The “sower” explained.—1. The wayside

Of teaching by parables. The Sower explained.

(The Gospel History, Section 50)

Hear then ye the parable of the sower. Now the parable is this: The sower soweth the word; the seed is the word of God. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, straightway cometh Satan, and snatcheth away the word which hath been sown in his heart, that he may not believe and be saved. This is he that was sown by the way side.

The “sower” explained.—1. The wayside

(The Saviour of the World, Vol III Book II Poem XII)

The Son of man goes forth to sow;

The word of God, the seed;

He scatters free with liberal hand,—
No sourest barren patch of land

But gets a generous meed.

And souls, the soil in which He sows

The good seed of the Word:

Ah, Lord, prepare that soil we be,
So, generous too, we yield to Thee

Due fruit from seed interred!

Thou say’st, “Who understandeth not

Is like a beaten way:

Satan swoops quick upon that thought,
Bare-lying as a thing of nought,

Cast out or gone astray:”—

“But, Lord, Thou speakest mighty words,

Hard to be understood;

While slow and dull of wit are we,
And scarce at all Thy truth we see

For very light in flood!

“Have mercy on us, Lord, and spare

For sins of ignorance!

How gladly would we understand!
Meekly we own Thy just demand,—

Visit not our offence!”

*     *     *    *     *

“My child, thou comprehendest not

That I demand of thee;

How couldst thou know the breadth and height
Of love and wisdom infinite?

Canst measure the wide sea?

“Seed of the Word dropped in a soul

Creates an instant’s stir;

Be thine to know a life has come;
See that thou cherish; give it room;—

That nascent life, thy care!

“This, all the understanding thou

Must bring to hear the Word:

A very fool guards bit and sup
Nor lightly oversets his cup;—

So guard thou that thou’st heard!

“To receive the word that falls, thy part—

Act well within thy power;

The seed must needs its due fruit yield—
So thou afford untrodden field;

My covenant—sun and shower!”

“But what should tread the field, my Lord,

Laid open for Thy seed?”

“Nay, many sowers go about,
Vain teachers all, an idle rout,—

To these, if thou give heed,

“And make thy heart a market-place

With stalls for every ware,

What growing place in thee is found?
Would any look that fruit abound

On ground trod hard and bare?

“See then, My son, thou keep thy thoughts;

Nor, easy-tolerant, let

Thy heart become a beaten way
Where vain conceits find place to play,

But truth shall nowise set!”

St. Matthew xiii. 18.
St. Mark iv. 15.
St. Luke viii. 12.