Christ's own exposition, the sower in this parable is God; the field, the world; the good seed, the just; the cockle, the wicked; the enemy, the world; and the angels, the reapers. God, on His part, wishes all men to be virtuous, and, with this good intention, gives His good seed; tout whilst men are asleep, and careless in the affairs of salvation, the devil sows cockle among the good grain; — thus some men become wicked. The cockle grows up with the good grain, and sometimes is hardly distinguishable from it; during this life, the wicked are often scarcely known from the good. Examine whether you ibe wheat or cockle, and do not sleep or be careless in your salvation, for fear of receiving injury from your enemy.
II. The just even are sometimes indiscreet, when they wish the wicked to be destroyed at once. " Wilt Thou that we go and gather them up." God, however, acts in a different manner, " He makes the sun to rise upon the good and the bad." (Matt. v. 45.) He waits with patience for the conversion of the wicked, and therefore does not wish them immediately to be gathered up. Imitate God in this patient forbearance in regard to your brethren, whose conduct displeases or disedifies you.
III. How differently this world terminates in regard to the good and the wicked. " Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles, to burn, but gather the wheat into My barn." Would you wish to be cockle or wheat? If you prefer to be wheat, suffer yourself to be purified by afflictions sent from God, and, by voluntary mortification, from all chaff, and separated from the cockle, for " nothing defiled can enter heaven." (Apoc. xxi. 27.)
