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ready to spring up in our hearts! Indeed, how many have already sprung up, and gained a strong hold, choking the good seed, which should bear fruit to the glory of God! Let us look to this thing."

"And the very winds bring these thorn seeds, so that we scarcely know whence or when they fall into our hearts!" exclaimed John.

"And then, when they once spring up, it is, as Jerry says, so very hard to eradicate them," returned Mr. Warren. "When we think they have been cut up, root and stock, and the soil thoroughly cleared of them; when we begin to rejoice in the grain plants; then at the very root, we see them beginning to wither, because some little, unsuspected thorn seed was left in the soil."

"And the thorn seeds are the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches,'" said John.

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"Yes; but of our cares, Peter says, Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth for you.' To enable us to do this the more readily, we are assured that all things work together for good to them that love God.' If we would only trust this promise, 'the care of this world,' instead of alluring us from God, would make us draw nearer to him, till we should grow 'strong in the Lord.' And then that phrase the deceitfulness of riches,' — how well is it chosen! They never satisfy us, we constantly demand more, and they never yield the happiness we expected from their possession. Wise are we, if we heed the Master's words, 'Ye can not serve God and mammon.'

"The last division of the parable is much more cheering.

"But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold. He

that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it which also beareth fruit, and bringan hundred fold, some

eth forth, some

sixty, some thirty.'

"We might infer that, as in a field, most of the seed would fall upon good ground; but as parables are only designed to teach general truths, we can not suppose that Christ intended to show what proportion would be profitable, or otherwise. The increase mentioned was not an uncommon measure. You will notice that it speaks not only of receiving the word, but also of understanding it. The more fully we understand our duty, the better fitted we are to discharge it. It was not without an emphatic purpose that Christ bade even those who boasted of their knowledge of the law, to 'search the Scriptures.' John, will you sum up for us the

lessons of this parable, that we may have them clearly in our mind?"

John thought a moment, and then replied,

"First. Beware of the hard heart, which gives the good seed no chance to germinate.

"Second.

Beware of the stony places, which give no deep soil for strong rooting, so that we fail in the trial time.

"Third. Beware of the unsuspected thorn seeds, which choke the good seed.

"Fourth. Strive to receive and understand the Word, that we may bring forth fruit an hundred-fold."

CHAPTER X.

MR. WARREN'S SECOND QUESTION.

"IT was not without a special object," said Mr. Warren, "that I called your attention to this parable to-night. Each division has important lessons for you, but I fear most those thorn seeds. The ' care of life' has yet to come upon you, for now you stand scarcely within the threshold of its influence. While I readily admit that boyhood and youth have cares as well as sports, yet you will as readily allow that till the duties of manhood devolve upon you, you can not fully know what care is, or what its power to draw you from the feet of the Master. And not to youth, but to manhood, comes the delusive snare, 'the deceitfulness of riches.'

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"But will not our firm resolve, by

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