Chap. 9.] TIIE SAINTS' REST. 137 tinned the slaves of Satan. You will pray to God for them, to open their eyes and turn their hearts; and why not en- deavor their conversion, if you desire it? And if you do not desire it, why do you ask it? Why do you not pray them to consider and return, as well as pray to God to con- vert and turn them ? If you should see your neighbor fallen into a pit, and should pray to God to help him out, but neither put forth your hand to help him, nor once direct him to help himself, would not any man censure you for your cruelty and hypocrisy ? It is as true of the soul as of the body. If any man " seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" or what love hath he to his brother's soul ? We are also hindered by a base, man- pleasing disposition. We are so desirous to keep in credit and favor with men, that it makes us most unrea- sonably neglect our own duty. He is a foolish and un- faithful physician that will let a sick man die for fear of troubling him. If our friends are distracted, we please them in nothing that tends to their hurt. And yet when they are beside themselves in point of salvation, and in their madness posting on to damnation, we will not stop them for fear of displeasing them. How can we be Chris- tians that " love the praise of men more than the praise of God ?" For, if we " seek to please men, we shall not be the servants of Christ." It is common to be hindered by sinful bashfulness. When we should shame men out of their sins, we are ourselves ashamed of our duties. May not these sinners condemn us, when they blush not to swear, be drunk, or neglect the worship of God; and we blush to tell them of it, and persuade them from it ? Bash- fulness is unseemly in cases of necessity. It is not a work to be ashamed of, to obey God in persuading men from their sins to Christ. Reader, hath not thy conscience told thee of thy duty many a time, and put thee on to speak to poor sinners; and yet thou hast been ashamed to open thy mouth, and so let them alone to sink or swim ? O read and tremble, " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." An idle and impatient spirit hindereth us. It is an ungrateful work, and
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