And persecutions rise,
He then forgets the word of truth,
And all his goodness dies.

The thorny place is one who hears,
And does the truth receive;
But finds that cares of life and wealth,
His mind and heart deceive.

The good and fertile ground is he
Who hears and understands;
And shows his, life obedient to
All that the truth commands.




II.


THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

My kingdom I will liken to,
A man who in his field
Sow'd good seed, and expected soon
A harvest it would yield.

But while his servants slept, there came
A wicked enemy,
And sow'd his _tares_ among the wheat,