Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship ‎#227

227. The Sower

1. Ye heirs 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 withered, scorch'd, and dead.

2. 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.

3. But where the Lord of grace and pow'r
Has blest the happy field,
How plenteous is the golden store
The deep-wro't furrows yield!
Father of mercies, we have need
Of thy preparing grace;
Let the same hand that gives the seed
Provide a fruitful place.

Text Information

• First Line: Ye heirs of Earth, prepare the plough
• Title: The Sower
• Author: William Cowper (1779)
• Meter: 8.6.8.6 D
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2024
• Scripture:
  Matthew 13:18-23
• Topic: Ordinary Time: Week 10
• Notes: Text by British poet William Cowper, from Olney Hymns (1779), alt.

Tune Information

• Name: THE SOWER
• Composer: Benjamin Shute (2011)
• Meter: 8.6.8.6 D
• Incipit: 13451 234
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: (Creative Commons 4.0) 2011 Benjamin Shute
• Notes: Tune THE SOWER by American-British violinist Benjamin Shute, published online at IMSLP: Petrucci Music Library (2011). A simpler, 4/4 version of this tune is also available.