OF THE SOWER.

  Behold a sower going forth
    To scatter o’er his field,
  The seed that in the harvest time
    A rich return will yield.

  And as he sow’d some precious seeds,
    Were by the way-side thrown;
  The fowls of heaven descried them there,
    And soon the seed were gone.

  And other seeds fell from his hand
    On stony places round,
  And forthwith they sprung up, because
    They had no depth of ground.

  But when the sun came up, and warm
    Sent forth his beaming ray,
  Because they had no root in earth,
    They wither’d all away.

  Among the thorns some others fell,
    Of these there was no hope;
  The seeds were choked, they droop’d and died,
    Soon as the thorns came up.

  But others fell into good ground,
    And yielded, as we’re told,
  Some of them thirty, sixty some,
    And some an hundred fold.

  The seed that by the wayside fell,
    Is wisdom in the heart
  Of him who heareth words of truth,
    But understandeth not.

  And he who is the stony place,
    Is one who hears the word,
  Anon with joy receiveth it,
    And follows after good.

  But tribulation soon assails,
    And persecutions rise,
  He then forgets the word of truth,
    And all his goodness dies.

  The thorny place is one who hears,
    And does the truth receive;
  But finds that cares of life and wealth,
    His mind and heart deceive.

  The good and fertile ground is he
    Who hears and understands;
  And shows his, life obedient to
    All that the truth commands.

II.

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

  My kingdom I will liken to,
    A man who in his field
  Sow’d good seed, and expected soon
    A harvest it would yield.

  But while his servants slept, there came
    A wicked enemy,
  And sow’d his tares among the wheat,
    And then went on his way.

  And when the good seed did appear
    The tares began to show;
  The servants wonder’d much, and said,
    “Why, master, thou didst sow

  “The best of seed all o’er the field,
    From whence then come these tares?”
  “An enemy,” he said, “hath come
    Upon us unawares,

  “And scattered forth his evil seed;”
    The servants said to him,
  “Wilt thou then, that into the field
    We go and gather them?”

  The master answer’d them and said,
    “Let both together grow,
  Until the time of harvest, lest
    Ye pluck the wheat also.

  “And when the time of harvest comes,
    The wheat shall in my barn
  Be gather’d; but the tares I’ll bind
    And in the fire burn.”