There were certain members of the Church of God, who were unsound members. "They are not all Israel," says the Apostle, "who are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children.”

In the early Christian Church too there were Ananias and Sapphira, and other false Brethren, who “crept in unawares. And even among the very Apostles, the close companions of our Lord, there was Judas the Traitor. Not that

Jesus was deceived in him. He could not be deceived. Indeed St. John tells us (ch. vi. 64) that "Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him."

Sometimes we are ready to ask, How can this be? Can that be a true Church, in which there are false members ? Where is that

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glorious church," which St. Paul speaks of, "not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish"?

Here, in this Parable, we have the truest answer. The Church will be pure one day,

but not now.

out, but not yet.

The Tares will be gathered

Jesus foresaw exactly how it would be. He sowed good seed; but He

knew that tares would come up with the wheat. He prepared us to expect it.

Surely then, when we are disposed to complain that there are many things around us which are not as they ought to be, we should check ourselves. I go to church, for instance; and the man or woman next to me may not be, according to my judgment, a true Christian. I approach the holy Table, and I see among my fellow-communicants some whose piety I doubt. What then? Am I to be disturbed at this? Ought I to make it a stumblingstone? Certainly not. I should rather feel that such must be the state of things, as long as we are on earth. There will be this mixture. I must wait for purity and perfection, till I join the Church above. And meanwhile my chief aim should be-ah, this should be the matter which concerns me-that I may not, by any unwatchfulness of my own, bring a blot on my Christian profession.

Secondly, we gather from this Parable that one of the great objects of Satan is to sow Tares among the Wheat. His grand aim is to spoil the work of Christ.

Does he see brethren living at unity together? He sows the seed of discord among them. He breaks up their unity, and causes divisions. Or, does he know that the work of grace is prospering in a man's soul? He is sure to have some crafty device to check it; and if we are not on our guard, he will do so.

Or again, if he sees in any particular place that men are more alive than common on the subject of religion, he will scatter false doctrine among them, or lead them into false practice. And he does this to deceive men, and to bring dishonour upon religion.

Be not surprised then, if even among the people of God Satan sows his Tares. Let us be prepared for it, and say, done this."

An

enemy hath

Thirdly, we may observe that men, in their folly, often try to separate the precious from the vile. There are some cager ones in every Church-some who are a little puffed up with a feeling of their own goodness—who are ready to cry out with the Servants in the Parable, "Wilt thou that we go and gather up the Tares ?

What are we, that mark here and there If we attempt it, we

Thank God, we are not called upon to do this; not that the Tares shall never be plucked up, but that this is not the time, and we are not the doers. Thank God, we are not sent to judge the world, but to spread the knowledge of salvation in it. we should try to set our on the people of God? shall perhaps make most grievous blunders. Perhaps we shall thrust out many a humble believer; and perhaps we shall let in many a hypocrite. And there is another thing tooShall we not be in danger of rooting up some who now appear to be Tares, but who may one day, through God's converting grace, be changed into precious wheat? Oh, what wisdom is there in those words, "Judge nothing before the time; "Let both grow together till the harvest."

And this leads me to speak, lastly, of that time when the Separation will take placethe time of the world's great harvest.

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Look at Rev. xiv., and see what St. John says, "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. 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. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the winepress of the wrath of God."

Here is the gathering out of the wicked from God's kingdom-the rooting up of the Tares-just what the Lord describes in the Parable before us. "The Son of man," He says, "shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity."

Christ will then have a pure Church. Every ungodly one will be cast out; every hypocrite; every one whose heart is false, though his words may be fair. His "people shall be all righteous."

It is well then not to concern ourselves so much about the condition of others, as about Let us see that we ourselves are

our own.