Bible Songs — Invitation

Sowing to Reap

Sowing to death or life,

No. 1267
Tune SOWING TO REAP.
Words F. E. Belden.
Music D. S. Hakes.
Key A-flat major
Singing key A♭ major
Time 4/4
3 stanzas

Words

Sowing to death or life,Sowing to reap!Sowing to joy or strife,Which shall we reap?Now let good seed be cast;Sowing will soon be past;Harvest will come at last;What shall we reap?

Now is the sowing time,Life's blooming spring;Age is the winter clime,When joys take wing.Sow to the Spirit now,Here make thy solemn vow;Unto thy Maker bow;Repentance bring.

Sad, sad, the reaping day,If ill is sown;Vain, vain to weep and pray,Hopeless and lone.Sowing for thee is o'er;Summer will come no more,Autumn will yield no store;Harvest is flown.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «1267» (large, left), title «SOWING TO REAP.» centred (condensed capitals and small capitals, «Sowing to Reap.»); on the next line, across the page, the epigraph «"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."—Eph. 6: 7.» (old-style figures); on the third line «F. E. BELDEN.» at the left (words) and «D. S. HAKES.» at the right (music), both in capitals and small capitals. The reference is printed «Eph. 6: 7.»; the text quoted is Galatians 6:7 — a printer's slip, kept as printed (see `uncertainties.md`). No meter, no tune name other than the title, no reference line. All three stanzas are interlinear, numbered «1.»–«3.», between the staves of the two systems, in a tight condensed type; there is no refrain. Each printed line of words carries four verse lines; they are given here one verse line per line. Syllable hyphens are printed only in «Sow - ing» (stanza 1, three times), «Un - to» and «Mak-er» (stanza 2); the other words of two or three syllables are printed whole under their notes («sowing», «blooming», «winter», «reaping», «Hopeless», «Sowing», «Spirit», «solemn», «Repentance», «Summer», «Autumn», «Harvest»). Under the music, centred: «By permission O. Ditson & Co.» The print sets a thin space before «!», «;» and «?» («reap !», «sown ;», «reap ?»); it is closed up here; curly quotes and apostrophes are written straight. Spelling and punctuation are the print's («o'er», «Life's»).