Every man is a physician, when a regular physician cannot be had, and when the hurt is so small that any man may relieve it; and in the same cases, every man must be a teacher.-Do not despair of success. Cannot God give it? And must it not be by means? -Do not plead, it will only be casting pearls before swine. When you are in danger to be torn in pieces, Christ would have you forbear: but what is that to you that are in no such danger? As long as they will hear, you have encouragement to speak, and may not cast them off as contemptible swine.-Say not, "It is a friend on whom I much depend, and by telling him his sin and misery, I may lose his love, and be undone." Is his love more to be valued than his safety? or thy own benefit by him than the salvation of his soul? or wilt thou connive at his damnation, because he is thy friend? Is that thy best requital of his friendship? Hadst thou rather he should burn in hell for ever, than thou shouldest lose his favour, or the maintenance thou hast from him?

6 10. (III.) But that all who fear God may be excited to do their utmost to help others to this blessed rest, let me intreat you to consider the following motives. As for instance,-Not only nature, but especially grace, disposes the soul to be communicative of good. Therefore to neglect this work is a sin both against nature and grace. Would you not think him unnatural, that would suffer his children or neighbours to starve in the streets, while he has provision at hand? And is not he more unnatural that will let them eternally perish, and not open his mouth to save them? An unmerciful cruel man is a monster, to be abhorred of all. If God had bid you give them all your estates, or lay down your lives to save them, you would surely have refused, when you will not bestow a little breath to save them. Is not the soul of a husband, or wife, or child, or neighbour, worth a few words? Cruelty to men's bodies is a most damnable sin; but to their souls much more, as the soul is of greater worth than the body, and eternity than time.

Little know you what many a soul may now be feeling in hell, who died in their sins, for want of your faithful admonition.-Consider what Christ did towards the saving of souls. He thought them worth his blood; and shall we not think them worth our breath! Will you not do a little, where Christ hath done so much?Consider what fit objects of pity ungodly people are. They are dead in trespasses and sins, have not hearts to feel their miseries, nor to pity themselves. If others do not pity them, they will have no pity: for it is the nature of their disease to make them pitiless to themselves, yea, their own most cruel destroyers.-Consider it was once thy own case. It was God's argument to the Israelites, to be kind to strangers, because themselves had been strangers in the land of Egypt. So should you pity them that are strangers to Christ, and to the hopes and comforts of the saints, because you were once strangers to them yourselves.-Con. sider your relation to them. It is thy neighbour, thy brother, whom thou art bound to love as thyself. He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth daily, doth not love God whom he never saw. And doth he love his brother, that will see him go to hell, and never hinder him?

§ 11. Consider what a load of guilt this neglect lays upon thy own soul. Thou art guilty of the murder and damnation of all those souls whom thou dost thus neglect; and of every sin they now commit, and of all the dishonour done to God thereby; and of all those judgments which their sins bring upon the town or country where they live.-Consider what it will be, to look upon your poor friends in eternal flames, and to think that your neglect was a great cause of it. If you should there perish with them, it would be no small aggravation of your torment. If you be in heaven, it would surely be a sad thought, were it possible that any sorrow could dwell there, to hear a multitude of poor souls cry out for ever, O, if you would but have told me plainly of my

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sin and danger, and set it home, I might have escaped all this torment, and been now in rest!" What a sad voice will this be !- Consider what a joy it will be in heaven, to meet those there, whom you have been the means to bring thither. To see their faces, and join with them for ever in the praises of God, whom you were the happy instruments of bringing to the knowledge and obedience of Jesus Christ!-Consider how many souls you may have drawn into the way of damnation, or hardened in it. We have had, in the days of our ignorance, our companions in sin, whom we incited or encouraged. And doth it not become us, to do as much to save men, as we have done to destroy them?-Consider how diligent are all the enemies of these poor souls to draw them to hell. The devil is tempting them day and night: their inward lusts are still working for their ruin: the flesh is still pleading for its delights: their old companions are increasing their dislike of holiness. And if nobody be diligent in helping them to heaven, what is like to become of them.

12. Consider how deep the neglect of this duty will wound, when conscience is awakened.-When a man comes to die, conscience will ask him, "What good hast thou done in thy life-time? The saving of souls is the greatest good work: what hast thou done towards it? How many hast thou dealt faithfully with?" I have oft observed that the consciences of dying men very much wound them for this omission. For my own part, when I have been near death, my conscience hath accused me more for this than for any sin. It would bring every ignorant profane neighbour to my remembrance, to whom I never made known their danger. It would tell me, "Thou shouldest have gone to them in private, and told them plainly of their desperate danger, though it had been when thou shouldest have eaten, or slept, if thou hadst no other time." Conscience would remind me, how at such or such a time I was in company with the ignorant, or was riding by the

way with a wilful sinner, and had a fit opportunity to have dealt with him, but did not; or at least did it to little purpose. The Lord grant I may better obey conscience while I have time, that it may have less to accuse me of at death?-Consider what a seasonable time you now have for this work. There are times in which it is not safe to speak; it may cost you your liberties or your lives. Besides, your neighbours will shortly die, and so will you. Speak to them therefore while you may.-Consider, though this is a work of the greatest charity, yet every one of you may perform it; the poorest, as well as the rich. Every one hath a tongue to speak to a sinner. -Once more, consider the happy consequences of this work where it is faithfully done. You may be instrumental in saving souls, for which Christ came down and died, and in which the angels of God rejoice. Such souls will bless you here and hereafter. God will have much glory by it. The church will be multiplied and edified by it. Your own souls will enjoy more improvement and vigour in a divine life, more peace of conscience, more rejoicing in spirit. Of all the personal mercies that I ever received, next to the love of God in Christ to my own soul, I must most joyfully bless him for the plentiful success of my endeavours upon others. O what fruits then might I have seen, if I had been more faithful? I know we need to be very jealous of our deceitful hearts in this point, lest our rejoicing should come from our pride. Naturally we would have the praise of every good work ascribed to ourselves. Yet to imitate our Father in goodness and mercy, and to rejoice in the degree of them we attain to, is the duty of every child of God. I therefore tell you my own experience, to persuade you, that if you did but know what a joyful thing it is, you would follow it night and day through the greatest discourage

ments.

§ 13. Up then, every man that hath a tongue, and is a servant of Christ, and do something of your

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Master's work. Why hath he given you a tongue, but to speak in his service? And how can you serve him more eminently, than in saving souls? He that will pronounce you blessed at the last day, and invite you to the kingdom prepared for you, because you fed him, and clothed him, and visited him, in his poor members, will surely pronounce you blessed for so great a work as bringing souls to his kingdom. He that saith, The poor you have always with you, hath left the ungodly always with you, that you might still have matter to exercise your charity upon. If you have the hearts of Christians or of men, let them yearn toward your ignorant ungodly neighbours. Say, as the lepers of Samaria, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. Hath God had so much mercy on you, and will you have no mercy on your poor neighbours? -But as this duty belongs to all Christians, so especially to some, according as God hath called them to it, or qualified them for it. To them therefore I will more particularly address the exhortation.

§ 14. God especially expects this duty at your hands, to whom he hath given more learning and knowledge, and endued with better utterance, than your neighbours. The strong are made to help the weak; and those that see must direct the blind. God looketh for this faithful improvement of your parts and gifts, which, if you neglect, it were better you had never received them; for they will but aggravate your condemnation, and be as useless to your own salvation as they were to others.

§ 15. All those that are particularly acquainted with some ungodly men, and that have peculiar interest in them, God looks for this duty at your hands. Christ himself did eat and drink with publicans and sinners; but it was only to be their physician, and not their companion. Who knows but God gave you interest in them to this end, that you might be the means of their recovery? They that will not regard the words of a stranger, may regard a broY