Almighty God, Your Word is cast
Like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of Heav’n descend,
And righteous fruits abound.

Let not the foe of Christ and man
This holy seed remove,
But give it root in ev’ry heart
To bring forth fruits of love.

Let not the world’s deceitful cares
The rising plant destroy.
But let it yield a hundredfold
The fruits of peace and joy.

Nor let Your Word so kindly sent
To raise us to Your throne
Return to You, and sadly tell
That we reject Your Son.

Oft as the precious seed is sown,
Your quick’ning grace bestow,
That all whose souls the truth receive,
Its saving power may know.

Great God, come down and on Your Word
Your mighty power bestow,
That all who hear the joyful sound,
Your saving grace may know.

Do your best while life’s pilgrim way you tread,
Scatt’ring sunshine while you may;
Bear in mind, while the precious seed you spread,
Only once you pass this way.

Refrain

Only once you pass this way,
Only once you pass this way;
Be a blessing while you may,
Only once you pass this way.

Ev’ry day poor and needy you will find,
Filled with sorrow and dismay;
Do your best some poor, broken hearts to bind,
Only once you pass this way.

Refrain

Tell the world that the Savior died for all,
Bid them ever watch and pray;
Lift your voice, shout aloud the Gospel call,
Only once you pass this way.

Refrain

Be a brave, earnest soldier in the strife,
Then when comes the close of day,
May the world be the better for your life,
Only once you pass this way.

Refrain

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land.

And the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the Heaven above.

So our little errors
Lead the soul away,
From the paths of virtue
Into sin to stray.

Little seeds of mercy
Sown by youthful hands,
Grow to bless the nations
Far in heathen lands.

Glory then for ever
Be to Father, Son,
With the Holy Spirit,
Blessèd Three in One.

That cause can never be lost nor stayed
Which takes the course of what God has made;
And is not trusting in walls and towers,
But slowly growing from seeds to flowers.

Each noble service that men have wrought
Was first conceived as a fruitful thought;
Each worthy cause with a future glorious
By quietly growing becomes victorious.

Thereby itself like a tree it shows:
That high it reaches, as deep it grows;
And when the storms are its branches shaking,
It deeper root in the soil is taking.

Be then no more by a storm dismayed,
For by it the full grown seeds are laid;
And though the tree by its might it shatters,
What then, if thousands of seeds it scatters?

We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

Refrain

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.

He only is the Maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

Refrain

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

Refrain

Lord of the harvest, once again,
We thank Thee for the ripened grain;
For crops safe carried, sent to cheer
Thy servants through another year;
For all sweet holy thoughts supplied
By seed time, and by harvest tide.

The bare dead grain, in autumn sown,
Its robe of vernal green it puts on;
Glad from its wintry grave it springs,
Fresh garnished by the King of kings;
So, Lord, to those who sleep in Thee
Shall new and glorious bodies be.

Nor vainly of Thy Word we ask
A lesson from the reaper’s task:
So shall Thine angels issue forth:
The tares be burnt; the just of earth,
To wind and storm exposed no more,
Be gathered to their Father’s store.

Daily, O Lord, our prayers be said,
As Thou hast taught, for daily bread;
But not alone our bodies feed,
Supply our fainting spirits’ need:
O Bread of life, from day to day
Be Thou their Comfort, Food, and Stay.

Weary gleaner, whence comest thou,
With empty hands and clouded brow?
Plodding along thy lonely way,
Tell me, where hast thou gleaned today?
Late I found a barren field,
The harvest past, my search revealed.
Others golden sheaves had gained,
Only stubble for me remained.

Refrain

Forth to the harvest field a-way!
Gather your handfuls while you may;
All day long in the field a-bide,
Gleaning close by the reapers’ side.

Careless gleaner, what hast thou here;
These faded flow’rs and leaflets sere?
Hungry and thirsty, tell me, pray,
Where, oh, where hast thou gleaned today?
All day long in shady bow’rs,
I’ve gaily sought earth’s fairest flow’rs;
Now, alas! too late I see
All I’ve gathered is vanity.

Refrain

Burdened gleaner, thy sheaves I see;
Indeed thou must aweary be!
Singing along the homeward way,
Glad one, where hast thou gleaned today?
Stay me not, till day is done
I’ve gathered handfuls one by one;
Here and there for me they fall,
Close by the reap’rs I’ve found them all.

Refrain

Winter in his heart of gloom
Sings the song of coming bloom:
So over death our souls shall sing
’Lays of the eternal spring.

Then decay shall be no more,
And, the weary seed time o’er,
All the dead in Christ shall rise
For the harvest of the skies.

Wheresoe’er the faithful sleep
Angels shall go forth to reap,
From the dust and ’neath the foam
They shall bring the harvest home.

Bodies of the saints, whose bones
Rest beneath sepulchral stones,
Or are lost on every wind,
All, those messengers shall find.

All from earth to Heaven shall soar
In that flesh which once they wore,
Deathless now and glorified,
Like their Lord and at His side.

This is life’s eternal spring!
This the coming joy we sing!
Look we ever toward this day,
Be it near or far away!

’Mid the sorrow and the strife
’Tis the music of our life,
And the song hath this refrain—
Our Redeemer comes again!

This is the field, the world below,
In which the sowers came to sow,
Jesus the wheat, Satan the tares,
For so the word of truth declares:
And soon the reaping time will come,
And angels shout the harvest home.

Most awful truth! and is it so?
Must all the world that harvest know?
Is every man or wheat or tare?
Then for that harvest O prepare!
For soon the reaping time will come,
And angels shout the harvest home.

To love my sins—a saint to appear,
To grow with wheat—yet be a tare,
May serve me while I live below,
Where tares and wheat together grow:
But soon the reaping time will come,
And angels shout the harvest home.

But all who truly righteous be
Their Father’s kingdom then shall see;
And shine like suns for ever there:
He that hath ears, now let him hear;
For soon the reaping time will come,
And angels shout the harvest home.

God in heaven hath a treasure, riches none may count or tell;
Hath a deep eternal pleasure, Christ, the Son, He loveth well.
God hath here on earth a treasure, none but He its price may know—
Deep, unfathomable pleasure, Christ revealed in saints below.

Christ, the Light that fills the heavens, shining forth on earth beneath,
Through His Spirit freely given, Light of life ’midst shades of death;
Down from heaven’s unclouded glory God Himself the treasure brought,
Closing thus His love’s sweet story with His sweetest, deepest thought.

God in tongues of fire descending, chosen vessels thus to fill
With the treasure never ending, ever spent—unfailing still.
Still unwasted, undiminished, though the days of dearth wear on,
Store eternally unfinished, fresh, as if but now begun.

Earthen vessels, marred, unsightly, but the treasure as of old,
Fresh from glory, gleaming brightly, heaven’s undimmed, unchanging gold.
God’s own hand the vessel filling from the glory far above,
Longing hearts forever stilling with those riches of His love.

Thus, through earthen vessels only, shining forth in ceaseless grace,
Reaching weary hearts and lonely, beams the light in Jesus’ face.
Vessels worthless, broken, bearing through the hungry ages on,
Riches given with hand unsparing, God’s great gift, His precious Son.

Thus though worn, and tried, and tempted, glorious calling, saint, is thine;
Let the Lord but find thee emptied, living branch in Christ the Vine!
Vessels of the world’s despising, vessels weak, and poor, and base;
Bearing wealth God’s heart is prizing, glory from Christ’s blessèd face.

Oh, to be but emptier, lowlier, mean, unnoticed, and unknown.
And to God a vessel holier, filled with Christ, and Christ alone!
Naught of earth to cloud the glory, naught of self the light to dim.
Telling forth His wondrous story, emptied—to be filled with Him.

Jesus, priceless Treasure,
Source of purest pleasure,
Truest Friend to me.
Ah, how long in anguish
Shall my spirit languish,
Yearning, Lord, for Thee?
Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!
I will suffer naught to hide Thee,
Naught I ask beside Thee.

In Thine arms I rest me;
Foes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Every heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
Lightnings flash and thunders crash;
Yet, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.

Satan, I defy thee;
Death, I now decry thee;
Fear, I bid thee cease.
World, thou shalt not harm me
Nor thy threats alarm me
While I sing of peace.
God’s great power guards every hour;
Earth and all its depths adore Him,
Silent bow before Him.

Evil world, I leave thee;
Thou canst not deceive me,
Thine appeal is vain.
Sin that once did bind me,
Get thee far behind me,
Come not forth again.
Past thy hour, O pride and power;
Sinful life, thy bonds I sever,
Leave thee now forever.

Hence, all thought of sadness!
For the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father,
Though the storms may gather,
Still have peace within;
Yea, whatever we here must bear,
Still in Thee lies purest pleasure,
Jesus, priceless Treasure!

I’ve found the Pearl of greatest price,
My heart doth sing for joy;
And sing I must, for Christ is mine;
Christ shall my song employ.

Christ is my Prophet, Priest and King;
A Prophet full of light,
My great High Priest before the throne,
My King of heav’nly might.

For He indeed is Lord of lords,
And He the King of kings;
He is the Sun of righteousness,
With healing in His wings.

Christ is my Peace; He died for me,
For me He gave His blood;
And as my wondrous Sacrifice,
Offered Himself to God.

Christ Jesus is my All in all,
My Comfort and my Love,
My Life below, and He shall be
My Joy and Crown above.

Laden with guilt, and full of fears,
I fly to Thee, my Lord,
And not a glimpse of hope appears
But in Thy written Word.

The volume of my Father’s grace
Does all my griefs assuage;
Here I behold my Savior’s face
Almost in every page.

This is the field where hidden lies
The pearl of price unknown;
That merchant is divinely wise
Who makes the pearl his own.

Here consecrated water flows
To quench my thirst of sin;
Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
Nor danger dwells therein.

This is the Judge that ends the strife
Where wit and reason fail,
My guide to everlasting life
Through all this gloomy vale.

O may Thy counsels, mighty God,
My roving feet command;
Nor I forsake the happy road
That leads to Thy right hand.

O that Pearl of great price! have you found it?
Is the Savior supreme in your love?
O consider it well, ere you answer,
As you hope for a welcome above.
Have you given up all for this Treasure?
Have you counted past gains as but loss?
Has your trust in yourself and your merits
Come to naught before Christ and His cross?

Have you come to the living Redeemer,
Him that bore all your sins on the tree?
Has He graciously pardoned and cleansed you
In the blood shed for you and for me?
At His feet as one dead, have you fallen,
And been quickened anew by His voice,
Till, entranced by His riches of goodness,
In His presence you live and rejoice?

Has the Savior, the righteous, the holy,
Cast the beams of His all searching light
Into all of your heart’s deep recesses,
And transformed into day their dark night?
O then answer these questions so pressing,
Before God, ere time’s favor shall cease,
Is the Pearl of great price yours forever?
Have you Jesus, and in Him your peace?

When upon the clouds of Heaven,
Christ shall come to earth again,
Will the world be glad to see Him,
When our Lord shall come again?

Refrain

There’ll be singing, there’ll be shouting
There’ll be sorrow, there’ll be pain;
There’ll be weeping, there’ll be praying,
When our Lord shall come again.

Will His coming bring rejoicing?
Or will it bring tears and pain?
Are you ready to receive Him,
When our Lord shall come again?

Refrain

Will you join in lamentation?
Or the angel’s glad refrain?
Will you help His people crown Him,
When our Lord shall come again?

Refrain

Work and pray till Jesus calls you,
Help to gather in the grain;
Then with joy you’ll meet the Savior
When our Lord shall come again.

Refrain

O what amazing words of grace
Are in the Gospel found!
Suited to every sinner’s case
Who knows the joyful sound.

Poor, sinful, thirsty, fainting souls
Are freely welcome here;
Salvation, like a river, rolls
Abundant, free and clear.

Come, then, with all your wants and wounds;
Your every burden bring;
Here love, unchanging love, abounds,
A deep, celestial spring.

Son of the carpenter, receive
This humble work of mine;
Worth to my meanest labor give,
By joining it to Thine.

Servant, at once, and Lord of all,
While dwelling here below,
Thou didst not scorn our earthly toil
And weariness to know.

Thy bright example I pursue,
To Thee in all things rise,
And all I think, or speak, or do,
Is one great sacrifice.

Careless through outward cares I go,
From all distraction free:
My hands are but engaged below,
My heart is still with Thee.

O when wilt Thou, my life, appear?
Then gladly will I cry,
“’Tis done, the work Thou gav’st me here,
’Tis finished, Lord,” and die!