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man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Mamma. Yes, my children; and as we are all born with corrupt hearts, we all by nature sow to the flesh, even little children, as I have often seen in Norfolk very young children "dropping" as they call it there. The labourer goes first, and dibbles the holes in the fields, and the child follows, dropping in a seed which will spring up afterwards. Our hearts by nature, are like that ground of which St. Paul speaks (Heb. vi. 8), "which beareth thorns and briars." But how is the good seed ever to be sown in such soil?

Arthur. Oh! Mamma, we found the command-" Break up your fallow-ground, and sow not among thorns." (Jer. iv. 3.) But how is this to be done?

Papa. Sometimes, my boy, God takes the heavy plough of affliction, and cuts down the entangling thorns of sin-sometimes the sharp harrow of pain, and breaks up the rude rough earth-clods of unbelief. But, perhaps, more often still, as you have lately seen the gentle dews and showers of spring loosen and soften the hard, impenetrable furrows, the Holy Spirit descends with his gentle influences upon the heart in earliest childhood, and so prepares

it for the good seed. May God grant that my dear children's hearts may thus be softened with his early grace! Read, Lily, Psalm lxv. 10 [Lily reads] :-" Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; thou settlest the furrows thereof thou makest it soft with showers : thou blessest the springing thereof.' But the most carefully-prepared soil still would not bring forth fruit of itself, my children,—would it?

Mary Oh, no, Papa; it must be sown. But we all found out the Parable of the Sower. May I read it? "Behold a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way-side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was up, they were scorched and because they had no root, they withered away; and some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them. But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." (Matt. xiii.

3-8.)

Mamma. We must not go into this fully now; but I know my children have not forgotten our lessons on the parables. What is the seed?

Arthur. The word of God, Mamma. "The sower soweth the word." (Mark iv. 14.)

Mamma. And you will find those spoken of who are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Pet. i. 23.) The Lord Jesus sends his Word, "the truth of the Gospel," into hearts softened by his Holy Spirit, and thus saves the soul. This makes us long that our children should learn and know the Scriptures, like young Timothy, which can make them wise unto salvation. Who, then, is the sower, Lily?

Lily. The Lord Jesus, Mamma; for in that same chapter, when Jesus is explaining the Parable of the Tares, He says,-" He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man." (Ver. 37.)

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Papa. And He has many labourers under Him, to whom He gives seed to scatter in his corn-fields, commanding them-" Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy " (Hosea x. 12), assuring them "the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace (James iii. 18), and promising them, "to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward." (Prov. xi. 18.) But the seed does not spring up, nor the fruit come, in one night, Lily; does it?

Lilly. No, dear Papa. I know why you

asked me, because last year I was always raking up the ground where I had sown the blue mnemophila seed; but that was a long, long time ago, and I know much better now. And I found a text, too, about patient waiting"Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain." (James v. 7.)

Mary. And St. Paul says " Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Gal. vi. 9.)

Arthur. And even when the seed has sprung up, we have to wait; for Jesus says "The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear; but when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." (Mark iv. 28-29.)

Mamma. And if you look at the next verses you will see how the kingdom of God grows from the smallest seed to a large tree. "It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when it is sown in the earth is less than all the seeds which be in the earth; but when it is sown, it groweth up and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it." This is what I want for my

children; to grow, if it be but a little, still to grow on in grace every day. Perhaps you could not see, even with your microscope, Arthur, the growth of the blades of your corn from hour to hour, nor with the naked eye from day to day, but if you watch it at intervals of a week, you find how rapidly it is springing up. So may God grant that our dear children may grow up, day by day, in the sheltered field of our happy home, under the clear sunshine of His love, and watered with the dews of His Spirit, without noise and without hindrance, till at length there is the full corn in the ear, and the smell of our field is that of one which the Lord hath blessed. (Gen. xxvii. 27.)

Papa. And even if cloudy days and cold wintry winds come, my children must go on sowing to the Spirit, dropping seeds of grace in their own hearts, and in the hearts of all around them; for Solomon says, "He that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap," (Eccle. xi. 4.

Mary. What does that mean, Papa?

Papa. Why, if the sluggard would not plough by reason of the cold (Prov. xx. 4,) and the sower would not sow, except the south wind blew softly, and the harvestman would not reap because the sky was not cloudless, we

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