was engaged in a great trade, and he muft fol low it another had married a wife, and he could not, and none of them would come and tafte of the banquet: the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, the pleasures of this life, and the lufts of other things, did fo overcharge their thoughts and hearts, that the gofpel, and rich provifions thereof lay by difregarded.

Such will be the accufations of fome minif ters; fuch witness they must give at the laft day against thofe of their flock, who fhall be found in the number of the wicked and difobedient to the gospel; then their fermons, now forgotten, will be remembered, and be fo many evidences against them: O that our people would now confider and believe, and turn and live, and avoid the accufations and witness, which otherwise we must be forced to give in against them.

2. The godly friends of the wicked will be their accusers, and witness against them: some of them are linked in near relations to the godly, who now are endeavouring to be inftrumental for their falvation: but if they do not prevail, they will hereafter be their accusers and witnefs for their condemnation.

1. The believing hufband will then accuse and witness against the unbelieving wife. "Lord, fhe lay in my bofom, and was beloved by me as mytelf: I cherifhed her, and was as

tender of her as my own flefh, according to thy command; but all my love and kindness to her, could not win her heart for thee: I told her often of thy beauty, and thy love, which was a thoufand-fold beyond what I, or any man alive could poffibly exprefs; but fhe was ftupid and unbelieving, and wholly difregarded both thy perfon, and thy love: I covered her faults with love as much as I could from others; and ufed many intreaties and loving perfuafions to draw her to amendment, telling her the danger and deftructive iffue of a finful courfe; but he would not hearken to amend; her heart was fet upon fin and vanity, fhe was proud and foolish, she was wanton and froward, and would not be reclaimed; fhe did fee my grief and forrow for fin, fhe was a witnefs to my tears and mournful complaints; and yet fhe could bear up under greater guilt without any fenfe: fhe did fee me often retire into my closet, and knew that I spent time daily between thee and me alone; and yet though her need was as great, fhe would not be perfuaded to an imitation: I have often in the se. cret filent night, when fleep hath fled from both our eyes, taking advantage of fuch opportunities, to difcourfe with her about her foul affairs, told her of the fleep of death which ere long would feize upon us, the night we muft fpend in the grave; of the morning of the resurrection, of the fecond coming, and

our appearing before the tribunal feat; but nothing would quicken her to make preparation for death and judgment, he heard as if fhe were afleep; as indeed fhe was afleep whilft awake, and dead whilft fhe was alive, afleep and dead in fin and security."

2. The believing wife will then accufe the unbelieving hufband! "Lord, thou knoweft how I loved and honored, and reverenced, and obeyed him in lawful things, and was faithful to him according to my duty; but he would not love and honor thee: he was unthankful, and would not obey thy more reasonable commands, unto whom he owed a greater fubjection: I have often fat alone like a widow at home, when he hath been revelling abroad with his companions: I have been pouring forth tears for him at the throne of grace in my closet, when he hath been pouring in wine and strong drink in taverns and ale-houses: I have been troubled for him when he hath stayed out fo late; and troubled more with him when he hath come in fo full of drink and paffion, and with much patience have endured his foul fpeeches and behaviour which he hath ufed: I have watched the moft fit opportunity I could take, to put him in mind of his fin and danger; and I have done it with the greatest humility and meeknefs, and tender affection I could but either he hath not regarded my words, or flown out into a rage against me→→→

how fain would I have perfuaded him to draw in the fame yoke of Chrift with me, but he would draw another way do what I could, none of my prayers, nor tears nor arguments, no, nor the love of Chrift nor the love of his own foul, could prevail with him to change his courfe; he would not leave his drunkenness and adultery, his worldliness and injuftice, his lying and over-reaching, his fwearing, and bitterness against thy people: by no means he would be perfuaded."

3. Believing parents will then accuse and witness against their unbelieving children and fervants. "Lord, we endeavoured to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of thee, we laboured to put good principles betimes into them, we dropped many wholesome inttructions upon them, we prayed frequently for them and with them, and fpake plainly and earneftly to them about their foul's concernment: we told them of the immortality of their fouls, the preciousness of their time, the evil of fin, their need of thee, the excellency of grace, their danger of hell, the way to escape it, the glory of heaven, the way to attain it; but alas! to the grief of our hearts, they fhut their ears against all our instruction, and would take none of our reproofs or councils, they' would go foolishly and stubbornly on in a course of fin, and neither thy law nor thy fear would refrain them."

Thus thefe and other godly relations would rife up in judgment, and witness against the wicked.

2. The ungodly friends and companions of the wicked, will at that day be their accufers and witness against them; especially those who have been drawn by them into fin; however now they are very well pleased with them, and delight in their company, because fin pleaseth them, and they do not feel nor believe the bitterness which will be confequent; yet when they come to be judged and punished for those fins, they will with rage and madness accufe and curfe thofe wicked perfons, which were their firft temptors: drunkards will accufe them that drew them firft into taverns, and ale houfes, and perfuaded them by healths, and otherwife, to drink beyond their meafure: adulterers and adultereffes, will accufe thofe that first enticed them to privy lewdness: ungodly fervants also will then accufe their wicked mafters, and ungodly children their wicked parents, who have been drawn into fin by their example. Thus men will be accufers and witneffes against the wicked.

3. Devils will be their accufers and witneff es against the wicked; they are now accufers of the brethren, then they will be accufers of the wicked; they accufe the brethren falfely, they will accufe the wicked truly; now they please and flatter the wicked, and perfuade them