The Prayer.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast given us Thy

only-begotten SON to take our nature upon Him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; grant that we being regenerate, and made Thy children by adop tion and grace, may daily be renewed by Thy HOLY SPIRIT; through the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the same SPIRIT, ever one GOD, world without end.

Amen.

A

PLAIN COMMENTARY

ON THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF

St. Mark's Gospel.

1 The parable of the Sower, 14 and the meaning thereof. 21 We must communicate the light of our knowledge to others. 26 The parable of the Seed growing secretly, 30 and of the Mustard seed. 35 CHRIST stilleth the Tempest on the sea.

IV. AND He began again to teach by the 1 sea side and there was gathered unto Him a great multitude, so that He entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

The Sower enters into a ship,-in order the better thence to sow His seed.

Those who have visited the Sea of Galilee, describe it as a beautiful sheet of clear water,encircled by grey hills. See the note on St. Mark i. 16. We are to picture the Divine Speaker,attended by His Apostles,-seated in a Boat upon this Lake, at a little distance from the shore. Along the water's edge, a vast multitude of persons "out of every citya" are standing, attentive

• St. Luke viii. 4.

2

to the wondrous discourse of Him who spoke as none had ever before spoken. See the last note on St. Matthew vii. On the relative position of our SAVIOUR and His auditory, an old writer remarks:-"The Evangelist did not relate this without a purpose, but that he might shew the LORD'S will therein; who desired so to place the people that He might have none behind Him, but that all should be before His face."

And He taught them many things by Parables, and said unto them in His doctrine,

The Reader is referred to a note on St. Matthew xiii. 3, concerning the teaching by Parables, in general, and concerning this particular Parable. Hearken;

This summons to attention, is peculiar to St. Mark's Gospel.

3 Behold, there went out a Sower to sow:

These words, which introduce the Parable of the Sower, will be found interpreted by the Di vine Speaker Himself, in ver. 14,-where see the note. Observe only, by the way, at the outset, how the Heavenly Husbandman after surveying every part of His Creation, is found for the most part to make choice of those images which have reference to Husbandry: sheep, and goats, and shepherds; barn, and fan, and threshing-floor;

wheat, and chaff, and tares; fig-trees, vineyards, and corn-fields; ploughers, sowers, and reapers. ... Surely it was done in order that these very objects, daily seen, might enable us to keep His blessed Teaching in daily remembrance!

See more in the note on the first part of St. Luke viii. 5.

And it came to pass, as He sowed, some 4 fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Here then is the first comparison;—a heart, common as the high-way: hardened by the constant passing to and fro of worldly thoughts. See the note on ver. 15.

The soil by the wayside' is hard and unbroken; wholly unfit, therefore, to receive the seed. The plough must first open the furrows. And yet, take notice, that this is not all the evil. There is danger from without, also. The fowls of the air' are on the watch to carry away the seed, as soon as it has fallen.

See more in the note on the latter part of St. Luke viii. 5.

And some fell on stony ground, where it 5 had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was 6 Scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7

"Stony ground," or, as St. Luke expresses itb a rock"-furnishes the next resemblance. Not, observe, a hard hopeless surface,-on which it would have been mere mockery to cast the seed. There is earth,-but it has no depth, and consequently no moisture.

Stony," or, as it should rather be translated, rocky ground," does not of course mean such a soil as abounds in many parts of England,-where the stones are covered with about three inches of earth, and where the corn is found to grow plentifully. A soil is supposed, consisting of the live rock; into which the roots of the corn cannot insinuate themselves.

See more in the note on St. Luke viii. 6.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

Thorny ground is the next case supposed: and this is a sadder case than either of the former; for here, the seed springs up more hopefully, inasmuch as the soil is deeper. But, from that very circumstance, the ground harbours thorns as well.

This third case is very different from either of the others. There is no lack of earth here. The thing required is a careful weeding of the soil; without which, neither a good soil,-nor good seed, nor the good hand of God Himself, sowing b St. Luke viii. 6.

c St. Luke viii. 6.