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and their Duty commanded. The Voice of Man is contemptible, but the Voice of God is awful and terrible. They may reject your Words, that dare not reject the Words of the Almighty.- Be frequent with Men in this Duty of Exhortation. If we are always to pray, and not to faint, becaufe God will have us importunate with himself; the fame Course, no doubt, will be moft prevailing with Men. Therefore we are commanded to exhort one another daily (c); and with all Long juffering (d). The Fire is not

always brought out of the Flint at one Stroke; nor Men's Affections kindled at the first Exhortation. And if they were, yet if they be not followed, they will foon grow cold again. Follow Sinners with your loving and earnest Intreaties, and give them no Reft in their Sin. This is true Charity, the Way to fave Men's Souls, and will afford you Comfort upon Review. Strive to bring all your Exhortations to an Iffue. If we fpeak the most convincing Words, tut all our Care is over with our Speech, we fhall teldom profper in our Labours: But God ufually beffes their Labours, whofe very Heart is fet upon the Converfion of their Heaters, and who are therefore enquiring after the Success of their Work. If you reprove a Sin, ceafe not till the Sinner promises you to leave it, and avoid the Occafions of it. If you are exhorting to a Duty, urge for a Promife to fet upon it prefently. If you would draw Men to Chrift, leave not, till you have made them confefs the Mifery of their prefent unregenerate State, and the Neceffity of Chrift, and of a Change, and have promifed you to fall close to the Ufe of Means. O that all Chriftians would take this Course with all their Neighbours that are enslaved to Sin, and Strangers to Chrift!-Once fure your Example exhort as well as your Words. Let

more,

be

them

(c) Heb. iji. 13.

(d) 2 Tim.iv. 2.

173 them fee you conftant in all the Duties you perfuade them to. Let them fee in your Lives that Superiority to the World, which your Lips recommend. Let them fee by your conftant Labours for Heaven, that you indeed believe what you would have them believe. A holy and heavenly Life, is a continual Pain to the Confciences of Sinners around you, and continually follicits them to change their Course.

$7. (3) BESIDES the Duty of private Admonition, you must endeavour to help Men to profit by the publick Ordinances. In order to that, endeavour to procure for them faithful Minifters, where they are wanting. How fhall they hear without a Preacher (e)? Improve your Intereft and Diligence to this End, till you prevail. Extend your Purfes to the utmoft. How many Souls may be faved by the Miniftry you have procured! It is a higher and nobler Charity, than relieving their Bodies. What Abundance of Good might great Men do, if they would fupport in Academical Education, fuch Youth as they have firft carefully chofen for their Ingenuity and Piety, till they fhould be fit for the Miniftry?. And when a

faithful Miniftry is obtained, help poor Souls to receive the Fruit of it. Draw them conftantly to attend it. Remind them often what they have heard; and, if it be poffible, let them hear it repeated in their Families, or elsewhere. Promote their frequent Meeting together, befides publickly in the Congregation; not as a feparate Church, but as a Part of the Church more diligent than the rest in redeeming Time, and helping the Souls of each other Heaven-ward.

Labour alfo to keep the Ordinances and Miniftry in Efteem. No Man will be much wrought on by that which he defpifeth. An Apoftle fays, We beseech you, Brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are I 3

(e) Rom. x. 14.

over

over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in Love for their Works Sake (f).

$8. (1) LET us now a little enquire, what may be the Caufes of the gross Neglect of this Duty; that the Hinderances being difcovered, may the more easily be overcome.- One Hinderance is, Men's own Sin and Guilt. They have not themselves been ravished with heavenly Delights; how then should they draw others fo earnestly to feek them? They have not felt their own loft Condition, nor their Need of Chrift, nor the renewing Work of the Spirit; how then can they difcover thefe to others? They are guilty of the Sins they fhould reprove, and this makes them afhamed to reprove.Another is, a fecret Infidelity prevailing in Men's Hearts. Did we verily believe, that all the Unregenerate and Unholy fhall be eternally tormented, how could we hold our Tongues, or avoid burfling into Tears, when we look them in the Face? Efpecially when they are our near and dear Friends? Thus doth fecret Unbelief confume the Vigour of each Grace and Duty. O Chriftians, if you did verily believe, that your ungodly Neighbours, Wife, Hufband, or Child, fhould certainly lie for ever in Hell, except they be thoroughly changed before Death fhall fnatch them away, would not this make you addrefs them Day and Night till they were perfuaded? Were it not for this curfed Unbelief, our own, and our Neighbour's Souls would gain more by us than they do.--Thefe Attempts are alfo much hindered by our Want of Charity and Compaffion for Men's Souls. We look on miferable Souls, and pass by, as the Priest and Levite by the wounded Man. What tho the Sinner, wounded by Sin, and captivated by Satan, do not defire thy Help himfelf; his Mifery cries aloud. If God had not heard the

yet

(f) 1 Theff. v. 12, 13,

Cry

Cry of our Miferies, before he heard the Cry of our Prayers, and been moved by his own Pity, before he was moved by our Importunity, we might long have continued the Slaves of Satan. You will pray to God for them, to open their Eyes, and turn their Hearts; and why not endeavour their Converfion, if you defire it? And if you do not defire it, why do you afk it? Why do you not pray them to confider and return, as well as pray God to convert and turn them? If you fhould fee your Neighbour fallen into. a Pit, and should pray to God to help him out, but neither put forth your Hand to help him, nor once direct him to help himself, would not any Man cenfure you for Cruelty and Hypocrify? It is as true of the Soul as the Body, If any Man feeth his Brother. have Need, and fhutteth up bis Borvels of Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him? or what Love hath he to his Brother's Soul?We are alfo hindered by a bafe, Man-pleafing Difpofition. We are fo defirous to keep in Credit and Favour with Men, that it makes us moft unconscionably neglect our known Duty. He is a foolish and unfaithful Phyfician, that will let a fick Man die for fear of troubling him. If our Friends are diftracted, we please them in nothing that tends to their Hurt. And yet when they are befide themselves in Point of Salvation, and in their Madness pofting on to Damnation, we will not flop them, for fear of difpleafing them. How can we be Chriftians, that love the Praife of Men more than the Praise of God? For if we feek to pleafe Men, we shall not be the Servants of Christ. It is common to be hindered by finful Bab fulness. When we fhould fhame Men out of their Sins, we are ourfelves afhamed of our Duties. May not thefe Sinners condemn us, when they blush not to fwear, be drunk, or neglect the Worship of God; and

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and we blush to tell them of it, and perfuade them from it? Bashfulness is unfeemly in Cafes of Neceffity. It is not a Work to be ashamed of, to obey God in perfuading Men from their Sins to Chrift. Reader, hath not thy Confcience told thee of thy Duty many a Time, and put thee on to speak to poor Sinners; and yet thou hast been afhamed to open thy Mouth, and fo let them alone to fink or fwim? O read and tremble, Whosoever shall be afhamed of me, and of my Words, in this adulterous and finful Generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of Man be afhamed, when he cometh in the Glory of his Father, with the holy Angels (g). An idle and impatient Spirit bindereth us. It is an ungrateful Work, and fometimes makes Men our Enemies. Befides, it feldom fucceeds at the first, except it be followed on. You must be long teaching the Ignorant, and perfuading. the Obftinate. We confider not what Patience God ufed towards us, when we were in our Sins. Woe to us, if God had been as impatient with us, as we are with others. Another Hinderance is, Self-feeking. Al feek their crun, not the Things which are Jefus Christ's (h), and their Brethren's.With many Pride is a great Impediment. If it were to fpeak with a great Man, and it would not displease him, they would do it. But to go among the Poor, and take Pains with them in their Cottages; where is the Person that will do it? Many will rejoice in being inftrumental to convert a Gentleman; and they have good Reafon; but overlook the Multitude; as if the Souls of all were not alike to God. Alas, thefe Men little con fider how low Chrift ftooped to us! Few rich, and noble, and wife are called. It is the Poor that receive the glad Tidings of the Gofpel.And with fome their Ignorance of the Duty hindereth them from perform

(g) Mark viii, 38.

(h) Phil. ii. 21.

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