dispute the case against men's wills and sensual passions, as much as against their understandings; and these have neither reason nor ears: their best arguments are, ‘I will not believe you, nor all the preachers in the world in such things. I will not change my mind or life: I will not leave my sins; I will never be so precise, come on it what will.' We have not one, but multitudes of raging passions and contradicting enemies to dispute against at once, whenever we go about the conversion of a sinner; as if a man were to dispute in a fair or tumult, or in the midst of a crowd of violent scolds; what equal dealing, and what success were here to be expected? Why, such is our work, and yet a work that must be done.

O, dear brethren, what men should we be in skill, resolution, and unwearied diligence, that have all this to do? Did Paul cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. ii. 16,) and shall we be proud, or careless and lazy, as if we were sufficient? As Peter saith to every Christian in consideration of our great approaching change, (2 Pet.iii. 11,) “What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" So may I say to every minister, seeing all these things lie upon our hands, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy endeavours and resolutions for our work! This is not a burden for the shoulder of a child. What skill doth every part of our work require, and of how much moment is every part! To preach a sermon I think is not the hardest part; and yet what skill is necessary to make plain the truth, to convince the hearers; to let in the irresistible light into their consciences, and to keep it there, and drive all home; to screw the truth into their minds, and work Christ into their affections; to meet every objection that gainsays, and clearly to resolve it; to drive sinners to a stand, and make them see there is no hope, but they must unavoidably be converted or condemned: and to do all this so for language and manner as beseems our work, and yet as is most suitable to the capacities of our hearers; this, and a great deal more that should be done in every sermon, should surely be done with a great deal of holy skill. So great a God, whose message we deliver, should be honoured by our delivery of it! It is a lamentable case, that in a message from the God of heaven, of everlasting consequence to the souls of men, we should behave ourselves so weakly, so un

handsomely, so imprudently, or so slightly, that the whole business should miscarry in our hands, and God be dishonoured, and his work disgraced, and sinners rather hardened than converted, and all this much through our weakness or neglect! How many a time have carnal hearers gone jeering home, at the palpable and dishonourable failings of the preacher! How many sleep under us, because our hearts and tongues are sleepy; and we bring not with us so much skill and zeal as to awake them!

Moreover, what skill is necessary to defend the truth against gainsayers, and to deal with disputing cavillers according to their several modes and cases! and if we fail through weakness, how will they insult! but this is the smallest matter: but who knows how many weak ones may be perverted by the success, to their own undoing and the trouble of the church? What skill is there necessary to deal in private with one poor ignorant soul for their conversion! (Of which more in the end.)

O brethren, do you not shrink and tremble under the sense of all this work? Will a common measure of holy skill and ability of prudence, and other qualifications serve for such a task as this? I know necessity may cause the church to tolerate the weak; but woe to us if we tolerate and indulge our own weakness. Doth not reason and conscience tell you, that if you dare venture on so high a work as this, you should spare no pains to be fitted to perform it? It is not now and then an idle snatch, or taste of studies that will serve to make a sound divine. I know that laziness hath lately learned to pretend the lowness of all our studies, and how wholly, and only the Spirit must qualify and assist us to the work: and so, as Salvian saith in another case, (lib. iv. p. 134,) authorem quodammodo sui sceleris Deum faciunt:' As if God commanded us the use of the means, and then would warrant us to neglect them! As if it were his way to cause us to thrive in a course of idleness; and to bring us to knowledge by dreams when we are asleep, or to take us up into heaven, and shew us his counsels, while we think of no such matter, but are rooting in the earth. O that men should dare so sinfully by their laziness to quench the Spirit; and then pretend the Spirit for the doing of it. Quis unquam,' (saith he beforementioned,) 'crederet usque in hanc contumeliam Dei, progres

suram esse humanæ cupiditatis (ignaviæ) audaciam? ut id ipsum in quo Christo injuriam faciunt, dicant se ob Christi nomen esse facturos? O inestimabile facinus et prodigiosum!' God hath required of us that we be "not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Rom. xii. 11.) Such we must provoke our hearers to be, and such we must be ourselves. O therefore, brethren, lose no time: study, and pray, and confer, and practise; for by these four ways your abilities must be increased. Take heed to yourselves, lest you are weak through your own negligence, and lest you mar the work of God by your weak“As man is, so is his strength." (Judges viii. 21.)

ness.

4. Moreover, take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine, and lest you lay such stumblingblocks before the blind, as may be the occasion of their ruin; lest you may unsay that with your lives, which you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labours. It much hindereth our work, when other men are all the week long contradicting to poor people in private, that which we have been speaking to them from the word of God in public; because we cannot be at hand to manifest their folly; but it will much more hinder, if we contradict ourselves, and if your actions give your tongue the lie, and if you build up an hour or two with your mouths, and all the week after pull down with your hands! This is the way to make men think that the word of God is but an idle tale, and to make preaching seem no better than prating. He that means as he speaks, will surely do as he speaks. One proud, surly, lordly word; one needless contention, one covetous action may cut the throat of many a sermon, and blast the fruit of all that you have been doing. Tell me, brethren, in the fear of God, do you regard the success of your labours, or do you not? Do you long to see it upon the souls of your hearers? If you do not, what do you preach for, what do you study, and what do you call yourselves the ministers of Christ for? But if you do, then surely you cannot find in your heart to mar your work for a thing of nought! What, do you regard the success of your labours, and yet will not part with a little to the poor; nor put up with an injury, or a foul word, nor stoop to the meanest, nor forbear your passionate or lordly carriage, no not for the winning of souls, and attaining the end of all your labours!

You much regard the success indeed, that will sell it at so cheap a rate, or will not do so small a matter to attain it!

It is a palpable error in those ministers that make such a disproportion between their preaching and their living, that they will study hard to preach exactly, and study little or not at all to live exactly: All the week long is little enough to study how to speak two hours; and yet one hour seems too much to study how to live all the week. They are loath to misplace a word in their sermons, or to be guilty of any notable infirmity (and I blame them not, for the matter is holy and of weight); but they make nothing of misplacing affections, words and actions in the course of their lives. O how curiously have I heard some men preach, and how carelessly have I seen them live! They have been so accurate as to the wordy part in their own preparations, that seldom preaching seemed a virtue to them, that their language might be the more polite, and all the rhetorical jingling writers, they could meet with, were pressed to serve them for the adorning of their style, and gawds were oft their chiefest ornaments. They were so nice in hearing others, that no man pleased them that spoke as he thought, or that drowned not affections, or dulled not, or distempered not the heart by the predominant strains of a fantastic wit. And yet when it came to matter of practice, and they were once out of church, how incurious were the men, and how little did they regard what they said or did, so it were not so palpably gross as to dishonour them! They that preached precisely, would not live precisely! What difference between their pulpit speeches and their familiar discourse! They that are most impatient of barbarisms, solecisms, and paralogisms in a sermon, can easily tolerate them in their conversations.

Certainly, brethren, we have very great cause to take heed what we do, as well as what we say: If we be the servants of Christ indeed, we must not be tongue servants only, but must serve him with our deeds, "and be doers of the work, that in our deed we may be blessed." (James i. 25.) As our people must be "doers of the word, and not hearers only;" so we must be doers and not speakers only, lest we be "deceivers of ourselves." (James i. 22.) A practical doctrine must be practically preached. We must study as hard how to live well, as how to preach well. We must think and

think again, how to compose our lives as may most tend to men's salvation, as well as our sermons. When you are studying what to say to them, I know these are your thoughts, or else they are naught and to no purpose, 'How should I get within them? And what shall I say that is likely most effectually to convince them, and convert them, and tend to their salvation?' And should you not diligently bethink yourselves, 'How shall I live, and what shall I say and do; and how shall I dispose of all that I have, as may most probably tend to the saving of men's souls?' Brethren, if saving souls be your end, you will certainly intend it as well out of the pulpit as in it! If it be your end, you will live for it, and contribute all your endeavours to attain it: and if you do so, you will as well ask concerning the money in your purse, as the words of your mouth,' Which way should I lay it out for the greatest good, especially to men's souls?' O that this were your daily study, how to use your wealth, your friends, and all you have for God, as well as your tongues! And then we should see that fruit of your labours which is never else likely to be seen. If you intend the end of the ministry in the pulpit only, then it seems you take yourselves for ministers no longer than you are there; and then I think you are unworthy to be esteemed such at all.

III. Having shewed you in four particulars, how it is that we must take heed to ourselves, and what is comprised in this command; I am next to give you the reasons of it, which I entreat you to take as so many motives to awaken you to your duty, and thus apply them as we go.

1. You have heaven to win or lose yourselves, and souls that must be happy or miserable for ever; and therefore it concerneth you to begin at home, and take heed to yourselves as well as unto others. Preaching well may succeed to the salvation of others without the holiness of your own hearts or lives; it is possible at least, though less usual; but it is impossible it should serve to save yourselves: Many shall say at that day," Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?" (Matt. vii. 22,) who shall be answered with, "I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity." (ver. 23.) O sirs, how many men have preached Christ, and perished for want of a saving interest in him! How many that are now in hell, have told their people of the torments of hell, and