August 1

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." — Psalms 126:5.

THE Scriptures abound with allusions to husbandry and the arts of agriculture; we have an instance before us. Let us contemplate

THE BELIEVER'S SEED-TIME. It is a period of sorrow.

Let us justify the metaphor. In what respects may the Christian be compared to a sower? Here is the idea of diligence; what labor is required in the preparation of the soil before the seed is cast into it! the land must be ploughed, manured, and cultivated, or there can be no expectation of a crop. Will not this apply to spiritual things? God gives his word, sends his ministers, visits with affliction, and pours out his Spirit, that the fallow ground may be broken up, and the heart be made soft. Ministers must be diligent in their spiritual husbandry; prudence also is required. Much depends on the selection of a proper season for sowing, — the wind and weather must be watched. And have not Christians need of prudence? We must watch our seasons for doing good; our zeal is likely to do more harm than good, unless it be tempered with prudence. There must be confidence. The husbandman buries the grain in the earth, in hope of realizing a good harvest; and he believes this will be the case, according to the connection existing between causes and effects. The Christian sower needs hope. What is it that stimulates him in duties the most arduous, and supports him amidst difficulties the most trying, and often the most appalling? It is the hope of success. The husbandman requires patience; he must wait till the time of harvest — James v.

7. And so it is with the Christian; he shall reap in "due time."

Let us explain the truth. This will lead us to consider the believer as a sorrowful sower — "They that sow in tears." The first seeds are sown in the tears of repentance; and how often does he exclaim with tears in his eyes, "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief!" Lavington says, some of the best crops have been produced from seed sown in a storm. Paul speaks of "serving the Lord with many tears," and he says to Timothy, "being mindful of thy tears." How often have the minister's instructions been bedewed with his tears! The mother of Augustine is said to have planted the precepts of life in his mind by her words, watered them with her tears, and nourished them by her example. How delightful to remember that the seed-time of sorrow shall be succeeded with the harvest of joy!