W eep ing and Reaping Our Personal Responsibility in Propagating the Gospel. The Need o f a Weeping Ministry By ALEXANDER STEWART (Glasgow,
Scotland} soil must be brought together, and he gives his whole mind to that business. The evangelist or missionary needs to i,ake care not to be turned aside from his proper work, and not to meddle with things which are not required of him. If you look at a sower in the field you will see a man with a seed-bag on his breast, scattering the seed with both hands, right and left, wholly devoted to that one work. He has gone forth to sow. IV. The Condition of the Sower It is indicated in the words, “He that goeth forth and weepeth.” I do not suppose that this is weeping over our manifold transgressions and continual shortcomings, though there is much room for that, hut it may be interpreted by such a passage as this, “He beheld the city, and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). Tears stood in the eyes of the Son of God as He looked on the city. And, later, Paul reminded the elders of Ephesus that by the space of three years he “ ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). It is not surprising after that to read that “ they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him” (v. 37). Be sure that a weeping ministry will make a weeping people, and that if you weep over sinners they will by and by be weeping over you. V. The Results of Sowing He comes again with rejoicing, bring ing his sheaves with him. The seed has become sheaves. If there is anything certain, that is certain. No man ever yet went forth with the Word of God, and rightly affected toward God and to ward sinners, but his reward was sure.
E that goeth forth weeping, hearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with re joicing, bringing his sheaves
with him.” There are three contrasts in this passage— the going forth and the coming again; the weeping and the re joicing; the seed and the sheaves. 1. The Sower The man behind the seed-bag. It is all-important -that the seed should be right; but it is also important that the man who sows it should be right, that sound doctrine should have a sound man to publish it. A missionary or evan gelist is a messenger, yet not such a mes senger as the telegraph boy who hands you a telegram. You take the telegram and pay no regard to the hoy, who does not in any way affect the message.1 It is not so with the messenger of the Gospel. He ought to be of a character corres ponding to the message he brings, and it has been said that character trans cends performance. A man is more than what he does. II. The Aim of the Sower There are some businesses that can be carried on at home; there are others which must be conducted abroad. A man may make shoes in his back shop, but he cannot catch fish there. It is in the nature of the case that the fisherman and the sower should go forth out of doors. Let us say reverently that our great Exemplar, the Lord Jesus Christ, could not sit in Heaven and see sinners die. Therefore He came to Bethlehem and to Calvary. HI. The Purpose of the- Sower He goes out to sow. The seed and the
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