persons had attached themselves, so that on the return of the missionaries to Tahiti at the termination of the war, they found a number of praying people; and they had little else to do but to help forward the work which God had so wonderfully and unexpectedly begun." 3

What is this, but the seed springing up and growing, the husbandman knows not how!

And then, when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. There is a fit time, when He who caused the seed to be sown, and the blade to grow up and flourish, gathers in the ripened grain. If we speak of an individual Christian, at the season when he sees fit, the heavenly husbandman will take him to his rest. And also when the fulness of time arrives, he will put in his sickle, and reap the great harvest of the world. "The Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him," and "gather the wheat into his garner."

One remark remains. In order that there may be the full corn in the ear, there must be first, the blade. There must be spiritual life. The seed must not be lying idle and inactive, so that no one could perceive whether any had been sown. The Lord must not have cause to say, what he said of the Israelites of old, "What could have been done more to my field, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth fruit,” is there no ear, no full corn in the ear? *

4

3 Williams' Enterprises in the South Sea, i. 16. 4 See Isa. v. 4.

LECTURE XXVIII.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMPARED TO A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED.

MARK iv. 30-34.

30. And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

31. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth.

There could be no more exact comparison of the state of the gospel, at the time when our Lord was speaking. It was indeed the least of all seeds that ever grew up into a stately tree.

The seed was sown in the earth, when, in fulfilment of prophecy, John the Baptist went throughout the country of Judea, saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The seed was sown, when Jesus declared his divine commission, the purpose for which he was "made man." "So God loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." The seed was sown, when he sent out his disciples through the land, and issued his invitation, "Come unto me, all

'Matt. iii. 2.

John iii 6.

3

4

ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But who "believed the report," and to whom was the "arm of the Lord revealed?" He was "called a Nazarene :" and shall "Christ come out of Galilee ?" "We know not this man, whence he is," said the chief priests and elders, they who influenced the opinions of the people: and asked contemptuously, "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?" 5 So that whoever then heard the Lord Jesus discoursing on heavenly things;

-saw those who stood around him and listened to him, "the common people ;"-saw his company formed of men who were lately casting their nets into the sea of Galilee;-saw those who worshipped him, a man who had been born blind, or a leper who had been cleansed, or a woman of Canaan;-saw those who honoured him and sung Hosannas to his name, the children and women as he passed along-would see what was sown to be the least of all seeds: would acknowledge the justness of the prophecy, " He shall grow up as a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground."

"6

32. But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."

Even before the death of Jesus, the tree was growing. The chief priests saw it needful to consult

3 Matt. xi. 28.

'As foretold by Isaiah, liii. 1.

5 See John vii. 41-53.

6 Isaiah liii. 2.

7 Travellers state this to be the case with the mustard tree of the East.

together, and said, "What do we?

For this man doeth many miracles; and if we let him alone, all men will believe in him." A few years after, "the word of God increased, and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”9 The complaint of the unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica acknowledges the growth of the plant;' for they said, "Those that have turned the world upside down have come hither also." And Demetrius at Ephesus stirred up his fellow craftsmen, saying, "Ye see how not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people." 2

So "mightily grew the word of God, and prevailed,” till at last the least of all seeds became greater than all herbs, and shot out great branches. Those false gods which the ancient countries of Europe and Asia had “ ignorantly worshipped," gave way before the God of all the earth and the temples which had been raised to Satan paid honour to him who came to destroy the works of Satan. The gospel grew up like a gigantic forest tree; which for a while is overshadowed by those around it, and remains unobserved amongst the rest: till at length it rises above them, and spreads its branches on every side, and attains the lofty height which belongs to its nature, while the small shrubs and plants below gradually disappear, and cannot continue to exist under its shade.

• John xi. 47.

1
1 Ib. xvii. 6.

9

Acts vi. 7.

? Ib. xix. 26.

But the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. The fowls of the air have nests, for which the branches of a spreading tree afford a proper resting place. They find a shelter there, in the night season, or during the raging of the tempest. And so St. Paul speaks of those who have found a shelter in the gospel, having "fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them." And our Lord in uttering this parable, foresaw the fulfilment of that prophecy which said concerning Jerusalem, "The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; all they gather themselves together, they come unto thee," they " fly as a cloud, like doves to their windows." 994 What else was it, when the darkness which covered the earth was dispersed, and the light of the gospel prevailed: when multitudes came "from the East and from the West, from the North and from the South, and sat down in the kingdom of God:" when all the nations which formed the vast empire of Rome one after another turned from the vanities of their idolatry "to serve the living and true God, and wait for his Son from heaven ?" 5 So that the least of all seeds to outward appearance and in earthly power, became greater than all herbs, and the fowls of the air lodged under its shadow.

And they are blessed who do find this resting place: experience the truth of the promise, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

3 Heb. vi. 18.

Isa. lx. 1-4.

5 1 Thess. i. 9.