And suffer me, Sir, to put you in Mind of the Account you must give to your Master of these Souls he seems this Day to be about to commit to you: You are to watch for these Souls as one that must give Account. If any one of these Souls should be missing hereafter, having been lost under your Ministry, it will be demanded of you another Day, by your great Lord, What is become of such a Soul? Here are not all the Souls that I committed to you to bring home to me; there is such an one missing; What is become of it? Has it perished through' your Neglect! If you are able to say at that Time, Lord, it was not through' my Neglect; I have done what in me lay for his Salvation; I ceased not to warn and counsel and reprove him, and faithfully set before him his Danger, and have not forborne to ⟨p. 27⟩declare thy whole Counsel to him; I have not neglected this and other Souls that thou didst commit to me, to gratify my Sloth, or pursue my worldly Interest; I have given my self wholly to this Work, labouring therein Night and Day; I have been ready, Lord, as thou knowest, to sacrifice my own Ease, and Profit, and Pleasure, and temporal Convenience, and the Good-Will of my Neighbours, for the Sake of the Good of the Souls I had the Charge of; I have not led this Soul into any Snare by my ill Example; I have neglected no Means of thine Appointment, either public or private, to turn him from Sin to God; I sought out acceptable Words, and studied for the most likely Means to be used for his saving Good; but he would not hearken, but turned a deaf Ear; under all was stupid and obstinate, and went on carelessly and frowardly in the Imagination of his Heart: If you are able to say in like Manner a Christ did to the Father, with Respect to the Souls that were committed to him; those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the Son of Perdition; you will be able to hold up your Head with Comfort before your Judge, your Account will be accepted, you shall be acquitted, and your unsuccessful Faithfulness shall be rewarded. But if when it shall be demanded of you, What is become of such and such Souls? You shall be dumb, having nothing to say, your Conscience flying in your Face, and it shall appear •hat it has been much owing to your Unfaithfulness; O how amazing will your Case […] ⟨p. 28⟩What Confusion and Astonishment will fill your Soul before your great Master and Judge!
And suffer me, Sir, to put you in Mind of the Account you must give to your Master of these Souls he seems this Day to be about to commit to you: You are to watch for these Souls as one that must give Account. If any one of these Souls should be missing hereafter, having been lost under your Ministry, it will be demanded of you another Day, by your great Lord, What is become of such a Soul? Here are not all the Souls that I committed to you to bring home to me; there is such an one missing; What is become of it? Has it perished thro' your Neglect! If you are able to say at that Time, Lord, it was not thro' my Neglect; I have done what in me lay for his Salvation; I ceased not to warn and counsel and reprove him, and faithfully set before him his Danger, and have not forborn to ⟨p. 27⟩declare thy whole Counsel to him; I have not neglected this and other Souls that thou didst commit to me, to gratify my Sloth, or pursue my worldly Interest; I have given my self wholly to this Work, labouring therein Night and Day; I have been ready, Lord, as thou knowest, to sacrifice my own Ease, and Profit, and Pleasure, and temporal Convenience, and the Good-Will of my Neighbours, for the Sake of the Good of the Souls I had the Charge of; I have not led this Soul into any Snare by my ill Example; I have neglected no Means of thine Appointment, either publick or private, to turn him from Sin to God; I sought out acceptable Words, and studied for the most likely Means to be used for his saving Good; but he would not hearken, but turned a deaf Ear; under all was stupid and obstinate, and went on carelessly and frowardly in the Imagination of his Heart: If you are able to say in like Manner a Christ did to the Father, with Respect to the Souls that were committed to him; those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the Son of Perdition; you will be able to hold up your Head with Comfort before your Judge, your Account will be accepted, you shall be acquitted, and your unsuccessful Faithfulness shall be rewarded. But if when it shall be demanded of you, What is become of such and such Souls? You shall be dumb, having nothing to say, your Conscience flying in your Face, and it shall appear •hat it has been much owing to your Unfaithfulness; O how amazing will your Case 〈…〉 ⟨p. 28⟩What Confusion and Astonishment will fill your Soul before your great Master and Judge!
