AS we look upon the harvest field, thoughts of the year's labor arise in the mind, for in the golden sheaves lies the fruit of both plowman's and sower's toil, and the result of months of heaven's sunshine and of its refreshing rain. Paul may plant, Apollos water, but God alone gives the increase. A man may spend a lifetime in sowing good seed, which another, who is a reaper, may garner in almost at once; but the harvest will be the joy season, when both he that soweth and he that reapeth shall rejoice together. God has so ordained, in His field, that His several servants shall each do a part of His great work, the whole of which, complete and perfect, shall only be seen in eternity. We are frequently too much occupied with our own little part of this work, and thus we forget the great end God has in view; and by such partial sight, we either magnify our special occupation into undue importance, or lose heart as if it had no blessing attached to it. We cannot in one day be both sower and reaper! Patient continuance in the work of the field necessarily precedes harvesting.
The young naturally are more impatient for reaping than their seniors, just because they have had less experience in the lapse of time required for the seed to grow up. "Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days," said the wise man; and the apostle tells us, "In due season we shall reap, if we faint not." We would encourage our young friends in their Christian work—not to be disheartened because they do not all at once see the seed grow up; and not to expect that it will become ripe and fit for the sickle in a day, even when they see it grow up. We have also to remember that in God's harvest field, not only has the work to be done which He has appointed, but that the workman by his work has to be fitted for God's work. We learn while working; experience teaches; and the harvest field is frequently our school where we learn to trust in God alone, who gives the increase. At first, possibly, we almost thought we could command the blessing and make the seed to grow; nay, at first, we almost thought that we could sow the seed with the greatest ease; but experience taught us, that only by the power of God we could do this. The good seed of the kingdom is His Word, and we have to study and to pray over it in order to know how to use it. The souls of men are the soil, and we have to discover what they are like!
The golden harvest is ever a pleasing and a restful sight, speaking of work done and of the favor of God received. But it is also one of warning, for it declares to us the end—the end of the purpose of the plowing and the sowing, the end of the effect of the sunshine and the showers upon the field. The Lord tells us in His parable, Matt. 13, "The harvest is the end of the world" (or age); "and the reapers are the angels." There is a deep solemnity in these words. This age will have its close; it began with sowing, it will end with reaping. It began with the sowing of the seed of the kingdom, which is the Word of God; it will end with the results, which the distribution of the Word has effected in human hearts.
Think of the harvest and take courage. Look on to the day of glory when, life's toils over, our reward shall be to rejoice in our Lord's joy. He was the Sower—He will be the Reaper. He labored and He wept, He died for sinners, He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied; and every good and faithful servant of His shall receive His encouragement and His smile: "Well done enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”