July 5

Matthew xiii.—24. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field;

25. But, while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence, then, hath it tares?

28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up?

29. But he said, Nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

31. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

32. The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

33. The enemy that sowed them is the devil;

the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40. As, therefore, the tares are gathered, and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Revelation xiv.—13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

14. And I looked, and behold a white cloud; and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

15. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

16. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

Dean Alford, in his commentary on this parable, states that a field belonging to himself, at Gadsden by in Leicestershire, England, was maliciously sown with charlock over the wheat. This act of malice is quite common in the East; one who has a grudge against a neighbor will sow his ploughed land with darnel, or other weeds so nearly resembling the wheat, that their presence is not detected until they have accomplished their work of destruction. By this parable, our Lord accounts, in part at least, for the origin of evil, and defines God's method of dealing with it in this world. Sin is not a thing of his providing: he did not plant it in his field; and he no more desires it than the farmer wants tares among his wheat. The whole work of creation was good as God made it. Sin began in the rebellion and apostasy of Satan and his angels, who

abused their moral freedom against their Creator. Sin was introduced into this world by the temptation of the Enemy, who sowed in the minds of our first parents the suggestions of evil, which they permitted to take root, and choke the principle of obedience. Even within the Church, the visible kingdom of God, the Enemy is busy sowing envy, strife, formalism, hypocrisy, unbelief, among the disciples of Christ. But, inasmuch as sin enters through moral freedom,—which, by its very nature, is capable of being perverted to evil,—it must be counteracted by moral means; and these need time for their full effect. Violent interference would subvert the order of the moral system, which, both in its conception and its end, is altogether good. The future state will clear up all mystery, and forever separate the good from the evil.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 5, 81, 104.

Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are all thy ways, thou King of saints. We would praise thee and worship thee ever, world without end. We commit ourselves to thy love and faithfulness. In thee would we trust at all times. Confident in thy promises, and in the help of thy Spirit, may we not fear what man can do unto us!

We beseech thee, O Lord! to keep us this day. May thy blessing be upon our persons, upon our labors, upon our substance, and upon all that belongs to us! Enable us to resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil; to follow the motions of thy good Spirit; to be serious and holy in our lives, true and just in our dealings, watch-

ful over our thoughts, words, and actions, diligent in our business, and temperate in all things. Give us grace that we may honestly improve all the talents thou hast committed to our trust, and that no worldly business, no worldly pleasures, may ever divert us from the thoughts of the life to come. Remember with thy loving-kindness all dear to us, and satisfy them with thy grace. Bless all men with thy saving mercy. Stay, we beseech thee, the iniquities of our times. Purify thy Church from worldliness, from error, from unbelief. Oh! give to thy saints the kingdom under the whole heaven; and, when the Son of man shall come, oh! make us to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.