I may say to you now that man's _will_ is the field which our Lord
meant in the parable here recorded; "and the seed is the Word of God."
Notwithstanding the practical explanation given of this parable by our
Lord, a degree of obscurity still broods over it in the minds of many
Bible interpreters. What made the bad ground bad; and what made the
good ground good, and how the bad ground is to be made good and
productive, are questions that puzzle the minds of many. Some may not
agree with me; but I do believe that the diversities in human nature,
set forth and described by our Lord in this parable, all relate to the
WILL. What makes the difference between a good man, and a bad man?
Brethren, it is the WILL. A good man does good from a good will, and a
bad man does bad from a bad will.
Let us take the wayside hearer. There is no defect about his
_understanding_. His head is as clear in matters of business as any
man's. He understands what the preacher says when he is sowing the
seeds of gospel truth as readily as any one in the congregation. Why
then does the devil take away the Word out of his heart? I answer,
because the devil is very fond of doing that sort of work; and the man
does not object. In other words, the wayside hearer has no WILL to
keep the Word in his heart. If he had a _will_ to keep the Word in his
heart, and live conformably to it, the gates of hell could not prevail
against it. He would then be _good ground_ according to the measure of
his capacity, and the life of love and obedience growing out of it.
Take the rock-hearer next. He has a very thin skin of soil over the
surface of the rock that lies underneath. From the way he goes to
meeting and talks about religion, you might readily conclude that
all he needs to become a bright light in the church is a little
encouragement. He says: "That was a splendid sermon we heard to-day.
It did me good to hear that man talk. I could listen to him for a
week;" and he tells the truth; for if the man stays a week, and works
up something of an _excitement_, this rock-hearer will go every night
and praise every sermon. I am sorry to say, however, that the devil
does not try very hard to get the Word out of that man's heart,
because he knows that if he leaves it alone just a little while it
will _die_ out of itself. The real trouble with this man is a want of
WILL to reduce to practice the _truth_ received into the
_understanding_. The rock, underneath the skin of soil that hides it,
is a WILL which is wholly averse to the life of self-denial and godly
obedience set forth in the Word which he hears. He loves the world and
himself more than God; and the delight or joy with which he hears the
Word is all in the _understanding_. The words of life and salvation
fade from his memory, because there is no desire in his heart or WILL
to retain them, as the things that belong to his everlasting peace.
Next in order comes the thorny-ground hearer. He may be a man of
talent, perhaps a genius. Naturally thoughtful and ambitious, he
covets both wealth and honors. He is not entirely forgetful of the
claims of religion upon him. He goes to church with his family;
behaves genteelly; invites the ministers to his house, and entertains
them very hospitably. He thinks religion a very good thing in society,
and one that ought to be encouraged. You often hear people say of him:
"What a pity he is not a member of the church: how much good he could
do!" In all matters of public interest he takes an active part. During
an electoral canvass he is all astir, and wonders how any one can be
indifferent at such a time, or even show a moderate degree of
coolness. He is a useful man in society, and his loss would be keenly
felt by the community. The real trouble with this man is akin to that
of all the rest. It has its seat right in the WILL. He loves the
world, and the world loves him; and to hold his place in society he
must comply with its demands. He must not be scrupulous about small
matters. He must take a drink with a friend. If invited to take part
in some pastime or popular amusement, even if it be of doubtful moral
character, he dare not decline the invitation. If memory should even
blow the ashes from some live coals of truth, and conscience
remonstrate, he must ignore all weakness of that kind. Such and
such-like are the thorns that choke the Word, and it brings no fruit
to perfection.
Last, but not least, comes the good-ground hearer. I have reason to
believe that most of you know him from your own experience; therefore
I will not describe him here. But before I conclude I desire to direct
your attention to a few points more in the line of my thought.
Who is to blame or to incur the responsibility for the failures of
fruit in the three classes of hearers given in the parable? Some say
the devil is to blame, because he throws every obstacle and impediment
that lies in his power in the way of the growth of the seed. Others
say the Lord is to blame for not having made the ground better by
nature. Others again say--and these say what is true--that the hearers
are to blame. The Word came with just as much power to these
unfruitful classes as it did to the good-ground hearer. "But it was
not mixed with faith in them that heard." Whose fault was it that they
did not believe? Manifestly their own.
I fully believe that man's will is free. And I do also believe in my
very soul that it would be the pleasure of the Lord _to save_ every
human being born into existence. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn
from his way and live. Make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why
will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11 and 18:31.
But man's will cannot be forced. The Lord cannot compel any one to
love him, any more than one of us can force a man to be our friend who
inwardly hates us. The Lord is every day seeking to turn the hearts of
men to himself through the life-giving, holy, healing power of the
Word of gospel grace. He does this through the faithful ministers who
preach it. In this way he causes the sun of truth and love to rise and
shine upon even the very worst of sinners, and sends the rain of his
grace to fall upon them. Without the sun and the rain the seed would
forever lie dead in the ground; but what is very wonderful in the
gospel seed is the fact that it carries along with itself, as it falls
upon the ground, all the light, and heat, and moisture it needs. Our
blessed Lord says: "My words are spirit, and they are life."
In illustration of this let us notice the power of his words in
several instances recorded in the New Testament Scriptures. Let me
refer to Jairus's daughter. _She was dead._ Every one could know this
that saw her. Jesus said to this dead girl: "Maiden, arise." Her
spirit came back into her. The heart, that before was pulseless and
still, began to beat; and the breast, over which the pall of death had
fallen, began to heave. In obedience to his word she rose up and
lived. Were not his words _spirit_ and _life_ to this girl? The very
same thing took place with the dead boy, the only son of the widow of
Nain. Things no less wonderful were of daily occurrence in the life of
Jesus. The cleansing of the lepers, the healing of the sick, the
casting out of devils, all, all proved the spirit and life that are in
his words.
His words, however, have not only natural life and breath in them; but
they have spiritual life and breath; and this means eternal life. My
brother, my sister, if the Word of Christ is in your heart you have a
holy, heavenly beating there of love to God and love to all his dear
people; and you have a holy, heavenly breathing after more knowledge
of his words, and for larger and clearer views of the revelations of
his grace. These are proofs of the inward, heavenly life in the soul.