574 THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO SEED. Book III. 11. See that your whole Soul be wrought upon, that there be a Work upon every Faculty thereof. Ill. Take heed of a long Continuance in a Courfe ofSin. Let the old SiP.ner trem– ble, but if wrought upon in his old Age, admire the infinite Grace of God. IV. From hence you may perceive the hardening Nature of Sin. V. Tremble at the Thoughts of 1\ poftacy, and take heed you do not fhrink your Hands off in the Day of Trial, or refufe to plow, becaufe it is ccrld, or becaufe tlie Sun fhines hot, &c. Mr. John Flavel's Poem upon the P L 0 U G I-I. THERE's Skill in Plowing; that the Plowman knows: For if too }hallow or too deep he goes, '!'he Seed is either bury'd, or elfe may 'l'o Crows and Rooks become a;1 eajj Prey. '!'his, as a lively Emblem, fit~y may Defcribe the blef!ed Spirit's Work and Way, Whofe Work on Souls with this doth Jjmbolize; Betwixt them both thus the Refemblance lies: Souls are the Soil, the Gojpe! is the Plough; God's Workmen hold, the Spirit }hews thtm how. 'Ihe Spirit draws, and in good Ground doth blefs His Workrnens Pains with Jweet and fair Succefs. In Hearts prepar'd God Jcatters in the Seed, Which in its Seafon jprings. No }owl or Weed Shall pick it up, or choke this jpringing Corn, 'Iill it be houfed in the heav'nly Barn. When thus the Word plows up the fallow Ground, When with Juch Fruits his Servants Work is crown'd, Let all the Fritnds of Chrijf, and Souls Jay now, As they pafs by theft Fields, God fpeed the Plough. THE w 0 R D OF G 0 D CO}JPARED TO sEE D. '!'he Seed is the Word of God, Matt. xiii. METAPHOR. I. -GOOD Seed is prepared by theHufbandman, and is re– ferved out of the choiceft Wheat and principal Barley; it is that which the Hufbandman highly ef– teems and values. II. Tbe Ground before the Seed be own, is plowed up, and made fit to receive the Seed. Ill. The Hufbandman either fows the Seed himfelf, or employs a Seedfman to fow it, one that hath Skill in that Employment. IV. When Seed is caft into the Earth, it muft be covered, or elfe the Birds may pick it up; befides, it will not otherwife fo well take Root. PARALLEL. I. THE Word of God is a choice and precious Thing, and that which God highly values and accounts of: He bath magnified his Word above . all his Name, Pfal. cxxxviii. 2. 'I'hy Wor;d is very pure, PJal. cxix. II. Our Hearts are n~turally hard, and have need to be plowed up, which is alfo done by the Word and ConviCtion of the Spirit; hence the Gofpel is called a Plough. See Plough. Ill. J efus Chrift is the fpiritual Seedfman ; it is he that fows the S<ed, who wanrs neither Care nor Skill to do it: 'Ihe Sower is the SoJJ of Man, Matt. xiii. 37· IV. So the Word of God ought to be hid or covered in our Hearts, that Satan may not fteal it away from us, and that it may take good Root downward, and bring forth Fruit upward. David hid the Word of God in his Heart, Pfal. cxix. 9· It is not enough to have it in our Heads, but in our Hearts: Ltt the Word of Gad dwell in yott richly, Col. iii. r6. We ought to labor to underftand it, to love it, and keep it in our Memories, yea, and to let it be well ~ooted in every Faculty. · 2 V. The
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