Ad.:o. Moti-ves to edifyil!'!, Speec/,, one .think td.le jcafis, or talcs, or pl_ays, ,tobe more pieafant than fpiritual Heavrnly conf~.:nnce; and rhe talkmg o~R=chcs, or Spor.rs or Luhs,, to.befw~etcr than to ulk of Gnd~ and Chrifl and grace and glmy. A holy mmd hath a continual feafl m lt fdf mmeditflting on thefe thmgs; and the cummm 1 ica:ing of fuch thoughts to others, is a more Cowzmon and fo a more picafant fcaH. • §. 6•. Mor. 6. O.w faith("lncfi to God obligctb Uf to !peak, biJ f'~ifi, a11d to promote ?• trHtb, and pleaJ. ha eau~ agaznjlzmqmty. Hath he gtven us iongues to magmfie hts name 2nd ltt before us the admirab!e frame of all the \Vorld, to declare his Glory in? And (hall we be ba~kward to ( 0 fwcct and great a work? How precious and ufeful is all his holy word? What Iiglu and life and comfort mJy lr cause ? And !lull we bnry it in filence? ~hat company CJ.n we come into almoft where ei– ther the bare-f3ced committing of fin, or the delc:nding it, or the oppofition of trllth o'r Godlin(fs ?~the frigidity of m~ns _heads wwards ~od, and fu~ine neglect of h~ly things, .do nor call to us, If we are the fervm,s of God, to rake I)IS parr; ard tf we arc the Chtlda·en of hght, ro bc'-r our tdiirnony lifJJ.in!l 1hc darkn~f'i of the World, and if we love God and truth and the fouls of men w 01ew it by cm prudent f(afonable fp:.:t'ch ~ Is he true to God and w his cauf!:, that will not opt~ his mourh to fpe;:,.k f1>r him? 9 7· ~1ot. 7· And how pm:i.:m a th!n~ i1 an immort.1l foul, andt.bere[urt 1101 to be neglelled. Did Chrijt d·11nk fouls to be wcrth htsMedtano.,, by fuch flrange conddccnf1on 1 even to a llumeftJI death? Did hethir:k them wonh his ccrning into fle!h, to be their teacher? And will you not think them worth the fpeaking to? · 9· 8. Mot. 8. Src a/fo the~reatitefi ofyour fin, in the ntgligence of unfaithful Minijlm. I! is eafie ro fee the odioufncfs of their fin, who preach not 'the Gofpd, or do no more than by an hours dry and d,ad difcourfe, 01irt off the ferious work which they fhould do ., and think they may be excufed from all perfonal overlight and helping of the peoples fouls, all the Week after. And why Owuld you not perceive that a dumb private Chrifiian is a\fo to be condemned, as well as a dumb M.ni– flcr? Is not profit~ble confcrtnct yo11r duty, as well as profitable preaching is his? H6w rn.:ny pcrfons condemn ther:nftlvL~, while they fpeak again{\ unfajthful Pifiors ? being thcmfelvcs as unfaithful to Families and N~ighb(')urs, ~s the other are tO the Hock~ . 9· 9· Mot. 9: And confider how the chrapnrfi of tbe means, doth aggravate ·the fin ofyour neg/di? and jhewmuch unmcrcifidnefi fp flmlt. ~,rdJ cotl you liulc. Indetd alone, without the company of good w01ks, they arc too cheap for God to accept of. But if an H;'Pocriu mly bring fa cheap a facriticc, who is rejCC:hd, whac doth he deferve that thinke1h it too dear ? What will that man ·do for God or for his Ndghbours foul) who will not open hi~ mouth to fpeak for them? He feem– eth to have kfs love th·m that man in Hell, Lu~. 16. who would fa fain have had a rndfenger fent from another World, to have warned his brethren, and Caved them from that place of tormenr. . §. 10. Mat. IC. Taur fruitful con/rrence U a needful help tothe minifltrial wor~ \Vhen the Puacher hath J'Ublickly delivered the Word of God to the Alftmbly, if you would fo ldr fccond him, as in your daily Cfi!Wtrfe, to fet ir home: on the hearts of tho{C lhat you have opportunity to difcourfc with, how great an affiftance would it be to his (uccefs ? Though he mufl teach them pHblic~ly and from hou{e to hou[t, yet is it not poffible for him to be fo frc:qucnt and familiar in daily contuenc~ with all the ignorant of the: place, as thofe that arc fiill with them may bt'. You arc: maMy -nd he is but o11e, :ind can be but in one place at once. Your bufincfs bringtth you into their company, when he cannot be there. Oh Happy is that Minilter, who hath fUch a people) who will daily preach m·er the matter of his publiclt Sermons, in their private conference with one another? Many hands make quick work. This would man effectually prevail again(\: the pow(rS of darkncf~, and cafi out S.uan horn multitudes of miferablc fouls. 9· I I· Mot. I I. Yea r:vhw Nlinijlers are wanti11g, througiJ {c<lrcity, ptrfeculiaul or unfai:bfulnefi a11d negligeuce, the penplu holy profilabJe conference) would do mucb toward! tbe {upplying of lb:Jf wam. There have few phccs and ages of the World been fo happy, but rhat learned, able, faithful Pafiors have been fo (ew, that we had nred to pny to the Lord of the I:luvdl to fend fouh more ; And it is norhing unufual ro have thofe few filencod or hindered from the Preaching of the Gofpel, by the fad-ions or the malignity of the World ! And it is yet more common to have ignorant or ungodly perfon!: in that office, who htuay the peoples fouls by their ufurpation, impicry or llothfulncfs. But if in all fuch w:mts, the J=lWple that fear God, would do their part in private conference, it would be an excellent fupply. Mmifiers may be filenced .from publick preaching, when you cannot be filenced from profitable difcourfe. 9· 12· Mat. 12. It U a duty tiJIJt bath' ma1ry great advantt~gtJ for {ucctJi. I· You may choofc your ftaj(m: If one time be not fit you may take another. :2. You rna) choofc the per{im, whom you tin~ to have the greatell uectffity or cap~Jcity, and where your labc.Jr is likelyeH to t,l\e. 3. You may choofe your fitbjel1, and fpeak of that which you find mofl fuitable. Then: i> no rdl:raint nor impofirion upon you, to hinder your liberty in this. 4· You rnJy choofe your arguments by which you would enforce it. 5· Interlocutory conference kcc:peth your auditors attentive, and CJ£ryeth rhcm on alo'ng with you as you go. And it maketh the appli.cation much mmc: cJlic, by their nccr· ntfs and the familiarity of the difcourfe: when Sermons are ufually heard but a! an infigmticancfound, Or Words of courfc. 6. You may at your pleafure go back and repeat thoft: things which the hearer doth not underfiand or doth forget : which a Preacher in the Pulpit cannot do without the cenfurc of the morecurious ·auditors. 7· You may perc~ive by the :1nfwers of them whom you fpeak to, wbat pmicu\ars you need moO tO inliO on, and what objections you 010uld mot\ carefully refolve : and
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