a swallow as his throat; loads of meat and drink are fit for none but a beast of burthen to bear; and he is much the greater beast of the two, who comes with his burden in his belly than he who comes with it on his back, Prov. 23. 29; such as are best at the barrel are generally weakest at the book. (c) Covetousness buries the soul underground in darkness, while the body is above it, Deut. 16. 9, 1 Sam. 12. 3, Ecc. 7. 7. (d) Ambition looks high, and giddiness from it makes a mist before the eyes. Satan, like an expert wrestler, usually gives a man a lift before he gives him a throw. Sensuality, covetousness, pride are the devil's trident to strike men's hearts.

The conscience is seared when a man's wounds cease to smart, only because he has lost his feeling; they are nevertheless mortal; he does not see his need of a surgeon ; acquitment before trial can be no security in this case. Great and strong calms usually portend and go before the most violent storms.

China.—A flesby pupilless eye (a mind with conscience

blind).

Talmud. The flesh of the dead feels not the knife—i.e., is past feeling.

Arab.-Reckon him with the beasts who does not distinguish good from evil.

Bengal. He hides his head in the bushes-i.e., fancying he is not exposed.

China.-Talent without virtue like silver without a master.

The Seed of God's Word.-LUKE 8. II.

The Word of God is compared in Scripture to a key, to open out the treasures of Divine Wisdom; as milk, to nourish the feeble-minded; as fire, to consume or enliven; and to gold, for its value and use: here it is compared to a seed on account of its hidden qualities, its power of spreading from a small beginning. There is a tree in New

Zealand, 400 feet high and 50 feet in circumference, yet this has sprung up from a small seed.

The Word of God like seed in seventeen points:

1. Seed is small, compared with its future produce; so faith is like a grain of mustard seed or leaven which leaveneth the whole lump; the seeds of faith, in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, "yield plentiful fruit.”

2. Seed must be sown. Industry and forethought are required, but bad seed springs up of itself, for God cursed the ground, so that it gave of itself thorns and thistles. The seeds of faith spring up as the gifts of God, as the radicle from the kernel; when God sows in the wilderness an oasis springs up.

3. A good seed requires good soil. The application of the plough is, however, necessary, as weeds grow anywhere; Christ in his parable mentions three soils as unproductive. Our heart is the soil, and conviction the plough: we must be moistened by the tears of godly sorrow, saturated by the dews of God's grace, like the 3,000 pricked to the heart who were baptized, Acts 2. 40, 41.

4. Seed must be buried. Some seeds, though thrown on the surface, however, strike their roots deep, and require soil above them, Mat. 13. 6, but in other cases the root and stem soon wither; so Lydias's heart was opened, Acts 16. 14; believers are rooted and grounded in love, Eph. 3. 18.

5. Seed lies for a time in the earth in darkness. Sometimes a very short time-so the thief on the cross. Egyptian mummy seed, after being buried 3,000 years, springs up-so the Prodigal son came to himself after he had spent all in riotous living, and was feeding swine; so Manasseh, after many years, sought in affliction his father's God, 2 Chron. 33. 13, "cast thy bread on the waters," Eccl. II. I; one soweth, another reapeth.

6. Seed once sown makes steady progress. Christ speaks of the blade, the ear and the full corn, Mark 4. 27, 28;

grow in grace. They shall bring forth fruit in old age, Ps. 92. 14. The righteous shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon, Ps. 92. 12.

7. Seed depends on the influence of heavy rain, which waters the earth. Light, soil, and moisture are necessary; we must wait for the latter rain; so Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God gives the increase, I Cor. 3. 6. God will pour floods on the dry ground, Is. 44. 3.

8. Seed matured yields a rich return. God's word is compared to rain that returns not again, Is. 55. 10. You shall reap if you faint not, Gal. 6. 9, and have a hundredfold more in this present time, Luke 18. 30. 9. Produce is as the seed sown. There is a great variety of seeds, but the generic distinction remains, as figs come not of thistles, Mat. 7. 16. He that sows to the flesh, reaps corruption, Gal. 6. 8.; he sowing the wind. reaps the whirlwind, Hos. 6. 7. Haman sowed pride, reaped defeat; so the drunkard, Prov. 23. 29; so the rich man drowned in destruction, 1 Tim. 6. 9; so war from lust, Jas. 4. I.

10. Water is required; hence the thorny ground allows none; early rain necessary after the seed is sown, and the latter rain when the corn is ripe, Jer. 5. 24: so the dews of the Spirit.

II. The seed dies-i.e., the albumen dissolves; an emblem of the Resurrection, I Cor. 15. 36.

12. If sown too deeply no air comes: hence ploughing brings the seeds up for malting barley, heat, moisture, and air are necessary, thereby the starch is changed into sugar the seed to sow is reserved from the choicest grain by the husbandman.

13. A skilful sower required. Such was Christ.

14. Seeds must be covered from the birds, Mat. 1 3. 4. 15. The sooner the seed is sown the better the crop,

2 Tim. 3. 15.

16. Diligence needed; winds, storm, thunder hinder not the sower.

17. Seeds must be widely scattered, I Cor. I. 16. Seed must be sent from land to land, and handed down to others; some seed bad, some not successful.

When the corn is fully ripe it bends down the ear; so the believer is to be clothed with humility, I Pet. 5. 5.

Tamul.-Those who are of inferior stature may accomplish great things.

Tamul. The seed of the banyan is small, but the tree affords a large shade.

Persian.-Vegetables do not grow on a stone; what fault in the rain? Mat. 23. 37.

Tamul.-Though it may rain to the end of the world, a broken potsherd will not germinate, Mat. 13.5. Afghan. When you fixed your hopes on the soil you lost your seed in it-i.e., by neglecting to weed and

water.

Self-conceit.-PROV. 26. 12.

Wise in one's own eye, Prov. 3. 7.

Afghan.-The fox thought his shadow very large-i.e., a little man puffed up.

Syriac. If the camel had seen his hunchback he would have fallen and broken his neck.

Oriental.-When the wolf is alone he is a lion.

China.--He who cannot sleep finds his bed badly made. Japan. To hide the head but not hide the tail-i.e., as the ostrich.

Selfishness.

Afghan. The one was dying and the other was asking his daughter of him.

Panjabi.-The goat was weeping for his life, the butcher for his fat.

Afghan.—What does the satiated man know of the hungry

man's state.

The Righteous as Sheep.-Mat. 10. 16.

The righteous resemble sheep in ten points:

1. Cleanliness. Not like swine, dogs, or wolves, the righteous come out of the wilderness of sin, yet, as subject to filth, need washing, 1 Cor. 6. 11, Ps. 51. 7: hence they love still water, Ps. 23. 2; 2 Sam. 24. 17.

2. Harmless: innocent as doves, but wise as serpents, Mat. 10. 16: not crafty as foxes, or devouring as a lion, I Cor. 14. 20.

3. Meek. So Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter, Is. 53.7; so Stephen and Job; so David, Ps. 39.9; and Aaron when his sons were killed.

4. Profitable; in life by fleece, in death by their flesh. So the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church; so saints are lights. Ten saints would have saved Sodom, Gen. 18. 32; being dead they yet speak, Heb. II. 4: so Jacob proved to Joseph, and Joseph to Potiphar.

5. Obedient: follow the shepherd; the shepherd knows their name; calling them they follow him, John 10. 4.

6. Feeble, Gen. 33. 13. They are apt to go astray, I Sam. 17. 20: they have many enemies-wolves, dogs, Rom. 8. 36; nourished for slaughter, Ps. 64. 22; subject to many diseases, Jer. 7. 28.

7. Love union. Saints are like David and Jonathan scattered by dogs they soon unite, Acts 4. 23.

8. Live on little often on barren commons; so the righteous are content, 1 Tim. 6. 8.

9. Need a shepherd, Acts 10. 3, to select pasture, 1 Pet. 5. I; to select shade, Ps. 23. 2; sheep may be lost, not so believers: pigs and cats find out their way, not so sheep. When one strays the others follow, 2 Sam. 20. I, 2; Acts 5. 36, 37. Sheep may return of themselves, the spiritual sheep never.

10. Love green pastures, Cant. I. 7.

China.-A sheep was never known to climb a tree.