622 AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT, SLC. any advice I can give. But since you have called meat present to this service, I have endeavoured to fulfil it. If I had a de- sign to go through the whole of the ministerial office, I should here also find a proper place to speakof the mannerof your per- formance of public prayer,,of your direction of the person who leads that part of worshipwhich is called psalmody, and in your Ministration of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's-supper; but this would require much more -time, and my chief design was toput you in mind of a few useful things which relate to preach- ing. -I proceed therefore to the last particular. VII. Be very solicitous about the success of all your labours in the pulpit. Water the seed sown' not only with public, but secret prayer. Plead with God importunately, that he would not sutler you to labour in vain. Be not like that foolish bird the Ostrich, which lays her eggs in the dust, and leaves them there, re,ardiess whether they come to life or not : God hath not given her understanding ; Job xxxix. 14-17. But let not this folly be your character or practice : labour, andwatch, and pray, that your sermons and the fruit of your studies may become words of divine life to souls. It is an observation of pious Mr. Baxter's, which I have read somewhere in his works, that he has never known any con- siderable success from thé brightest and noblest talents, nor the most excellent kind of preaching; and that even where the preachers themselves have been truly religious, if they have not had a-solicitous concern for the success of their ministrations...--, Let the. awful and, important thoughtsof souls being saved by' my preaching, or left to perish and be condemned to hell by my negligence, I say, let -this awful' and tremendous thought dwell ever upon your spirit. We are macle watchmen to the house of Israel, as Ezekiel was ; Ezek. iii. 17, &c. and if we give no warning of approaching danger, the souls of multitudes may perish through our neglect, but the blood of seuls will be terribly required at our hands. SECT. IV.-Of the Conversation of a Minister. We are come now to the fourth and'last thing which I pro- posed, in order to the fulfilling of your ministry, viz. Take heed to your whole'conversatiou in the world ; let that be managed not only as becomes a professor of christianity, but as becomes a minister of the gospel of Christ. Now amongst other rules which may. render your conversation agreeable to your character, I entreat you to take these few into your thoughts : I. Let it be blameless and inoffensive. Be vigilant, be tem- perate in all things, not only as a soldier of Christ, butas an udder-leader of part of his army. Be temperate, and abstain sometimes even from lawful delights, that you may make the work of self- denial easy, and that you may Lear hardship as be-,
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