GROWTH OF FAITH ILLUSTRATED BY A PARABLE.
One of our Savior's parables shows very beautifully how the word of God, when received in the heart, begins to grow and expand. In His parable of the sower He likens the word of God, or the Gospel, to a seed. (Luke 8: 5-16). Embodied within a tiny seed is the germ or source of a most marvelous power. It is one of the greatest forces of the natural world. Under proper conditions that little mite of matter is capable of the most remarkable development. When a gardener obtains a precious kind of seed, or one that will produce a desirable fruit, he will preserve it with care. He will thoroughly prepare the soil in which he plants it, and will do all in his power to favor its growth. The desire to receive the good fruit he has been told it will produce makes him hope that the seed is good. That hope or wish will inspire him with enough faith to make the test.
In due time after planting he finds that the seed has commenced to grow. It puts forth tiny leaves that appear above the soil, and his faith is strengthened. He is assured that the seed had the germ of life within it when he received it. He continues to favor its growth, by keeping down the weeds, by protecting it from the scorching heat of the sun and the blighting breath of the wind and frost. By doing this the gardener sees that the plant continues to increase in size and strength. Thread-like roots spread out in all directions beneath the soil to secure hold therein, as well as to procure sustenance for its life and growth A tender twig shoots upward to receive additional sustenance from the air and the sunlight. Day by day and year by year the plant continues to grow and gain strength, until eventually it becomes a mighty tree. The heat of the sun now only causes it to grow the stronger, and the fierce winds to make its root more firmly planted, so that no ordinary force can resist its power of expansion.
In due season the tree produces fruit of its kind. Its seeds ripen and fall to the earth, and they in turn grow, and thus the species is perpetuated forever.
With the ripening of the fruit the faith of the man who planted the tree is ripened into perfect knowledge. He knows what was told him about the seed was true, having thoroughly tested it.