s.

1. Thorns and thistles occupying the field suck in the sap which should
go to nourish the good seed, and leave it a living skeleton. The
capability of the ground is limited. The agriculturist scatters as much
seed in the field as it is capable of sustaining and bringing to
maturity. When weeds of rank growth spring up, their roots greedily and
masterfully drain the soil of its fatness for their own supply; and as
there is not enough both for them and the grain stalks, the weakest goes
to the wall. The lawful, useful, but feeble grain is deprived of its
sustenance by the more robust intruder. Under the ground as well as on
its surface, might crushes right. Robbers fatten on the spoil of loyal
citizens, and loyal citizens are left to starve. Moreover, the weeds are
indigenous in the soil: this is proved by the simple fact of their
presence, for certainly they were not sown there by the husbandman's
hand. The grain, on the other hand, is not native; it must be brought to
the spot and sown; it must be cherished and protected as a stranger. The
two occupants of the ground, consequently, are not on equal terms; it is
not a fair fight. The thorns are at home; the wheat is an exotic. The
thorns are robust and can hold their own; the wheat is delicate and
needs a protector. The weeds accordingly grow with luxuriance, while the
wheat stalks in the neighbourhood, cheated of their sustenance under
ground, become tall, empty, barren straws.

2. Thorns and thistles, favoured as indigenous plants by the
suitableness of soil and climate, outgrow the grain both in breadth and
height. The outspread leaves and branches of the weeds constitute a
thick screen between the ears of corn and the sunshine. Under that
blighting shadow, although the stalks may grow tall and the husks
develop themselves in their own exquisite natural forms, no solid seed
is formed or ripened. On the spot which the thorns usurped, the reaper
gathers only straw and chaff.

How vivid on both its sides is the picture, and how truthfully it
represents the case! The faculties of the human heart and mind are
limited, like the productive powers of the ground. Neither the
understanding nor the affections are endowed with an indefinite capacity
of reception. The soil, even where it is rich and deep, may be soon
exhausted, especially where the more gross and greedy weeds have taken
up their abode. You are convinced of sin and begin to cry for pardon;
you plead the Rede