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"While through the neighb'ring fields the sower stalks "With measur'd steps, and lib'ral throws the grain *.

THUS sung our Scottish bard, and this I verified behold: While o'er yon furrowed land the husbandman, with careful steps and slow, in handfuls from his sheet, by damsel fair supplied from yonder

* Thomson.

sack, sows wide in hope the wholesome grain, and distributes to every ridge its just proportion.

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 disappoint them all.

As this man is joyful in sowing his grain in the earth, so the great Husbandman, with infinitely more joy, soweth the seed 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 servants in carrying the seed to the ground, but he sows it there himself. So the great Husbandman useth his servants, the ministers of the gospel, for carrying the seed of the word to the ears of sinners, but he soweth 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

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the seed, and gives to every ridge its just proportion. With infinitely more care doth the great Husbandman sow the good seed in the heart; no place of it is missed; every faculty of the soul receiveth a proper measure of it: the understanding is not enlightened and the will left unrenewed; nor the conscience made tender, and void of offences, while the memory is unsanctified, and the affections cold: No, all are sown with the good seed, which will grow up in due time to perfection.

I observe the harrows following the husbandman, and covering up the sced; if this were not done, very soon would it be snatched from the earth by the fowls of the air. In like manner, the good seed of the word must be as it were covered up, and hid deep in the heart, lest the foul fiend Satan come and catch it out: thus did the Royal Psalmist: Thy word have I hid in mine heart,' saith he," that I might not sin against thee,' Psalm cxix. 11.

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From this ground, which is now harrowed over, I behold large quantities of weeds gathered together, with a number of stones,

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