Sower divine, send forth Thy word

1 Sower divine, send forth Thy word,
Here let each heart the ground prepare;
Fulfil Thy glorious purpose, Lord,
And give Thy people ears to hear.

2 No wayside heart be here today,
Still barren, hard and unforgiv'n,
Lest Satan come and snatch away
The seed that bears the life of heav'n.

3 Nor, as in dry and stony ground,
At once to spring, yet, by and by,
Rootless in trial's heat, be found
As swift to wither and to die.

4 Lord, from this world our hearts set free,
Its riches, cares and pleasures vain;
Lest growing strong, they prove to be
Like thorns that choke the precious grain.

5 But to Thy wise and gracious ways
Patient and meek we would be found;
Thy Spirit's streams, Thy love's warm rays,
Making that good and fruitful ground.

6 Then shall Thy word, the living seed,
Accomplish that for which it came,
Spring up a hundredfold indeed,
A harvest worthy of Thy name.

Source: Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs: selected 1978 #186