next generation. Make the lambs of the flock love you, and hear your voice with delight, that they may grow up under your instruction, to fill up the room of their fathers when they are called away to heaven: nor let servants be utterly neglected, where providence may afford you an opportunity to speak a word to their souls.

He that has the happy talent of parlour-preaching, has sometimes done more for Christ and souls in the space of a few minutes, than by the labour of many hours and days, in the usual course of preaching in the pulpit. Our character should be all of a piece, and we should help forward the success of our public ministrations, by our private addresses to the hearts and consciences of men, where providence favours us with just occasions.

In order to promote this work of particular watchfulness over the flock of Christ, where he has made you a shepherd and overseer, it is useful to keep a catalogue of their names, and now and then review them with a pastoral eye and affection. This will awaken and incline you to lift up proper petitions for each of them, so far as you are acquainted with their circumstances in body or mind. This will excite you to give thanks to God on account of those who walk as becomes the gospel, and who have either begun, or proceeded and increased in the christian life and temper by your ministry: you will observe the names of the negligent and backsliding christians, to mourn over them, and admonish them: you will be put in mind how to dispose of your time in christian visits, and learn the better to fulfil your whole ministry among them.

$40. (V.) The things which I have spoken hitherto, have been a display of the best methods I can think of, for the execution of the sacred office of the ministry; and so far as they are conformable to the word of God, we may venture to say, these are your duties, my dear brother, and these are ours. It remains now to be considered, in what manner shall we ENFORCE them on our own consciences, and on yours? What solemn ob

testations shall I use to press these momentous concerns on all our hearts? What pathetic language shall I choose, what words of awful efficacy and divine fervour, which may first melt our spirits into softness, and then imprint these duties upon them with lasting power? We exhort and charge you, we exhort and charge ourselves, by all that is serious and sacred, by all that is important and everlasting, by all the solemn transactions between God and man which are past, and by all the more solemn and awful scenes which are yet to come; by all things in our holy religion which are dreadful and tremendous, and by all things in this gospel, which are glorious and amiable, heavenly and divine. We charge you by all that is written in this book of God, according to which we shall be judged in the last day, by all the infinite and astonishing glories and terrors of an invisible world, and an unseen eternity; we charge and exhort you, we exhort and charge ourselves, that we all take heed to the ministry which we have received of the Lord Jesus, that we fulfil it.

41. We charge you, and we charge ourselves by the decaying interest of religion, and the withering state of christianity at this day, that we do not increase this general and lamentable decay, this growing and dreadful apostacy, by our slothful and careless management of the trust which is committed to us. It is a divine interest indeed, but declining; it is a heavenly cause, but among us it is sinking and dying. O let us stir up our hearts, and all that is within us, and strive mightily in prayer and in preaching to revive the work of God, and beg earnestly that God, by a fresh and abundant effusion of his Spirit, would revive his work among us. Revive thy own work, O Lord, in the midst of these years of sin and degeneracy, nor let us labour in vain. Where is thy zeal, O Lord, and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and thy mercies? Are they restrained? O let us rouse our souls with all holy fervour, to fulfil our ministry, for it will be a dreadful reproach upon us, and a burden too heavy for us to bear, if we let the cause of Christ and godliness die un

der our hands, for want of a lively žeal, and pious fervour and faithfulness in our ministrations.

§ 42. We entreat, we exhort and charge you, and we charge ourselves, by the solemn and awful circumstances of a dying bed, and the thoughts of conscience in that important hour, when we shall enter into the world of spirits, that we take heed to the ministry which we have received: surely that hour is hastening upon us, when our heads will lie upon a dying pillow. When a few more mornings and evenings have visited our windows, the shadows of a long night will begin to spread themselves over us: in that gloomy hour, conscience will review the behaviour of the days that are past, will take account of the conduct of our whole lives, and will particularly examine our labours and cares in our sacred office. Oh may we ever dread the thoughts of making bitter work for repentance in that hour, and of treasuring up terrors for a death-bed, by a careless and useless ministry!

43. We exhort and charge you, and we charge ourselves, by our gathering together before the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the solemn account we must there give of the ministry with which he hath entrusted us, that we prepare, by our present zeal and labour, to render that most awful scene peaceful to our souls, and the issue of it joyful and happy. Let us look forward to that illustrious and tremendous appearance, when our Lord shall come with ten thousands of his holy angels to inquire into the conduct of men, and particularly of the ministers of his kingdom here on earth. Let us remember that we shall be examined in the light of the flames of that day, what we have done with his gospel which he gave us to preach! What we have done with his promises of rich salvation, which he sent us to offer in his name! What is become of the souls committed to our care! O that we may give up our account with joy, and not with grief, to the Judge of the living and the dead, in that glorious, that dreadful and decisive hour!

$44. We charge and warn you, my dear brother, and

we warn and charge ourselves, by all the terrors written in this divine book, and by all the indignation and vengeance of God, which we are sent to display before a sinful world; by all the torments and agonies of hell, which we are commissioned to denounce against impenitent sinners, in order to persuade men to turn to God, and receive and obey the gospel, that we take heed to our ministry that we fulfil it. This vengeance and these terrors will fall upon our souls, and that with intolerable weight, with double and immortal anguish, if we have trifled with these terrible solemnities, and made no use of these awful scenes to awaken men to lay hold of the offered grace of the gospel. Knowing therefore the terrors of the Lord, let us persuade men, for we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive according to our works.*

$45. In the last place, we entreat, we exhort and charge you, by all the joys of paradise, and the blessings of an eternal heaven which are our hope and support under all our labours, and which in the name of Christ, we offer to sinful, perishing men, and invite them to partake thereof. Can we speak of such joys and glories with a sleepy heart and indolent language? Can we invite sinners, who are running headlong into hell, to return and partake of these felicities, and not be excited to the warmest forms of address, and the most lively and engaging methods of persuasion? What scenes of brightness and delight can animate the lips and language of an orator, if the glories and the joys of the christian's heaven and our immortal hopes cannot do it? We charge and entreat you, therefore, and we charge ourselves, by the shining recompenses which are promised to faithful ministers, that we keep this glory ever in view, and awaken our dying zeal in our sacred work.

* 2 Cor. v. 10, 11.

THE

CHRISTIAN PREACHER, &c.

DISCOURSE VI.

ON THE EVIL AND DANGER OF NEGLECTING SOULS.

1. Introductory Remarks. (i.) The neglect of souls is highly criminal. § 2 (ii) A readiness in men to excuse themselves for it. § 3-5. (iii.) These excuses might often be over-ruled $ 6. An apology for the author's intended closeness of address. § 7. The subject stated. § 8-10. (L.) What EXCUSES may be offered for neglecting souls. 1. That we do something considerable for that purpose. § 11. 2. That the care of particular persons more properly belongs to others. § 12. 3. That we have much other business. 13. Recreation. § 14. Studies. § 15. Pleasures of li terature. § 16. An address to young ministers. § 17. Over-artful composition of sermons. § 18, 19. That our attempts might displease our people § 20. (II.) The great EVIL of that neglect. §. 21. 1. The death of the soul. § 22. 2. How many souls die around us. § 23. 3. The divine provision to prevent their death. § 24. 4. The peculiar obligations we are under to endeavour after their preservation. As christians. § 25. As ministers, obliged by the declarations of scripture, and, § 26. Our personal engagement. § 27. (III.) APPLICATION in practical inferences. 1. To humble ourselves deeply, while we remember our faults. § 28. 2. Seriously consider what methods are to be taken for the time to come.

§ 1. « IF thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn

unto death, and those that are ready to be slain: If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not: Doth not he that pondereth the heart, consider it? and he that keepeth thy