034 AN- HUMBLE ATTEMPT, &c, their souls this day to your care, to your instructions, to your conduct in the mistrations of the gospel. We charge and exhort you that you take the over-sight of them with all humility and diligence, and sacred delight, that you make the life of their souls your perpetual care, that none of them maybe lost through your default. We exhort and charge you in the presence of this whole assembly, who bre met together to behold and hear ourfaith and order in the gospel. They are witnesses of the solemn obliga- tions you have this day laid yourself under, and will be called as witnesses against you in the day of Christ, if you take no care to perform your sacred vows. We exhort and charge you, in the presence of the holy and elect angels, who are continually waiting in their ministry on the saints in the church, and viewing with delight the ministration of- the gospel of Christ, their Lord and ours, as it is managed by the hand of men. They see, they hear, and they will bear record against you ; a dreadful record of broken vows and faithless promises, if you are found careless and unfaithful. Forgive me, dear brother, forgive the solemn languageof these exhortations; we hope, we believe, we are persuaded your heart is right with God, and you will he found faithful in that clay, and that men and angels will be witnesses of your zeal and your labours in the sacred work. But we also feel so muchcold-. ness in our own spirits, that we have need to address you and ourselves in most solemn and awful language. We charge you then finally in the presence of God, the great God,` the all-knowing and almighty, the universal Gover- nor and Judge, and our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom_ he hath committed ali judgment, who bath eyes as a flame offire to see through our hearts and souls ; we chargé you, and we charge ourselves, under the all - 'seeing eye of the great God and of his Son Jesus our Lord, that with holy care and diligence both we and you fulfil the work of our ministry with which Christ bath intrusted us, that we may approve ourselves to him in zeal and faithfulness,and love; in zeal for his honour and his gospel, in faithfulness to our sacred commission, and in love and pity to the souls of men. If sinners will continue obstinate andimpe- nitent, after all our pious cares, labours and prayers, their blood will not lie at our door ; our work is left with the Lord, and our judgment and reward with our God; Isa. xlix. 4. But if it be possible, we should with utmost earnestness and compassion seize the souls of sinners who are on the very borders of hell, we should pluck them like brands out of the fire, and save them from burning ; Jude ver. 23. O may the spirit of the blessedGod favour us with his di- vine aids, that we may bring home many wanderers to the fold
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