Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 13:43

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father Who hath ears to hear, let [illegible: 1 letter]im hear.

As in the Common practice of M[illegible: 1 letter]n, when they have a mind to pick their Corn, and have it clean, when it is Reaped, to set Men to Clean the Wheat, and to pick out the Tares, and having tyed them up in Bundles, to burn them, so (saith he) I will do. I will send my Ange[illegible: 1 letter]s at the Day of Judgment, and they shall out of my Church, take all impenitent Sinners, all those who in this World have been Scandals, and Offences, and Mischievous to my People, and who have made it their business to work Iniquity. And they shall cast them into a Furnace of Fire, where shall be wailing and Gnashing of Teeth. That is into Hell, which in regard of the severe Torments▪ which the Damned shall feel there, is often in Scripture compared to Fire, as Chap. 25.41. and in other Texts, by which is only set out to us, the dreadfulness of the Punishment of the Damned, that is Proportioned to, if not far exceeding that of the burning living Bodies in fire. Having thus expressed the punishment of Wicked Men, he Expoundeth what he means by gathering the Wheat into his Barn, viz. The taking of Righteous Men to Heaven. Then saith he, shall the Righteous, those whom I have Clothed with my Righteousness, and who have lived in obedience to my Will to that degree, that tho they be not perfectly Righteous, yet are sincere and upright, so as I have accepted them. Shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father, an Expression much like that of Dan. 12.2.3. Significative of that Glorious State of the Saints in Heaven, which no Eye having seen, nor Ear having heard, no Tongue is able to Express. He concludeth in the same manner, as he concludeth the Parable of the Sower, exciting his Hearers to a diligent Consideration, and Belief of what he had said. Our Saviour adding no particular Explication of the two Parable[illegible: 1 letter], delivered v, 31, 32, 33. the Disciples not asking him to explain them, and the Evangelist having put the Explication of the first Parable after them. It is reasonable, that tho I omitted the Explication of them in their proper place, yet I should add something here for the Benefit of those, who possibly will not be able so readily, to conceive our Saviours meaning in them, without an Interpreter, as the Disciples did, which is thought to be the reason, why they asked no Explication of them. The one is the Parable of the Grain of Mustard Seed, v. 31, 32. The other, the Parable of the Leaven hid in three Measures of Meal, v. 33. The Scope of both is the same. Our Saviour intended them both, to let his Disciples know the Success, that his Gospel should have over all the World, that they might not be discouraged at the little Success of it at present. To this purpose he compareth it. First, to a Grain of Mustard Seed, which he saith, is the least of all Seeds, that is one of the least of Seeds, or the least Seed, that produceth so great a Plant, but becomes a Tree so high, that the Birds of the Air, come and Lodg in the Branches of it. Tho that small Seed with us, runs up to a great heigth, and produceth a Plant which hath Branches considerable enough to Lodg Birds, which sit low, yet we must not Judge of what grew in those Countries, by what groweth in ours, there are strange, and almost incredible Stories, told of that Plant by Naturalists, as to its growth in some hot, and fertile Countries. Christ by this foretold his Disciples, what following Ages quickly verifyed, That the Heathen should entertain the Gospel, and the sound of it should go to the Ends of the Earth. Notwithstanding its present small appearance. Upon the same Score he compareth it to a little Leaven, which a Woman hid in three Measures of Meal, till the whole Mass of Meal was leavened. By these two Expressions, our Saviour also lets us know, the quick and powerful Nature of the Word. That Christs words are (as he said) Spirit of Life, and have an hidden and extraordinary Virtue in them. I do not think it worth the while to inquire into the content of these [non-Latin text not transcribed] or Measures of Meal, and why he mentioneth but three▪ They are Curiosities, the knowledge of which turneth to no account. Our Saviour certainly by the Expression, designed only to hint the small number of the Iews, that believed in him, but foretold a far greater Harvest. The Law should go forth out of Sion, and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem, as Isaiah Prophesied, Ch. 2.3. But many People (after them) should say, Com you, let us go up to the Mountain of the house of the Lord.

Marginal references: 1 Cor. 15.42.; Vers. 9.