Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days (Eccl. 11:1).

Among the writings of “Uncle Jeremy” — as United Presbyterian minister Jeremiah Rankin Johnston (1836-1890) signed letters to children which were published in the Youth’s Evangelist — is a collection of devotional poems which reveal his artistic side. Published posthumously by his friend James A. Grier, the poems — as well as sermons, addresses and biography of Johnston — are a delight to read. Here is one extract for consideration on a Sabbath afternoon.

Sowing the Seed

Let your seed be sown in the morning;
While the stars are still in view,
While the leaves are wet with dew;
And watch for its verdant adorning,
As you humbly wait and pray
In the coming sunny day.

Let it scattered be at the nooning;
When the sky is all aglow,
When the tender breezes blow;
And think in your happy communing,
Of the day when it shall spread
All its beauty o’er your head.

Let ev’ning forbid to withhold it;
As the air collects its chill,
As the shadows cloud the hill;
And trust, as the earth shall enfold it,
That its golden sheaves shall stand
In the singing reaper’s hand.

But the see is His that you’re sowing;
From His hand distill the rains
That shall multiply your grains;
And from Him is the love bestowing,
That at last shall glory shed
On the happy sower’s head.