Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

First, there must be a ploughing of the heart, he must be humbled, he must be taught to know that he is a child of wrath, a man that never hath had any of this ploughing, that hath never been thus humbled in the sense of sin, and the apprehension of Gods wrath, he may be assured that he hath nothing in him but nature, he hath nothing in him that is of a supernatural work, that is, the work of the sanctifying Spirit, he hath nothing of that yet wrought in him, for that is never done without ploughing.

First, there must be a plowing of the heart, he must be humbled, he must be taught to know that he is a child of wrath, a man that never hath had any of this plowing, that hath never been thus humbled in the sence of sin, and the apprehension of Gods wrath, he may be assured that he hath nothing in him but nature, he hath nothing in him that is of a supernatural work, that is, the work of the sanctifying Spirit, he hath nothing of that yet wrought in him, for that is never done without plowing.

Again, this is not all; for a man may be ploughed, he may have quick and sharp terrors of conscience, and yet have no feed sown; there may be harrowing you know where there is no sowing. It was the case of Judas and Ahithophel, and so it is the case of divers others, and therefore we must go further; there must be seed thown into the heart by the hand of God, by the sanctifying spirit; that is, after a man• heart hath been thus hurried, he must come home to God by Christ, and have his ⟨p. 252⟩heart calmed by the assurance of Gods love. When he is thus united to Christ by faith, after he hath been humbled, then the Lord soweth seed; what seed? The immortal seed of his Word, which by the operation of the sanctifying Spirit of God, works that in the heart which is above all natural principles. Now when this is done, there is a crop which God is delighted in, a crop pleasing and acceptable to him. For we shall never bring forth fruit to the spirit, till the same spirit hath sown our hearts with these spiritual and supernatural graces.