Classic Christian Hymns · Public-domain text

Ye sons of earth prepare the plow

William Cowper

A brilliant English poet and hymnist (1731–1800) who struggled with severe depression and mental illness throughout his life. Despite his deep struggles and times of darkness, Cowper found profound comfort in his faith and his friendship with John Newton. Together, they co-authored the famous Olney Hymns. Cowper's vulnerability and search for hope led him to write some of the church's most comforting and honest hymns, including 'There is a Fountain Filled with Blood' and 'God Moves in a Mysterious Way', which he wrote to declare God's hidden goodness during his own deepest spiritual trials.

Source: Olney Hymns

Ye sons of earth prepare the plow,
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, scorched, and dead.
The thorny ground is sure to baulk
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 pow'r
Has blessed 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 gives the seed,
Provide a fruitful place.