He said, A man went out in the field to sow his seed. And as he threw the seed from his hand, some of it fell on the hard path by the road-side, and the birds flew down and ate it. Some fell on the rocks and stones where there was not much earth, and it soon grew up on top of the ground. But the sun's warm rays made it droop, and as it had no root, in a few days it was all dried up. Some of the seed fell where thorns and weeds were, and these took up all the room, so that there was no space for the seed to grow. The air and the sun could not get at it, and soon it was choked to death. But some of the seed fell in good ground, that the plough had made soft. The rain fell on it, the sun shone on it, and it sprang up and bore a large crop of grain. When the crowd had left Je-sus, the twelve came near to ask him what he had meant to teach by this talk of seeds that were sown here and there. Je-sus told them the seed was the good news that he came to preach. Those who preach, or teach, sow good or bad seed, which takes root in the mind or heart. Some who heard his words would not care for them, but would go on in their sins and feel no change of heart. New thoughts and fresh scenes would come and eat up the seed-thoughts that Je-sus had sown, as quick as the birds ate up the seed sown by the road-side. Some who heard him thought of his words for a-while, and tried for a short time to do right. But it did not last long. This was the seed that fell in the midst of stones, and sprang up at first, but in a few days was all dried up. Some would hear Je-sus preach, and were glad of the words that he spoke; but the cares of this world, their wealth, and the gay things of life, were so much in their thoughts that they could not do the things he had taught them. This was the seed that fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But there were some who heard Je-sus preach, and who tried each day to do as he taught them. This was the seed that fell in good ground, which took root and grew and brought forth ten times as much as had been sown. [Illustration: THE EN-E-MY SOW-ING TARES.] One of the talks of Je-sus was of a man who sowed good seed in his field. And while he slept a foe came and sowed tares, or weeds, in the midst of the wheat, and then went on his way. And when it was time for the wheat to grow up, the weeds grew up with it. And when the work-men on the farm saw this, they went at once to the man of the house, and said to him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Where then have these tares come from? He said to them, A foe has done this. The work-men said, Shall we go out, then, and pull them up by the roots? And he said, No, lest while you pull up the tares you pull up the wheat with them. Let both grow till it is time to reap the grain; and then I will say to the reap-ers, Pull up the tares first and bind them in stacks to burn. But put the wheat in my barn.