The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-23
ALL MEN SHOULD GROW
A LITTLE EVERY DAY.

The Reverend Hntort T. Lee craig
preached yesterday muraiaS ou the SUBJ oct
The Silent Growth q! the Kingdom @; God.
at the Church Of tn" Holy Communion. tie
took for his text: He said. whereunro shall
W i!hyu the Kingdom % GOG2 Gr uith
what comparison shall compare it," 81.
Mark IL. -. In part n spoke as follows:
The Jews Wet" weary Of EUWIu rule.
Caesars yoke was one Of oppression. Arch
claus ard Eorod .Aut,pae had sprung from
the hated race of the Edomites. ami they
had not a vestige of sympathy with the Y,o-
pic they governed They cared nothing for
the Jews law or for the Jews God. They
were the cruel tefr.rchs @. q foreign Power.
A@hirst the hetruess tyranny Of those pet
~ :. tIuyS th- nation ndG again an! again
.ebel!cd, only 10 he oveIpDTcrsd and lashed
into submission by the Roman sJldic:y.
Yet through all The suffering they en-
durrd. IN the uar knpSs Of their dcrut.F dis
pair. there Shone a star OF hop, which led
th,n II trust ana endure ana be patient.
The Old prophets told 8. "a mighty dr!iveTcr.
OF Il great King. who sto3ld come and gath
or the uutcastS Of Israel and free them from
al. foreign rule and power. The people be
loved vhea this Primo. should arise the
Roman eagle would no longer he the ensign
Of authority. for 'hc Roman legion would be
driven from their soil
At length 4 stern voice WAS lifted in the
wilderness proclaimiig a message to the ma
ton = prophet was ,t.cre calling the p-0-
rig to rCpt ataDc". and muititudsS flO,koi To
hear the man. upon whom il was evident,
God had poured n" common nor restrained
iflllNH ~ NE Sl'lIll tl4~ preacher SOU!
was fired with edrHestnv@s and enthusiasm
!Or his mission.
The GOODNESS, and haiG-hcar;stlnsss and
pride. and worldlinoss. AMI hypocrisy. ana
sin of l!s people had brought upon them
this dcsSu!3tion ana distress John the Bdp-
t.Sr SIN III III. Roman lash tn. scuurGc of
God. National sin leads always to nation Il
calamity. aohn was TeicTncT. lie be-
sought the people 10 confess and lorsHkc
their sin. In the voice of this stern prophet.
Cte.lia! righteousness Wa proc-aim'd
Soon Their" came ofc from his mountain
home at Aenon. where John was pre-. .hinS
and baptZnE, came as gdi.tlN as ta' sap
list himself haG emerged fTuIu his SvClUa'd
retreat. this NazareEe carpenter Car1e to
be baptized 0: John; not indeed. IL
he had committed none. lie rame needing
no repentance. lie wore such purity Of
countCnance which bespoke such rU~,.y at
heart and soul that the PioEs md sanity
John exclaimed. / have need 10 be- hap
Used of thee. and cnmost thou 10 M: lie
carried IN Countenaice anu character the
credentials OF Christ. The prophet rec
ognized in the Nazarerc tho lamb Of God,
who iakyth away the sins OF The world.
His baptism had different mranir-; from
that which John administered To the le1i-
tent. He must begin thc establishment %; the
kingdom IF heaven on earth. He Was the
kingdom OF which John preached, MN
how would the king establish this kingdom
How would he lay the foundation Of its
power and set M its authority Every
world Kingdom had been established hy the
force of arms. What other force than the
sNor,: and faco1 could break the Roman
rover and level the Roman garrison?
I'm the parable from which our text is
taken lie explains TO his followers:
1T shall, indeed. fulfil; the splendid vision
az Daniel. II shah conquer all the king
dom of carth-jts sway shall be universal.
Under its Gomiuion shall come all Erowt:
uf the world. But its beginning and its
growth shall ije different from that IT any
kingdom InsI: have ever seen WhcTeuuto
shall We lik'H IL. or with what comp riSuu
shall w compare 1T The great teacher
declared it should he like grain Of mus
tard seed which, when il t. scVn IN the
earth. is less than all the svs'is which be in
the. earth: but vhcn II IS :ovn Il EInveth
ur, ana hrComcth greater jEar all herbs,
and shooteth Uut great Branches, 50 that