well let us turn to God's words
in the portion that we were reading Matthew chapter 13 and directing
you to what we read here at verses 31 and 32 Matthew 13 verses 31 and 32, another parable
put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like
to a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field,
which indeed is the least of all seeds. But when it is grown,
it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. The parable of the mustard seed
is what we have in these two verses. Of course, you will have
observed as we read through this first part of the chapter that
it is one that is full of parables. There at verse 3, we're told
how He spake many things unto them
in parables. And then in those verses 34 and
35, all these things bake Jesus unto the multitude in parables. And without a parable spake he
not unto them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables. I
will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation
of the world and so in order to understand parabolic teaching
there in that 35th verse we are really directed back into the
Old Testament because the parabolic teaching of the Lord Jesus we're
told is a fulfillment of what was said long ago there in Psalm
78. So, if we turn just briefly to
that 78th Psalm, it's interesting to consider what the content
of that Psalm is. It's a maskil of Asaph according
to the title, and there at verse 2 the Psalmist says, I will open
my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of
old which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us. And then we see in what follows
in this psalm that really it's some record of God's dealings with
his ancient covenant people, the children of Israel. It's some recounting of their
history as we see there at verse 12 following for example. Marvelous things did he in the
sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt in the field of
Zohan. He divided the sea and caused
them to pass through and he made the waters to stand up as an
heap. In the daytime also he led them
with a cloud And all the night, with the light of fire, our God
was the one who brought them out of Egypt, delivered them,
brought them into the wilderness, and led them through the wilderness. And so the psalm continues. Then
verse 54, He brought them to the border of His sanctuary,
even to this mountain, which His right hand had purchased.
He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them
in inheritance by line. and made the tribes of Israel
to dwell in their tents. And so, what the psalmist has
said there at the beginning, I will open my mouth in a parable.
I will utter dark sayings of old. What is this parable? He
is simply recounting something of the dealings of God with the
children of Israel. So how does that help us to understand
parables? Well, see what he says in that
second verse. We have the parallelism that
is a significant feature of Hebrew poetry, where we have, as it
were, a double statement which is really declaring the same
truth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark
sayings of old." So, a parable is equivalent to a dark saying. And surely what we're to understand
is that underneath the history of the children of Israel, the
way in which the Lord God dealt with them in bringing them out
of Egypt, taking them through the wilderness bringing them
into the promised land in fact the whole of that history as
we have it set before us in the Old Testament underneath all
of that there are certain spiritual truths that we should be discerning. Again, remember the words that
we have at the end of the 107th psalm that very much speaks of
God's providences. Whoso is wise and will observe
these things, we're told, even they shall understand the loving
kindness of the Lord. A parable then is a form of teaching
in which underneath are certain lessons that are covered, dark
sayings, that we have to seek to discern the spiritual significance
of the story that is being told. And we know that with regards
to the children of Israel in the Old Testament, all these
things happened unto them for examples, for types, and they're
all written. Paul says to the Corinthians. They're all written for our learning.
Upon whom the ends of the world are come. They're all written
for we who are living in these last days in the gospel day. And so when we come to consider
the parables we're not to think that this is some sort of earthly
events that has some spiritual meaning and therefore it's a
simple illustration that the Lord is using to make matters
more clear and more easy to understand rather in the parables there's
a concealing the truth from some as there is a revealing of the
truth to others and doesn't the Lord say as much? When the disciples
come and ask the question in verse 10, Why speakest thou unto
them in parables? And the Lord's answer, Because
it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it is not given. And then verse 13,
Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing
see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which says,
By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing
ye shall see, and shall not perceive. The words spoken to the prophet
there in Isaiah chapter 6, verse 15, He continues, His people's
heart is waxed gross, their ears are dull of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with
their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But Blessed
are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. Or the spiritual significance
is that that is made apparent to those who are the Lord's people.
So what does Christ do with the first parable that we have here?
The parable of the sower and his seed. And we see that the
seed is the word of God, and as the Lord has spoken the parable,
so he goes on to interpret the parable as he speaks to his disciples. Hear ye therefore the parable
of the sower, he says. And we have the explanation there
at verse 18 following. But that explanation is given
to the disciples and not to the multitude. These things are concealed
from men. But by the Lord's teaching they
are revealed to His own disciples. And so, here in the words that
I read for our text, another parable we're told. Another parable
putting forth unto them, saying the kingdom of heaven is like
to a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field,
which indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown
it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air may come and lodge in the branches of
it." Now what is the Lord teaching then in this parable that we
come to consider this morning? Well, He is speaking of the Kingdom
of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God. It's the parable of the
mustard seed. But the theme I want to try to
draw out from what the Lord is saying in these two verses concerns
the growth of that kingdom of God. The growth of God's kingdom
is what the Lord is setting before the disciples and before us in
the words of this text. And first of all as we consider
the growth of the kingdom, I want to say something with regards
to the very inception of that kingdom, the beginning of that
kingdom. Christ says that the kingdom,
the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, grain
of mustard seed. And then he goes on to say, which
indeed is the least of all seeds. Now this is telling something
about how God's work begins, how God's kingdom comes into
being. It's like the grain of the smallest
of all seeds. Not the seed itself, just a small
grain of this tiny little seed. Interestingly, he goes on to
speak another parable in verse 33. The Kingdom of Heaven, he
says, is like unto leaven. And again, there you see what
is leaven. Well, it's a little thing that's hidden, but how
effective it is. But with regards to the parable
that we have at verse 33, it's the secretive nature, the hidden
nature of the kingdom of God that he is bringing out there.
And it's associated with what we have here in the text before
us this morning. And we see time and again the
Lord emphasizes the smallness of the beginning of his kingdom. There's another parable that
we have in Mark chapter 4, where he speaks of the blades, and
then he speaks of the ear and the full grain in the ear, remember.
In Mark 4, 28 he says, first the blades, then the ear, then
the foregrain in the ear. And so the beginning is barely
discernible, it's just a small blade that suddenly appears and
then it will begin to develop and to grow. And all of this
is teaching us something with regards to the way in which God's
work begins. And the way in which God's work
often begins in the soul of the sinner. With some, you see, their
faith initially is so small and weak in its exercise. Not all have a dramatic experience
of the grace of God. Some are favoured with that.
And doubtless we've read the accounts of men like John Bunyan. His grace abounding to the chief
of sinners. What a remarkable experience
that was of the grace of God. But of course Banyan is having
that remarkable experience because he's being equipped to do a remarkable
work. I mean, he's the author of that
book that we know as the Pilgrim's Progress. Now, the Lord, you
see, prepares the man to do the work. and so there is that that
is much more dramatic we might say and riveting in the way in
which the Lord God calls to himself a man like John Bunyan but others
their beginnings are small and thinking about this I thought
of a book that's not dissimilar in some ways to the Pilgrim's
Progress but it's not so well known and that's Huntington's
little book called the history of little faith in which he seeks
really to address himself who might feel that their beginnings
are so small and I've always been struck by the way in which
he addresses the reader in his preface to the history of little
faith and this is what he says he addresses himself and he gives
scriptures for all these descriptions to the weakly the sickly the
halting, the mourning, faint, feeble, and fearful. The fraternity
of Zion where they distinguish by the appellation of lambs,
kids, children, babes, doves, colies, ants, or whatever real
or figurative name they may bear in the divine and endless genealogy. He is taking these various scriptures
that speak of God's children by these various names and he
is seeking to address himself to these, you see, who feel that
their faith is such a feeble, faint faith. And yet, it is a
real faith. It is a real faith. Faith might
be small, and yet, though it is a small faith, it can also
be a very real faith. And we see it in the gospel,
when we think of that man who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ
with his sick child, and cries out, and with tears addresses
the Lord Jesus and says, Lord I believe, help thou my non-belief. How many feel that their faith
is so mixed with a great deal of unbelief at times it feels
as if that little blade of faith is going to be completely overwrought
by their unbelief. Again the disciples themselves
come to the Lord Jesus and say, Lord increase our faith. We might
feel that we have faith that is so weak and so small And we
need the Lord to come and to increase that faith that we trust
we have by His grace. We read there in Job 8, Though
thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end shall greatly
increase. If we only have a small faith
to begin with, what does that matter so long as it is genuine?
It's not a faith of our own making, it's that faith that is the gift
of God, that faith that has been wrought by the Spirit of God.
And if it is the Lord's planting, it will yet flourish and grow.
But beginnings that are small are not only to be understood
in terms of the individual's experience. Surely when we come
to consider the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, what small
beginnings, what small beginnings Just 12 disciples He sends out
to preach. Look at what we're told there
in chapter 10, the opening part of chapter 10. When He had called
unto Him His 12 disciples, He gave them power against unclean
spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease. Then we have their names. These
12 Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying go not into the way
of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel
and as ye go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Just 12 in fact one of them of
course would betray Him. He was not a true disciple of
the Lord. And so, after the Lord has accomplished His great work,
after He has made that great sin-atoning sacrifice, risen
again from the dead, about to ascend to heaven, remember how
at the end of this Gospel He gives commission to His disciples. And how many are they that are
commissioned there in chapter 28? Just 11 of them. Just 11
of them Verse 16, Then the eleven disciples
went away into Galilee, into a mountain, where Jesus had appointed
them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped
Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto
them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo,
I am with you all the way, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Who is this commission given to? Eleven. Eleven men. They worship Him, but some of
them don't. They have such small faith. But
here is their authority, you see. It's all seated in the Lord
Jesus Christ, all power, all authority is given unto me, he
says. And lo, I am with you, always,
even unto the end of the world. Oh, but what a small beginning. And this is the beginning of
the Kingdom of Heaven, the beginning of the Kingdom of God. And it's
a small beginning. Who hath despised the day of
small things? Oh, what call we small things?
Let us be careful, you see, we're not to despise small things.
It's the Gospel, and it's the beginning of the Gospel that
we have there, and it's what the Lord is teaching here in
this parable, the Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of
mustard seed. which a man took and sowed in
his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds. Oh, what
small beginnings! We sometimes sing the words of
that hymn, 778, but what call we small things? Since all cancels
some, it is greater than all things, except things to come.
There's nothing surely greater than the Gospel of the Lord Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation,
says Paul, to everyone that believes. But the beginnings, the inception
of this kingdom, it's likened here to a grain of mustard seed. It's small, very small, but also
the beginnings, we might say, are contemptible. They're contemptible. Men despise
The men reject these things. It's interesting when we have
Luke's account of this particular parable, we see in Luke's account
that the context is somewhat different. It's there in Luke
chapter 13. Luke chapter 13 verses 18 and 19. Then said he, Unto what is the
kingdom of God like, and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like
a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his
garden, and it grew, and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of
the air lodged in the branches of it. And then later at verse
22 we're told he went through the cities and villages teaching
and journeying toward Jerusalem. That's the context. He is going
to Jerusalem. Now what's the significance of
his going to Jerusalem there in Luke 13? Well it's his final
journey to the city. As we see back in Luke 9.51 when
the time was come that he should be received up He steadfastly
set his face to go to Jerusalem. He knew he's on this journey
now and what he's going to result in, it's going to result in him
being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, enduring that
mockery of a trial and then being crucified. His time was come. that he should be received up. And as he's making that journey,
he tells this particular parable to his disciples. The context
then is very important. How did Christ procure the salvation? What was really that that accomplished
the kingdom of God upon earth? It was the crucifixion of Christ.
He must die, and he will see of the travail of his soul, is
the promise of the of the prophecy back in Isaiah
53. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. Our precious blood. It's never
going to lose its power till all the ransomed church of God
is saved to sin no more. But remember what that death
was. Why we're told aren't we there in 2nd Corinthians 13.4
He was crucified through weakness. He was crucified through weakness.
What is that weakness? We know He is never anything
less than God and He is God Almighty. He is the Eternal Son, He is
equal to the Eternal Father and the Eternal Spirit. There is
no inferiority in the Godhead. Father, Son and Holy Ghost are
equal. All power belongs to God the
Son and yet This is the great mystery, of course, of godliness,
the mystery of the Incarnation, God manifest in the flesh, the
weakness, the weakness of that human nature that he takes, and
he's going to die, crucified through weakness. All behold,
from what beginning small, a great salvation rose. The strength
of God is owned by all, but who its weakness knows. This is the
beginning. This is the inception. What does
the Lord Jesus Christ utter as he dies here upon the cross?
Well, we have the language of course of Psalm 22. Then he says, I'm a worm and
no man. The reproach of men and despised
of the people. That's how he feels himself as
he comes to die. Oh, how that holy, righteous
and just man is made a curse he dies at a cursed death Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse
for us for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on the
truth it's so contemptible and yet this is the beginning this
is the inception of God's kingdom in the earth His parable, the kingdom of heaven
is like to a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed
in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds. Or remember
how on another occasion Christ speaks of another seed, the corn
of wheat. The corn of wheat there in John
12, 24, verily, verily, He prefixes what he's about to say with that
double verily. That's not just underlining the
statement, that's underscoring the statement. Verily. Verily. I say unto you, except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. That's how he speaks then. of
the beginning, the inception of the kingdom of God. But here,
as the Lord is speaking of that kingdom, He also goes on to speak
of how it's going to increase and grow. Verse 32, which indeed is the
least of all seeds. But, when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree. so that the
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Oh,
this is the success of the kingdom. Christ does not suffer and bleed
and die in vain. Isn't that the great truth really
of limited atonement, particular redemption? He actually accomplished
salvation by that death. He saved. He doesn't just make
sinners salvable, He actually saved His people by the shedding
of His precious blood. This is the work of God, what
God begins, God accomplishes. His works are not frustrated.
He says in the prophecy of Isaiah, shall I bring to the birth and
not cause to bring forth. Shall I cause to bring forth
and shut up the womb, saith thy God? No, that's not the way of
God. When the Apostle writes to the
church at Philippi, he reminds them, be in confidence of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. What God begins, God
performs. And so though the beginning might
be small, And though this morning, you see, we might feel, well,
my faith is such a small, insignificant faith. Sometimes I wonder if
I have any real faith at all. But if we have faith as a grain
of mustard seed, we can rest assured that God will keep us. We'll be kept by that power of
God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time. Although thy beginning was small,
thy latter end shall greatly increase." And as we think of
the increase of the Kingdom of God, I want to mention two things. The word of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the power of God. When the Lord Jesus Christ begins
His ministry What is it that he proclaims? Well, we're told,
aren't we, in the very first chapter of Mark's Gospel, the
shortest of all the Gospels, and of course, in Mark's Gospel,
we're sort of straight in, aren't we? There's no real account of
the birth of Christ, we're just immediately introduced to the ministry of Christ. The
forerunner John the Baptist is put into prison and then we see
our Christ Jesus comes into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God saying, the time is fulfilled. That's how
he begins, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Repent ye and believe the gospel. And that's how we're introduced.
It's there in the very first chapter of Mark's gospel. He comes preaching this gospel
of the kingdom and declares how the time is fulfilled. He's preaching
the gospel of the kingdom and he says people are to repent
and believe the gospel. And I think there's some instruction
there for us. You see, there are those who
are troubled. They might think, well, I have such a little faith. Is it real faith? And then they
begin to question themselves, well, am I really one of those
of the election of grace? How can I ever know that God
has willed that I should be saved? Well, they're asking the wrong
question, really. It's true that in the purpose of God, of course,
election stands at the very beginning, but when it comes to the revelation
of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, divine sovereignty is
to be discovered in calling, isn't it? We know that the secret things
belong unto the Lord our God, the things that are revealed
belong unto us and our children. What are the things that are
revealed? God's calling. and remember how Peter puts it
there in the opening chapter of his second epistle he says
give diligence to make your calling and election sure he puts the
calling before the election because that's how it is when it comes
to God's dealings in the day of Christ there is a call And
what does the Lord Jesus Christ say concerning those that are
given unto Him of the Father? He makes it quite clear that
anyone who comes unto Him, as the gospel called is made, anyone
who comes, anyone who believes in Him, looks to Him, trusts
in Him, He will in no wise cast out. That's where we're to consider this gospel. is preaching of
the kingdom of heaven. It's the call of grace, it's
the call of God. It's effectual calling, yes.
But if that call has come and we are those who are looking
to Christ and recognize that there can be salvation in none
other. There's nothing we can do of
ourselves, we can only cast ourselves upon Him. We're not to torment
ourselves with thoughts of God's eternal purposes. The Lord Jesus
comes and when he begins to preach this gospel of the kingdom he
says repent and believe the gospel. He makes it quite clear that
his kingdom is not a temporal kingdom, his kingdom is a spiritual
kingdom. It's a kingdom that is taking
place in the very hearts of men, in the depths of the sinner's
soul. Why doesn't He say, the Kingdom of God is within you?
There in Luke chapter 17 and verse 21, behold, the Kingdom
of God is within you. Previously He says, that Kingdom
doesn't come with observation. The margin says it doesn't come
without good show. It's nothing external. It's not
the pomp and ceremony that we associate with the kingdoms of
this world or the grandeur of earthly kingdoms. It doesn't
come in that fashion. It is altogether spiritual in
its very nature. Christ says to Pontius Pilate,
my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world,
then would my disciples fight? No, God's kingdom is that that
is an inward. We might say, in a sense, it's
that hidden kingdom, as we see in the next parable. verse 33
the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened
secretly, sovereignly that's how God works in the soul of
the sinner and again I remind you of those words we've already
made some reference to them in Mark chapter 4 verse 26 so is the kingdom of
God as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep
and rise night and day and the seed should spring and grow up
he knoweth not how for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself
first the blade then the ear after that the full corn in the
ear but when the fruit is brought forth immediately he put it in
the sickle because the harvest is come All the man knoweth not
how. It's a remarkable work, it's
a mighty work of God. Not of him that willeth, nor
of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Where does
it begin? It begins where there is that
communication of spiritual life. It begins in the new birth. Which were born not of blood,
it says, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God. And that life might be evident in just a little faith. But that little faith is a real
looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, that recognition that one can
do nothing for oneself, that salvation is altogether of the
Lord. Well, this is the kingdom that
is proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It's Christ's preaching that
we have there in Mark right in the opening chapter,
and of course we have it recorded in all of the Gospels. But as
it is the word of Christ, so it is also the power of God,
because where the word of a king is, there is power. And what
do we see here in the parable concerning this grain of mustard
seed? It is the greatest of herbs,
we're told. When it is grown, it is the greatest
of herbs and become us a tree, so that the birds of the air
come and lodge in the branches thereof. The birds of the air. Hasn't the Lord spoken of these
birds of the air previously? In that parable of the sower
and his seed? Verse 4, when he sowed some seeds
fell by the wayside and the fowls came and he bowed them up. All
these are the birds of the air, these fowl. And remember how
the Lord interprets that parable. Verse 19, when heareth the word
of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked
one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart Of these
birds of the air, these fowl, the Lord said, that's the wicked
one. Oh, that's Satan. And yet here we're told how the
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches of this great
tree. Does it not remind us of the
remarkable power of the grace of God in salvation. Those who
were once the subjects of Satan are brought to the Lord Jesus
Christ. As we're told there in 2 Timothy 2, 26, that they may
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken
captive by him at his will. The very ones who are in the
grip of Satan are those who come, and as it were, launch in the
branches of this tree. You see their salvation for the
greatest of sinners. Remember the language of the
Apostle when he addresses the Corinthians there in his first
epistle, 1 Corinthians chapter 6. What does he say at verse
9? Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be ye not deceived, neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit
the kingdom of God." What a catalogue of sinners! and such characters
shall not inherit the kingdom of God." But then Paul says,
"...and such were some of you, but you are washed, but you are
sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God." Oh, there is salvation for the
grossest of sinners. But there's the salvation also
for sinners who are far worse than those characters self-righteous
sinners wasn't that what the apostle himself was and he recognized
that he was such a proud Pharisee he imagined that he was one who
would obey and kept perfectly the law of God touching the righteousness
which is of the law blameless that was his language as a Pharisee
No, we had righteousnesses. But then he realized by the grace
of God that all those righteousnesses were nothing but filthy rags.
He recognized that really he was the chief of sinners. He was the chief of sinners.
He was in the very grip of Satan. You see their salvation for sinners. Sinners like you, sinners like
me, we're all sinners. but the Lord Jesus Christ is
the man that receiveth sinners and eateth with them or that we might be those then
who don't despise the day of small things if we have faith
even faith as a grain of mustard seed why all things are possible
to that faith you know again I've referred to the words that
we have there in that 17th chapter of Luke. Luke 17 at verse 5 where
the apostles come and say to the Lord increase our faith. How does the Lord answer that
request? Lord increase our faith. The
Lord said if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed it's
the same figure, isn't it, that he uses of the kingdom of God's
the kingdom of God is like unto the grain of mustard seed if
you had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this thick
of mine tree be thou plucked up by the roots and be thou planted
in the sea and it should obey you you see the truth of course
is this, that it's not it's not our faith that saves
us faith doesn't save us Christ is the only saviour and faith
has to do with Christ and the great object that's the great
object of our faith though our faith might be small and weak
insignificant and though you might say at times I'm so full
of fears and doubts I wonder do I have any real faith Well, we have to look away, don't
we? From ourselves. It's looking to that blessed
object, looking onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We see God's work at such a low
ebb. It is a day of small things,
not only in our own souls. We feel it when we look around
us, when we consider the state of the true Church of Jesus Christ. a day of small things and we
wonder where will all the scene end? I think we're not going
to sing this hymn but I think as I close of the language that
we have in the hymn 1047 one of the hymns of Thomas Cully
and I'll close this morning with the last two
verses of that hymn 1047 By whom shall Jacob now arise? Can any tell by whom? Say, shall
this branch that withered lies again revive and bloom? Lord,
thou canst tell. The work is thine, the help of
man is vain. On Jacob now arise and shine,
and he shall live again. Amen.