“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the house-holder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest, while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” And his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the Devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. Verses 36-39. Who hath ears to hear let him hear. Jesus used simple language to illustrate the glorious truths of the gospel. He used just such figures as people were perfectly familiar with; for instance, the net cast into the sea, the poor unlearned fishermen could see and get an idea from; then the leaven; the sower; the merchantman, &c. Again, in his explanation, of these parables, every one that had the love of God, could but see the beauty and glory of the dear Saviour's doctrines. The poor had the gospel preached unto them, bless the Lord, in such a way that they could understand by the aid of the holy Spirit. Hear these unlearned people heartily respond, when Jesus asked them, saying, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, yea, Lord. But what things? Why he had put forth parables, so that whether learned or not, the fisherman, the farmer or husbandman, and the women also in their domestic affairs, the merchantman and all, might be instructed and led to become heavenly minded. Leaving the greater part of the mighty field of these truths and feeling myself to be a little child among the dear brethren, I will confine my self to the parables of the tares, and, like the humble Galileans, would learn of him who is meek and lowly, an instructor of the unlearned, a teacher of babes; who when he had caused them to know wisdom, lifted up his voice, and said, I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, (why?) because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. Matt. xi, 25, 26. The blessing of God is upon those that hear and understand and keep these testimonies of Jesus and the commandments of God. Now what is wheat? Why, every person may understand it. It is good grain for use, that in harvest is gathered in and laid up: the precious fruit of the earth. Indeed, the poor widow, unto whom Elijah was sent, must have realized this with but a handful of meal or flour; it was all there was, all her living. O blessed God, thou didst lengthen it out and save alive the widow and the fatherless and the faithful servant of God. O my soul! I must praise him for keeping these dear souls alive through that terrible famine, and now in this mighty famine for hearing the word of the Lord, [Amos, viii, 1], since 1854, God has sent the third angel's message. Surely there is a handful of corn left; and the fruit of this handful shall shake like Lebanon. Pardon me, dear reader, for digressing. The third angel! sent to save us alive! Obey his voice! awful his work! fearful his mission! Who can but tremble at the word of the Lord which is borne unto us by him! That word will make an everlasting separation between the wheat and the tares, between the righteous and the wicked, the sacred and profane. The precious sons of God will be clearly manifested and separated from the vile, or those who will not hear and obey God, who has spoken by his Son from heaven, who worked the works of him that sent him. Not my own works but my Father's, not my own words, but my Father's. “I Jesus have sent mine angel,” &c. “And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be.” Lord, what works? The works that I wrought. I have kept my Father's commandments. John xv, 10.—Blessed are they that do his commandments. It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phil. ii, 13. Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast wrought all our works in us, margin, for us. Isa: xxvi, 12. The Father works: Jesus works: holy angels work, doing his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his words. Ps. ciii, 20. God is our potter: he is working for us a great work that will stand fire. These works will never be burned; love will never fail as long as the great Eternal shall exist; for God is love. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. Here is the commandment; that as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 2 John 6. Just as the servant's eyes are to his master, as he asks, What shall I do to-day? so we inquire of the Lord, What shall we do to-day? what is the word? Go work in my vineyard! It makes no difference what hour of the day we inquire, it is, Go work!—at the third hour, it is, Go work!—at the sixth hour, the same: just so at the ninth and eleventh: Go work! Well, what is the work? “Keep the commandments.” God is of one mind: he changeth not, nor altereth the thing that is gone out of his lips. Now if ye fulfill the royal law according to the scriptures, we shall do well and if by patient continuance in well doing, we seek for glory and honor, we shall receive immortality and eternal life: committing our souls unto God in well doing as unto a faithful creator. Jesus will say, Well done, good and faithful servant. Now is not well doing the fruits of the kingdom, the fruits of righteousness; God's holy law bringing forth much fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. The fruit of the Spirit, is, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness temperance; against such there is no law. If having these precious fruits does not show one to be created anew in Christ Jesus, unto good works tell me, I beseech thee what I shall do! Say! Is this the fruit of the kingdom? It is certainly the product of the word of the kingdom: by their fruit ye shall know them! Now let me inquire, is there any other present saving truth, but in the third angel's message, under the whole heaven? Surely, none! Is there any other thing to bring out a peculiar people? Surely I see nothing but the lovely banner of the third angel, the standard that is set up by the God of heaven. Under this let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free: and having done all to stand. We cannot say with the Watchman, that we have no position. Standing, is certainly a position: and God, by his Son from heaven, has commanded us at this awful moment, to have a position; viz., having done all, to stand; but this is a position: having our loins girded and our lamps burning, and we like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding. What are our lights? Taking Bro. Miller's rule, that scripture is its own expositor, The commandment is a lamp, (candle, margin,) and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Again: Are these the children of the kingdom?—Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city. Now we have just shown you who are blessed: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, &c. Blessed be the Lord, we have found out who the children of the kingdom are; the wheat. Now declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field, or world. The tares are the children of the wicked one; but how shall I know the tares? Thus saith the Son of God.—Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Matt. vii, 20. Ye shall know them by their fruits. We were once engaged, with several others, harvesting wheat; and there was among us an elderly man who was rather intelligent and observing. He pulled up by the roots a bunch of wheat, at first sight, appeared to be wheat. Said he to the owner of the crop, “Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence, then, hath it tares?” We all went and examined it for ourselves, and were surprised at what we beheld. We never till that moment knew but that any weed might be termed a tare, that was found among wheat; but we here learned a profitable lesson: the Lord teach us to profit by it. We now saw the propriety of letting both wheat and tares grow together until the harvest; for no man could tell the difference while it was growing, until we came to the fruit. Its roots, the blade, then the stalk, appeared like wheat. Had I been told to root up the tares, till I could have seen the fruit I should as soon have pulled up wheat as tares; but by their fruit ye shall know them. Now the fruit made manifest very plainly to every beholder, which was wheat and which was tares. While the wheat presented a snug little ear well filled with grain, and good for food, the tare had a great sprangling head, somewhat like oats in appearance; but on examining the fruit it had a dark outside, and the inside, or meat, of it was bad to the taste and unsavory. Now the good seed are the children of the kingdom: he that sowed the good seed is the Son of man. Jesus did sow in the world, wholly a right seed, and left a people bringing forth the fruits of the kingdom, of one accord, one heart and one soul: just like the work of God. Said Gabriel, He shall confirm the covenant, or will, with many for one week; seven years. In the midst of the week, we understand, he was cut off, and entered the Sanctuary in heaven by his own blood, the blood of the new testament, will, or covenant; for a testament is of force after men are dead; leaving these three years and a half for his disciples to confirm it. Thus we have a solid platform this side of the cross. Says God, by the mouth of David, “My covenant shall stand fast with him.” Now unless the covenant is confirmed, we deny, before God, that Jesus has ever made even his first advent into the world; for God has commanded us to believe the prophets. Moses declares the ten commandments to be the words of the covenant, and Gabriel declares that the Messiah would confirm the136covenant. Jesus did finish his mission on earth and received testimony, again and again, that he was the beloved Son in whom God was well pleased; with this most solemn admonition to those standing by, "Hear ye Him." Said Moses, It shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken to that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Moreover, we find all the New Testament written after the confirmation of the covenant, and every single writer bearing testimony to the faith of Jesus and commandments of God; one contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, another declaring that faith established God's law, not a single precept excepted; St. Paul meeting those who would have it made void, or abolished, with a veto from the Almighty; and John in his four books dwelling much upon it. Since, then, the Devil, through perdition's son, the man of sin, has sown tares, both have grown together; and through the first and second angels' messages no man was fully able to decide clearly; but now the great counterfeit detector has come, the third angel's message! The reprobate coin is detected; the things of Esau are being searched out with candles; the Mighty One with the sharp sickle is near; and the first vial of wrath will soon show to all men who are the worshippers of the beast. Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 1853.