And they all began with one voice to frame excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I must of necessity go and survey it: I pray thee hold me excused.

But take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts should be overloaded with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the anxious cares of life, and that day should come upon you unawares.

Be not anxious about any thing, but in every case by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known unto God.

for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is gone unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; Titus to Dalmatia.

And the lusts

that he might not spend the remaining space of life in the flesh after human passions, but the divine will.

Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Unfruitful

And now also the ax is laid to the root of the trees: every tree therefore which produceth not good fruit, is hewing down, and casting into the fire.

Every branch in me that beareth no fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he pruneth it clean, that it may bring forth more fruit.

For the earth which imbibes the rain which often falls upon it, and bringeth forth herbage suitable for those by whom it is cultured, receiveth a blessing from God;

For if these things are in your possession, and abounding, they will render you neither inactive nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These are in your feasts of love, as sunken rocks; though joining in your banquet, they feed themselves fearlessly; clouds without water carried about by the winds; trees untimely withering, fruitless, twice dead, rooted up;

General references

And other seeds fell among the thorns; and the thorns sprang up and choked them:

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it, and it produced no fruit.