and heavenly, there will be <I>good fruit,</I> and it will
|
|
<I>abound</I> sometimes even to a <I>hundred fold,</I> such a crop as
|
|
Isaac reaped,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+26:12">Gen. xxvi. 12</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_30"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_34"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Gradual Advance of the Gospel.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TR><TD><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a
|
|
bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
|
|
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested;
|
|
neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come
|
|
abroad.
|
|
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
|
|
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what
|
|
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that
|
|
hear shall more be given.
|
|
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath
|
|
not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
|
|
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should
|
|
cast seed into the ground;
|
|
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed
|
|
should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
|
|
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the
|
|
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
|
|
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth
|
|
in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
|
|
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or
|
|
with what comparison shall we compare it?
|
|
31 <I>It is</I> like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown
|
|
in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
|
|
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater
|
|
than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the
|
|
fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
|
|
33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as
|
|
they were able to hear <I>it.</I>
|
|
34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they
|
|
were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
The lessons which our Saviour designs to teach us here by parables and
|
|
figurative expressions are these:--</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. That those who <I>are good</I> ought to consider the obligations
|
|
they are under to <I>do good;</I> that is, as in the parable before, to
|
|
<I>bring forth fruit.</I> God expects a grateful return of his gifts to
|
|
us, and a useful improvement of his gifts in us; for
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed?</I>
|
|
No, but that it may be <I>set on a candlestick.</I> The apostles were
|
|
ordained, to receive the gospel, not for themselves only, but for the
|
|
good of others, to communicate it to them. All Christians, as they have
|
|
<I>received the gift,</I> must <I>minister the same.</I> Note,
|
|
|
|
1. Gifts and graces make a man <I>as a candle;</I> the <I>candle of the
|
|
Lord</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+20:27">Prov. xx. 27</A>),
|
|
|
|
lighted by the Father of lights; the most eminent are but candles, poor
|
|
lights, compared with the <I>Sun of righteousness.</I> A candle gives
|
|
light but a <I>little way,</I> and but a <I>little while,</I> and is
|
|
easily blown out, and continually burning down and wasting.
|
|
|
|
2. Many who are <I>lighted</I> as candles, put themselves <I>under a
|
|
bed, or under a bushel:</I> they do not <I>manifest</I> grace
|
|
themselves, nor <I>minister</I> grace to others; they have estates, and
|
|
do no good with them; have their limbs and senses, wit and learning
|
|
perhaps, but nobody is the better for them; they have spiritual gifts,
|
|
but do not use them; like a taper in an urn, they burn to themselves.
|
|
|
|
3. Those who are lighted as candles, should set themselves <I>on a
|
|
candlestick;</I> that is, should improve all opportunities of doing
|
|
good, as those that were made for the glory of God, and the service of
|
|
the communities they are members of; we are not born for ourselves.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
The reason given for this, is, because <I>there is nothing hid, which
|
|
shall not be manifested,</I> which <I>should not</I> be made manifest
|
|
(so it might better be read),
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
There is no treasure of gifts and graces lodged in any but with design
|
|
to be communicated; nor was the gospel made a <I>secret</I> to the
|
|
apostles, to be concealed, but that it should <I>come abroad,</I> and
|
|
be divulged to all the world. Though Christ expounded the parables to
|
|
his disciples privately, yet it was with design to make them the more
|
|
publicly useful; they were <I>taught,</I> that they might teach; and it
|
|
is a general rule, that <I>the ministration of the Spirit is given to
|
|
every man to profit withal,</I> not himself only, but others also.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. It concerns those who hear the word of the gospel, to <I>mark</I>
|
|
what they hear, and to <I>make a good use</I> of it, because their
|
|
<I>weal</I> or <I>woe</I> depends upon it; what he had said before he
|
|
saith again, <I>If any man have ears to hear, let him hear,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
|
|
|
|
Let him give the gospel of Christ a fair hearing; but that is not
|
|
enough, it is added
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>Take heed what ye hear,</I> and give a due regard to that which ye
|
|
do hear; <I>Consider what ye</I> hear, so Dr. Hammond reads it. Note,
|
|
What we hear, doth us no good, unless we consider it; those especially
|
|
that are to teach others must themselves be very observant of the
|
|
things of God; must take notice of the message they are to deliver,
|
|
that they may be exact. We must likewise <I>take heed what we hear,</I>
|
|
by <I>proving</I> all things, that we may <I>hold fast that which is
|
|
good.</I> We must be <I>cautious,</I> and stand upon our guard, lest we
|
|
be imposed upon. To enforce this caution, consider,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. As we deal with God, God will deal with us, so Dr. Hammond explains
|
|
these words, "<I>With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to
|
|
you.</I> If ye be faithful servants to him, he will be a faithful
|
|
Master to you: <I>with the upright he will show himself
|
|
upright.</I>"</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. As we improve the talents we are entrusted with, we shall increase
|
|
them; if we make use of the knowledge we have, for the glory of God and
|
|
the benefit of others, it shall sensibly grow, as stock in trade doth
|
|
by being turned; <I>Unto you that hear, shall more be given; to you
|
|
that have, it shall be given,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>.
|
|
|
|
If the disciples <I>deliver</I> that to the church, which they have
|
|
<I>received of the Lord,</I> they shall be <I>led</I> more into the
|
|
<I>secret of the Lord.</I> Gifts and graces multiply by being
|
|
exercised; and God has promised to bless the <I>hand of the
|
|
diligent.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
3. If we do not <I>use,</I> we <I>lose,</I> what we have; <I>From him
|
|
that hath not,</I> that doeth no good with what he hath, and so hath it
|
|
in vain, is as if he had it not, <I>shall be taken even that which he
|
|
hath.</I> Burying a talent is the betraying of a trust, and amounts to
|
|
a forfeiture; and gifts and graces <I>rust</I> for want of
|
|
<I>wearing.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The good seed of the gospel sown in the world, and sown in the
|
|
heart, doth by degrees produce wonderful effects, but without noise
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>,
|
|
|
|
&c.); <I>So is the kingdom of God;</I> so is the gospel, when it is
|
|
sown, and received, as seed in good ground.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. It will <I>come up;</I> though it seem lost and buried under the
|
|
clods, it will find or make its way through them. The seed <I>cast into
|
|
the ground will spring.</I> Let but the word of Christ have the place
|
|
it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself, as the <I>wisdom
|
|
from above</I> doth in a <I>good conversation.</I> After a field is
|
|
sown with corn, how soon is the surface of it altered! How gay and
|
|
pleasant doth it look, when it is covered with green!</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. The husbandman cannot describe how it comes up; it is one of the
|
|
mysteries of nature; It <I>springs and grows up, he knows not how,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>.
|
|
|
|
He sees it has grown, but he cannot tell in what manner it grew, or
|
|
what was the cause and method of its growth. Thus we know not how the
|
|
Spirit by the word makes a change in the heart, any more than we can
|
|
account for the blowing of the wind, which we hear the sound of, but
|
|
cannot tell whence it comes, or whither it goes. Without controversy,
|
|
great is the mystery of godliness; how <I>God manifested in the
|
|
flesh</I> came to be <I>believed on in the world,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ti+3:16">1 Tim. iii. 16</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
3. The husbandman, when he hath sown the seed, doth nothing toward the
|
|
springing of it up; <I>He sleeps, and rises, night and day;</I> goes to
|
|
sleep <I>at night,</I> gets up <I>in the morning,</I> and perhaps never
|
|
so much as thinks of the corn he hath sown, or ever looks upon it, but
|
|
follows his pleasures or other business, and yet <I>the earth brings
|
|
forth fruit of itself,</I> according to the ordinary course of nature,
|
|
and by the concurring power of the God of nature. Thus the <I>word of
|
|
grace,</I> when it is received in faith, is in the heart a <I>work of
|
|
grace,</I> and the preachers contribute nothing to it. The Spirit of
|
|
God is carrying it on when <I>they sleep,</I> and can do no business
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+33:15,16">Job xxxiii. 15, 16</A>),
|
|
|
|
or when they rise to go about other business. The prophets do not
|
|
<I>live for ever;</I> but the word which they preached, is doing its
|
|
work, when they are in their graves,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+1:5,6">Zech. i. 5, 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
The dew by which the seed is brought up <I>tarrieth not for man, nor
|
|
waiteth for the sons of men,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mic+5:7">Mic. v. 7</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
4. It grows gradually; <I>first the blade, then the ear, after that the
|
|
full corn in the ear,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>.
|
|
|
|
When it is sprung up, it will go forward; nature will have its course,
|
|
and so will grace. Christ's interest, both in the world and in the
|
|
heart, is, and will be, a <I>growing</I> interest; and though <I>the
|
|
beginning be small, the latter end will greatly increase.</I> Though
|
|
thou sowest not that body that shall be, but <I>bare grain,</I> yet God
|
|
<I>will give to every seed its own body;</I> though at first it is but
|
|
a tender <I>blade,</I> which the frost may nip, or the foot may crush,
|
|
yet it will increase to <I>the ear,</I> to the <I>full corn in the ear.
|
|
Natura nil facit per saltum--Nature does nothing abruptly.</I> God
|
|
carries on his work insensibly and without noise, but insuperably and
|
|
without fail.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
5. It comes to perfection at last
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>);
|
|
|
|
<I>When the fruit is brought forth,</I> that is, when it is
|
|
<I>ripe,</I> and ready to be <I>delivered</I> into the owner's hand;
|
|
then he <I>puts in the sickle.</I> This intimates,
|
|
|
|
(1.) That Christ <I>now accepts</I> the services which are done to him
|
|
by an honest heart from a good principle; from the fruit of the gospel
|
|
taking place and working in the soul, Christ <I>gathers in</I> a
|
|
harvest of honour to himself. See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+4:35">John iv. 35</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) That he will reward them in eternal life. When those that receive
|
|
the gospel aright, have finished their course, the harvest comes, when
|
|
they shall be gathered as <I>wheat into God's barn</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+13:30">Matt. xiii. 30</A>),
|
|
|
|
as a shock of corn <I>in his season.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. The work of grace is small in its beginnings, but comes to be great
|
|
and considerable at last
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:30-32"><I>v.</I> 30-32</A>);
|
|
|
|
"<I>Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God,</I> as now to be set up
|
|
by the Messiah? How shall I make you to understand the designed method
|
|
of it?" Christ speaks as one considering and consulting with himself,
|
|
how to illustrate it with an apt similitude; <I>With what comparison
|
|
shall we compare it?</I> Shall we fetch it from the motions of the sun,
|
|
or the revolutions of the moon? No, the comparison is borrowed from
|
|
this earth, it is <I>like a grain of mustard-seed;</I> he had compared
|
|
it before to <I>seed sown,</I> here to <I>that seed,</I> intending
|
|
thereby to show,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. That the beginnings of the <I>gospel kingdom</I> would be very
|
|
small, like that which is <I>one of the least of all seeds.</I> When a
|
|
Christian church was <I>sown in the earth</I> for God, it was all
|
|
contained in one room, and the <I>number of the names</I> was but one
|
|
hundred and twenty
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+1:15">Acts i. 15</A>),
|
|
|
|
as the children of Israel, when they went down into Egypt, were but
|
|
seventy souls. The work of grace in the soul, is, at first, but the
|
|
<I>day of small things;</I> a <I>cloud</I> no <I>bigger than a man's
|
|
hand.</I> Never were there such great things undertaken by such an
|
|
inconsiderable handful, as that of the discipling of the nations by the
|
|
ministry of the apostles; nor a work that was to end in such great
|
|
glory, as the work of grace raised from such weak and unlikely
|
|
beginnings. <I>Who hath begotten me these?</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. That the perfection of it will be very great; <I>When it grows up,
|
|
it becomes greater than all herbs.</I> The gospel kingdom in the world,
|
|
shall increase and spread to the remotest nations of the earth, and
|
|
shall continue to the latest ages of time. The <I>church</I> hath
|
|
<I>shot out great branches,</I> strong ones, spreading far, and
|
|
fruitful. The <I>work of grace</I> in the soul has mighty products, now
|
|
while it is in its growth; but what will it be, when it is perfected in
|
|
heaven? The difference between a <I>grain of mustard seed</I> and a
|
|
<I>great tree,</I> is nothing to that between a <I>young convert</I> on
|
|
earth and a <I>glorified saint</I> in heaven. See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+12:24">John xii. 24</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
After the parables thus specified the historian concludes with this
|
|
general account of Christ's preaching--that <I>with many such parables
|
|
he spoke the word unto them</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>);
|
|
|
|
probably designing to refer us to the larger account of the parables of
|
|
this kind, which we had before,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+13:1-52">Matt. xiii.</A>
|
|
|
|
He spoke in parables, <I>as they were able to hear them;</I> he fetched
|
|
his comparisons from those things that were familiar to them, and level
|
|
to their capacity, and delivered them in plain expressions, in
|
|
condescension to their capacity; though he did not let them into the
|
|
<I>mystery</I> of the parables, yet his manner of expression was easy,
|
|
and such as they might hereafter recollect to their edification. But,
|
|
for the present, <I>without a parable spoke he not unto them,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>.
|
|
|
|
The glory of the Lord was covered with a cloud, and God speaks to us in
|
|
the language of the <I>sons of men,</I> that, though not <I>at
|
|
first,</I> yet <I>by degrees,</I> we may understand his meaning; the
|
|
disciples themselves understood those sayings of Christ afterward,
|
|
which at first they did not rightly take the sense of. But these
|
|
parables <I>he expounded to them, when they were alone.</I> We cannot
|
|
but wish we had had that exposition, as we had of the parable of the
|
|
sower; but it was not so needful; because, when the church should be
|
|
enlarged, that would <I>expound</I> these parables to us, without any
|
|
more ado.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_37"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_38"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_39"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_40"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Mr4_41"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Christ and His Disciples in the Storm.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TR><TD><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto
|
|
them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
|
|
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him
|
|
even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other
|
|
little ships.
|
|
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat
|
|
into the ship, so that it was now full.
|
|
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a
|
|
pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou
|
|
not that we perish?
|
|
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
|
|
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
|
|
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that
|
|
ye have no faith?
|
|
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What
|
|
manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This miracle which Christ wrought for the relief of his disciples, in
|
|
stilling the storm, we had before
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+8:23">Matt. viii. 23</A>,
|
|
|
|
&c.); but it is here more fully related. Observe,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. It was <I>the same day</I> that he had preached out of a ship,
|
|
<I>when the even was come,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:35"><I>v.</I> 35</A>.
|
|
|
|
When he had been <I>labouring in the word and doctrine</I> all day,
|
|
instead of <I>re</I>posing himself, he <I>ex</I>poseth himself, to
|
|
teach us not to think of a constant remaining rest till we come to
|
|
heaven. The end of a toil may perhaps be but the beginning of a toss.
|
|
But observe, the ship that Christ made his pulpit is taken under his
|
|
special protection, and, though in danger, cannot sink. What is used
|
|
for Christ, he will take particular care of.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. He himself proposed putting to sea at night, because he would lose
|
|
no time; <I>Let us pass over to the other side;</I> for we shall find,
|
|
in the next chapter, he has work to do there. Christ went about doing
|
|
good, and no difficulties in his way should hinder him; thus
|
|
industrious we should be in serving him, and our generation according
|
|
to his will.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
3. They did not put to sea, till <I>they had sent away the
|
|
multitude,</I> that is, had given to each of them that which they came
|
|
for, and answered all their requests; for he sent none home complaining
|
|
that they had attended him <I>in vain.</I> Or, They sent them away
|
|
<I>with a solemn blessing;</I> for Christ came into the world, not only
|
|
to pronounce, but to <I>command,</I> and to <I>give,</I> the
|
|
blessing.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
4. They took him <I>even as he was,</I> that is, in the same dress that
|
|
he was in when he preached, without any cloak to throw over him, which
|
|
he ought to have had, to keep him <I>warm,</I> when he went to sea at
|
|
night, especially after preaching. We must not hence infer that we may
|
|
be careless of our health, but we may learn hence not to be over nice
|
|
and solicitous about the body.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
5. The storm was so great, that the ship was <I>full of water</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>),
|
|
|
|
not by springing a leak, but perhaps partly with the shower, for the
|
|
word here used signifies a <I>tempest of wind with rain;</I> however,
|
|
the ship being little, the waves beat into it so that <I>it was
|
|
full.</I> Note, It is no new thing for that ship to be greatly hurried
|
|
and endangered, in which Christ and his disciples, Christ and his name
|
|
and gospel, are embarked.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
6. There were <I>with him other little ships,</I> which, no doubt,
|
|
shared in the distress and danger. Probably, these <I>little ships</I>
|
|
carried those who were desirous to go along with Christ, for the
|
|
benefit of his preaching and miracles on the other side. The
|
|
<I>multitude went away</I> when he put to sea, but some there were,
|
|
that would venture upon the water with him. Those follow the Lamb
|
|
aright, that follow him <I>wherever he goes.</I> And those that hope
|
|
for a happiness in Christ, must be willing to take their lot with him,
|
|
and run the same risks that he runs. One may boldly and cheerfully put
|
|
to sea in Christ's company, yea though we foresee a storm.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
7. Christ was asleep in this storm; and here we are told that it was
|
|
<I>in the hinder part of the ship,</I> the pilot's place: he lay at the
|
|
helm, to intimate that, as Mr. George Herbert expresses it,</P>
|
|
|
|
<CENTER>
|
|
<TABLE BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD>When winds and waves assault my keel,
|
|
<BR> He doth preserve it, he doth steer,
|
|
<BR>Ev'n when the boat seems most to reel.
|
|
<BR> Storms are the triumph of his art;
|
|
<BR> Though he may close his eyes, yet not his heart.</TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
</CENTER>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
He had a <I>pillow</I> there, such a one as a fisherman's ship would
|
|
furnish him with. And he <I>slept,</I> to try the faith of his
|
|
disciples and to stir up prayer: upon the trial, their faith appeared
|
|
<I>weak,</I> and their prayers <I>strong.</I> Note, Sometimes when the
|
|
church is in a storm, Christ seems as if he were asleep, unconcerned in
|
|
the troubles of his people, and regardless of their prayers, and doth
|
|
not presently appear for their relief. <I>Verily he is a God that
|
|
hideth himself,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+45:15">Isa. xlv. 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
But as, when he tarries, he doth not tarry
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hab+2:3">Hab. ii. 3</A>),
|
|
|
|
so when he sleeps he doth not sleep; the keeper of Israel doth not so
|
|
much as slumber
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+121:3,4">Ps. cxxi. 3, 4</A>);
|
|
|
|
he slept, but his heart was awake, as the spouse,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+5:2">Cant. v. 2</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
8. His disciples encouraged themselves with their having his presence,
|
|
and thought it the best way to improve that, and appeal to that, and
|
|
ply the oar of prayer rather than their other oars. Their confidence
|
|
lay in this, that they had their Master with them; and the ship that
|
|
has Christ in it, though it may be <I>tossed,</I> cannot <I>sink;</I>
|
|
the bush that has God in it, though it may <I>burn,</I> shall not
|
|
<I>consume.</I> Cæsar encouraged the master of the ship, that had
|
|
him on board, with this, <I>Cæsarem vehis, et fortunam
|
|
Cæsaris--Thou hast Cæsar on board, and Cæsar's
|
|
fortune.</I> They <I>awoke Christ.</I> Had not the necessity of the
|
|
case called for it, they would not have <I>stirred up</I> or
|
|
<I>awoke</I> their Master, <I>till he had pleased</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+2:7">Cant. ii. 7</A>);
|
|
|
|
but they knew he would <I>forgive them this wrong.</I> When Christ
|
|
seems as if he slept in a storm, he is awaked by the prayers of his
|
|
people; when we know not what to do, our eye must be to him
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+20:12">2 Chron. xx. 12</A>);
|
|
|
|
we may be at our wits' end, but not at our faith's end, while we have
|
|
such a Saviour to go to. Their address to Christ is here expressed very
|
|
emphatically; <I>Master, carest thou not that we perish?</I> I confess
|
|
this sounds somewhat harsh, rather like chiding him for sleeping than
|
|
begging him to awake. I know no excuse for it, but the great
|
|
familiarity which he was pleased to admit them into, and the freedom he
|
|
allowed them; and the present distress they were in, which put them
|
|
into such a fright, that they knew not what they said. <I>They</I> do
|
|
Christ a deal of wrong, who suspect him to be <I>careless</I> of his
|
|
people in distress. The matter is not so; he is not willing that any
|
|
should perish, much less any of his little ones,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+18:14">Matt. xviii. 14</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
9. The word of command with which Christ rebuked the storm, we have
|
|
here, and had not in Matthew,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mk+4:39"><I>v.</I> 39</A>.
|
|
|
|
He says, <I>Peace, be still</I>--<B><I>Siopa, pephimoso</I></B>--<I>be
|
|
silent, be dumb.</I> Let not the wind any longer roar, nor the sea
|
|
rage. Thus he <I>stills the noise of the sea, the noise of her
|
|
waves;</I> a particular emphasis is laid upon the noisiness of them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+65:7,93:3,4">Ps. lxv. 7, and xciii. 3, 4</A>.
|
|
|
|
The noise is threatening and terrifying; let us hear no more of it.
|
|
This is,
|
|
|
|
(1.) A word of command to us; when our wicked hearts are <I>like the
|
|
troubled sea which cannot rest</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+57:20">Isa. lvii. 20</A>);
|
|
|
|
when our passions are up, and are unruly, let us think we hear the law
|
|
of Christ, saying, <I>Be silent, be dumb.</I> Think not confusedly,
|
|
speak not unadvisedly; but <I>be still.</I>
|
|
|
|
(2.) A word of comfort to us, that, be the storm of trouble ever so
|
|
loud, ever so strong, Jesus Christ can lay it with a word's speaking.
|
|
When without are fightings, and within are fears, and the spirits are
|
|
in a tumult, Christ can <I>create the fruit of the lips, peace.</I> If
|
|
he say, <I>Peace, be still,</I> there is a <I>great calm</I> presently.
|
|
It is spoken of as God's prerogative to command the seas,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+31:35">Jer. xxxi. 35</A>.
|
|
|
|
By this therefore Christ proves himself to be God. He that made the
|
|
seas, can make them <I>quiet.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
10. The reproof Christ gave them for their fears, is here carried
|
|
further than in Matthew. There it is, <I>Why are ye fearful?</I> Here,
|
|
<I>Why are ye so fearful?</I> Though there may be cause for some fear,
|
|
yet not for fear to such a degree as this. There it is, <I>O ye of
|
|
little faith.</I> Here it is, <I>How is it that ye have no faith?</I>
|
|
Not that the disciples were without faith. No, they believed that
|
|
<I>Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;</I> but at this time their
|
|
fears prevailed so that they seemed to <I>have no faith</I> at all. It
|
|
was out of the way, when they had occasion for it, and so it was as if
|
|
they had not had it. "<I>How is it, that in this matter ye have no
|
|
faith,</I> that ye think I would not come in with seasonable and
|
|
effectual relief?" Those may suspect their faith, who can entertain
|
|
such a thought as that Christ <I>careth not</I> though his <I>people
|
|
perish,</I> and Christ justly takes it ill.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>Lastly,</I> The impression this miracle made upon the disciples, is
|
|
here differently expressed. In Matthew it is said, <I>The men
|
|
marvelled;</I> here it is said, <I>They feared greatly.</I> They
|
|
<I>feared a great fear;</I> so the original reads it. Now their fear
|
|
was rectified by their faith. When they feared the winds and the seas,
|
|
it was for want of the reverence they ought to have had for Christ. But
|
|
now that they saw a demonstration of his power over them, they feared
|
|
<I>them</I> less, and <I>him</I> more. They <I>feared</I> lest they had
|
|
offended Christ by their unbelieving fears; and therefore studied now
|
|
to give him honour. They had <I>feared</I> the power and wrath of the
|
|
Creator in the storm, and that fear had torment and amazement in it;
|
|
but now they feared the power and grace of the Redeemer in the calm;
|
|
they <I>feared the Lord and his goodness,</I> and it had pleasure and
|
|
satisfaction in it, and by it they gave glory to Christ, as Jonah's
|
|
mariners, who, when the <I>sea ceased from her raging, feared the Lord
|
|
exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jon+1:16">Jon. i. 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
This sacrifice they offered to the honour of Christ; they said, <I>What
|
|
manner of man is this?</I> Surely more than a man, <I>for even the
|
|
winds and the seas obey him.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
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