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. THE SEED.
"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed,
some seed fell along the footpath; and the birds came and ate it up. Some seed
fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil, and it sprouted quickly because
it had no depth of earth; but when the sun rose the young corn was scorched, and
as it had no root it withered away. Some seed fell among thistles; and the
thistles shot up, and choked the corn.
And some of
the seed fell into good soil, where it bore fruit..."
(From Matt 13:4
"This is what the parable means.
The seed is the word of God. Those along
the footpath are the men who hear it, and then the devil comes and carries off
the word from their hearts for fear they should believe and be saved. The seed
sown on rock stands for those who receive the word with joy when they hear it,
but have no root; (1)
they are believers for a while, but in the time of
testing (2)
they desert. That which fell among thistles represents those who hear, but their
further growth is choked by cares and wealth and the pleasures of life, and they
bring nothing to maturity. (3)
But the seed in good
soil represents those who bring a good and honest heart to the hearing of the
word, hold it fast, and by their perseverance yield a harvest."
(Luke 8:12 "Moreover, the fruit of righteousness has its seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making peace." (James 3:18).
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