304 DireEionsforgetting and keeling a;1 therefore aw juf ified ; The Believer faith, /on an Vnbeliever , and therefore amcondemned : nay, it is not onely the lofs of our preaching. but we oft do themmuch harm : for they are hardened that fhould be humbled., and they are wounded more that fhould be. healed. AMinifter now mutt needs tell them,who be means by the Believer, and who by the Unbelie- ver; who by the Righteous, and who by the wick- ed : and yet when he hath done it as accurately, & as cauteloufly As he can, mifapplying fouls will wrong themfelves by it : fo that becaufe people cannot fee the diftinguifhing line it therefore comes to pafs that few arecomforted, but when Minifters preach nothing elfe but comfort : and few humbled , but where Minifters bend almoft all their endeavours that way, that people can feel almo[} nothingelfe from him : But for him that equally woulddivide to each their portion each one fnatcheth up the part ofanother, and he oft miffeth of profiting either; And yet this is the courfe that we mutt take. And what a fnare is this to us, as well as a grief? what if we fhould be fo moved with compaflìon of your troubles, as to fit almoft all our Doctrine and Application to you ? what a fearful guilt fhould we draw upon our own fouls I Nay , what a fnare may you thus prove to the greater part of the Congregation ? Alas, we have seldom paft one or two, or three troubledConfcien- ces in an Auditory (and perhaps fome of their trou- bles be the fruit of fuchwilful[ finning,that they have moreneed of greater humbling yet ) fhould wenow trgleet all the reft of thefe poor fouls , to preach only to you? O how many an ignorant hard-hearted firmer
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