A Reply to his 22. Chapter: more of Tares.
pp. 43–459 passages
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
CHAP. 22. A Reply to his 22. Chapter: more of Tares.
Discusser.
In the former Parable, the Lord Jesus compared the kingdom of Heaven to the sowing of seed. The true Messengers of Christ are sowers, who cast the seed of the word of the Kingdom upon 4. sorts of ground; which 4. sorts of grounds, or hearts of men, cannot be supposed to be of the Church; nor ⟨p. 44⟩will it ever be proved, that the Church consisteth of any more sorts or natures of ground properly, but one, to wit, the honest and good ground. And the proper work of the Church concerneth the prosperity and flourishing of this sort of ground, and not of the other three sorts.
In the former Parable, the Lord Jesus compared the kingdome of Heaven to the sowing of seed. The true Messengers of Christ are sowers, who cast the seed of the word of the Kingdome upon 4. sorts of ground; which 4. sorts of grounds, or hearts of men, cannot be supposed to be of the Church; nor ⟨p. 44⟩will it ever be proved, that the Church consisteth of any more sorts or natures of ground properly, but one, to wit, the honest and good ground. And the proper work of the Church concerneth the prosperitie and flourishing of this sort of ground, and not of the other three sorts.
In the field of the world then are all those sorts of grounds, High-wayside, stony, thorny Hearers, as well as the honest and good ground. And I suppose it will not be said by the Answerer, that these three sorts of bad grounds were Hypocrites or Tares in the Church.