1 SOW in the morn thy seed,
At eve hold not thine hand;
To doubt and fear give thou no heed,
Broadcast it o'er the land.
2 Beside all waters sow,
The highway furrows stock,
Drop it where thorns and thistles grow,
Scatter it on the rock.
3 The good, the fruitful ground,
Expect not here nor there,
O'er hill and dale, by plots 'tis found;
Go forth then everywhere.
4 And duly shall appear,
In verdure, beauty, strength,
The tender blade, the stalk, the ear,
And the full corn at length.
5 Thou canst not toil in vain;
Cold, heat, and moist, and dry,
Shall foster and mature the grain
For garners in the sky.
6 Thence, when the glorious end,
The day of God is come,
The angel-reapers shall descend,
And heaven cry "Harvest home!"
Charles Weems - Slow Me Down
Sow In The Morn Thy Seed Song Meaning, Biblical Reference and Inspiration
The hymn "Sow In The Morn Thy Seed" is a well-known work by Charles Wesley, one of the prolific writers of Christian hymns. Written with a focus on spiritual and evangelistic themes, it employs the powerful agricultural metaphor of sowing seed to convey its central message.
The lyrics encourage persistent and indiscriminate effort in spreading a message or engaging in good works, likened to scattering seed widely. The instruction is to sow diligently from morning ("morn") till evening ("eve"), without allowing doubt or fear to hinder the process. The directive to sow "Beside all waters," "o'er the land," in "highway furrows," among "thorns and thistles," and even "on the rock" emphasizes the call to share the message or perform the work universally, regardless of the perceived receptiveness or difficulty of the environment. The third stanza reinforces this, stating that fertile ground is not guaranteed in any single location ("here nor there") but is found scattered ("o'er hill and dale, by plots"), urging the sower to "Go forth then everywhere."
The latter part of the hymn shifts focus from the effort of sowing to the promise of growth and eventual harvest. It describes the natural progression of the seed from "tender blade" to "stalk," "ear," and finally the "full corn," appearing "In verdure, beauty, strength." This natural process is presented as a certainty that "duly shall appear."
The concluding stanzas offer assurance that the effort expended is not futile ("Thou canst not toil in vain"). The elements of nature – "Cold, heat, and moist, and dry" – are depicted as aiding the maturation of the spiritual or evangelistic "grain." The ultimate outcome is presented as a harvest gathered not for earthly storage, but "For garners in the sky," signifying eternal reward. The hymn culminates with a vision of the end times, when angels act as reapers descending for the final "harvest home," aligning the spiritual labor on earth with a glorious divine culmination.
The imagery of sowing seed and reaping a harvest is deeply rooted in biblical teachings, particularly in parables shared by Jesus, such as the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew chapter 13, Mark chapter 4, and Luke chapter 8. These scriptures use the sowing metaphor to illustrate the spreading of God's word and the varying responses it receives, reflecting the different types of ground mentioned in the hymn. The theme of diligent work culminating in a harvest is also echoed in verses like Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, which speaks of not growing weary in doing good, knowing that a harvest will come in due time. This scriptural context provides a foundational understanding for the message of unwavering effort and promised divine fruition conveyed throughout Wesley's hymn.
