low ground hath thus been ploughed and broken up! if the Husbandman hath ended his work with me there, or hath cultivated my heart as a field for his own use, by sowing in it the good feed. The husbandman fallows fome of his ground, lets it rest a while; then fallows it over again, and lets it remain a while longer undisturbed, then ploughs it over and over again, till it is fit for being fown. So the great Husbandman fallows the heart of some sinners with the law, then abates the work for some time, then renews it again, and so again and again, till it is fit for being fown with the good feed. The husbandman too ploughs some of his ground early in the spring, other fome of it when it is pretty far advanced, and some of it nigh the latter end of the year. So the great Husbandman breaks up the fallow ground of fome in youth, of others in more advanced years, and of other fome at the eleventh hour, when the season of life is well nigh ended, according as he in his infinite wisdom fees best, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Dan. iv. 35. [951 CONTEMPLATION VI, ON SOWING. ! * While through the neighb'ring fields the sower " stalks "With measur'd steps, and lib'ral, throws the " grain *. T HUS fung our Scottish bard, and this I verified behold: While o'er yon furrowed land the husbandman, with careful steps, and flow, in handfuls from his sheet, by damfel fair supplied from yonder sack, sows wide in hope the wholesome grain, and distributes to every ridge its just proportion. * Thomson, The crows fly round, and view with eager eyes the tempting corn white covering all the field, descend by stealth, and peck, till once the harrows come and difappoint them all. As this man is joyful in fowing his grain in the earth, so the great Husbandman, with infinitely more joy, fows the feed of grace in the heart of a sinner; for he rejoiceth over his elect to do them good, Jer. xxxii. 41. This husbandman, I observe, uses his fervantsin carrying the feed to the ground, but he sows it there himself. So the great Hufbandman useth his servants, the ministers of the gofpel, for carrying the feed of the word to the ears of finners, but he fows it in the ground of their hearts himself by the Holy Spirit. This man, I observe, is careful in sowing that he miss none of the ground with |