Book iV. WICKED MEN coMPARED To TARE S. 781 METAPHOR. ·J. TARES are a low and bafe fort of Grain, of ·little Worth or Efteem in comparifon of Wheat, and- fome other Grain. If. If Tares are fown amongl1: Wheat, it is done by the Hand of . an Enemy, our of Spite and Ma– 'lice, to the Injury and Lofs of the Owner of the Field. PARALLEL. I. so the Children of the wicked One are a bafe .an'd contemptible fort of People, in com– parifon of the Children of God. ·!I. So the fpiritual or metaphorical T ares, viz. the Children of Belial, that grow in the Field of this \Vorld, were firlt fowed by the De1•il ; he is ·that Enemy who did it, i. e. he infufed by his ·Spirit, through the Corruptnefs of Mortals, that evil Seed into their HeartS, from whence thefe Tares fprin;r, out ·of Spite and Malice to God himtelf, whofe is tl;e Field, and alfo out of Spite and Malice to Mankind. !If. Tares crrowincr among Ill. So rhe Ungodly, or Children of the wicked "\Vheat, do'hurt~nd pr~judice the One, dwelling \\ ith or among rhc Saints, hun and "Vheat, hindering its Growth and greatly prejudice ~hef!1, hir~dering their Growth . flourilhing. in Grace and Godlinels. Sanh David, Wo is me, that I Jojourn ill 'Mefech, that! dwell in the 'Tents of Kedar! Pfal. cxx. 6. ft is a hard Matter to keep our Garmmts clean, and no way to defile them, living in the Midft of a w1cked and ungodly Generation. f+'ho can touch Pitch, and not be defiled therewith .1 The Ifrae!ites dwelling among the wicked Natives of the Land of Canaan, it is filid, le.<rmd tlxir IYorks, and ftrvcd their Gods, Pfd. cvi. 35, 36 IV. Tares, as Wilfon obferves, are folike Wheat whilll they are in the Blade, as hardly the one ean be ditc<rned from the other. ·IV. So H ypocrites feem fo like true and Ctncere ·Chnitians, that for a while the one can nardlv be koown~m~m~ ' V. The Man who had Tares V. So the Almighty, though there be ma ny fown among the Wheat in his H ypocrites, · l-Ieretick~, :md Keprobate~ in rhe Field whil:t Men fiept, would not V\1orld, would not have Magi!lrates or others to fuff,·r his Servanrs to pluck them pluck tl•em "P• for their Errors or Herely only, up, leaft fome of the Wheat fhou ld that is, detlroy them, or take them away by cor– be plucked up with them, buc let poral Punilhment and Oe:nh, k1!l they pull up them grow rogerher unril Harvefr, and deftroy 10me of hi.;; pn:ci~)us Sain:s with them, ""d then commands the Reapers to inftead of thofe Children of ti>e evil 'One, but feparate the one from theother, and would have them li ve or grow together in the Field the Wheat to gather into his B:un, of the World until the Harve!l, that is, the End ·-but the Tares to caft into the Fire; of the Wor!d. 'The Field is the World ; thegood Seed from whence it appears, that tho(e are the Childrm of the Ki11gdom ; bur .the 'Tares, 'the Tares were good for nothing bur Chrldren of tbe ·wicked One. 'The Enem;•that Jowed Fuel for the Fire, &c. .tbem is the Devil, the Harwjt zs the E11d of the !Vorld, aud the Reapers are tbe Angels. /Js there– fore the 'l'ares aregathered, and burnt in the Fir. ; fo foal/ it be i11 the End of the World: 'The So11 of Man Jhall fend forth his Angels, to gather out of his Kingdom all 'Things tbat offmd, and them that do Iniquity : A11djball caft tbem into a Fumacc of Fire ; therejha!l be weepin~ and gnajhing of '[eeth, Matt. xiii. 38, 39, 40, 4r, N F E R E N C E & I. THIS may put every Chriftian upon the Search and Examination of their Heam, leaft inttead of good \V11eat, they 010uld at !aft prove evil Tares. !I. It alfo reproves thole Magi!lrates, who in a blind Zeal perfecme Men for ReJi. gion, and Confcience fake, pretending they do it to defl:roy the Tarc:s, viz. Herericks, &c. whereas they know not but rhat thofe they perfecute may be good and f<~thful Chri!lians. Befides, it is a Work that belongs not to t!1em; God would have both, the one Sort may be very vile and imprudent Hereticks, Schiunaticks, &c. to .live to– get!m to the E nd of the World. 9N WICKED
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