The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-10-16
EPWoRTH LEAGUE.
Topic For the Week BEGINNING Oct.
AZ, "rho Inv ~ the Harvest
Text. John XII, 1920.

Except corn Of wheat fall into the
ground and die, 1t abideth by itself
alone; but If 1t die, 1t beareth much
fruit
Every one knows that who knows
anything of planting and harvesting
Who first learned 1t, among men, we
are not certain. Perhaps it was that
FIRST son of man, Cain 1t was great
discovery to find the secret of vegetable
life What wealth of possibilities is
IN the grasp of that discovererl Calcu-
late what haryests can be had from
this single seed In the world fields now
wilderness In the ages to GOMEZ What
accumulation, what distribution. what
feeding of multitudes, what industriasi
Measure the volume of the worlds az
riculture and all the commerce and IN
dustries related to 1t, and you may then
estimate the worth Of this discovery OF
the first man who penetrated the secret
Of nature and learned how to make the
earth yield him harvests from his own
seed sowing.
Is that all he learned? That is all
ALf hDOui " NEAT Hlid It's ElOM
ing seed and earth and Increase of
wheat nothing more. That Is why in
the process Of time 1t came to pass that
Cain brought Of the fruit of the ground
an Offering unto Jehovah" He could
plant and he could gather, but he could
not make seed reproduce itself Ia
hovah must do that Jehovah be
favorable and give greater haryests"
Jehovah Is the reproducer of wheat
We want wheat, and SO worship the
wheat god with the offerings of wheat.
We give little and expect much That
is the law Of harvest II is our ln4a-
ness TO plant and gather. build bars
and hoard wheat 1t is Gods business
to give us all the wheat we want. Tint
Is what Cain learned 1t is all His
children have yet learned In harvest
field and wheat pit. Wheat is known.
but God is unknown
Is that the secret of nature? Far
from 1t. That is only the parable The
law of harvest Is a spirit given and
spirit discovered law
The Son of Man discovered the law
of wheat harvest and taught it TO His
brethren. There must be planting and
gathering. This is the work of men.
The increase must come from God. He
says, whatsoever would save his life
shall lose it, Keep the seed unplant-
ed and you shall reap no harvest.
whatsoever shall lose his life for My
sake and the gospels shall save it,
You have powers and oil the equip
ment of human life. What will you do
with yourself? To cast yourself int
the midst of the worlds darkness and
the damp OF its misery and sin. to
realize the decay of all outward adyun-
tage, TO deliberately shut yourself
from the sunshine of worldly gayety
and gain, to die TO its honors and
praises and blaming-this is sowing.
But to feel your inner nature expand
as the outer decays, to realize the
steady impulse and expansion, the ee-
walton of soul bursting the old, outer
husk of bodily appetltes and earthly
lusts this is the growing power of God
transforming seed into blade and ear
and full grain in the gar, What mar
vels St erase and wisdom and beauty
Up know the decay of earthly planting
in order to know ourselves as We be,
come blade and ear and mature wheat.
But th5 single seed mas now become
thirty. Planted In the manner "
Jesus, we rise in His likeness.
Are you learning the secret Of the law
of haryestl N9t thas any of us has
yet mastered 1t. Only the CHRIST has
ret been offered UP as kind of first
fruitZ We grow on until the angel
reapers shall sing harvest hofile.r
Then shall the soi' or Man bring Of the
fruits of earth unto Jehovah and shall
not be ashamed, because the Lord shall
have respect unto the Offering and the
offerer. Are you growing into an ac-
ceptable Offering which Christ shall be
able to present to the Fnther with JOY
at that dayY