We were walking towards a village, where we were having special gospel meetings and addresses to Christians. The people had been very slow to move, and few turned in to hear the Word.
My friend, who was with me, uttered a very simple parable, but one which contained truth of immense importance. He said, “The farmer will hire any tramp or odd man to reap, but he requires a skilled man to plough and sow.”
I said, “I see; you want to encourage me to quietly plod on with the meetings, and not be discouraged by the smallness of the numbers.”
Now I daresay there are many to whom this simple parable will be useful. So I pass it on.
We are living in dark and difficult days. The masses are indifferent, and that which gave the preacher a certain power over them in days gone by, is losing its hold upon them. Infidelity, once confined to the world, has crept into the churches, and once restricted to the pews is now permitted to preach from the pulpit.
Only today I read a notice on the outside of a church—the announcement of next Sunday evening’s discourse—“The conversion of force.” Once on a time the subject would have been, “The conversion of the sinner.” But we are moving with the times. Such old-fashioned doctrines as the atonement, the verbal inspiration of the original scriptures, the eternity of punishment, are rapidly being relegated to the limbo of obscurity. And, alas! how little true Christians are separated and weaned from the world, and their hearts satisfied with Christ. And how little do we know of the power gendered by prayer and fasting.
All this tells to us very loudly that Christ is coming quickly, coming to call home His travel-stained and, shall we add? world-spotted Bride, but, thank God, she is to be presented to Himself without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.
All this, and more, being true, how it behoves one personally to seek grace to keep a living faith in the Word of God in its entirety, to cultivate communion with Christ and corresponding separation in heart and ways from the world, religious or otherwise, to study to show oneself “Approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (see 2 Timothy 2:15).
Ploughing in itself may be hard work, and sowing tedious, but the shouts of the “harvest home” shall yet be heard. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, to the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).
Patience is one of the first marks of an apostle. Take, for instance, the Sunday-school teacher, who, often wearied and discouraged, still plods on, possesses one of the apostolic marks of divine character. And oh, how sweet to know that if the seed falls by the wayside, still we are doing the Lord’s will and have His approval in it all. What a cheer! And will the apparently useless work, if done to His glory, lose its reward? A thousand times No. The fact of results attending successful ministry may spur the preacher on. He may grow to live on the applause of his fellow Christians. Much of the reward may be lost, the bright gold be dimmed. Let us seek then His approval alone and be content with it. One of the truest marks that a Christian is really hourly expecting the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven is, that he works for his absent Lord. He redeems the time. The golden opportunities are few and the days are short. And so earnestly and patiently he goes about His Lord’s business, and finds out that though—
“The Master’s work may make weary feet,
Yet it leaves the spirit glad.”
Satan is very busy. Everywhere we find signs of his successful activity. Thank God the Holy Ghost is busy. May we then seek to be free from the restless spirit of the age, and knowing deep communion with our Master go forth from His presence, but with His company, to work in such a way that we may have His approval, and however small may be our measure, produce solid, lasting results, which shall be to His praise.