gathered, but that harvest of men's souls needs only the Spirit of God, and He can work when and how He will; all times, all seasons are alike to him. This was the good work in which Jesus meant them to labour, and which He was so eager to see finished, that it was more to him than meat and drink. His disciples were to labour in this harvest-field of men's souls, and they should be rewarded, for they should gather in the precious fruit. Their wages should be joy both in this life, and in the life to come. Jesus saith unto them

Verses 36-38. "He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours."

The disciples had not yet laboured in the Christian harvest, but the seed of the words of truth sown by the prophets, by the Baptist John, by Christ himself, had already ripened in the hearts of many, and the disciples should gather them into the Church of Christ. They should labour in their turn, and those that came after them should reap the fruit of their labours. So has it ever been, and so it will ever be, while the world lasts. In patient faith we must work on, praying earnestly that the holy seed sown by the disciples of Jesus, which we may each day gather in the word of God, may ripen in our hearts. Praying earnestly that the good seed that has been sown by our ministers, our parents, our friends, yes that every good word we have ever heard, blessed by the Spirit of God may take root in our hearts if it has till now been forgotten, that it may now spring up and bear the good fruit of a life given to God. So shall we reap the seed sown by those who went before us, and who now rest from their labour. And we must labour too.

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Each one of us must sow good seed all around us. not one of us who cannot help in this good work. bourer has his appointed work, and much precious seed has been ever sown by those people who, with no learning from books, no human wisdom of any kind, have served God quietly and earnestly, each in his own place. They have had no need to preach. It was not their place to do so; but they shewed that they loved God, and did His will; and this example, like a seed sown in the hearts of those belonging to them, has not been lost. It has brought others to serve and love Him too.

Much good seed has been sown on a sick bed. The sufferer, when laid there, has thought that his usefulness was ended; and though willing to be, to do, to suffer just as God pleased, was yet grieved to think that he could not any more labour for Him. He has, however, sown more good seed in the hearts of those around him in this helpless state, than ever he did in his days of active usefulness. His patient faith and trust in God, his kind self-denial, fearing always, lest he should grieve by his complaints, those who loved him, all this has been seed sown in many hearts, and long after death has freed his happy spirit, each word of faith and hope, each sign of humble trust in Christ, has been a seed dropped on a fruitful soil. He has entered into his rest; but others will reap the fruit "unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." And this thought should reconcile us to many troubles, even as the Saviour, when He sat upon the well, faint and weary, cared little for hunger and thirst when He saw the people from Samaria coming to Him to hear the word of life. He knew it would be a seed sown, and that the harvest would be in life eternal to their souls.

Prayer.

O holy and beloved Lord, thou didst forget hunger and

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thirst and weariness, in thine earnest desire to save the souls of

men.

O give to us a like spirit with thee, that greater than our bodily wants may be our desire to do thy will, and to forward thy work. Let the good seed of thy word be sown abundantly in our hearts, and let it bring forth the precious fruit of holiness of life, that we in our turn may labour for thee; so that, when we pass away from this busy life, we may leave behind us good seed, which by thy grace we may have sown; so that at thy great harvest-day, both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together, when all the children of God shall be gathered together through thy redeeming love. Amen.

Verses 28, 29.

XXXIV.

"When the woman of Samaria had left her water-pot, she went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ?"

Then they went out of the city and came unto him, for—

39.

"Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.”

No doubt she told them too, every word the Lord Jesus had said of the fountain of living waters, which they who drank of should never thirst again,—of the end that was soon to be put to the dispute between Jew and Gentile, by the worship of God the Father being offered to all who would worship him in every place in spirit and in truth. No doubt she told them He had shewn her that He knew the things that were past, and the things that were to come. That He had said unto her that He

was the Messiah, and her earnest desire that they might see and hear him for themselves, shewed that she told the truth. They believed her, and made haste to find him.

Verses 40-42. "So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."

Here we see the words of truth of our blessed Lord were like seeds sown in men's hearts. They became fruit immediately, for in two days the harvest was ripe, that is, they believed that He was the Christ, the Saviour of the world. They became Christians, ready to sow seed all round them, by teaching others that they too might be saved.

This was very long ago, and in all the years since, "he who sowed and they who reaped, have rejoiced together" in the kingdom of God.

43.

"Now after two days Jesus departed thence, and went into Galilee."

He was on his way there when he rested on the well in Samaria, and having given a little time to these strangers, he went on his appointed way to preach the kingdom of God to his own people. But though He went to Galilee, He did not go to Nazareth, the place where He had been brought up.

44. "For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country."

This was a proverb or saying among the people of old time, as indeed it is now among ourselves. Jesus knew its truth, and that there is something in the hearts of men that makes

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them give little honour to a teacher whom they have seen grow up among them from a child. As we shall afterwards see, He had much to say to the people of Nazareth, but He would not say it now. They should, before He returned to them, hear more of the fame of his doctrine and of his wonderful works, and then some of them would more gladly listen to him.

Verse 45. "When He was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast (of the Passover): for they also went unto the feast."

LUKE IV. 14, 15. "And there went out a fame (that is, people spoke much) of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all."

JOHN IV. 46, 47. "So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down and heal his son: for he was at the point of death."

He did not come, like the Samaritans, to seek Jesus because He was the Messiah. He was in fear for the life of his child. He had heard of the wonderful things Jesus had done, and he hoped that he might have power to save his son. Our blessed Lord, always kind and full of pity, did much more than he was asked. It was not enough to drive away the bodily illness of the son. The father's soul, the souls of the whole family must be saved from the power of Satan, they must be brought back to the kingdom of God; so the first answer of Jesus gently showed to the nobleman that his faith in Him was not yet of the right sort. Jesus saith unto him—