and when the good purposes of his heavenly Father have been fulfilled in him and by him; at length the harvest comes, the sick lo is put in; meetened for heaven, ripened for the !!arner of the skies, he is taken home like a shock of corn in his season. 'l'hus to the child of God "to die is gain "-the gaiu of heaven for earth, of rest for labour, of glory everlasting instead of the varied sorrows of this present time.-J. J. G. Vers. 30-34. Parallel passage: Matt. xiii. 31, 32.-The mustai·d seed. I. DIFFEnENCB DETWEEN THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND THE LEAVEN. The latter parable refers rather to the growth of grace in the heart, the former to the extension of the Church in the world; the latter to the assimilating power of Divine grace in the human heart, the former to progressive development and final establishment of the Church on earth. II. THE SMALLNESS OF THE MUSTARD SEED. 'l'he smallness of the mustard seed if the expression be not proverbial, furnishes at least a striking and frequent subject of comparison. Thus,our Lord uses the illustration in reference to faith, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed;" and the present comparison, both here and in the parallel passage of St. Matthew, presents the same figure. III. THE PROGRESS OF THE CHURCH. While this parable may possibly refer to the progress of reli~ion in the heart, its best exemplification is found in the constantly and rapidly progres~ive extension of the Church of Christ since apostolic times. When all its members met in that upper room in Jerusalem, they numbered only e. hundred and twenty. Other believers, no doubt, were to be found in the holy city at that early day of the Church's history; but, be that as it may, the number above given included the entire membership of those who publicly met together and professed themselveB disciples of the Nazarene. Ten days after-the interval between the Ascension and Pentecost-there took place a signal outpouriug of the Holy Spirit, e.nd in connec- tion with St. Peter's sermon there were e.dded to the Church about three thouse.nd souls. Some short time after this, as we read in Acts iv., "the number of the men" who publicly avowed their faith in Christ "was about five thousand." The next notice of the numerical progress of the gospel is contained in Acts v., where we are informed that "believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men e.nd women." In the beginning of the very next chapter we have e.n incidente.l notice to the effect that "the number of the disciples was multiplied." A further and still fuller notice is found in the seventh verse of the same chapter (Acts vi.), where it is stated that "the Word of God increased; e.nd the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith." And all this occurred within a period of less than two years, and in the very place where the Fonnder of our holy religion had been put to death a.a a malefactor. Thus the mustard seed, comparatively, if not absolutely, the smallest of seeds, becomes e. plant, and the plant becomes a tree, and the tree spreads out its branches, and the bre.nches shelter with their shadow, and lodge the fowls of the air beneath their umbrageous foliage. So with the Church of Cbrist: it has spread from country to country; it has extended from continent to island, and from island to continent; it has enlarged its borders and multiplied its members. It has powerfully influenced a.II civilized nations, and all barbarous nations to which it has extended have become civilized. And now king- doms many and mighty repose in safety and rest in security under this widespread gospel tree, like the birds of the air taking refuge under and nestling among the branches of the magnificent mustard tree of this parahlll.-J. J. G. VerL 85-51.-(8(,e on eh. vi. 45-56.)-J. J. G.
EXPOSITION. be the true reading, from Gerasa, Gersa, CHAPTER V. or Kersa. There was another Gero.ea, Ver. 1.-And they came to the other side situe.ted at some distance from the sea, on of the sea. 'l'he other side of the sea would the borders of Arabia Petrma. 'l'he ruins be the BOUth-east side of the sea. Into the of the Gerasa, here referred to, have been oountry of the Gadarenee, or rather, Gera- recently discovered by Dr. Thomson, • The - , , which ill now generally admitted to Land and the Book'). Immecliately over OH, v. 1-4.3.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 20£1