Use 1

USE I.

Learn hence how much sinners are beholden to God's faithful ministers. As little as they love them, yes as much as they despise and possibly hate them, yet they little know how much they do for them: many a time when judgment was ready to have broken in, and God's anger was kindled, and began to burn, these have stept in, and given a stop to it. It is true, they dealt plainly and openly with such as live and lie in sin, and despise the offers of grace made in the Gospel; and this is their faithfulness: they have discovered God's anger, and cannot but cry aloud, and call earnestly to men; they cannot let them alone; they speak home, and this many times vexeth sinners; they love not to be disquieted; and this makes such to cry out of them, as if they were the only troublers of Israel. Yes they are often put upon it to denounce the threatnings of the Word of God against men that will not repent; and foolish creatures are ready to say, we see what they would be at, they desire and long for our mischief: but little do they think the mean while, what deep resentments they entertain upon their hearts of these things; how the danger they are in affects them. As they cannot let sinners alone, so neither can they let God alone: they are as earnest in their supplications to him for them, as they are in their warnings of them: did you know what pleadings, what entreaties, what importunities, they are using in their behalf; how loth they are that you should perish, how earnest they are with God that he should save you, that he would turn you, and have mercy upon you, it would make you to entertain better thoughts of them: nor can all your unworthy reflections upon them, turn them from so doing, though they grieve and account it to be hard measure, so David (Psalms 35:13, 14) and Jeremiah (chapter 18:20).