those on the work who are more able, or faithfully and humbly use the small ability you have, and tell them, as a weak man may do, what God says in his word. Decline not the duty, because it is your superior who needs advice and exhortation. Order must be dispensed with in cases of necessity. Though it be a husband, a parent, a minister, you must teach him in such a case. If parents were in want, children must relieve them. If a husband be sick, the wife must fill up his place in family affairs. If the rich are reduced to beggary, they must receive charity. If the physician be sick, somebody must look to him. So the meanest servant must admonish his master, and the child his parent, and the wife her husband, and the people their minister; so that it be done when there is real need, and with all possible humility, modesty, and meekness.-Do not say, "this will make us all preachers;" for every good Christian is a teacher, and hath a charge of his neighbour's soul. 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 forever, than thou shouldst lose his favour, or the maintenance thou hast from him ?

§ 10. (III.) But that all who fear God may be excited to do their utmost to help others to this blessed rest, let me entreat 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 souls 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.-Consider 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 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 sure be a sad thought, were it possible that any sorrow could dwell there, to hear a multitude of poor souls cry out forever, "O, if you would but have told me plainly of my 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 forever 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 enticed, 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 compan. ions 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 wounded 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 shouldst have gone to them in private, and told them plainly of their desperate danger, though it had been when thou shouldst 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 mayConsider, though this is a work of 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 of 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