Grace pardons—yes, freely, fully and eternally pardons. But what is sown must be reaped. A man may be sent by his master to sow a field with wheat, and through ignorance, dullness or inattention, he sows some weeds. His master hears of the mistake, and in the exercise of his grace he pardons it — pardons it freely and fully. What then? Will the gracious pardon change the nature of the crop? Assuredly not, and, hence, in due time, when golden ears should cover the field, the servant sees it covered with the weeds he sowed. Does the sight of the weeds make him doubt his master’s grace? By no means. As the master’s grace did not alter the nature of the crop, so neither does the nature of the crop touch, for a moment, the master’s grace, nor interfere, in the smallest degree, with his pardon. The two things are perfectly distinct. Also, the principle would still be true even though the master were, by the application of extraordinary skill, to extract from the weed a medicine infinitely more valuable than the wheat itself. It would still hold good that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 5:77Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (Galatians 5:7)). This verse is a brief but most comprehensive statement of the great governmental principle — a principle both grave and practical. “Whatsoever a man soweth.” It matters not who he is. As is your sowing, so will be your reaping. Grace pardons, but if you sow weeds in spring, you will not reap wheat at harvesttime.
C. H.Mackintosh (adapted)