preach, they pray, because they must do fo; but none are the bet ter for their prayers, or preaching. They feem to labour an hour or two in a week, but their labours turn to no account; nor can be expected to turn to any good account, whilft they are neither anima red by faithfulness, nor guided by prudence.

Agricola, writing de animantibus fubterraneis, tells us of a certain kind of fpirits that converfe with minerals, and much infest those that work in them. They feem to bufy themselves according to the cuf tom of workmen; they will dig and cleanfe, melt and fever the metals, yet when they are gone, the workmen do not find that there is any thing done. I came not hither (I confefs) to deal with this fort of men; and therefore fhall leave them to confider the words immediately following my text, which, like a thunder-clap from the mouth of Chrift, difcharges woes and threatenings upon them; ver. 48. to the end: "If that evil fervant fhall fay in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and fhall begin to fmite his fellow-fervants, and to eat and drink with the drunken: The Lord of that fervant fhall come in a day that he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of; and thall cut him afunder, and appoint him his portion with hypocrites. There fhall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth." Who can aggravate their mifery more, than thefe words of Christ have done?

But I am principally concerned at this time about our own defects, both in faithfulnefs, and in prudence; though neither of these (I hope) be totally wanting in us, yet our defects and thort-comings may, and muft greatly humble us. Que vain expence of much precious time, our thuffling hafte in fo weighty a ftudy as the falvation of our people is; our finful filence, when confcience faith, reprove; our coldnefs and dead-heartednefs; our unferious and unprofitable converfes; our pride and oftentation of gifts; our neglect and perfonal conferences: All thefe evidently difcover, that both our brains and bowels need more strength and tendernefs. I wil! not infist here upon thefe particulars, (let us do that in our studies) but haften to the exhortation, and therein to the close of this discourse.

USE III.

Are faithfulness and prudence the effential requifites of the fervants and ftewards of Chrift's houfe? And will he fo amply reward them in whomfoever he finds them? Then let it be our care and Audy to ap prove ourselves to him, fuch as he here defcribes and encourages.

But who am I, to manage fuch a work as this, among men every way above me! However, you have called me to this fervice, and Chrift hath directed me to this fubject: And fhould I now filently pafs over this part of my work, how fhall I approve myself, either a faithful, or a wife fervant to him that fent me?

I defpair of ever having fuch another opportunity; I fee many faces in this affembly, whom I fhall never fee any more in this world.

I fpeak to the minifters of Chrift, the guides and paftors of fo many flocks. May I be in the least instrumental to quicken them in their duties, their refpective numerous congregations will reap the benefit of it.

My brethren, this is the day I have often wished for, when in the fad and filent years that are paft, I have been fearching my own heart, and enquiring into the caufes of God's indignation (as I doubt not you alfo have done); I have bewailed the forementioned defects before the Lord, and engaged my foul by folemn promife to him, that if he would once more open the door of liberty, I would (through his grace) labour to reform, and do my utmost to perfuade all my brethren to exercife more minifterial faithfulness and prudence.

And now I am where my foul hath long defired to be, and the vows of God are upon me; fuffer therefore (dear brethren) yea, fuffer from unworthy me, This word of exhortation: Take heed to your miniAry, that you fulfil it: Take heed to yourselves, and to the flocks over which the Holy Ghoft hath made you overfeers. Let us fo ftudy and preach, let us fo pray and converfe among our people, that we may both fave ourfelves, and them that hear us; let us frugally and induftriously hufband our time and talents for Chrift; let us prudently contrive, zealoufly and unanimoufly execute our holy contrivances, for the advancement of his kingdom and intereft in the world: These are plotting times, wicked men are every where plotting to difturb the civil peace; let us have our plot too, an honeft plot, how to advance the intereft of Chrift in the fouls of our people; wherein we shall also promote and fecure the civil peace of that happy government we live under. Let us learn prudence from our paft follies, and conftancy from our paft experiences. I look upon you that are aged minifters, as feafon ed timber, that hath lain out near thirty years in the weather, yet neither warped, rained, nor rotten. I confefs, in all this time, the fun hath not much tried the force of his influence upon us, though the storms have. I fufpect our greateft danger will be in the funfhine of liberty. If we hold it now, and manage this trial by liberty, with eminent faithfulness and prudence, humility and peaceableness, zeal and diligence; Chrift may account us fit materials to build his house. Let us now redeem our many filent Sabbaths, by double and tripple improvements of thofe we enjoy : Let none of us dare to bring our old fins into our new pulpits. Then will the Prince of pastors delight in us here, and crown our prudent faithfulnefs with a full reward hereafter. In order whereunto, give me leave to hint (for I can do no more than hint) these three things by way of motive, which are worth thinking on:

We have a folemn charge given us by Christ.

We have a folemn account to pafs fhortly with Christ.

We have now a great opportunity to improve for Chrift.

1. Ile have a folemn charge given us by Chrift, 2 Tim. iv. 1, 2. "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, who

fhall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his king. dom; preach the word, be inftant in feason, and out of feafon; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-fuffering and do&rine." It muft be a powerful opiate indeed, that can fo benumb and ftupify the confcience of a minifter, as that he shall not feel the awful authority of fuch a charge.

The precious and immortal fouls of men are committed to us ; fouls, about which God hath concerned his thoughts from eternity; for the purchase of which Chrift hath shed his own blood; for the winning and efpoufing of which to himself, he hath put you into this office; at whofe hands he will alfo require an account of them in the great day.

2. We have a folemn account at that day to pass with Chrift. Heb. xiii. 17. "We watch for their fouls, as thofe that must give account. And what can more powerfully excite to faithful diligence in the discharge of duty, than the confideration of that day! Which the apostle had mentioned, in 2 Cor. v. 10. this awful appearance be fore the judgment-feat of Chrift; he immediately infers, verfe 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we perfuade men.'

O brethren! let us beware of committing, or of neglecting any thing, that may bring us within the compafs of the terrors of that day. Let our painfulness and faithfulnels, our conftancy and seriousnefs, compel a teftimony from our congregations, as the apostle did from his, Acts xxviii. 26. That we are pure from the blood of all men."

3. We have a great opportunity to improve for Chrift; which if we do, we fhall fulfil his charge, and efcape the terrors of his judgment in that great day.

We have now (if I mistake not) the faireft feafon we ever enjoyed, fince we first preached Chrift; if this be loft, I question whether we may ever expect the like. There is great odds betwixt our prefent circumftances at our return to our flocks, and our past circumftances when we left them, and that both upon our own account, and upon theirs.

1. Upen our own account: We were then young, and (comparatively) unexperienced minifters to what we are now. Though we have too many defects and weaknesses still to lament, yet I am perfuaded we have not spent fo many years among trials, fears, and fufferings in vain. These things, I am perfuaded, have greatly improved our acquaintance with God, and our own hearts. It will be as fad as ftrange, if they have not. God hath been training us up in faith, humility, patience, and felf-denial in this school of affliction. When we could not preach the doctrine of faith, we were reduced, by a bleffed neceffity, to live the life of faith. The rules of patience, humility, and fatisfaction in the will of God, we were,wont to prefcribe from our pulpits to the people, we were neceffitated to practife and apply to ourfelves in our fad folitudes, and various diftreffes, through which the

Lord hath led us. So that now we come better furnished to the work, than ever before. And I hope I have ground for you, brethren, to fay, as the apostle, of his coming to the Romans, that you come among them" in the fulness of the blefling of the gospel of

Chrift."

3. There is great odds upon the people's account: Many of them were full-fed, and wanton, when we left them; they are hungry, and fharp fet, at our return to them. An hungry appetite appears in the people in many places, not without great caufe and reafon. They are willing to take any pains: your words now drop upon them as the clouds upon the clefted earth. O what an opportunity doth this give to accomplish the great ends of our ministry among them!

Lift up your eyes, and behold the fields, are they not even white unto the harvest? Let husbandmen rather lofe their feed-time and harveft, than we lofe fo precious a season, so great, so rich an opportunity as this.

I have finished what concerneth you, my reverend and dear brethren, and fellow-labourers in the Lord's harvest: A word or two remains to be spoken to the people, and I have done.

You have heard what a variety of duty lies upon us, and what difficulty in every part thereof; yet all our labours would be light, and our pains pleafant, might we fee more fruits, and fuccefs of them amongst you

Your barrennefs and unperfuadableness, your divifions and instability coft us more, than all our other pains in our ftudies and pulpits. How eafily and fweetly would the plough go, would you but fet both your hands of prayer and obedience to affitt us in that work.

You have now as bleffed an opportunity as your fouls can defire, yea, that very feafon of mercy fome of you have a long time anxiously defired. You have confeffed to God, that you once finned us out of our pulpits; God forbid you should next fin us into our graves.

If you be wanton children at a full table, our enemies are not fo far off, but God can quickly call them in to cure your wantonnefs, by taking away the cloth,

The itewards of Chrift provide choice difhes for you, even feasts of fat things full of marrow; and ferve it into your fouls upon the knee of prayer in due season : have a care of defpifing it, if at any time the dishes be not garnifhed as you expect, with curious figures, and flowers of rhetoric.

The Lord give you hungry appetites, found digeftions, and thriving fouls; then fhall ye be our crown of rejoicing, and we yours in the day of our Lord Jefus Chrift: To the word of whofe grace I commend you all, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among them that are fanctified. 4 E

VOL. VI.

A DOUBLE SCHEME, OR TABLE:

CONTAINING, IN THE FIRST COLUMN,

The SINS most incident to the Members of particular Churches, plainly forbidden in the Word, and for which God fets Marks of his Displeasure on them.

AND, IN THE SECOND,

The DUTIES enjoined on them in the Scripture, in the confcientious Discharge whereof, they receive fignal Fruits of his Favour.

I.

THEIR firft duty is,

I. Sin.THE firft, and more 1. Duty. TH

general fin of church members, is, a defect in their care and circumfpection, to prevent all juft offences to them that are without forbidden, Col. iv. 5. "Walk in wifdom towards them which are without." By a carelefs difregard of this rule, we harden the wicked in their fins, bring guilt upon ourselves, and reproach upon the name and ways of God.

II. Sin. The fecond, and more particular fin of fome churchmembers, is idleness, and neglect of their civil callings; against the exprefs rule, 2 Theff. ii. 11, 12. "There are fome which walk among you diforderly, working not at all: Such we command and exhort by our Lord Jefus Christ, that with quietnefs they work, and eat their own bread." This brings poverty on them felves, and fcandal on religion.

III. Sin. The third fin is talebearing, and revealing the fecrets of families, and perfons; whence many frifes arife, to the cooling and quenching of mutual love;

to be often together in acts of Chriftian communion. Mal. iii. 16. "Then they that feared the Lord, spake of ten one to another," &c. Such meetings for prayers, repetition of fermons, and Chriftian conference, greatly conduce to mutual edification; which is the principal intention of Chriftian fellowship, Eph. iv. 16.

II. Duty. Their fecond duty is, to follow and back the great defign of the gofpel in the world, and therein affift the public miniftry, by their private and prudent helping on the converfion of the carnal and carelefs world, Phil. iv. 3. "Help thofe women that laboured with me in the gofpel, &c. For the Lord Jefus Chrift's fake, and for the love of the Spirit, ftrive together with me," Rom. xv. 30.

III. Duty. Their third duty is humble condefcenfion to the infirmities of their weaker brethren, and denying themfelves in what they can, without fin,