p. 269 | SOWING TARES

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 17, 1880

SOWING TARES.

The boys of Class No. 4 were gathered close around their teacher, listening eagerly to her explanation of the lesson. She told them that among the people who sat listening to Jesus when he spake about the wheat and tares might very likely have been some in whose field their enemies had sown tares; may be there were some who had done the same thing themselves to others.

"I Shouldn't think any body would be ugly enough to do such a mean trick," said Will scornfully.

"Nobody in the country would, I know," said Chester. "Those Jews must have been a pretty hard set."

"I suppose," said their teacher, "that people are pretty much the same all over the world. We are all a 'hard set' until the grace of God softens us."

"I never knew anybody that would do such a thing as to spoil another person's work when it was not going to do him any good," said Will confidently.

"But this was the devil," suggested Sam. "May be you're not acquainted with him."

The boys laughed, but Miss Lawrence said very gravely:

"I am sorry to say I am acquainted with him, and what is much worse, I find he has a very large company of servants who are doing his work, and, helping him sow tares among the wheat."

"Now, Miss Lawrence," said Sam with his roguish smile, "don't say you mean Will or me."

"You shall say for yourself, when I tell you a little about this sowing of evil seeds. I have seen a boy who had a quick fiery temper, which he was trying very hard to control, thrown into a perfect rage by the teasing tricks of a companion, who was simply amusing himself by tormenting his friend, and who excused himself by saying it was 'such fun to see him blaze up so.'"

Miss Lawrence did not look at any one of the boys, but down in almost every heart was a voice that said, "I have done that myself."

"And sometimes in Sunday-school, or in church, when the pastor or superintendent was trying to put into the hearts of those before him some good seed, I have seen a boy reach the whole length of a seat to slyly pinch a companion who seemed to be listening earnestly, or take out a knife or a toy and attract the attention of those around him. That was keeping the good seed from taking root, and sowing tares in the shape of wandering thoughts."

"That hits Will," said Sam solemnly; "he is distracting my attention."

"And I have known a boy," said Miss Lawrence, with her eyes on Sam, "who was always ready with a joke, or a laugh, or a funny remark, to scatter any good impression that might be made on himself or his friends. I suppose the devil does not care how pleasantly the work is done, if only the evil seeds can be slipped in with the good."

Sam turned very red and was silent.

"We are all sowing something, either wheat or tares, in our own hearts and in the hearts of others. What if we should ask ourselves every night whether we have planted any seed which we should like to have grow?"

Chester was sitting with his chin on his hand, looking steadily at Miss Lawrence. "I was thinking of what mother said this morning about Bert and Elsie. She said I could do more for them by example than anybody else could by preaching. That they would copy what they saw me do; and so I s'pose if I get mad at things, and talk cross, and don't mind mother, it's scattering bad seed to grow up in their hearts. It's awful hard on a fellow, though, to have all his bad things growing up in other people's gardens."

"The only way, my dear boy, is to keep the bad things out of our own gardens, and then they will not scatter seed into our neighbor's field."

"Can't do it," said Will, shaking his head; "the seeds must be in the ground, I guess, and grow without planting."

"That is very true, Will; Satan put the bad seed in the ground a great while ago, but there is one way to keep it from growing, and that is to keep the field full of good seed. A field that is not planted with wheat will be full of weeds; and unless God's word takes root and grows in our hearts, evil things will certainly fill them."

"I've noticed that, in our garden," said Fred, "the weeds always grow in the corners where we don't plant anything."

"I suppose," said Chester, "the men that keep saloons must be sowing bad seed."

"Yes, but the seed has already grown up in the hearts of the drunkards, and every one can see what bad fruit it bears. But when Satan or one of his servants persuades a boy to drink what he calls a harmless glass of beer or cider, he has slipped in a little seed, and hidden it so cunningly that no one will suspect it until by and by it begins to bear its evil fruit. It is just the same with Sabbath-breaking, and swearing, and falsehood. First Satan puts in a very little seed among so much good that nobody notices it until it grows up."

Will and Chester walked home from Sunday-school together, as they always did. At a muddy crossing a man ran carelessly against them, and crowded Will into a puddle.

"Confound it!" he exclaimed impatiently, "why can't folks use their eyes?"

"See here, Will," said Chester, "wouldn't Miss Lawrence say somebody had slipped seeds of something into your field?"

"Well, I suppose so," admitted Will; but I've got such a habit of saying that, that it slips out before I think."

"Seed is growing, you see."

"Maybe, but don't you preach, old fellow; I could find plenty of weeds in your field."

"Pull 'em up then," said Chester, "and I'll lend a hand at yours."

"And not get mad?"

"Well, I can't promise; very likely I may, because getting mad is one of my tares."

"I'll tell you what; let's have a secret society in our class, and get all the boys to join. We can just have a sign that we shall understand."

"Like this," said Chester, making a motion, with his hand, of scattering seed.

"Yes, that would be good; and whenever we see one of the boys going wrong, we'll make the motion, just to remind him to watch out."

"All right," said Chester, "we'll settle it at school to-morrow."

"And call it 'The Wheat and Tares Society.'"

"Call it 'The Protective Union,'" suggested Chester, and that was its name.—Mrs. E. H. M., in S. S. Times.