The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

In a word, the means that I would suggest for the present are these.

First, labour to work upon thy own soul a kind of reasonable contentedness, to part with that beloved corruption that lieth in thy bosom. I do not say thou canst do it, but I say labour to bring thy heart to a reasonable kind of contentedness this way. For my brethren, here is all the quarrel between you and the Minister of God, it all lieth here, the Lord saith, thou must forsake thy sins, or else I must damn thy soul. For we come for souls when we come to preach, we do not come here only to spend an hour, and so an end of the matter: No, but we see a poor company of creatures in the Congregation, and we know that many among them are yet hardened and blinded, and going headlong to perdition, it is now our labour and care to prevent your ruin, and therefore many a prayer we put up, and many a tear we shed on your behalf. Oh suffer your Minister therefore, because he desireth and studieth your good, he sees you walking in a way in which you must needs perish, and therefore he draweth the sword of the word of God against you; Oh stoop to the word of God revealed. Here now I say is all the quarrel, the Minister saith, you must leave your sins, the soul saith, I will not, I will have those fins, and I will practise those courses, and therefore thou stomachest the Minister, and thy heart works against the Word of God. Alas, Why do you contend against him, and murmur against him, we seek not our selves but you, nor do we aim at our own ends, but at the salvation of your precious souls, and notwithstanding all your oppositions, here is ⟨p. 241⟩the comfort of a Minister, that one converted soul is better then a whole world, therefore well may he sweat his heart for it, whatsoever you say. But I say, if the Minister labour thus with God, and with thee for thy souls good, why is all this controversy? Why dost thou not labour with thy heart to part with thy sins? It is the desire of the Minister, that it may go well with you, and yours for ever; Is not this reasonable? Oh, take notice what Traitors there are in your bosoms, that persuade you to the contrary, begin to think with thy self, of thy own folly, say with thy self, Lord, What a beast am I: Is not the truth that is revealed to me a plain truth, is it not the truth of God? Is it not for my good to yield unto it? Do not I see the heart of the Minister earnest to save me?