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 The Sower by William Cowper 
						(Matthew, xiii.3)
 Ye sons of earth prepare the plough,
 Break up your fallow ground;
 The sower is gone forth to sow,
 And scatter blessings round.
 
 The seed that finds a stony soil
 Shoots forth a hasty blade;
 But ill repays the sower's toil,
 Soon wither'd, scorch'd, and dead.
 
 The thorny ground is sure to balk
 All hopes of harvest there;
 We find a tall and sickly stalk,
 But not the fruitful ear.
 
 The beaten path and highway side,
 Receive the trust in vain;
 The watchful birds the spoil divide,
 And pick up all the grain.
 
 But where the Lord of grace and power
 Has bless'd the happy field,
 How plenteous is the golden store
 The deep-wrought furrows yield!
 
 Father of mercies, we have need
 Of thy preparing grace;
 Let the same Hand that give me seed
 Provide a fruitful place!
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