224 FIFTY REASONS. earnestness into our persuasions: but when we have persuaded men but a few times in vain, and leave them as we found them, our spirits begin to droop and flag; much more, when we have preached and persuaded you many years, and stili you are the same, and are but where you wew,- this dulls a minister's spirit, and makes him preach heavily and coldly, when he is almost out of heart and hope. Truly, sirs, I must tell you, fm my own part~ that if it had not been for those that gave me better encouragement by their obedience, I should never have held out with you a quarter of this time. If all had profited as little as some, and all remained in an unconverted state as some; if the humble, penitent, obedient ones among you, had not been my comfort and encouragement under Christ~ ' I had been gone from you many years ago;. I could never have held out till now: either my corruption would have made me run away with .Jonah, or my judgment would have commanded me to shake off the dust off my feet as a witness against you, and depart. But to what end do I speak all this to you ? To what end? \ Vhy, to let you see how you abuse both God and man, by your delays and disobedience. You cannot possibly do us, that are your teachers, a greater injury or mischief in the world. It is not in your power to wrong us more. Are our studies and our labours worth nothing? Are our watchings and waitings worth nothing? Are our prayers, and tears, and groans to be despised? God will not despise them, if you do; believe it, he will set them all on your account, and you will one day have a heavy reckoning of them, anu pay full dear for them. Is it equal dealing with us, that when we are watching for your souls, as men that know we must give an account, you should rob us of our comfort, and make us do it with sighs and sonow? _Yea~ that you should undo all that we are doing~
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