The other day we heard an
intelligent man tell the story of his conversion. He was awakened under
the preaching of Mr. Robinson Watson. He said, "I never used to listen
to sermons, I sat in the corner of the pew and thought of business, or
any machine I was planning, and did not hear a word, but Mr. Robinson
compelled me to think and act."

Does not this man represent many? Are these people to be allowed to come
and go, without, in some way or other, being compelled to listen? Let
every one of us, from the top to the bottom of the Plan, say, God helping
me, I will break up the ground. Indifference shall become difficult.
Some of us can remember listening to men whom we feared when they opened
the hymn book, for if they began the service with one of the hymns in
"Exhorting sinners to return to God," we knew there would be difficulty
in getting to sleep, either in the pew then, or in bed, hours afterwards.
Perhaps the greatest want of the church to-day is men who can, by
handling the Bible like a gardener does his spade, cause it to be said
"The sinners in Zion are afraid, tearfulness hath surprised the
hypocrites."

BETTER FEED A
FAT PIG
THAN A PUBLICAN.

XI. SPIRITUAL FARMING--NO. 4.
SOWING.

Those of us who live in the country are reminded, as we see the springing
corn, that some one has been at work--the blade comes from the buried
seed. Honest work has been done before there can be seen the appearance
of good.

Let those of us who work for the great harvest, be

MINDFUL OF WHAT WE SOW.

Let us have nothing in the seed-basket that cannot be termed what Jesus
called "The word of the kingdom." There will be no difficulty in
obtaining that. Farmers don't stint the sower, and God will not withhold
seed from His labourers. Let the youthful preacher be encouraged, for
just as you have seen the sower fill his basket from the sack, so there
is, in the Bible, enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore.

Sow BIBLE IDEAS:--

"Put the Bible into them, my brother," said an earnest Scotch divine to
us many years ago, and there is nothing grows as well, or yields as much,
as the Bible, used as seed. People may tell you that they want something
else, something more attractive and pleasing. Yes, but they won't say so
in the time of harvest. You may plant your field with flower-seeds, sow
tulips, marigolds, mignonette, &c., those will look very well in June and
July, but how about September?