be not unskilful, nor unadmonished in their respective duties; and in all things speak usefully and affectionately; for by this means you will provide for all men's needs, both for them that sin by reason of their little understanding, and them that sin because they have evil, dull, or depraved affections.

LIV. In your sermons and discourses of religion, use primitive, known, and accustomed words, and affect not new fantastical or schismatical terms; let the Sunday festival be called the Lord's day; and pretend no fears from the common use of words amongst Christians. For they that make a business of the words of common use, and reform religion by introducing a new word, intend to make a change, but no amendment; they spend themselves in trifles, like the barren turf that sends forth no medicinable herbs, but store of mushrooms; and they give a demonstration that they are either impertinent people, or else of a querulous nature; and that they are ready to. disturb the church if they could find occasion.

LV. Let every minister in his charge, as much as he can, endeavour to destroy all popular errors and evil principles taken up by his people, or others with whom they converse; especially those that directly oppose the indispensable necessity of a holy life; let him endeavour to understand in what true and useful sense Christ's active obedience is imputed to us; let him make his people fear the deferring of their repentance, and putting it off to their death-bed; let him explicate the nature of faith, so that it be an active and quickening principle of charity; let him, as much as he may, take from them all confidences that slacken their obedience and diligence; let him teach them to impute all their sins to their own follies and evil choice, and so build them up in a most holy faith to a holy life: ever remembering that in all ages it hath been the greatest artifice of Satan to hinder the increase of Christ's kingdom, by destroying those things in which it does consist, viz. peace and righteousness, holiness and mortification.

LVI. Every minister ought to be careful that he never expound scriptures in public contrary to the known sense of the catholic church, and particularly of the churches of England and Ireland, nor introduce any doctrine against any of the four first general councils; for these, as they are measures of truth, so also of necessity; that is, as they are safe, so they are sufficient; and beside what is taught by these no matter of belief is necessary to salvation.

LVII. Let no preacher bring before the people in his sermons or discourses, the argument of great and dangerous heresies, though with a purpose to confute them; for they will much easier retain the objection than understand the answer.

LVIII. Let not the preacher make an article of faith to be a matter of dispute; but teach it with plainness and simplicity, and confirm it with easy arguments and plain words of scripture, but without objection; let them be taught to believe, but not to argue, lest if the arguments meet with a scrupulous person, it rather shake the foundation by curious inquiry, than establish it by arguments too hard.

LIX. Let the preacher be careful that in his sermons he use no light, immodest, or ridiculous expressions, but what is wise, grave, useful, and for edification; that when the preacher brings truth and gravity, the people may attend with fear and reverence.

LX. Let no preacher envy any man that hath a greater audience, or more fame in preaching than himself; let him not detract from him or lessen his reputation directly or indirectly; for he that cannot be even with his brother but by pulling him down, is but a dwarf still; and no man is the better for making his brother worse. In all things desire that Christ's kingdom may be advanced; and rejoice that he is served, whoever be the minister; that if you cannot have the fame of a great preacher, yet you may have the reward of being a good man; but it is hard to miss both.

LXI. Let every preacher in his parish take care to explicate to the people the mysteries of the great festivals, as of Christmas, Easter, Ascension-day, Whit-Sunday, Trinity-Sunday, the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary; because these feasts containing in them the great fundamentals of our faith, will with most advantage convey the mysteries to the people, and fix them in their memories, by the solemnity and circumstances of the day.

LXII. In all your sermons and discourses speak nothing of God but what is honourable and glorious; and impute not to him such things, the consequences of which a wise and good man will not own: never suppose him to be author of sin, or the procurer of our damnation. For God cannot be tempted, neither tempteth he any man. God is true, and every man a liar.

LXIII. Let no preacher compare one ordinance with another; as prayer with preaching, to the disparagement

of either; but use both in their proper seasons, and according to appointed order.

LXIV. Let no man preach for the praise of men; but if you meet it, instantly watch and stand upon your guard, and pray against your own vanity; and by an express act of acknowledgment and adoration return the praise to God. Remember that Herod was for the omission of this smitten by an angel; and do thou tremble, fearing lest the judgment of God be otherwise than the sentence of the people.

V. Rules and advices concerning Catechism.

LXV. Every minister is bound upon every Lord's day before evening prayer, to instruct all young people in the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the doctrine of the sacraments, as they are set down and explicated in the Church Catechism.

LXVI. Let a bell be tolled when the catechising is to begin, that all who desire it may be present; but let all the more ignorant and uninstructed part of the people, whether they be old or young, be required to be present; that no person in your parishes be ignorant in the foundations of religion: ever remembering, that if in these things they be unskilful, whatever is taught besides is like a house built upon the sand.

LXVII. Let every minister teach his people the use, practice, methods, and benefits of meditation, or mental prayer. Let them draw out for them helps and rules for their assistance in it, and furnish them with materials, concerning the life and death of the ever blessed Jesus, the greatness of God, our own meanness, the dreadful sound of the last trumpet, the infinite event of the two last sentences at doomsday: let them be taught to consider what they have been, what they are, and what they shall be; and above all things what are the issues of eternity; glories never to cease, pains never to be ended.

LXVIII. Let every minister exhort his people to a frequent confession of their sins, and a declaration of the state of their souls; to a conversation with their minister in spiritual things, to an inquiry concerning all the parts of their duty; for by preaching, and catechising, and private intercourse, all the needs of souls can best be served; but by preaching alone they cannot.

LXIX. Let the people be exhorted to keep fasting-days, and the feasts of the church; according to their respective capacities; so it be done without burden to them, and without becoming a snare; that is, that upon the account

of religion and holy desires to please God, they spend some time in religion, besides the Lord's day; but be very careful that the Lord's day be kept religiously, according to the severest measures of the church, and the commands of authority: ever remembering, that as they give but little testimony of repentance and mortification, who never fast; so they give but small evidence of their joy in God and religion, who are unwilling solemnly to partake of the public and religious joys of the Christian church.

LXX. Let every minister be diligent in exhorting all parents and masters to send their children and servants to the bishop at the visitation, or other solemn times of his coming to them, that they may be confirmed: and let him also take care that all young persons may by understanding the principles of religion, their vow of baptism, the excellency of the Christian religion, the necessity and advantages of it, and of living according to it, be fitted and disposed, and accordingly by them presented to the bishop, that he may pray over them, and invocate the holy Spirit, and minister the holy rite of confirmation.

VI. Rules and advices concerning the visitation of the sick.

LXXI. Every minister ought to be careful in visiting all the sick and afflicted persons of his parish: ever remembering, that as the priest's lips are to preserve knowledge, so it is his duty to minister a word of comfort in the time of need.

LXXII. A minister must not stay till he be sent for; but of his own accord and care go to them, to examine them, to exhort them to perfect their repentance, to strengthen their faith, to encourage their patience, to persuade them to resignation, to the renewing of their holy vows, to the love of God, to be reconciled to their neighbours, to make restitution and amends, to confess their sins, to settle their estate, to provide for their charges, to do acts of piety and charity, and above all things, that they take care they do not sin towards the end of their lives. For if repentance on our death-bed seem so very late for the sins of our life what time shall be left to repent us of the sins we commit on our death-bed?

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LXXIII. When you comfort the afflicted, endeavour to bring them to the true love of God; for he that serves God for God's sake, it is almost impossible he should be oppressed with sorrow.

LXXIV. In answering the cases of conscience of the sick or afflicted people, consider not who asks, but what

he asks; and consult in your answers more with the estate of his soul, than the conveniency of his estate; for no flattery is so fatal as that of the physician or divine.

LXXV. If the sick person inquires concerning the final estate of his soul, he is to be reproved rather than answered; only he is to be called upon to finish his duty, to do all the good he can in that season, to pray for pardon and acceptance: but you have nothing to do to meddle with passing final sentences; neither cast him down in despair, nor raise him up to vain and unreasonable confidences. But take care that he be not carelessly dismissed.

LXXVI. In order to these and many other good purposes, every minister ought frequently to converse with his parishioners; to go to their houses, but always publicly, with witness, and with prudence, lest what is charitably intended be scandalously reported; and in all your conversation be sure to give good example, and upon all occasions to give good counsel.

VII. Of ministering the sacraments, public prayers, and other duties of ministers.

LXXVII. Every minister is obliged publicly or privately to read the common prayers every day in the week, at morning and evening; and in great towns and populous places conveniently inhabited, it must be read in churches, that the daily sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving may

never cease.

LXXVIII. The minister is to instruct the people, that the baptism of their children ought not to be ordinarily deferred longer than till the next Sunday after the birth of the child; lest importune and unnecessary delay occasion that the child die before it is dedicated to the service of God and the religion of the Lord Jesus, before it be born again, admitted to the promise of the gospel, and reckoned in the account of the second Adam.

LXXIX. Let every minister exhort and press the people to a devout and periodical communion, at the least three times in the year, at the great festivals; but the devouter sort, and they who have leisure, are to be invited to a frequent communion; and let it be given and received with great reverence.

LXXX. Every minister ought to be well skilled and studied in saying his office, in the rubrics, the canons, the articles, and the homilies of the church, that he may do his duty readily, discreetly, gravely, and by the public measures of the laws. To which also it is very useful that