■'^r 
 
 <f. 
 
 \i'' 
 
 ^^'m 

 
 THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 A SERMON 
 
 PREACHED IN THE CnAVET, OF 
 
 ST. MARK'S COLLEGE, CHELSEA, 
 
 APRIL 2 5 T ri, 1865. 
 
 REV. DERWENT COLERIDGE, M.A., 
 
 RECTOR OF HANWELL, AND PREBENDAKY OF ST. PAUL's CATIF EDR AT, ; 
 LATE PRINCIPAL OF ST. MARK'S COLLEGE. 
 
 LONDON : 
 EDWARD MOXON & CO., DOVER STREET, \V. 
 
 1865. 
 
 PRICE SIXPENCE.
 
 TO THE 
 
 STUDENTS AND MASTERS, 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT, 
 
 OF ST. MARK'S COLLEGE, CHELSEA, 
 
 S^ljis Strmon, 
 
 PllEACIIED AT THE ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF THE COLLEGE, 
 
 St. Mark's Day, April 25th, 1SG5, 
 
 AND NOW published AT THEIR REQUEST, 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED, 
 
 TiY THEIR FAITHFUL FRIEND AND WELL-WISHEU, 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 Matthew xiii. 31. 
 
 " The kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, wliieli 
 a man took and sowed in liis field." 
 
 The parable of the Grain of Mustard Seed is one 
 of a series of similitudes, recounted with some 
 instructive variations, by each of the three first 
 Evangelists ; in which our Lord sets forth the 
 nature, rise and progress of the Church — the king- 
 dom of God, or of Heaven, founded by Him upon 
 earth. It is like seed cast into various soils, with 
 various results. It is like good seed intermingled with 
 tares, which are to spring up and grow together till 
 the harvest. It is like a very small seed, which yet, 
 under favourable conditions, may grow up into a 
 tree-like herb, with sheltering branches. It is like 
 leaven, an active principle, which presently stirs, 
 enlivens, and eventually qualifies the entire mass 
 into which it is introduced. It is a hid treasure, a 
 goodly pearl to be procured at any cost. It is like a 
 net, which gathers together both good and bad, to be 
 separated when it shall be drawn to the shore. — The 
 point specially brought out in the third of these 
 comparisons, which forms the text of my discourse,
 
 4 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 is that inherent power of growth in the Churcli 
 which from a small heginning issues in a large and 
 conspicuous product. Conditions more or less favour- 
 ahle are implied. The Divine seed must have heen 
 cast into a suitable and properly prepared soil ; it must 
 be watered by the dews and rain of heaven ; it must 
 be sufficiently protected from external injury. And 
 such is the case. Its growth may, indeed, be checked, 
 it may be stunted, distorted; it may lose a withered 
 branch ; it may have to recover from a partial blight ; 
 •^-for it has to struggle with counter influences op- 
 posed to life ; and it is liable to inward decay : but it 
 will not perish utterly ; for it springs from a lively 
 root, and the blessing of Heaven is upon it. The 
 image is taken from the world of nature; but we 
 cannot disengage the interpretation from moral con- 
 siderations. The soil into which the vigorous germ is 
 cast is the human heart — long prepared for its recep- 
 tion, and made capable, by a mysterious process, of 
 yielding the desired increase ; — yet not altogether a 
 good soil — far from wholly good. Man is himself 
 responsible for the issue. He is an agent in the 
 Divine husbandry, of which he is himself the subject. 
 His will must be brought into unison with the Divine 
 will, but only by means consistent with its character- 
 istic freedom. 
 
 There is a power of good to which all heaven and 
 earth bears witness, and which we believe to be the 
 original and eternal law of the universe. There is 
 also a power of evil, so general in its manifestations, 
 so fatally operative, that men have been tempted 
 to regard it as equally original and eternal with the 
 law of good. Faith teaches a different lesson. 
 It is but a canker at the root of the tree of life, 

 
 MUSTARD SEED. & 
 
 however introduced, wliicli the vital energy will 
 eventually overcome and throw off. 
 
 I shall take leave to turn these thoughts into a 
 particular channel. What is true of the whole is 
 true, within certain limits, of the parts, in so far as 
 they are integral, and partake of the common life. 
 Every seed that is planted, having an expansive 
 power of growth — every living seed — may be 
 expected to produce a certain increase, proportionate 
 to its culture, and the circumstances attending its 
 growth and development — what may be called its 
 external history. I propose to speak of the seed 
 which has been planted here in this educational 
 seed-plot — its nature and upspring — recounting, in 
 the briefest summary, the outward fortunes of the 
 institution, and shall, in conclusion, cast a glance 
 at the future, not as pretending to any gift of fore- 
 sight, but in trustful reliance upon a fruitful 
 principle and in submissive dependance on Divine 
 Providence. 
 
 A quarter of a century has now elapsed since the 
 design of the College was first conceived in its 
 general outline. In little more than a year it was 
 opened for the reception of students. The necessity 
 of an improved and extended system of national 
 education, accessible to all classes, had, from tow'ards 
 the close of the last century, occupied the thoughts 
 and employed the efforts of individual benevolence. 
 It was now beginning to excite public attention. 
 It was felt, as well in the interest of human 
 nature as of the social fabric, that a better and 
 fuller cultivation of the mental faculties was 
 required — not for the privileged orders only. It must 
 he. extended to "tlio liewers of wood and the drawers
 
 6 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 of water." It was a good in itself — at all events a 
 mean of good. It was a boon which the humblest 
 might claim, whether from his richer neighbour, in 
 the way of charity, or from the community at large, 
 on general grounds, and for its own sake. In some 
 way or other, education was to be offered to all ; but, 
 what were to be its direction and immediate aim ? 
 The question has both a secular and a religious aspect, 
 which may be viewed either separately or in combi- 
 nation. To some a more enlightened self-interest, 
 greater prudence, foresight and economy, more 
 worthy desires, a capacity for less debasing pleasures, 
 more skilful craftmanship, a quicker invention, and 
 a purer taste, appeared to be the appropriate fruits. 
 Such a produce would benefit both the individual 
 and the commonwealth. Keligion, however neces- 
 sary, was a thing apart. It must pursue its own 
 ends in its own way. It must not interpose any 
 obstacle in the path of public education. — By others 
 this view was regarded with little favour. A little 
 learning was a dangerous thing. More than a 
 little would not advance the welfare, and would lessen 
 the usefulness of the labouring poor. Their educa- 
 tion must at any rate be directed, if not limited, to 
 the precious privilege of reading God's written word, 
 and to suitable instruction in the truths of the 
 Gospel. If this occasion any inconvenience, it must 
 be overcome, or borne with. 
 
 These opposing views have still their respective 
 advocates. The prevailing system partakes more or 
 less of both. It is important, however, that the 
 principle of reconcilement should be clearly under- 
 stood, when a far more perfect combination might be 
 effected. As a matter of fact, popular education 
 has been mainly supported, and therefore directed,
 
 MUSTARD SEED, 7 
 
 by the religions feeliug of the country. Religious 
 zeal may not always be according to knowledge ; 
 but the restrictive character of the views with which 
 it has been more or less associated, is by no means im- 
 putable to the religious element. Every good and 
 perfect gift — the skill of Bezaleel, no less than the 
 wisdom of Moses, or the service of Aaron — is from 
 above — from the Father of lights, and must be con- 
 tinually referred to its divine source. Neither an 
 enlightened faith nor an enlightened policy views 
 wdth any alarm or jealousy the increase of human 
 knowledge, so called, in any order of men. All know- 
 ledge is, or may be, divine. Theology is the mother 
 of the arts in a wider sense than is commonly 
 attached to this adage, and may not repudiate or 
 neglect her humblest offspring. No other view is 
 consistent with Christian liberty, which cannot exist 
 without enlightenment. The Christian servant is 
 not to be a serf, whether his bondage be fixed by 
 law or secured by the faster chain of ignorance. He 
 is a brother beloved. There can be no Gibeonites in 
 the Christian commonwealth. 
 
 Popular education, thus regarded in a tnily reli- 
 gious light, may be limited by its means and oppor- 
 tunities, not by its aim. It seeks to plant a Divine 
 seed, capable of indefinite expansion, calculated to 
 produce all the fruits of a cultivated humanity, 
 restored to its true character, and rendered able to 
 follow its high destiny, in Christ. Therefore it de- 
 mands Christian guidance. Whatever knowledge 
 may awaken in its possessor the sense of freedom and 
 of duty — twin sisters that cannot live apart ; whatever 
 may develop his natural powers, and help to draw 
 out and direct his special faculties ; whatever may
 
 8 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 lend dignity to manual labour, and add skill and con- 
 trivance to mechanic craft ; whatever may rouse in 
 the son of toil an honourable desire to improve and 
 adorn his condition, to value home comforts, to under- 
 stand his OAvn true interests and those of his children, 
 to look forward and provide for the future — all such 
 knowledge may be freely offered, not only or so much 
 for its own sake, as because it is a condition and 
 accompaniment of that spiritual* energy — that living 
 life — which underlies the dying life of the body, and 
 which it is the special province of the religious 
 teacher to stimulate, to sustain, to inform. 
 
 But if these views may be accepted not merely as 
 safe, but as affording the only sure means of safety 
 to our social state — if so we may hope to supply both 
 food and medicine to the body politic — how much will 
 depend upon the schoolmaster ! Without a competent 
 teacher there can indeed be no good teaching. At 
 the time to which I have referred, this ob\dous truth, 
 long neglected, had forced itself into notice. It had 
 been thought that the children of the poor could be 
 cheaply and sufficiently instructed under very ordi- 
 nary superintendence, by suitable management. The 
 children were to teach each other. This and other 
 methods were tried, and were found wanting. It is not 
 necessary to examine their respective merits. Whether 
 carried on under a direct religious sanction, or left 
 to work independently, they laboured under one 
 capital defect. No machinery can supply the icant or 
 insufficiency of the living agent. It was now, at length, 
 admitted that as the schoolmaster such is the 
 school ; and it was further perceived that, to obtain 
 good schoolmasters, they must, as a rule, be trained 
 for their office. Here again the specialties of that
 
 MUSTARD SEED. 9 
 
 training were considered of prime importance. The 
 teacher must be well grounded in the elements of 
 learning. He must be habituated to the care of 
 children, and must be made acquainted with the best 
 models of systematic instruction. Fully recognizing 
 the necessity of such special preparation, it was yet 
 held by those to whom the design and institution of 
 St. Mark's College are chiefly due, that this super- 
 structure must rest upon a deeper basis. Without 
 a sense of duty, and a single-minded devotion to his 
 work, there could be no good schoolmaster. No 
 knowledge, no skill would supply this defect. To 
 implant, or at least to foster and mature this dutiful 
 and devoted spirit, he must be trained in the light 
 and in the warmth of a religious principle : a distinct 
 principle, or there could be no light ; openly pro- 
 fessed and encouraged, or there could be no warmth. 
 Accordingly, the College was established under the 
 auspices of a Society strictly connected with, and to 
 some considerable extent representing, the National 
 Church, in the matter of education. It was to teach 
 the doctrines, it was to conform to the discipline, 
 it was to w^car the venerable aspect of the National 
 Church, in the hope that it might be conducted in 
 the spirit of the Church Catholic ; in the belief that 
 so best it might do its part in advancing the kingdom 
 of God. As it was early said, this Chapel, with its 
 high and constant service, was to be the key-stone of 
 the arch. 
 
 So was the seed sown ; and, if it has exhibited any- 
 thing of a diviner quality — if it has borne any good 
 fruit — if it has shown any faculty of growth — let not 
 the piety, let not the prayers of the good men that 
 waited upon the sowing — many of them now gone to
 
 10 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 rest — be forgotten in the estimate. Yet, further, it 
 ^Yas held that no material apparatus, no outward 
 observance,, no specific teaching would avail unless 
 the subject of such teaching were fitly and sufficiently 
 prepared for its reception — unless the human mind, 
 the soil into which the seed was to be cast, were duly 
 cultivated. Hence the development and training of 
 the mental faculties, as distinct from, though in com- 
 bination with, the particular exercise for which they 
 were intended, was to be a characteristic feature of 
 the system. It was argued that unless these young 
 men were in some measure furnished for every good 
 work, they would be found but poorly furnished for 
 any good work. Particular proficiency is, for the 
 most part, but the casual direction of general power ; 
 and the particular work for which these students 
 were destined, — education in its fullest sense, if not in 
 its higher forms, — seemed to be such as might well 
 and worthily employ, if it did not absolutely require, 
 no inconsiderable amount of general faculty, vari- 
 ously cultivated. Accordingly a large, an expansive 
 and a trustful view of the question was entertained. 
 Starting from, and continually recurring to, that 
 sense of personal responsibility without which no 
 Christian workman is worthy of his calling, the best 
 and fullest education has been offered to each indi- 
 vidual, according to his measure, care being taken 
 that the particular application of his knowledge 
 should be constantly kept before him ; — in the confident 
 l)elief that the force of principle, the great and in- 
 dispensable requisite, would in each case be so 
 helped by the tendency of habit, and the strong 
 leading of circumstance, as to produce, upon the 
 whole, the contemplated results.
 
 MUSTARD SEED. 11 
 
 Of the outward fortunes of the College — the con- 
 ditions under which the seed thus' sown has sprung 
 up and flourished — I shall say hut a few words. 
 Upheld in the first instance by the admirable Society 
 under whose sanction it had been established, aided 
 by a few invaluable friends, it subsequently obtained 
 large and increasing assistance from the State, on 
 terms consistent with its own principles, and well 
 calculated to promote both its usefulness and its 
 expansion. By a series of liberal and enlightened 
 measures the Government of the country undei"took 
 to assist effectually, and in some sort to guide the 
 education of the people, in conjunction with the 
 religious bodies, and this without interfering injuri- 
 ously with their freedom of action. The best effects 
 ensued, as in the country at large, so in the growth 
 and development of the College. This public aclmow- 
 ledgment I feel to be due from me on the present 
 occasion. A different view has since prevailed in the 
 councils of the State. The responsibility involved in 
 the former line of proceeding has, it would seem, 
 been declined. I offer no opinion on this change. 
 Whether the Government — the responsible majesty, 
 will, or wisdom — of the nation, has anything to do, 
 or what it has to do, in its imperial character, as with 
 the defence and other national interests, so with the 
 education of the people — whether it lie under any 
 obligation on this score — are questions too difficult 
 and too extensive to be discussed here, if otherwise 
 appropriate. Rather let me return to the leading 
 thought of this discourse, while I set forth the funda- 
 mental truth that whatever support may still be 
 needed from without, the best hope of i)ermancnce 
 for this and for every other institution, human or
 
 12 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 Divine, is to be sought, under Providence, in the 
 vigour of the root and the vital sap that circulates 
 through the branches. And even as the stately tree, 
 increasing in strength as it grows, by virtue of the 
 silent energy that works from within, derives its 
 needful sustenance not only from the ground out of 
 which it springs, but from the leaves which it puts 
 forth, year by year, renewing evermore the life and 
 vigour of the parent trunk from which they hang — 
 so, passing from the image to that which it imper- 
 fectly represents, let me trust that those who year 
 after year go out from this College, separated but not 
 severed — still parts of the spreading organism, its 
 natural produce, and fitting ornament, may long 
 combine, each in the exercise of his proper function, 
 to keep up and nourish the central life. I say each 
 in the exercise of his proper function. I do not now 
 speak of material help — of sacrifices, more or less 
 costly, made in grateful requital for benefits received. 
 Whatever has been, or may be done, in this kind 
 derives its highest value from the feeling which it 
 indicates. It is by well doing, each at his own post, 
 and in his own line of duty — it is by the work which 
 they perform, by the character that they earn, and 
 the position that they occupy, that the alumni of St. 
 Mark's College will best sustain and protect their 
 Alma Mater — a band of hope, posted in difterent 
 stations, but united in spirit and in purpose. 
 
 Hitherto I have refrained from using the style of 
 a personal address, not wishing to obscure the 
 general interest of the subject by any transient or 
 temporary allusion. The few words of admonition 
 that follow, will most becomingly be directed to those 
 with whom my pastoral connection, though it has
 
 MUSTARD SEED. 1'^ 
 
 ceased in form, will ever be maintained in prayer and 
 love ; and here let me speak to yon who are present, 
 as representing the larger nnmber who are absent. 
 
 The lesson, suggested by the name yon bear as 
 students, past or present, of St. Mark's College, has 
 often been repeated in this place, on this your 
 anniyersary festival. The example of St. Mark — 
 the ministering youth, the aged saint ; — the weakness 
 which led him to shrink from the toil, the privations, 
 and the danger to which he was exposed in his 
 course of duty, with his signal repentance, known 
 to us by the fruit of his after life ; — this edifying 
 example has often been set before you. A less 
 obvious, but not less edifying, improvement may be 
 derived from his modesty, as shown in the com- 
 position of his Gospel — a modesty characteristic 
 not of himself alone, but of every human instrument, 
 similarly influenced and employed ; — every effective 
 agent in any Divine— any good and noble work. In 
 one casual incident — that of the young man who fled 
 away naked at the crucifixion, he has been supposed 
 to refer to himself; but he has withheld his name. 
 He has bequeathed to the Church a priceless treasure, 
 but he has left it to the Church to record the author 
 of the gift. This modesty — this forgetfulness of 
 self — this willingness to work for the work's sake, — 
 simply regarded as duty — or, if any further induce- 
 ment be wanting, for the sake of the high ends 
 which many sought and reached through the hum- 
 blest channels ; this modesty I would commend to 
 you with affectionate earnestness, as the best spirit 
 and only becoming form of your outward lives. Let 
 it not be supposed that this has to be sll0^vn in 
 ordinary cases, or is at all likely in your case to give
 
 11 THE GRAIN OF 
 
 occasion for any condescension, or notable self-abase- 
 ment ; still less that it is inconsistent with real 
 dignity, or with that true self-respect which every 
 man, and surely every Christian man, will do well to 
 cherish. Its outward manifestation is in exact 
 correspondence with the dictates of what we call 
 common, or, still better, good sense, and worldly 
 discretion. It has the promise of this life. Yet 
 the only source from which it will flow, purely, 
 constantly, and universally, is Christian humility. 
 This, while it will go far to secure peace of heart 
 and inward contentment, will lend a charm to your 
 outward manner and demeanour, rendering all rest- 
 less, suspicious, self-assertion as needless as it is, 
 too often, unbecoming. 
 
 And with Christian humility let there be united a 
 full measure of Christian earnestness, which is the 
 energy of Christian love. Whatever your hand 
 finds to do, do it wdth your might. Let not the 
 monotony of your occupation bring with it indolence, 
 languor, or neglect. There is indeed no real mono- 
 tony in your work. Every individual child may 
 open a field of fresh observation, awaken a new 
 interest, and stimulate to a particular effort. 
 
 In the last place, let me exhort you to be ''tempe- 
 rate in all things." There is a watchful self-govern- 
 ment demanded of all men, and of you with especial 
 strictness, as well by worldly prudence as by the far 
 higher code of Christian morals. But my meaning 
 goes beyond this. I have no wish to damp the 
 ardour of youthful feeling, or darken the out-look of 
 opening life ; yet there is an evenness of mind which 
 is the ordinary companion of cheerfulness ; a habit 
 of self-denial which is the surest pledge of lasting
 
 MUSTARD SEED. lO 
 
 enjoyment ; a moderated expectation, which lends 
 strength to hope, while it bafHes disappointment. 
 
 Modesty, earnestness, temperance — the virtues of 
 a man, are the graces of a Christian, and must he 
 sought from above. Long may the voice of prayer 
 be lifted up, day by day, in this chapel ! Long may 
 it be your privilege, and that of your successors, 
 here and elsewhere, to take your parts in " service 
 high, and anthem clear." But remember ! my young 
 friends, that this is an easy, and, even when accom- 
 panied by pleasurable feelings, may not be a profitable 
 exercise. To pray is not so easy. To pray faithfully, 
 earnestly, continually, is not an easy, nor I fear, an 
 ordinary attainment. It is the highest gift of God. 
 Seek it, wrestle for it, cling to it, as the very breath 
 of your spiritual life. Let my last word, addressed to 
 you in this sacred place — my last, as it has ever been 
 my first, fall distinctly upon your ears, and oh, may 
 it sink deeply in your hearts. That word is Vrancr. 
 
 So shall the seed sown in this College bear its 
 natural increase ; and so shall you return to the 
 parent tree, with which, however separate in place, 
 you are still, I trust, united in dutiful affection, the 
 strength and nourishment which you have received. 
 
 The kingdom of God, the spreading, towering, 
 sheltering herb, which has sprung up from the true 
 grain of mustard seed, inherits an everlasting pro- 
 mise. In some place, in some form and measure, 
 ever, we trust, more and more fully and perfectly, 
 the Divine idea will find its earthly counterpart. It 
 is not so with its several parts or manifestations. 
 They may perish, may be violently broken oft", or 
 insensibly pine and wither, whether by a less vital 
 intercommunion with the hidden root, or by the
 
 16 THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 secret will and mysterious procedure of all-controlling 
 Providence. They may cease to be wanted under 
 such a shape, and bearing such a name. Yet the 
 same instinct which covets and predicts immortality 
 for our personal selves, leads us to desire permanence 
 for the institutions which embody our human spirit, 
 and minister to human ends. I have ventured to 
 claim for this College, at least in its design and pur- 
 pose, a relation, however humble, yet subservient 
 to that divine kingdom, which, though it be not of 
 this world, is yet ever coming into the world, and 
 destined to come with, power. May we then look 
 forward, and in what direction ? First, if there 
 be any truth, any living energy in those principles 
 which I have endeavoured to illustrate, let us look 
 to the continued exhibition of those principles, in their 
 essential spirit, if with other applications, here at the 
 centre. Then, to the cordial co-operation and affec- 
 tionate support of all its members, each in his own 
 function, keeping up the life of the body, while he 
 preserves his ovra. Lastly, to w^hat we call the 
 course of events ; in other words, to the over- 
 ruling will of God. So regulated, so supported, so 
 divinely guided and protected, I trust and pray that 
 the future of St. Mark's College may be an ever- 
 expanding, ever-brightening image of its past. 
 
 RiciiAKD Baukett, Printer, 13, Mark Lane, LonJou.
 
 ."J
 
 '% 
 
 J