that the Lord may not altogether fruftrate your defires.

Wrestle,

2, Do not think your work is over. plead strongly with God for the bleffing of gospelordinances: whoever plants or waters, it is only God that gives the increase; and therefore, if you mean to grow under the means, be inftant in prayer for the bleffing of 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 gofpel-privileges. You may, if you do fo, lofe what you have wrought, and juftly bring the fincerity of your aims in queftion. There is nothing more ordinary, than upfitting of this fort. Perfons, who it may be would fay, O had they a gofpel-difpenfation! 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 refolutions; 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 careless 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 ii. 20.

5. If you find that the Lord has made endeăvours 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 glo

"

ry,

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

We shall 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 gofpel ordinances, and have our meetings fuch as may be matter of rejoycing 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 minister is indifpenfably obliged to mind his people before God, and to carry them over upon his heart, fo are they obliged to pray for their minifter. Pray for us, fays the apoftle, Heb. xiii. 18., for we trust we have a good confcience in all things,willing to live honeftly: and to make this advice have the more weight, I shall lay before you a few confiderations. And, (1.) Confider minifters are not fufficient of themfelves for this work; the work is great, weighty and important, and the difficulties are many; and who is fufficient for it? Sure ministers are not; for if the apoftle faid with juftice of himself, That he was not of himself fufficient to think any thing as he ought, 2 Cor. iii. 5. Then much more may gofpel minifters now a days own it to be fo with B 3 them;

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 fhall have plenty. They are indifpenfably obliged to lay out what they receive for you, to fpend and be fpent in the work and fervice of your faith; and therefore, it is your intereft that they abound, since it is like to turn to a good account to you; and the more fo, if you be inftrumental by your prayers, in procuring advantages and fupplies for them.

(3.) Confider, that they are exposed to great hazards for your fake, and therefore, you are to contribute your utmost to their affiftance this way, wherein you may be most helpful to them. They being made watchmen, do hereby become the butt of Satan's malice; and the more faithful they are, the more will he oppose them and feek their ruin. The enemy's principal defign is fure to be against the watchman, because he prevents the furprifing of his people by Satan, at leaft it is his bufinefs to do fo; and therefore, no ftone will be left unturned, in order to his ruin. 1. Satan will endeavour to lay him afleep, to 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 thofe of others. 4. He will endeavour to blind his eyes by falfe appearances, that so he may give falfe alarms; and this will weaken his credit, and make people not believe his warnings. 5. He

will endeavour to amufe him with great appear-> ances of danger, where there is none; that his eyes may turn off from thefe things which 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 difcouraged. 7. If these fail, he will endeavour to get him removed; if he see the gospel like to prove fuccefsful, then he will take care to find out ways, to oblige the watchman to remove from his poft. 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 these and a great many more methods, ufed by Satan, the wicked world, pretended friends, and their own corruptions, against the ministers 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-fickness, on account of fin; that he may take you to Jefus fafely, 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 speak, because he himself has not only believed, but experienced the work of grace upon his own foul, as one that has tafted that fin is an evil and bitter

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thing,

thing, and has found, that Christ is useful, is fufficient, is precious, and that he may pray acceptably for you, as one who has found acceptance in his own behalf. Pray likewise for gifts to him, knowlege in the mystery of God, and of Chrift, and of faith; that he may have much fpiritual 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 minister'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 ministry in a place, than much love, mutual kindnefs betwixt minifter and people; and no love so useful this way, as that which vents itfelf in prayer for one another, and is cherished by this means. But,

2. I intreat you may carefully attend ordinances, the preaching of the word, public prayers and praifes, and catechifing, as the Lord fhall give occafion. This will make us cheerfully go about thefe duties, if we fee you studying 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 minister'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 fer