The word Tares signifies any noxious and hurtful weeds or plants, which spring up among, or mingle with the rich and precious grain, and not any one particular or distinct weed, or poisonous plant to the exclusion of all others. All know how detrimental to the Crop such weeds or poisonous plants are. They take away nourishment from the precious grain, and render it less vigorous while it grows. They diminish the harvest in proportion to their number and strength. Accordingly they are a nuisance in the field, grieve the heart, and in the same measure as they prevail, cut off the hopes of the husbandman. And the more fertile the soil, the more luxuriant will be their growth. They make the labour, which hath been bestowed upon the field, of none effect. And it is always with deep regret, that man beholds lost labour, or unsucceeded exertions.
In the Parable of the Tares now before us, we have several truths of very great importance to us both as individuals, and as collected into a Church-State, as minister and people, speaker and hearer.——
In the first place, in the kingdom of heaven, in this Parable, is the Gospel preached, or the dispensation of the doctrines of Religion.—The state of things under the Gospel is very often, in the stile of our Lord, called his kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, it is presumed no arguments will be needful to prove that the kingdom of heaven here means the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation. This, it is well known, is the common meaning of the expression. In the primitive Apostolic times Christianity had two names of nearly the same import, the kingdom of God—and the kingdom of heaven. These two phrases were brought into common use by John the Baptist, who came to introduce the Messiah, under the signature, of the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.—In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He took the phrase from the following passage in the prophesy of Daniel. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. There is an obvious propriety in calling the State of things under the Gospel-dispensation the kingdom of God. It is from him as the original source. It aims at his glory ultimately in all its parts. When finished, it will be given up to him, and He will be all and in all. He, from all Eternity by his unsearchable wisdom, devised the illustrious plan of salvation which it contains. He from motives of overflowing goodness reveals it. He by his power will make it successful. His son, the Messiah, is the prime Minister in it. His spirit sanctifies, and gathers subjects into it.—Inward Religion is also happily described by the name of the kingdom of God. It is God’s kingdom in the soul: is heavenly in its nature: is heavenly in its tendency—and will issue in all the riches of heavenly glory. It comes down from God, in a very important sense, for it is the wisdom that is from above; and is therefore a divine principle, and when completed, it will terminate in God, in the enjoyment and beatific vision of him, who is the sum of all existence and blessedness.
The sower of the seed is our Lord himself, and those, who are in all the ages of his Religion or Gospel kingdom, commissioned and employed by him. The seed sowed is the word of the kingdom. During our Saviour’s personal Ministry, he was assiduous and active in his divine work, patient and persevering under all discouragements and want of success. Herein he was a perfect pattern to all the servants of his household, who are called to minister in holy things, or to sow the seed of the word. That he has ministering servants, and that it is his will there should be, to sow the seed of the word, and to dispense holy ordinances, is as plain as any one principle of his Religion, and cannot be disputed by any, if they would be self-consistent, who seriously believe in divine Revelation. While our Lord was performing his own personal Ministry, he met with great and unjust opposition. He was reviled and abused by those, whom he came to save, whose good he sought with attentive care, and to whom he displayed all the sweetness of a tender and benevolent mind. Very often, indeed, he saw the seed sowed without the desired fruit, and all his exertions to render man happy, repaid with cruel ingratitude. But he went on with his work, as a divine Teacher, with a fortitude, which we cannot help admiring, and which ought to be continually in our eye, as an object of imitation.——He that soweth the good seed is the son of man.
In the next place, another observation upon the Parable of the Tares, is that we can have no pure Church on Earth. It is not necessary for a Church, in order to be the true Church of Christ, to be pure. If so, we could never have a true Church, for there never was a pure one yet, nor ever will be, as long as man is imperfect and unable to lift up the veil, and see what is in the heart, infallibly. There will always be Tares among the wheat, false among true professors—the hypocritical among the sincere, the vile with the precious. The field where the seed is sowed is the world: the good seed are the Children of the kingdom, but the Tares are then Children of the wicked one. By a pure Church is meant a collection of real Saints without one hypocrite, or false-hearted professor. The invisible Church which Christ, at the last day, will present in triumph to his Father, will be pure or spotless, in the highest sense; there will be no hypocrites in it, or any remains of sin. Speaking of this true invisible Church, says the Apostle, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it, unto himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Nothing unclean or impure can be admitted into the New-Jerusalem or Church of the first born, whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. An unanswerable proof against the notion of a pure Church, is that none can know the heart. It is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? It is one of the prerogatives of the omniscient God to look into the hidden mysteries of the heart. Before him all things are open. The darkness and the light are both alike with him. His eye pervades the whole immensity of space. It can penetrate the thickest veil of hypocrisy. No fair disguises can screen us from his all-seeing view. All the ways of a man are right in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. He searches the heart, and tries the reins of the Children of men. Before we can have a pure Church, we must not only know our own hearts, so as never to be deceived or mistaken about them; but we must likewise know the hearts of others. But the Psalmist exclaims, who can know his errors, cleanse thou me from secret faults. And he prefers to his Maker the following petition: Search, me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In order to have a pure Church, those who admit persons to Church order and privileges, must have the power of discerning spirits, or they cannot shut the door against hypocrites and deceivers. But this power none have. It was peculiar to the Apostles, and to them only upon some special occasions. For Peter when he baptized Simon the Sorcerer, believed him to be sincere. He knew not the baseness and perfidy of his heart. None of the Apostolic Churches were pure in the sense now under consideration, designing and hollow-hearted men there always will be, among the sincere, as a trial of their graces—of their faith, patience, and meekness. There was a Judas among the Apostles. One traitor was found even in our Lord’s own select family. He professed no doubt, as much zeal and love to his Master, as the rest of the disciples. His other fellow disciples, who were with him all the time, never once suspected his sincerity. So artfully did he assume the appearance of a friend to the cause, in which they were all embarked. But yet he was all the while insincere. He became an Apostate from the truth, and betrayed his Master with the token of friendship. His name is odious. And has come down to us, loaded with infamy. And it will still descend as an epithet of the most finished treachery.
How unreasonable then to look for perfection in any, or a pure Church! Untold mischief has been done to Religion by the pretenders to a pure Church. They usually divide and break up the peace of Churches. Censoriousness occupies the place of Charity. Meekness, humility, condescension, and brotherly love fall before a mad and intemperate zeal, self-confidence, ignorance, and high pretensions to superior sanctity.
Though no pure Church is to be seen on earth, and the idea of it, be a vain and delusive one, yet all the real friends of the Gospel ought to strive to have the greatest purity in doctrines—in worship—in discipline, in ordinances, and conduct. That Church is the purest, which is the most scriptural in its doctrines, ordinances and worship, discipline, and manners. Churches should take the greatest care to be built upon the only foundation, the order and faith of the Gospel, rejecting all human inventions and traditions, having the word of God for their only rule of faith and practice.
How happy would it be, if we have no Tares to defile and dishonour the cause of God, and to injure the precious grain! They often spring up, where good seed had been sown and where least expected. Every thing on earth is changing. Misfortunes and evils arise from quarters, where comfort and happiness were most looked for. While we deplore the mutability of all human things, we may learn the most useful lessons; and one of the most useful is the folly of trusting our own hearts, or the stability of others. Tares are sowed in the field. In the parable of the sower,, the seed means the doctrines of the Gospel. In the Parable of the Tares, the seed sown seems to mean pious and upright members of the Gospel-kingdom; or secondly, truth, as truth is instrumental in saving and enlightening the soul. The Tares, mean then, not hypocrites only, but errors, heresies, and divisions among the professing people of God. One of the clearest proofs of human depravity is the proneness of man to wander into the wilderness of error and delusion. Though conscience and reason be on the side of what is right and just in doctrine and practice, yet the corrupt passions or evil dispositions of the heart lead to all that is wrong. The good man drops tears of grief over abounding errors and immoralities—the want of union, of charity—of peace in the Church of God. We do not see eye to eye. Before there will be a full uniformity of opinions on the doctrines of Religion, we must wait till the openings of celestial day, when that which is in part shall be done away, and that which is perfect is come. But it is exceedingly comfortable to think, however many tares there are in the Church here below, there will be none in the Church above in heaven. No enemy will gain entrance there, to sow them. In the Church triumphant will be no tares, or errors, or evils. In its harmony there will be no interruption. In its doctrines, no dissent. In its worship no coldness. And in its peace no end. But here in the Church militant, there will be hatred, variance, strife, hypocrisy, and errors. Tares will infest the field. And it is worthy of particular notice, they are always sowed by an enemy, open or concealed. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed Tares among the wheat, and went his way. The enemy that sowed them, says our Saviour, is the Devil: He does it by his agents. In the original it is an envious man: one who hates Religion; and the order and peace, purity and harmony of the Church; one who hates Christ and his ordinances and doctrines, and wishes to make mischief and spread confusion. The enemy comes into the field and is active and zealous to sow Tares, what may corrupt and poison, the grain, or hurt the harvest. The enemy is sly and concealed in doing his mischief—he came in the night, while men slept, sowed his Tares, and went away. The servants are astonished when, in process of time, they discover the evil. But when the blade sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the Tares also. In nature’s soil evil seed soon springs up. And so it does when sown in the garden of the Lord.—False doctrines or errors soon spread, being agreeable to the vicious inclinations of the heart.—Often what is most pleasing and promising at first turns out, to our great mortification, far otherwise. When we hoped for a plentiful harvest, and the ground was highly cultivated, tares appeared also. This teaches us to rest our hope in him, who changes not; and whose favour is life. How artful is the enemy of our souls, and of the peace and welfare of the Gospel-kingdom! He is full of devices—of subtle devices. And his instruments and agent to carry on his designs, are usually chosen with skill.
In the third place,, We notice in this parable of the Tares, the great tenderness and care of the Householder for the precious grain. A rash proposal was made by his servants to go and gather up the Tares. They were honest in this proposal, and doubtless viewed it best to root out the Tares immediately. But though the proposal were well meant, yet it was mis-timed. We admire the honesty and faithfulness of the servants. But they could not perform what they were willing to undertake. It is impossible to keep hypocrites, false professors, pretended friends, errors and heresies—delusions and false religions, visions and impulses from mingling with the Children of the kingdom, or to prevent the tares from being among the wheat. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, from whence hath it Tares? He said unto them an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up? But he said, nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Thus wonderful is the tenderness of Christ for the pious and upright. He dearly values his friends and the truth. He will preserve and bless them, and in due time own it. He always had his Church in the world, and always will have. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it—No antient or modern heresy or superstition shall destroy it. They may injure it. They may exceedingly distress and persecute it. But no weapon formed against Zion however much at present it may, shall eventually prosper. There is no enchantment against Israel, or divination against Jacob. Error may come in like a flood—the love of many may wax cold, and infidelity may diffuse, far and wide, its poison.—But the cause of God will live and remain, in spite of all persecution or opposition from Earth or hell. The wheat must not be rooted up. Jesus Christ will protect and defend his true Church, in the darkest times. If tares be sown while men sleep, they shall not be permitted to destroy the valuable grain. “While Ministers, while Magistrates, while Parents,” says one, “sleep, the enemy sows tares.”
In the fourth place, another observation which I shall make upon the Parable before us, is that a period of separation between the tares and the wheat is fixed by our Lord. Here he gives to all his people, in all ages and places, most needful and excellent instruction and counsel, in their Church state. A rule is here laid before them of prudence, meekness, and wisdom. No rash expedients have his countenance. No undue severity is admissible by him. As he was all meekness and benevolence himself, so he presses, with all the weight of his authority and ardour of persuasion, the same temper upon all his disciples. They are to be meek and lowly in heart as he was. Judge not, says he, that ye be not judged.—Be more ready to take the beam out of your own eye, than the mote out of your neighbour’s eye. Let a bitter censorious spirit never be exercised. Condescension, forbearance, humility and meekness are the temper of the Gospel. But we are not to be indifferent about truth, and duty. We are to hold fast the form of sound words, the Apostles’ doctrines;—and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints:—to be firm and courageous in our Lord’s work. But we are not to go and gather up the tares to the danger of the wheat—both must stand till the harvest. A day is appointed, in which exact justice shall be distributed, and a perfect discrimination will be made of characters and principles. The day is that of the harvest. And the harvest is the end of the world. Let both grow together until the harvest. And in the time of the 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. The harvest is the end of the world: the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire: so shall it be in the end of the world. 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! and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. There is an inimitable beauty and grandeur in this account of the end of the righteous and wicked, in the day of judgment.