Chapter 13

SOWING AND REAPING.

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, Sowing in the noon-tide and the dewy eves; Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

The blessed Master says, in his Sermon on the Mount, "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." If we attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God, He will bless us accordingly; for He cheers us by saying: "Ye shall reap, if ye faint not."

Mrs. Knowles tells us of instances where this truth has been verified. "One woman, whom I have been visiting for years, but apparently without any success, until a few months since, when she was taken sick, sent for me at that time, and said, 'she felt so sorry she had led such a wicked life,' and putting her arms round my neck, said, earnestly, 'Oh, pray for me, that the Lord will have mercy on me, and save my poor soul.' I did so, and when I rose from my knees, she held my hand in hers, and looking up for some time, she cried, 'Lord help me, and answer the prayers that have been offered for me;' and when I told her to cast herself wholly upon Jesus, that He was ready to save her, she said, 'Oh, but I have been such a sinner.' 'He is ready to save the chief of sinners, if they will only come.' She clasped her hands, crying, 'Oh, Jesus, save me, for I trust in thee.' I left her with a heart full of anxiety, but believing the Lord had begun the good work in her heart, and that in His own good time he would finish it, and I was not disappointed; for in a short time she was brought to rejoice in Christ as her Saviour, and although for weeks she passed through intense suffering, she never complained, but looking up, she would say to her family, and others who came to visit her, 'My Saviour helps me to bear all my trials;' and so he did, for I never saw a more patient sufferer, or a happier death.

"A lady whom I met there said to me, 'You have been sowing seed here a long time, and now you see what encouragement you have to labor.' The family are still out of Christ, but I earnestly hope to see or hear of them all brought to their mother's God.

"Another woman, who did not attend church at all, was like a little child, helpless and humble. Her situation became so critical, none were allowed to see her; but if she heard I was there, she always wanted me to pray with her; and often after offering a short prayer at her bedside, she would take my hand when about to leave her, and say, 'Oh, pray for me;' And when I kissed her, she would look up so earnestly, saying: 'I know you will pray for me.'

"It pleased the Lord to bless the means used for her recovery, and now, nearly well, she cannot express her gratitude to God for having preserved her. A few days since, when I told her of a poor woman who had returned from the hospital not much better, she gave me a dollar for her; indeed, her whole desire seems to be to do good, and bring up her children (she has a large family) in the right way. She said to me, 'When you came at first to see me, and spoke to me about being a sinner, I did not see how it was that I could be so, for I felt I was as good as you was.'

"These are cases that encourage us in our labors, for although our work at the time may seem fruitless, we may safely leave the seed in His hands, who maketh it grow and bud and blossom in His own good time.

"A woman whom I had not seen for some time, as she had moved away, told me a missionary had called to see her, and, talking to her as I had done, she asked if he knew me. He said, 'No, he was a stranger; but his words impressed her so much, that I still hope she may soon be brought to Christ; and thus it often is, if we sow in faith, 'one soweth and another reapeth.' In many instances a Bible that I have left, neglected at the time, has, through another's teaching, become precious; and some have shown me _one_ left by other teachers, to which I have had the privilege of directing the attention of the otherwise careless owner."

She continues her deeply-interesting narrative thus:

"We have commenced our Saturday Sewing-school in a beautiful room, which has been secured for us, and hope to accomplish a great deal of good this winter through its means. My Sunday-school will be in connection with the Ludlow Street Mission, and I trust, as my health and strength seem renewed, I may be truly useful in working for the Master."

Here we have a vivid description of Christian waiting, in expectation of results. When we take into consideration that this woman was fifty years old when she commenced directly to work as a missionary, we know that she was fully equipped for the task, and entered upon it with all her energies of heart. St. Paul says, in his letter to the Church, at Rome, that "tribulation worketh patience." Now, there are many God-fearing ministers who cannot stand a rebuff. There are many good Christian people, and some of them excellent workers in the Sabbath-school, who could not stand to be looked upon coldly, much less to have the door slammed in their face. I am sure they would give the work up in despair, if, after they had attempted to reach some stranger several times, and had not succeeded. But, oh, here is a weak woman, for years visiting another of her own sex, year after year, remonstrating earnestly and patiently, and lovingly with her, in order to lead her to Christ. Is not this the way that God deals with us? Line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, there a little.

Surely, he is the Lord God, "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and in truth."

What does Christ say in the Apocalypse? "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come unto him and will sup with him, and he with Me."

Does not the Holy Spirit work in this very same manner? Patiently!--oh, how patiently, He strives, He pleads, He warns. Was it not the Holy Spirit in this woman's heart, that, led her again and again to visit this home? Yes, most assuredly. Oh, that this self-same spirit would whisper to every reader of this memoir to go and do likewise!

See how beautifully Divine Providence harmonizes with the Spirit's work, and with those who faithfully toil in the vineyard. How unique the operation. Sickness is the efficient cause.

But we must constantly remember that it was the almost incomparable faith of this woman in the God of Jacob, amid the greatest difficulties and discouragements, that gave her such remarkable success. Incompetency for Christian work is a lack, not only of patience, but of faith in the great love of our God, and the triumphant death of Christ, and the persistent power of the Holy Spirit, combined with a humble trust in our own capabilities to do valiantly for Jesus. These are the allied forces in waging war against the powers of darkness in this wicked world. Christ said, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you into the world. And greater works than these shall ye do, because I go to my Father." Confidence in the word of our dear Incarnate Lord is the warrant, not only of the stability of God's method of saving souls, but in the progressive propagation of Christian principles. There is growth in work for Christ, as well as in nature. And our younger brethren would do well to remember that like this woman, we must expect success, or we will never get it.

Dr. McCosh, the President of Princeton College, made the following remarks in an address before the General Conference of the Evangelical Alliance:

"It is useless to tell the younger naturalists that there is no truth in the doctrine of development, for they know that there is truth which is not to be set aside by denunciation. Religious philosophers might be more profitably employed in showing them the religious aspects of the doctrine of development; and some would be grateful to any who would help them to keep their old faith in God and the Bible with their new faith in science."

Again, in his book on "Development," Dr. McCosh says:

"It is no use denying in our day the doctrine of evolution, in the name of religion or any good cause. It can now be shown that it rather favors religion by its furnishing proofs of design, and by the wonderful parallelism between Genesis and geology."

In this part of Mrs. Knowles' diary, the careful reader will observe a most dramatic account of human nature, under the controlling power of the Holy Ghost. The woman whom she had long visited was at last conquered. The city of the soul was successfully bombarded. The sorrow for sin, the sad lamentation over a misspent life, the flinging of her arms round the neck of the missionary, the urgent request, "Oh, pray for me, that the Lord may have mercy on me, and save my poor soul," together with the statement of transition from shadow to sunshine, from grief to joy, from alienation to adoption, reveal to us the judiciously connected operations of the deity, in the salvation of immortal souls brought about by the power of prayer.

Why should we remain incredulous about God's willingness to save sinners, after such a marvellous manifestation of Divine mercy?

_Brought to rejoice in Christ as her Saviour._--The term "brought," is a very emphatic Scriptural one. It ascribes the glory, and honor, and power of man's deliverance to the free, sovereign, unmerited favor of God. David sings:

"I waited patiently for the Lord. And He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

"He _brought_ me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay:

"And He set my feet upon a rock, and stablished my goings.

"And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praises unto our God; many shall see _it_, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord."

A judicious acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God as the author of salvation is essential to Christian calmness and courage, and continuance in the path of duty. Man may break his promise, but God never. Man's objection to God's methods of salvation arise from a desire to take the glory to self, and the disposition to discontentment on the one hand, and a feeling of distrust on the other. Let us learn, from the foregoing account of the conversion of this woman, to isolate ourselves from man's ways of working, and accept God's communications regarding His approaches to the avenues of the heart; knowing that He will ultimately send the converting power of the Holy Spirit to the soul of the most hardened and obdurate sinner.

We must go back once more to Mrs. Knowles' narrative, and observe that among the principal causes of her success with the poor and fallen, was not only her intimate acquaintance with God's dealings with both saint and sinner, but her marvellous and confirmed habit of always offering a short prayer at the bedside of the sick and suffering and dying. There was, therefore, elicited the pungent request, "Oh, pray for me," corroborated by the impressive ejaculation of confidence in her fidelity to the divine command, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." How inexpressibly encouraging it must have been on this occasion to hear the remark, "I know you will pray for me," accompanied with the look of earnestness and helplessness, realizing that God alone could restore her to her accustomed health and strength.

Who can tell of the gratitude and gladness that sprang up in this woman's heart in answer to earnest prayer on her behalf, for her recovery which God was graciously pleased to bestow? The donation of the dollar to the other poor woman recently returned from the hospital, was conclusive evidence that she joyfully appreciated what great things God had done, not only for her soul, but for her frail body. Let us learn, dear reader, from the foregoing account of God's dealings with His dear departed saints that, in the first place, we must not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not, for, as Mrs. Knowles says, "Our work may seem at the time fruitless, yet we may safely leave the seed in His hands, who maketh it grow and bud and blossom in His own good time."

In the second place, we must remember that to be actively engaged working for God's glory is the best and surest, and, in fact, the only safe remedy for disappointment and discouragements in aggressive Christian work. "In many instances," she says, "a Bible that I have left, neglected at the time, has through another's teachings become precious." We can speak from heart-felt experience on this point, for some of the sweet psalms and hymns we sang, perhaps thoughtlessly, in the days of sunny childhood, are to-day the most soul-stirring, imparting fire, force, and fervency while working for Jesus. Here is one of them:

I think when I read that sweet story of old, When Jesus was here among men, How He called little children as lambs to His fold, I should like to have been with them then.

I wish that His hands had been placed on my head, That His arm had been thrown around me, And that I might have seen His kind look when He said, "Let the little ones come unto Me."

Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go, And ask for a share in His love; And if I thus earnestly seek Him below, I shall see Him and hear Him above.

In that beautiful place He has gone to prepare For all who are washed and forgiven; And many dear children shall be with Him there, "For of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Throughout her life Mrs. Knowles constantly experienced the blessing of sowing and the happy reward of reaping. Numerous instances could be cited, had we the space to spare, in which direct answers to her prayers have come to her while in the act of beseeching God's aid and blessing upon some one object of interest to her. Her own son was one among many of such cases. In the early part of 1857 he had become associated with many bad companions and was a source of anxiety to both his parents. His father thought if he could get him to attend church the good influence there obtained would tend to lead him to Christ and into the paths of salvation. But the youth refused to go, and the mother at once besought the aid of God in influencing her son's heart. At first, after praying with him for some time, she found him asleep on his knees. She roused him up and prayed again with him, and on her husband's return from church he found his penitent son beseeching Jesus to forgive him and lead him into the way of righteousness.