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1. Your defigns are not fuch as God will approve of. Had they been fuch as we mentioned in the former part of: this difcourfe, then furely they would have led you to earnest wrestling with God, for his direction, who only can point to one that is meet to answer thofe bleffed ends. 2. You are guilty of horrible wickedness. You have committed a great provocation, in calling a minifter upon any other defign. God defigned them for the ends forinerly mentioned, and no other; and your calling them upon other aims, is an endeavour to counteract God, proftitute his ordinance, and ferve your lufts of that which God defigned for his own glory.

3. Whatever good others may get by the gospel, you have no reafon to look for any. God may answer you according to the idols of your own hearts: and when he fatisfies the foul of the hungry with good things, he may fend leannefs to you. When he gives a commiffion to the word to enlighten, convert, confirm, and ftrengthen others, you have reason to fear that it may have a commiffion to make you blind, deaf, and dead.

4. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thoughts of your heart may be forgiven you; lie in the daft before God; endeavour to get your hearts affected with your guilt, that you may be deeply humbled and abafed before him whom you have provoked to anger.

5. Bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Let us know by your carriage that you are really penitent, and that now you have got the right defigns in view; and this you may do by a clofe attendance upon all the ordinances, by hearing and doing whatever is enjoined you of God, and by all other ways mentioned in the doctrinal part of this difcourfe.

6. And, laftly. Whether you hear or forbear, yet we tell you, the kingdom of God is come near unto you; whatever you defign, the Lord has given you a gospel-day; and if our gofpel be hid from you, it is because you are loft, the god of this world having blinded your eyes, that you should not difcern the light of the glorious gospel of Jefus Chrift, who is the image of God.

As to the fecond fort of perfons, thofe who have been importunate with God, and have had an eye to his command in this work, to you we say,

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1. This your conduct, paft all peradventure, is no mean evidence of the fincerity of your good intentions; and this is certainly matter of thankfulness, and is moreover a ground to hope, that the Lord may not altogether fruftrate your defires.

2. Do not think your work is over. Wrestle, plead ftrongly with God for the bleffing on gofpel-ordinances; whoever plants or waters, it is only God that gives the increafe; and therefore, if you mean to grow under the means, be inftant in prayer for the bleffing on them; plead that God may not fend leannefs to your fouls, while he provides plenty of fpiritual provifion for you.

3. Beware of fitting down upon gospel-privileges. You may, if you do fo, lole what you have wrought, and juftly bring the fincerity of your aims in question. There is no

thing more ordinary, than fecurity of this fort. Perfons who it may be would fay, O had they a gospel-difpenfa. tion! how glad would they be, how carefully would they improve it; and yet when they get what they feek, their improvement is in no meafure anfwerable to their refolu. tions. Take heed of, and guard against this.

4. Let there be a fuitable care to evidence your fincerity in this matter, by the whole of your deportment. If you turn care lefs in attending ordinances, if you hear, but do not, if you neglect your own work, and be wanting to yourselves in this matter, then who will believe your fincerity who can believe it? your own confciences will accufe you; and "if your hearts condemn you, God is greater than your hearts, and knows all things," 1 John iii. 20.

5. If you find that the Lord has made endeavours fuccefsful, take care that you facrifice not to your own net, and burn incenfe to your drag. God is a holy and jealous God, and will not be mocked; and if you begin to rob him. of his glory, he will get him glory in fuch a way as may lay you low, and make you fmart feverely for your own folly.

6. If the Lord give you the gospel-light, then walk in the light while you have it. Carry like children of the light and of the day, work out the work of your falvation with fear and trembling; for none of us can tell how

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foon our gofpel-day may be gone, and the night fucceed wherein none can work.

We fhall conclude this difcourfe with a few general advices to all of you. Would you have our ministry made fuccefsful? would you obtain the real advantage of gofpelordinances, and have our meetings fuch as may be matter of rejoicing both to you and me in the day of the Lord ? then we intreat, befeech, nay, and obteft you by the mercies of God, in the bowels of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as you would have your own fouls and ours to be faved

1. Pray for us. As a minifter is indifpenfibly obliged to mind his people before God, and to carry them ever upon his heart, fo are they obliged to pray for their minifter: "Pray for us," fays the apostle, Heb. xiii. 18. "for we trust we have a good confcience in all things, willing to live honeftly." To give weight to this advice, Ifball lay before you a few confiderations. And,

(1.) Confider, minifters are not fufficient of themselves for this work; the work is great, weighty and important, and the difficulties are many; and who is fufficient for it? Surely minifters are not; for if the apostle faid with justice of himself, "That he was not of himself fufficient to think any thing as he ought," 2 Cor. iii. 5. then much more may gospel minifters now-a-days own it to be fo with them, and therefore all their fufficiency is only of God, from whom fuitable and needful fupplies fhould be fought.

(2.) Confider that in their plenty and fulness you shall have plenty. They are indifpenfibly obliged to lay out what they receive for you, to fpend and be spent in the work and fervice of your faith; and therefore it is your interest that they abound, fince it is for your fake they labour; and the more fo, if you be inftrumental by your prayers, in procuring advantages and fupplies for them.

(3.) Confider that they are expofed to great hazards for your fake, and therefore you are to contribute your ute moft to their alliftance this way, wherein you may be most helpful to them. They being made watchmen, do thereby become the butt of Satan's malice; and the more faithful they are, the more will he oppose them, and feek their The enemy's principal defign is fure to be against the watchman, becaufe he prevents the furprising of his people by Satan, at least it is his bufinefs to do fo; and therefore

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therefore no ftone will be left unturned, in order to his ruin. 1. Satan will endeavour to lay him afleep, and make him turn fecure, that he may neglect his poft. 2. If he mifs of this, he will endeavour to fill him with disturbance and fear, that fo he may be diverted from his duty, and made to quit his poft. Or, 3. He will ply his corruptions, that he may, by attending to them, and striving against them, take him off from, or difcourage him in his oppofition to those of others. 4. He will endeavour to blind his eyes by falfe appearances, that fo he may give false alarms; and this will weaken his credit, and make people not believe his warnings. 5. He will endeavour to amufe him with great appearances of danger where there is none; that his eyes may turn off from thofe things which may really endanger his flock. And, 6. He will endeavour to beget and cherish jealoufies betwixt his people and him, whereby his warnings will be lefs regarded, and his hands be weakened, and his heart be discouraged. 7. If these fail, he will endeavour to get him removed; if he fee the gofpel like to prove fuccefsful, then he will take care to find out ways to oblige the watchman to remove from his post. And, 8. If he fail of this, he will endeavour to kill him, either by multiplying troubles and griefs, or elfe by more direct methods, employing his emiffaries and fervants to take away his life; and this by God's permiffion, for the punishment of a people's fins, has proven fuccefsful. Surely thefe and a great many more methods, ufed by Satan, the wicked world, pretended friends, and their own corruptions, against the minifters of the gospel, and all upon the people's account, fhould make them careful in praying to God in their behalf, that they may be faved from the attempts of all their fpiritual adverfaries, and may be made to grow in grace and gifts. Pray for much grace to your minifter, that he may perfuade, as knowing the terrors of the Lord; that he may deal tenderly with you, as having himself had acquaintance with foul.ficknefs on account of fin; that he may take you to Jesus safely, as having himself been with him; that he may comfort you with the confolations wherewith he has been comforted of God. In fine, that he may fpeak, because he himself has not only believed, but experienced the work of grace upon his own foul, as one that has tafted

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that fin is an evil and bitter thing, and has found that Chrift is useful, is fufficient, is precious; and that he may pray acceptably for you, as one that has found acceptance in his own behalf. Pray likewife for gifts to him, knowledge in the mystery of God, and of Chrift, and of faith; that he may have much spiritual wisdom, zeal, boldness, and courage, to fit him for his work; and withal, that the Lord may give a door of utterance.

(4.) Confider, that a careful attendance to your duty, in holding up your minifter's cafe, will be a great mean to promote love, mutual love betwixt you and him; and this will help to break Satan's engines. Nothing contributes more to the furtherance and fuccefs of one's miniftry in a place, than much love, and mutual kindness betwixt a minifter and people; and no love fo ufeful this way, as that which vents itself in prayer for one another, and is cherished by this means. But,

2. I intreat you may carefully attend ordinances, pubiic, private, and fecret; and catechifing, as the Lord fhall give occafion. This will make us cheerfully go about these duties, if we fee you ftudying to make advantage of them: this will be profitable to you; it will difcourage our enemies; it will rejoice our heart, and be a credit to religion.

3. Any advantage you receive, be fure that ye attribute it entirely to God; beware of placing it to the minifter's account, who is only the inftrument; if you rob God of the glory, and give it to the inftrument, you may by this provoke the Lord to blast your minifter, and to withdraw from him his prefence; which will foon make you fee, that it is not the minifter that can do any thing. Give God his due, and fo account of us as the fervants of Chrift, and the ftewards of the mysteries of the gofpel; and when ye get any good by it, put it all to God's account; blefs him for it; and let the inftrument have an intereft in your affections and prayers, that he may be fur. ther useful to you and others.

4. Once more and we have done. Do not count us your enemies, if we tell you the truth; we must by any means be free, in laying open your fins, and in carrying home the conviction of them to your confciences; nor dare we gratify any, by holding our peace in this matter; for if we please men, then we are not the fervants of Chrift; and

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