not lay too much stress on lesser points. In the case be- fore us the main thing taught is the close resemblance between some familiar operations in the culture of corn, and the work of grace in the heart. To this let us rigidly confine our attention.
We are taught, firstly, that, as in the growth of corn, so in the work of grace, there must be a sower.
The earth; as we all know, never brings forth corn of itself. It is a mother of weeds, but not of wheat. The hand of man must plough it, and scatter the seed, or else there would never be a harvest.
The heart of man, in like manner, will never of itself turn to God, repent, believe, and obey. It is utterly bar- ren of grace. It is entirely dead towards God, and una- ble to give itself spiritual life. The Son of man must break it up by His Spirit, and give it a new nature. He must scatter over it by the hand of his laboring minis- ters the good seed of the word.
Let us mark this truth well. Grace in the heart of man is an exotic. It is a new principle from without, sent down from heaven and implanted in his soul. Left to himself, no man living would ever seek God. And yet in communicating grace, God ordinarily works by means. To despise the instrumentality of teachers and preachers, is to expect corn where no seed has been sown.
We are taught, secondly, that, as in the growth of corn, so in the work of grace, there is muck that is beyond mart's comprehension and control.
The wisest farmer on earth can never explain all that takes place in a grain of wheat, when he has sown it. He knows the broad fact that unless he puts it into the 4