The saints everlasting rest

3. Consider, What a deal of guilt this neglect doth lay upon thy soul. First, thou art guilty of the murder and damnation of all those souls whom thou dost neglect. He that standeth by, and seeth a man in a pit, and will not pull him out if he can, doth drown him. And he that standeth by while thieves rob him, or murderers kill him, and will not help him if he can, is accessary to the fact. And so he that will silently suffer men to damn their souls, or will let Satan and the world deceive them, and not offer to help them, will certainly be judged guilty of damning them. And is not this a most dreadful consideration? O sirs, how many souls then have every one of us been guilty of damning! What a number of our neighbours and acquaintance are dead, in whom we discerned no signs of sanctification, and we never once plainly told them of it, or how to be recovered! If you had been the cause but of burning a man's house through your negligence, or of undoing him, or destroying his body, how would it trouble you as long as you lived? If you had but killed a man unadvisedly, it would much disquiet you. We have known those that have been guilty of murder, that could never sleep quietly after, nor have one comfortable day, their own consciences did so vex and torment them. O what a heart must thou have, that hast been guilty of murdering such a multitude of precious souls! Remember this, when thou lookest thy friend or carnal ⟨p. 226⟩neighbour in the face; and think with thyself, can I find in my heart, through my silence and negligence, to be guilty of his everlasting burning in hell? Methinks such a thought should even untie the tongue of the dumb.

2. And as you are guilty of their perishing, so are you of every sin which in the mean-time they commit. If they were converted, they would break off their course of sinning: and if you did your duty, you know not but they might be converted. As he that is guilty of a man's drunkenness, is guilty of all the sins which that drunkenness doth cause him to commit: so he that is guilty of a man's continuing unregenerate, is also guilty of the sins of his unregeneracy. How many curses and oaths, and other sins of a most heinous nature are many of you guilty of, that little think of it? You that take much pains for your own souls, and seem fearful of sinning, would take it ill of one that should tell you, that you are guilty of weekly, or daily whoredoms, and drunkenness, and swearing, and lying. And yet it is too true, even beyond all denial, by your neglect of helping those who do commit them.