The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-07
YOUNG PEOPLES SOCIETIES.
Topic, THE Power of Small
Things" Mark ", 30-322.

The various young peoples societies of the
world will have for their topic tomorrow
evening The Power Of Small Things
based on the parable OF The Mustard
Seed as recorded in Mark iv. 3o-32.
In this parable Christ SAYS that the king
dom of heaven IS like unto a grain OF mus
tard seed, which. when il is sown. Is the least
of seeds. but when it IS grown bccometh the
greatest or herbs, so that the fowls Of the
air come and lodge in It's branches. Any
one familiar with this herb knows that the
parable Is based on fact. especially as cX-
empiifed in Eastern countries. TIE ques-
ton arises then as to how this represents
the kingdom Of God We answer:
Ffrst-in the smailness OF its beginning
The grain of mustard seed is among the
very least of seeds. and 81 would not seem
TO have any great possibilities wrapped up
In it. So it vas in the beginning Of Chris
tianity. For awhile Chris: was alcre in the
preaching OF the gospel; theI: he gathered
around him the twelve disciples, and after
the day of PenIecost their number increased
greatly. Even Christ was 10 his own pSO-
pie as q root out OF dry ground having
neither form nor cOmelinesS-" and ''he was
despiSed and rejected OF men" Certainly
the outlook for the kingdom of heaven in
C,hristS time was ANYTHING but promising.
1t was exceeding small, in its beginning.
SeconG-In its marvellous growth ana de-
velopment. As already indicated. this
growth began on the day Of Pentecost. and
under the evangelism OF St. Paul and s..
Peter II spread throughout the Roman En-
pire before the close of the First Century.
Notwithstanding imperial edic;s against
its churches rivaled in their elegance thu
palaces of the Caesars Since the RefOrma-
ton. in the Sixteenth Century. it has ex-
panded more than ever. unit! to-day IL has
a truly worldwide influence and organ MIA
ton Nor is 1t done growing. To-day. in
China, there is an apparent check TO the
missionary work that has been going on
for nearly a century. but il is still true that
God makes the wrath or men 20 praise him.
and Restraints the remainder thereof. He
that sits in the heavens SHAH laugh; the
Lord shall have them in deriS!On.' BE
still, and know thai l am God viii be sx-
allied among the heather; viii be exalted
in the earth
We may De assured. therefore, that out
Of the war in China will come victory for
the Kingdom OF heaven. and that nation will
be opened for the triUmphs Of Christianity
as never before. What il the. present her
membered that the blood Of martyrs is
the seed of the church." and the more
abundant the seed sown the greater The
harvest. Trace the history OF the church,
and II will be seen that a period Of perse-
cution has ever been followed by a period
of marvellous growth and development Of
the kingdom of heaven in the earth. II
was so in the case Of the ten prosecutions
that swept over the apostolic and post
apostolic churches; it was 50 in the days
of Luther, Ewing e. Calvin and Knox: IL
has been so In the history OF mission work
in India. Africa and the islands Of the sea.
Third-I'he mustard plant resembles the
Kingdom OF heaven in its heneficent infu-
ences. 1t is said Of 1t that the fowls Of the
air came and lodged in its branches, where
lhty received DOtn 1904 ana Sheirer. so Is
II In the kingdom of heaven. Wherever its
benign Influences are established there
men take refuge under the shadow OF the
Almighty, and their souls are refreshed
with the bread from heaven. This IS true.
not only In Il direct, but in an Indirect
sense, as wrought out In Christian civiliza-
ton. Nowhere Is life and property so Sc
cure as in nations dominated by the gospel
OF the lowly NaZarine. and nowhere does
civilization attain 'slch high rank as In
these same nations. From every point Of
view It Is true that the Inhabitants of earth
take refuge under the benign influences of
the kingdom of heaven.
What ia true Of the kingdom Of heaven
IN the world at large is equally true OF the
kingdom Of heaven in the individual soul!
As a rule II IS IN small beginnings merely
germ OF truth. but by and by # begins TO
grow, until finally IL dominates the whole
life. This fact affords ground for encour-
egement in the matter OF personal work for
the Master, and also in reference to the
matter OF growth in the individual Chris
tian life. We are not to be discouraged, but
remember That the husbandrlan waiteth
for the precious fruit of the ground and
hath long patience for it"