[1] I observe, that _Christ_ and his forerunner _John_ in their parabolical discourses were wont to allude to things present. The old Prophets, when they would describe things emphatically, did not only draw parables from things which offered themselves, as from the rent of a garment, 1 _Sam._ xv. from the sabbatic year, _Isa._ xxxvii. from the vessels of a Potter, _Jer._ xviii, &c. but also when such fit objects were wanting, they supplied them by their own actions, as by rending a garment, 1 _Kings_ xi. by shooting, 2 _Kings_ xiii. by making bare their body, _Isa._ xx. by imposing significant names to their sons, _Isa._ viii. _Hos._ i. by hiding a girdle in the bank of _Euphrates_, _Jer._ xiii. by breaking a potter's vessel, _Jer._ xix. by putting on fetters and yokes, _Jer._ xxvii. by binding a book to a stone, and casting them both into _Euphrates_, _Jer._ li. by besieging a painted city, _Ezek._ iv. by dividing hair into three parts, _Ezek._ v. by making a chain, _Ezek._ vii. by carrying out houshold stuff like a captive and trembling, _Ezek._ xii, &c. By such kind of types the Prophets loved to speak. And _Christ_ being endued with a nobler prophetic spirit than the rest, excelled also in this kind of speaking, yet so as not to speak by his own actions, that was less grave and decent, but to turn into parables such things as offered themselves. On occasion of the harvest approaching, he admonishes his disciples once and again of the spiritual harvest, _John_ iv. 35. _Matth._ ix. 37. Seeing the lilies of the field, he admonishes his disciples about gay clothing, _Matth._ vi. 28. In allusion to the present season of fruits, he admonishes his disciples about knowing men by their fruits, _Matth._ vii. 16. In the time of the Passover, when trees put forth leaves, he bids his disciples _learn a parable from the fig tree: when its branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh_, &c. _Matth._ xxiv. 32. _Luke_ xxi. 29. The same day, alluding both to the season of the year and to his passion, which was to be two days after, he formed a parable of the time of fruits approaching, and the murdering of the heir, _Matth._ xxi. 33. Alluding at the same time, both to the money-changers whom he had newly driven out of the Temple, and to his passion at hand; he made a parable of a Noble-man going into a far country to receive a kingdom and return, and delivering his goods to his servants, and at his return condemning the slothful servant because he put not his money to the exchangers, _Matth._ xxv. 14. _Luke_ xix. 12. Being near the Temple where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for the sacrifices, he spake many things parabolically of sheep, of the shepherd, and of the door of the sheepfold; and discovers that he alluded to the sheepfolds which were to be hired in the market-place, by speaking of such folds as a thief could not enter by the door, nor the shepherd himself open, but a porter opened to the shepherd, _John_ x.