takes
the simple process of sowing and reaping, a process familiar to all,
and reads in it a deeply spiritual and moral meaning. It is as if he
said that every man as he journeys through life is scattering seed
at every step. The seed consists of his thoughts, his words, his
actions. They pass from him, and by and by (it may be sooner or
later), they spring up and bear fruit, and the reaping time comes.

Life a Seed-Time.

The analogy contains some solemn lessons. Life is to be regarded as
a seed-time. Every one has his field to sow, to cultivate, and
finally, to reap. By our habits, by our intercourse with friends and
companions, by exposing ourselves to good or bad influences, we are
cultivating the seed for the coming harvest. We cannot see the seed
as it grows and develops, but time will reveal it.

Just as the full-grown harvest is potentially contained in the seed,
so the full results of sin or holiness are potentially contained in
the sinful or holy deed. "When lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Just as we cannot reap a good harvest unless we have sown good seed,
so we cannot reap eternal life unless we have sown to the Spirit.
Weeds are easy to grow. They grow without the planting. And sin
springs up naturally in the human heart. Ever since our first
parents broke away from God, the human heart has of itself been
thoroughly vile, and all its fruits have been evil. "The heart of
the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Do you doubt it?
If you do, ask yourself what would become of a child if it was left
to itself--no training, no guidance, no education. In spite of all
that is done for children, the evil too often gets the upper hand.
The good seed must be planted and cared for, often with toil and
trouble: but the harvest will be sure.

Do we desire the love of our fellows in our seasons of trial? Then
we must love them when they need its cheering influence most. Do we
long for sympathy in our sorrow and pain? Then we shall have it if
we have also wept with those who weep. Are we hoping to reap eternal
life? Then we must not sow to the flesh, or we shall reap
corruption, but to the Spirit, then the promise is that we shall
reap its immortal fruits.

Dr. Chalmers has drawn attention to _the difference between the act
of sowing and the act of reaping_. "Let it be observed," he says,
"that the act of indulging in the desires of the fl