á382 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND BEEPING spare ; but he will be first served, even before all corners, and that with the best,, or he will take them for no servants of his. This is true, and you will find it so, whether you will now believe it or no. And because it is possible these lines may fall into the hands of some of the rulers of this commonwealth, let me here mind them of two weighty things: - 1. What opportunities of doing very great good bath been long in their hands, and how great an account of. it theyhave to make. It bath been long in their power to have done much to the recon- ciling ofour differences, and healing our divisions, by setting divines a work of different judgments, to find out a temperament for accom- modation. It bath long been in their power to havedone much towards the supply of all the dark congregations in England and Wales, with competently able, sound and faithful teachers. We have many congregationsthat do contain three thousand,five thou- sand, or ten thousand souls, that have but one or two ministers, that cannot possibly do the tenth part of theministerial work of private oversight; 'and so poor souls must be neglected, let ministers be never so able or painful. We have divers godly, private Chris- tians, of so much understanding, as to be capable of helping us; as officers in our churches ; but they are all so poor, that they are not able to spare one hour in a day or two from their labor, much less to give up themselves to the work. How many a congrega- tion is in the same case ! Nothingalmost is wanting to us, to have set our congregations in the order of Christ, and done this great work of reformation which there is so much talking of, so much as want of maintenance fora competent number ofministers or elders to attend the work. I am sure, in great congregations this is the case, and a sore that no other means will remedy. Was it never in the power of our rulers to have helped us here? Was nothing sold for other uses, that was once devoted and dedicated to God, and might have helped us in this our miserable distress? Were our churches able to maintain their own officers,our case were more. tolerable ; but when a congregation that wants six, or seven, or ten, is not able to maintain one, it is hard.. 2. The second thing that I would mind our rulers of, is, what mortal enemies those men are to their souls, that would persuade them that they must not, as rulers, do good to the souls of men, and to the church as such ; nor further the reformation, nor propa- gate the gospel, nor 'establish Christ's order in. the churches of their country, any otherwise than by a, common maintaining the peace and liberties of all. What doctrine could more desperately undo you, ifentertained ? If you be once persuaded that it belongs not to you to do good, and the greatest good, to which all your successes have made way, then all the comfort, the blessing and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=