hear the word, &c. In the case of these hearers the seed is rendered unproductive by the presence of things in the heart that are obnoxious to its proper growth. 1. 'Cares of the world.' Many are afflicted with anxious troubling and fretfulness about temporal things, fearing evils that never come, wanting to make changes that would not be improvements, and esteeming the earthly more than the heavenly. 2. The deceitfulness of riches.' Wealth often engenders pride. Men are apt to regard the possession of it as a ground for expecting long life. Luke xii. 15. Some, because they have large possessions, promise themselves a multitude of enjoyments, and overlook the dangers that belong to their station. 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, 17. It is difficult to have money and not love it, and so a hard thing for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Luke xviii. 24, 25. 3. The lusts of other things.' Among these may be mentioned such matters as ambition, and the pleasures of sense. the things here spoken of tend to choke the word of God. There may be the strik, leaves, and ears of profession and outward forms, but there is wanting the fruit of genuine righteousness. 20. And these are they which are - sown on good ground, &c. Not ground naturally good, but such as has been broken up and cleansed. Hearts of this kind have been prepared for the word, and the growth of the plant is carefully watched and guarded, and hence it comes to perfection, and yields abundance of good, ripe fruit.

All

HOMILETICAL HINTS.-Remark,-I. The preciousness of the gospel. It is compared to corn, and corn becomes bread, the earthly staff that supports our life. God's word is needed by the soul as much as food is by the body. This word is as pleasant and profitable to the spirit, as any food is to the flesh. This divine seed has in it a vast capacity for development and progress. No bounds can be set to the good arising from a heart and life filled with religion. II. This heavenly seed has to be scattered abroad on all parts of the human field. All men need Christ to save them. Jesus gave His life a ransom for all. His gospel has to be preached to every creature. Mark xvi. 15, 16.

III. It rests with each man to determine for himself what the issue shall be. It is not in our power to decide that there shall be no adversaries and dangers threatening us, no difficulties in our way, no influences at work around us, ending to neutralise the word; but the ground to be cultivated, and the growth of the seed, are under our own management. Take heed, therefore, how ye hear.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Sower.-A slight recess in the hill side, close upon the plain (Gennesareth), disclosed at once, in detail, and with a conjunction which I remember nowhere else in Palestine, every feature of the great parable. There was the undulating corn field descending to the water's edge. There was the trodden pathway running through the midst of it, with no fence or hedge to prevent the seed from falling here and there on either side of it, or upon it; itself hard with the constant tramp of horse, and mule, and human feet. There was the 'good' rich soil, which distinguishes the whole of that plain and its neighbourhood from the bare hills elsewhere descending into the lake, and which, where there is no interruption, produces one vast mass of corn. There was the rocky ground of the hill side protruding here and there through the cornfields, as elsewhere through the grassy slopes. There were

the large bushes of thorn-the 'nabk,' that kind of which tradition says that the crown of thorns was woven-springing up like the fruit trees of the more inland parts, in the very midst of the waving wheat.

Four kinds of Hearers.-There are four different kinds of hearers of the Word—those like a sponge that suck up good and bad together, and let both run out immediately; those like a sand-glass, that let what enters in at one ear pass out at the other, hearing without thinking; those like a strainer, letting go the good and retaining the bad; and those like a sieve, letting go the chaff, and retaining the good grain.

TALK WITH THE LITTLE ONES.

As Jesus was walking by the shore of the sea of Galilee a great crowd of people followed Him, and He went into a boat on the water and ranged the people who stood listening on the shore. He spoke to them in a parable, that is, a story which teaches a truth. He told them a man went to sow seed in a corn field. Some seed fell on the footpath running across the field. The birds flew down and picked it up. Some seed fell where the soil was thin and there was rock underneath. It soon grew up and soon; withered away. Some seed fell among briars that were growing in the field, and they choked or killed the seed. But other seed fell on good ground and brought forth a good harvest. This parable was to show the people how many different sorts of scholars and hearers there are. The seed means the gospel; and the ground the hearts of those who listen to it. Some hearts are hard like the footpath, &c. Make your hearts fruitful in God's word. 1. By listening to it thoughtfully. 2. By seeking to understand. 3. By trying to obey it in your life. 4. By teaching it to others.

CATECHISM ON THE LESSON.

How did Jesus teach the people by the sea? In parables. by the parable of the sower? How men hear God's word. the wayside? Those who neglect and lose the truth. stony ground? Those having no root in themselves. thorns? Those full of worldly cares. Those who keep the Word.

What is shown Who are those by Who are those on the Who are those among Who are those on good ground?

February 26.

THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM. Mark iv. 21-34.

GOLDEN TEXT.

Psalm lxxii. 16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

PREFATORY REMARKS.-There is considerable difference of opinion among travellers, botanists, and others, as to the species of plant alluded to by our Lord in His parable of the mustard-seed. Some suppose that he refers to a tree of somewhat large size, that grows about the sea of Galilee, produces its fruit in bunches resembling the currant, and yields a small seed that has a flavour very much like mustard, and is sometimes used for the same purpose.

Others think that the mustard-plant is meant. This was cultivated by the Jews in their gardens, and the seed is said to have been the smallest known in Hebrew agriculture. It grows in pods; and under the stimulating climate of Palestine the plant is sometimes high enough to reach to horses' bridles. The probability is that Jesus spoke of this, as it is hardly likely that if He had intended the mustard-tree, He would have classed it with herbs; though in other respects that tree would have suited His purpose very well, namely, to show that in His kingdom great results shall spring from small beginnings. EXPOSITORY NOTES.-In this section the Saviour supplies three illustrations of certain phases of His kingdom, for the purpose of instructing, stimulating, and encouraging His followers.

I. The use of a lighted candle. 21. And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? By bushel is meant a vessel for measuring corn and some other things. As the design of lighting a candle is to help and benefit the inmates of a house, so the Saviour intends that those to whom He gives the illumination of His word shall cause the heavenly light which is in them to shine on all around. We should not parade our piety for the sake of making a shew of it, as the Pharisees did theirs; but so let its divine beauty appear in our good works that others shall be shown the right way, and led to glorify God, both by praise and imitation. Matt. v. 16. 22-25. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested, &c. The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven which had been hid for ages were now being made known to these disciples, by the parables of the Master, but the knowledge which these followers were getting, was to be communicated without reserve to other men. God hides that He may reveal. The results of the sower's labour in scattering the heavenly seed may in many cases remain unknown for a good while, but a day is coming when the condition of every soul will be published abroad. These are matters of such serious moment that every one should attend to them, not only by hearing the right thing, but also by paying the utmost heed to what is said: With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. As these disciples dealt with others, God would deal with them. If in their Christian vocation they fully and faithfully proclaimed to their fellow men the glorious things that Jesus was teaching them from time to time, their store of heavenly riches would increase, and the joy of their hearts be made to abound; whereas, if they were indolent, timid, time-serving, and worldly, they would lose from their own souls and lives the influence of the gracious gift. In this case, by those that 'hear,' we are doubtless to understand such as receive the word of God with meekness and fear, and by diligent attention to it try to make it a blessing to both themselves and others. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. In these words is laid down what may be called the law of our stewardship as servants of the Most High. Cultivation leads to increase; neglect is visited with judicial deprivation. By the words'him that hath not,' we are to understand the steward who makes no right use of his trust, and thus lives as though he had none. Those who act thus will end in having nothing

A

II. The history of the growth of corn. The Saviour shows certain points of analogy between the two departments of God's government among menthe natural and the spiritual. 26, 27. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, &c. person sows corn in his field, and leaves it; having done that, he continues his usual course of life, sleeping by night, and waking by day; though he pays no further regard to what has been sown, the seed grows without his care, he knows not how. About this there is certainty, but there is also profound mystery. So it is in the spiritual realm. The heavenly sower casts the seed of salvation into human hearts. If those who receive it act towards it as they should, leaving it to take its appointed course, it grows. No man can explain the process of its growth; but the fact is there in undeniable clearness. 28, 29. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, &c. By the will of the Creator, the earth possesses a capacity for developing the vital principle in seed, for sustaining the plant in all the intervening stages between the germ and the full corn in the ear, and thus furnishing the reaper, when the time of harvest comes, with abundance of fruit to fill his barns. Likewise, under the superintendence of the Holy Ghost the spirit of man possesses a power to bring forth the fruits of righteousness. The truths of salvation are sown in the soul; there they take root, spring up, progress in proper order till they reach maturity, and then in due time the increase is garnered in the kingdom of heaven. In the province of grace, as in that of nature, there is nothing problematical, or uncertain. The whole thing is subject to fixed laws. If the right means be used, and the appointed conditions fulfilled, the promised result cannot fail.

III. The development of the mustard-seed. The enquiry made in v. 30, was most likely meant to excite attention in the listeners, that they might mark well what was about to follow, and thus become still further acquainted with the kingdom of heaven. 31, 32. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all seeds that be in the earth, &c. It is probable that in this parable the Lord intended to describe both the spiritual and historical development of redemption. In the individual soul the work of salvation sometimes begins in a very small portion of truth being lodged in the understanding or the heart. But the blessing of God quickens it into life, it gradually unfolds its marvellous forces until the entire nature is made to feel its hallowing influence, and the result is a character radiant with the beauty of holiness. Like things may be said of Christianity as an historical fact. Humanly speaking, it had a feeble and unpromising beginning. There was a grain of corn on the top of the mountains. Christ might be called a root out of a dry ground. He was of humble parentage, was reared in a lowly family, and lived in an obscure country village. His teachings were comparatively few in number, and generally very simple in form. His chosen friends belonged mostly to the poorer classes of society. Against Him and His cause the mightiest forces of earth and hell arrayed themselves. But in spite of all, His religion grew to such an extent, that in a very few years His followers were charged with turning the world upside down. To-day His religion is a great thing in the earth. It is a mighty force, moulding and sanctifying

human life wherever it touches it, so that millions of souls are lodging among its branches. It has to grow much greater yet in power and glory. Heb. viii. 10, 11. In this manner Christ instructed His disciples by parables, according to their ability to receive His word—that is, as they were capable of comprehending its meaning, and acting out its lessons; and what He taught publicly in parables, He explained to His followers in private, in order that they might see, understand, and be saved, and also be able to guide others in the way of life.

HOMILETICAL HINTS.-This portion of Scripture may serve to remind us that in the religion of Jesus Christ we have,

I. Privilege and obligation joined together. 1. The privilege. Christ gives us the power to enlighten and bless others. He does this by imparting to us a knowledge of saving truth, and bestowing on us the blessings which accompany that gift. 2. The obligation. We are required to spread the light into regions where other souls live and act. No man liveth to himself. We cannot shirk this duty without incurring guilt, and bringing on ourselves serious condemnation and loss.

II. Certainty combined with mystery. The word of truth is sown in our hearts by a Divine ordinance. There it grows according to the appointed method. We know not the process, and may sometimes be perplexed, and ready to doubt and fear. But if we watch with intelligence, faith, and hope, we shall see life and progress. John iii. 8. The bread shall be seen after many days.

III. The apparently small associated with the really great. The least becomes greatest, and the last first. In reality, there is nothing little in the kingdom of heaven. As, potentially, the oak is in the acorn, the man in the infant, and the mustard-plant in the tiny seed, so heaven is in the grace that converts a soul; and the mightiest empire the world has seen, or shall see, lay in those simple sayings of Christ by which men are saved from sin, and made holy. This seeming littleness may be here to confound the wise, and test our capacity for spiritual discernment and heavenly faith. Let us not despise things because they are small. Everything is great that has

Christ in it.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

The two seeds.-A gardener was about to sow some seeds, when one exclaimed, 'Oh, let me not be buried in the dark, damp earth! Why should I not remain in this warm sunshine where I am?' But the gardener threw the seed into the ground, and covered it, without regarding its complaint. As he did so, another seed fell out of his hand upon the stone close by, where it remained exposed to the sunshine and heat. In a short time it was parched and shrivelled up; while the buried seed was just at the same time beginning to shoot up a delicate little stem which ripened into a flower, and afterwards into the full-grown fruit. Was it not better to pass through the darkness first?

A dull scholar-Dr. Adam Clarke was, in early life, a notoriously dull scholar. He could hardly learn the alphabet, and became discouraged through the severity of his teachers. His teacher presented him to a stranger as a grievous dunce. Laying his hand on his head, the stranger said, 'This lad will