I think, friends, I've got out
of order according to the hymn sheet. But regarding the harvest
report, I'm sorry for that. But regarding the harvest report,
if I may say a few things that I know. Of course, this year
was a very difficult year. Very extreme weather, different
times rain and cold and then heat and dry, and rather out
of the usual order this year. And of course, last autumn was
so very wet. And of course, a lot of the land
that was heavy land was not sowed. And there was a lot of anxiety
regarding the crops, especially the cereal crops that needed
to be planted. And it was, as is sometimes,
like as in the word, the seed is yet in the barn, in the store,
where it should be, sown in the field in the autumn, those autumn
cereal grains for seed for the cereal crops. And of course,
the winter wheat crop is always the heaviest yielding crop of
the cereal harvest. Even when extremes come, even
it can stand extremes better than the other grains. And this
is how it was. And I know especially from our
own dear Deacon, who farms in East Anglia, where we are, And
he had 250 acres he could not drill in the autumn. And it had
to be a spring crop. But wonderfully, that spring
crop has done very well, very unusually more than what it would
have usually been. There's always a lower yield
with spring sown crops than there are the winter ones. And I believe,
as I've looked at various reports, it's been a very good harvest. Oh, we stand amazed, friends,
in these solemn days that God still gives us a good harvest
in England, even though there are the extremes which really
make the farmers really concerned when they put so much out in
great amounts, sums of money out into the fields, And what
has happened, especially too, for this year now, there's great
concern because the fertilizer prices are so high. And the chemical
spray prices are so high. And so next year will be very
difficult, we fear. But the Lord knows all is. purpose and will to provide for
us. Oh, how good is our God. And
how especially good He is still to England, even though now we're
under His judgments. Oh, the harvest, we're not given
to have a naturally shy. The harvest is past and the summer
has ended, and we're not shy. It is so in some countries. Oh,
they have a failed harvest. They're not saved from the poverty
of the next year. Think of that spiritually, friends. Will the harvest of God's harvesting
souls be passed and we be not saved? It would be a most solemn
thing, it will, if we are not saved. So we have that, we hope
to consider in the spiritual exercise we have for the service,
friends. or that we may be well prepared
and saved by grace. But thinking of the other various
crops, oh, there's been bountiful provision of all the crops of
the earth, really, for man and beast. This is so wonderful,
our God. He does what we have in the reading,
what we've read. He visits the earth and waters
it. who greatly enriches it with
the river of God, which is full of water, who prepares them corn
when they are so provided for it. Oh, what a wonderful God
our God is, with providence and grace. And so, friends, we are
here today for this Harvest Thanksgiving service, and may we feel it as
according to the boundary of nature, of God's goodness in
nature. above that and higher than that, according to the bounty
of God's goodness and spiritual things, the wonderful things,
the favours of His love and grace like we've been singing in the
hymn that we've just sung. Oh thy precious, thy presence
through the journey shining, crown my journey's end. yet in
some of us a long way across the sea of time. Oh, may we be
prepared, friends. Oh, may we know the bounty of
his holy love and his love and mercy to us. May the Lord help
us to come to the Word. The verse particularly, and the
following verse is, but verse particularly, thou crownest the
year with thy goodness, and thy past rock fatness. They drop
upon the mountains of the wilderness, and the little eels rejoice on
every side. The pastures are clothed with
flocks. The valleys are covered over
with corn. They shout for joy. They also sing. This word, I
believe, is a word the psalmist has penned when he is in exercise,
having access to God, speaking to God. He is speaking to God,
thou crownest the year with thy goodness and thy powers drop
fatness. Do we know the favour of having
fellowship with God, communion with God, access to God so that
we can talk to our God as this psalmist did. How blessed he
was, how favoured he was, to so be given to speak to God like
this. Thou crownest the year with thy
goodness. Now, coming to us each personally,
how are we? What exercise have we? What are
we in in exercise? We hope we know prayer. Oh, we
hope we know the throne of grace. We trust we have proved it so
wonderful to be given to be in prayer and prayer of necessity,
prayer of extremity sometimes. We've gained God's ear. He's
blessed us with prayer, the prayer of faith. The word states, we'll
save the sick. think especially of our friends
who are in sickness, illness at this time. You know, especially
you dear servants of God, you know, the prayer of faith will
save the tick and the faith in your God will bring you through.
This will be the reality of favour. You shall know, we humbly hope,
and as we pray in one for another, the thing of all is remembered
is quite a few years ago, with one of the dear servants, dear
friends, the Lord's servant, taking the prayer meeting itself,
which we attend from time to time. You know, pray ye, one
for another. Oh, that was the word. Pray ye,
one for another. And how good it is, how important
it is. And God gives prayer. He gives
prayer in the Church of God. his people to pray one for another.
And of course, it will be upon the grounds of them having to
pray personally. Oh, what is the witness of a
soul born of the Spirit? Behold, he prayeth. Oh, God's
people, they live by prayer. They pray. They cast all their
burden upon the Lord. They come unto him in prayer.
Oh, he gives us that reality of favour. that ye may come boldly
to the throne of grace, that ye may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. So, God's people pray. But here particularly, the psalmist
is in the favour of access to God, which of course we need
for prayer, and he is acknowledging. And he has penned it, it's a
Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. Thou crownest the year with
thy goodness. Can we say this? Even if we are
in affliction, even if we're laid low, are we able to say
this? Thou crownest the year with thy
goodness. Thy powers drop fatness. What
is the fatness? The fatness, friends, is what
will be as it were, given us to be expressing in honour and
glory to God, praise to God, thy powers brought fatness, food
for souls, blessing of souls, but then that blessing, that
favour, redounding to the honour and glory of God, thy powers
brought fatness, thou crownest the year with thy goodness, Friends,
though we are in this terrible time of trouble, of being under
this plague in England, and how it's affected many, even of our
dear people, the dear people of God, but oh, our God is still
witnessing. He is with us. He is blessing
souls. He is doing sinners good in the
way of His favour. as we pray to our God and know
that this that is stated here, thy paths drop fatness. What
we've experienced, what we are experiencing, of God's goodness,
of God's love and mercy. But looking at the context, friends,
and as we've read those verses already, their water is slurrages,
they're all. abundantly, they'll settle us
the furrows thereof, they'll make us sit soft with showers,
they'll bless us the springing thereof. Oh friends, in actual husbandry there has
to be the sowing the seed, there has to be the tilling the land
and the sowing of the seed and there has to be that done which
will be for The purpose of the planting field behind us, where
we live, is being direct drilled with wheat. And the means of
this new way, or more later used way in later years, is just to
get the wheat just under the surface of the soil about an
inch deep. They say if you get it in the
dark, that's enough. And, oh hell, that seed sown
springs up with the small amount of moisture it takes. It springs
up and the warmth still in the soil. Think of it. But what about us? What's been
sown in us, in our hearts and souls this year? Oh, is it the
Word of God which is so precious? Has the Holy Spirit made application
of the Word of God? Has He come Himself and entered
Himself into us? I mean the Lord Himself, the
Holy Spirit testifying of Christ, taking of the things of Jesus
and revealing them unto us. Oh, has He watered the ridges
thereof and the furrows thereof. Even in this cause of truth and
in the other causes of truth are many we know and love. Oh,
our own places of worship. Oh, has there been the sowing?
Surely there has. Oh, dear pastor, here's sowing
the seed. Oh, we wait, we watch, we're
friends, and I say this, I hope, For the encouragement of our
dear friend, if it be God's will to so apply it, you know the
husband man has long patience to wait, to wait, even to see
the springing of it. If it's a cold autumn, that seed's
own will take longer to spring up, take longer to be seen. You may go out and move a little
the top surface and see if it's germinated. Oh, be careful because
you don't want to injure that new spikelet. Oh, but God does
his work. He's been doing his work. There
have been souls blessed in one and another causes of truth,
wonderfully. The Lord is doing his work. Oh,
and is it that this is In the reality of it, even in
these solemn times, this is the reality of God's favour, their
fairness, the year, with thy goodness. What goodness is it,
friends? Oh, I think of the theme of the
hymn writer. Goodness immortal and divine,
the bliss of endless day, the Lord our God will make to pass
before us in the way. Even though hosts of enemies
may spring up to fill us with dismay, the Lord will make his
goodness pass before us in the way. The enemy is busy, ever
so busy. Oh, the arch-enemy, enemy of
soul. We're in the conflict. We're
passing through tribulation. It is hard. It is a rough and
thorny path we tread in hopes to see his face. But we are proving,
oh there's no doubt about this, we are proving, is grace sufficient. How are you going on, friend?
Are you being given grace to endure? Oh, therefore, my son,
endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Oh, wonderful,
our God gives grace. He will give grace and glory.
He gives that that his people need. As in nature, so in the
things of grace, he giveth that we gather. It does, friends. I am a witness of it, though
I am very poor at expressing it. But the Lord knows what is
in our heart, and it is in our heart's desire to praise our
God, our triune God today, from whom all blessings flow. Thou
waters the earth, Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness. Can you say it from her full
heart? Oh, humbled by grace, standing
amazed at God's goodness. As one said, we fall to the ground,
weep to the praise of the mercy we've found, I've found. Yes,
Thou crownest the year. with thy goodness, especially
the goodness of all what the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, has done. Remember the last words in what
we read in that second epistle, the fifth chapter of the second
epistle. He hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. O Christ, is He your Saviour,
your Redeemer, the Man, Christ Jesus? Here the acknowledgement
is to God, Jehovah, I believe, Thou crownest the year with Thy
goodness and Thy powers drop fatness. But as we desire to
praise our Triune Jehovah, our God, our Triune God, We know
God the Father gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Oh,
has it been in this year our favour to meditate upon the Son
of God? Psalmist said in another place,
my meditation of him shall be sweet. This is how I believe
spiritually the Lord crowns the year with his goodness when he
exercises his people to be considering Christ. If you're walking through trial,
through tribulation, if you're walking through the fire which
will try every man's work, if you know the painful experience
of God's chasing you, whatever you've been walking through in
this year, Oh, is it being made manifest to you that the Lord
is dealing with thee in love and not in anger, to give thee
an expected end in a spiritual way? You're brought to know this
and prove this and maybe in some measure bettered by the cross
that you've had to carry. Tribulation is work patience
and patience experience. Experience hope, hope make it
not a shame. Has the love of God been shed
abroad in your hearts? I can say in this year, this
past year, the love of God has been shed abroad in my heart.
Felt the favour of it under the power of love divine, which all
loves excel in. We can say in this way, in clearness
that you are thy goodness, the goodness of God, goodness immortal
and divine, the bliss of endless day, the Lord our God will make
to pass before us in the way. To keep our eyes on Jesus fixed
and there our hope to stay, the Lord our God will make his goodness
to pass before us in the way. Oh, does tribulation work patience,
and patience experience, friends? Oh, experience hope, hope make
it not a shame, because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost. Is this the favour you know?
Oh, the favours of His love, their clearness of you. But,
friends, this word clearness, it's coming to the Thanksgiving
day, the harvest home as it were they used to call it, when they
came and brought the firstfruits of the earth to bless God in
that natural way according to the bounty of God's providence
for them. But oh, spiritually, their crown
is the year with thy goodness. Oh, the highest, most important,
most blessed, things of God's favour that God grants to his
people. You know, when a child of God
is brought to be seeking the Lord, they be brought to be seeking
the Lord, wanting to know, wanting to know that God loves them,
wanting to know that God has a purpose of love and mercy to
them, to save them and have them for his praise. Oh, do you go
back in your experience to when the Lord first brought you under
conviction of sin and then brought you to so now in some little
measure an interest in the Saviour's blood? Oh friends, oh what wonderful
favours they were. And here are we now after many
years of pilgrimage, some of us, And there's been the various
years, there's been the sad times, there's been the sorrows, the
sadnesses, the times when we were very unfruitful regarding
praise when we were cold and walking afar off. But oh, how
is it? What sort of year has it been
spiritually for you? Can you say, can I say, they'll
crown this the year with thy goodness? What has the Lord done? We heard Mr. Warboy's preaching
on Tuesday evening. What has God wrought? And you
know, not so much to consider. It's in a questioning way, but
it will be important to question what we've experienced and what
we've known. But you know, are there those
things should and must be stated, must be acknowledged what God
has done, the wonders God alone can do. Eucronis, the year with high
proof, for if we are to sincerely make acknowledgement like this,
like the Psalmist does, it must be upon the grounds of what God
has done, what the Lord has done in us and for us, what he's done
in appearing for us. And oh how wonderful it is if
he's come to one another and spoke to them and blessed them
and they can testify what the Lord has done. It being those
that have been drawn by God's love to testify what the Lord
has done. You crown this the year with
thy goodness, in thy power's sharp fatness. And as a brief
acknowledgement of this fatness, I believe it is what is brought
out in praise, honour and glory to God, that people have got
experience in the love of God and their hearts and souls burning
with love, divine in them, the power of God's love, kindling
love in the child of God, in return to God. for his great
goodness, his love and mercy, his love and kindness. We've
sung it a few times this year. Oh his loving kindness, oh how
great, oh how free. Especially those words, the very
precious one. He saw me ruined in the fall,
yet loved me not withstanding all. He saved me from my lost
estate, his loving kindness, oh how great. We have a few times
in the year we can sing that from our heart, friends. Surely
the Lord has been crowning, or has a purpose to crown the year
with His goodness even in our experiences. Is it so, friends? Thou crownest the year with Thy
goodness. Thy paths drop fatness. And you know, as this word flows
on, It's important we carefully consider it. They drop upon the
pastures of the wilderness. Friends, is this a wilderness
journey for you? Are you in a wilderness? Do you
know the reality of being in the wilderness? This wilderness
we're passing through, Here, often from our eyes, cleartide
the light divine. Yes, in this wilderness, dark
days, but also dangers of every shape and name. Attend the followers
of the Lamb in this wilderness. Think of how it is as regarding
nature. Of course, people have studied
it. I've not taken so much notice, perhaps as some people have,
of all the many different animals and species of animals and birds
and all the beasts of the field and so on, but we know every
animal, almost every animal has a predator and they are in danger. Think of it, the child of God. What is that one that is our
enemy? Satan. I think of it when I was
raised to hope and a servant of God said to me that when a
child of God is raised to hope, then the gunshot from hell begins. Will they be wanting a gunshot
from hell, the old prince of darkness? We'll furnish them
well in this past year, friends. Has Satan been hard and fierce
against you? Has it been really, in the reality
of it, a wilderness experience? Oh, but wonderfully here we have
the word. They drop upon the pastures of
the wilderness. Oh, everything of God's favour,
God's blessing is so good. Saves this poor sinner from despair. Satan's scope is to cause despair. Oh, Satan is hostile in every
way, aiming our overthrow. But oh God, love and grace is. He knows every one of his dear
people's needs, and he supplies their needs according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. They drop. They. They. And thy paths drop fatness. And it's walking in the path,
going along in the path God's prepared for us. Thy path. The
paths, the times, the experiences. By the sanctifying of the Spirit,
even these experiences that may be very hard and painful and
trying, but with God's blessing, They drop fatness. There's profit. There's benefit. There's real
benefit for the dear people of God's soul. And so it says, thy
powers drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of
the wilderness. And the little hills rejoice
on every side. Oh, and we go on in the wilderness,
and on the pastures of the wilderness, and, you know, thinking of it
Those things are hard things experienced in being in the wilderness. The pastures of the wilderness
may be very sparse. Naturally viewed, the pastures
of the wilderness are very sparse. Oh, only a little tiny bite of
food here and there. Think of the animals we used
to watch when we were on holiday with one of the Lord's servants
and his wife. In Cornwall, we used to watch
the sheep on the edge of the cliffs, where there was only
a little bit of grass, little tufts of grass. But there they
were feeding on those little tufts of grass. It was very sparse. But think of it. Lie past, drop
fatness. When the Lord comes, when the
Lord favours, opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every
living thing. When the Word is applied and
blessed to the child of God, how they're blessed, how they
gather, how they feed. They feed upon the Word, they
feed upon a precious Christ. They pass drop fatness. What
a favour, friends. They drop upon the pastures of
the wilderness. and the little hills rejoice
on every side. I think of the little hills. Well, we know one of our friends
compiled a book of all the chapels, called it Hills of Zion. I believe
some people benefited by that. We hope it was in some way honor
and glory to our God. The favor of it, the favor looking
and acknowledging the hills of Zion where God's people meet.
Of course, we're very sad that some of the causes of truth have
closed. I've been involved with Daryl,
our friend, in the closing of two chapels. I think also, especially
of our friend's chapel, Ebenezer. Now that's had to close. But
what I can say, there has been wonderful fruit Wonderful things
accomplished there. All the time I've been preaching
there, 30 years or so, I've witnessed souls blessed. And here God has
prepared souls. Even in attending those means
of grace, he's prepared them for heaven and taken one and
another home. And we have sweet memory of one
and another who were blessed there, who fed for their souls. Eternal good there. and an air
in glory. Oh, the memory of the just is
blessed. Oh, I think of the little hills in that way, like it's
the hills of Zion, the churches, the chapels of our beloved denomination. And oh, there is rejoicing when
the Lord so causes the year to be crowned with His goodness
and His past fatness. Oh, how the people of God acknowledge
this. And they drop upon the pastures
of the wilderness. Oh, thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of
the wilderness. And this could be as given to
the servants of God. Preach the word. And there's
this wonderful dropping of the word and the application of it,
the applying of it. to precious souls, and how it
does sinners good. How God feeds His people, feed
His sheep like a flock He will. Oh, He cares for His flock. He
cares for His people. He is that wonderful shepherd
of His little flock, the lamb that took their guilt. Oh, how
we desire to praise Him, to worship Him here this day. Praise Him. They drop upon the pastures of
the wilderness. The little hills rejoice on every
side. The pastures are clothed with
flocks." Oh, we long for this. We look for this. It is so. It is so. There are the flocks
of God, the flock of His, the flock of slaughter, the flock
in the wilderness, His people. Until the end of time there will
be the flocks, there will be the people of God. The world
will continue until the last vessel of mercy is pulled by
grace and brought into the church of God, saved by grace. The pastures
are clothed with flocks, they are, though we are. And it's
a solemn thing to have to acknowledge that in some ways, as people
say, We are a dying denomination. It's a very solemn thing that
is said. I would not want to make big
advertising of it, but we feel it, friends. It's a solemn, and
it may be there are some ways in which we ought to solemnly
consider there's a reason why. Oh, friends. May we lay to heart
the solemnity of these things that chapels are closing. The gathering of the people becomes
fewer and fewer. And yet, we should not say that
the former days were better than these. Oh, we should be acknowledging
before God that he has a perfect right to call whom he will and
to leave whom he will. Remember what the Lord said in
those ways he spoke in ways of parable that seeing they may
not see and hearing they may not hear unless they should believe
and be converted and I should heal them. Oh friends, he explained
what he spoke in parables because it was in the holy will of God
that the election of grace shall be brought to believe that the
rest shall be blinded. What a solemn fact it is. Friends,
but how are you and how am I in regard to this? Oh, the pastures
are clothed with flocks. They are. It's still those that
attend the solemn feasts of Zion. It's still those that are being
called by grace. It's still those that are being
manifest as vessels of mercy. to be fitted for the Master's
use, there are still those who are being blessed, there are
still those who are being sent forth into the ministry of the
Word. And so in this way we would be humbly thankful to God. The
pastures are clothed with flocks, the valleys are covered over
with corn. I think particularly upon the
way in which the fields appear before harvest. And I've said
before, I think here, you know that the harvest is ripe, the
wheat is ripe, when it becomes sickle-headed. Not while it's
still sticking straight up is it ripe. Not while it even has
become golden, but still sticking straight up is it ripe. But it is right when it becomes
even more colored differently into white. Gold seems to go
to white in some measure according to the amount of sun and the
time in that year and the way things are in weather situations
that affect it. It will hang its head. It will turn over. It will become sickle-headed.
The kernel, the hair of wheat with all the kernels in it will
surrender. It will bend over. It will become
sickle-headed so that the top of it is pointed down. It bespeaks, friends, God's people
being brought by grace to become surrendered to the Crucified
One, to Jesus Christ, who is King of Zion and Captain of Salvation,
Head of the Church. We must be brought to be surrendered
to Him. Yes. Oh. So these valleys are also covered
over with corn. Yes. And they shout for joy. They also sing. Oh. They sing the valleys are
covered over and the husband man, they shout for joy when
they see the harvest is ripe, when they put in the sickle reap
it, and it's a goodly harvest because the sun has shone on
it, and the warmth that swells the grain, it is the warmth that
swells it, not just the moisture, the rain, but the warmth. Oh,
the rain is that which is needed for growth, but the warmth is
what swells the grain. Think of it, friends, spiritually. the blessed warmth of the shining
of the sun of righteousness, the holy warming by the Spirit,
the holy heat of the Spirit, the heat of the love of God,
the love of Christ, the setting of thy soul on fire with love
divine, which all loves excelleth. They are covered over with corn. Oh, oh, the pastures. There's the hills rejoicing on
every side. The pastures are clothed with
flocks. Think of the sheep, the lambs. Oh, all the animals which are
the domestic animals which God has given Kuaipu. Pastures are
clothed with flocks. The valleys are covered over
with corn. They shout for joy. They also sing. And oh, that
blessed singing. Spiritually, where there's a
spiritual increase, where there's that holy joy, where there's
that favour of the power of the love of God affecting us, the
love of Christ constraining us, the love of Christ, rich and
free, fixed on his own eternally. They shout for joy. They also
sing what will ultimately be the shout, friends, for joy,
victory, victory over sin and death and hell. And very much
I believe in the exercise of will, the real family of God,
true family of God, the gathering unto the Lord and for worship,
and the way of the testifying and praising God. They shout
for joy. They praise God. They extol Him. They lift Him very high. They praise God from whom all
blessings flow because they experience these blessings. They experience
these favours. They know and taste redeeming
love. They are favoured to believe
and receive of the Lord. receiving from his fullness every
grace and every favour comes to us through Jesus' blood. The favour of it, friends, is
what we rejoice in today, what we believe in, what we trust
we've known something of and what we desire to know more and
more of. May we more and more know the
favour and be blessed and brought to have a full heart to praise
God. Behold, crown is the year with
thy goodness and thy powers drop fatness. Oh, my heart is full
with desire for this for you, dear people here at Cranbrook,
that there might be especially something given you that you
may crown the Lord in this way, crown Him with many crowns, praise
Him, You have had your favours. You have had your sorrows. Our
sorrows in the scales He weighs and measures out our pain. He
is our Sovereign God. And nothing is in anger, friends. Everything He does is for His
people in His dear covenant love. Oh, He will not cast off. He will appear. Oh, he will. He will save his people and lead
them on. He'll form them for his praise. We have a glorious prospect,
friends. Oh, there is that. It cannot
be otherwise, because of sovereign grace. Oh, by grace are you saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God. They shout for joy. They also sing, I was going to
say, regarding the victory, our Lord, who suffered, bled, and
died in that way in Calvary. He rose again, triumphant, o'er
the grave. He rose again for a justification,
friends. We are all wretched sinners.
But sinners saved by grace are washed and cleansed sanctified,
justified, and we'll be glorified. Oh, may this be our favour. Then
we'll sing like it is naturally. They shout for joy. They also sing. Amen.