THE instruction of the above-quoted verse it is well for every gospel laborer to always bear in mind. The great thing is to have good seed. “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:1111Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11)), we are told by the Lord Himself. Again, “The sower soweth the word” (Mark 4:1414The sower soweth the word. (Mark 4:14)).
If we know what to sow, another great point is to know where to sow. Scripture again directs us. “Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass” (Isa. 32:2020Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. (Isaiah 32:20)). That passage directs us to look for soil in which the seed may fructify, but reminds us, too, that it is to be sown with patience and diligence.
Without doubt there is also a moral state connected with sowing the word of life, viz., how to sow, for we read, “They that sow in team shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psa. 126: 5-6).
Sowing and reaping, God says, shall go together, and if we sow His word, fruit, sooner or later, is certain, since God has said, “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my month: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:10, 1110For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10‑11)).
There is yet another question—as to when to sow. Our quoted verse from Ecclesiastes speaks of morning and evening; but Paul goes a little further when he says to Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (2 Tim. 4:22Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (2 Timothy 4:2)). That is, always at it.
I refer to these various scriptures in order to encourage my fellow-laborers in the gospel to go on diligently with the work of the Lord. We are beginning a new year, and fain would I encourage those who preach the gospel by word of mouth, or scatter the written gospel—whether in the pages of this magazine, or by any other similar effort to spread the truth—to go on diligently and persistently with their blessed work, in the full assurance that sooner or later they will hear that their service is fruitful. During the thirty-five yeah in which I have edited a gospel magazine, I have received from all parts of the globe, countless letters describing the blessing to their souls which the writers have received through the pages of the serial; and for the encouragement of my co-workers, in both writing for and distributing the Gospel Messenger, I cull a few extracts from these epistles, which, I am persuaded, will gladden and cheer them, as they have encouraged me.