service; they are of two kinds, viz. for bringing your people to comply with your design, and for executing it in the most acceptable and useful manner.

I. In order to bring those persons to comply with this method of instruction, [whom you think proper, thus to instruct.]

It will be a matter of vast importance to behave yourselves, through the main course of your ministry, in such a manner as may convince them of your ability, and your unfeigned love to them. When people are convinced that a minister is qualified for his work, and intends no private ends of his own but merely their good, they will more readily stoop to his advice, and be persuaded by him.

Supposing this general preparation, the next thing to be done is, to convince your people of the benefit and necessity of this method of instruction, for the good of their souls. In order to this, it will be proper to preach some plain and serious sermons to show the benefit and necessity of an acquaintance with divine truths in general, particularly the great principles of religion; and that persons advanced in life have equal need to be instructed in them with others, and in some respects greater. Make them understand that this is not an arbitrary business of your devising or imposing, but that necessity is laid upon you" to look to every member of your flock, according to your ability, and that if you neglect to do it, they may "perish in their iniquities, and their blood be required at your hands." When this is done, furnish every family with a catechism [where you apprehend they need it] or see that they furnish themselves. Take a cata

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logue of the names of all those whom you intend thus to instruct, that you may know whom to expect, and who fail to give their attendance. Deal very gently with them, and take off all discouragements as effectually as you can. Do not insist upon every person's committing the catechism to memory; but, where they labor under peculiar difficulties, only exhort them to read it often, and get the substance of it into their minds and hearts. If any persons will not submit to be thus instructed by you, go to them and expostulate the matter with them; know what their reasons are, and convince them of the sinfulness and danger of contemning the help that is offered them. Souls fare so precious, that we should not lose one for want of labor, but should follow them

while there is any hope, and not give them up as desperate, till there be no remedy.1

1. Having brought your people to comply with this kind of instruction, the next thing to be considered is, how you should deal the most effectually with them in the work.

And I must say that I think it is a much easier matter to compose and preach a good sermon, than to deal rightly with an ignorant man for his instruction in the principles of religion. This work will try the abilities and tempers of ministers; it will show the difference between one man and another, more than pulpit-preaching can do. Good bishop Usher observes, "As the laying of the foundation skilfully, is a matter of the greatest importance in the whole building, so it is the very master-piece of the wisest builder. Thus the apostle Paul conceived of it when he said, 'According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder, I laid the foundation;' 1 Cor. 3: 10. The neglect of this, is the frustrating the whole work of the ministry." The directions which I think should be observed in managing this work, are the following.

1. When your people, one family or more, come to you, (which perhaps it will be the best for them to do,2) begin your work with a short preface to remove all discouragements, and to prepare them for your instructions; e. g. It may perhaps appear to some of you, my friends, an uncom

"Ignorant souls (says Mr. Gurnal) feel no such smart as to put them upon inquiring for a physician. If the minister stay till they send for him to instruct them, he may sooner hear the bell go for them than any messenger come for him. You must seek them out, and not expect that they will come to you. These are a sort of people that are more afraid of their remedy than their disease, and study more to hide their ignorance than to have it cured; it should make us pity them the more because they can pity themselves so little. . . . It is an unhappiness to some of us, who have to do with a multitude, that we cannot attend on them, as their needs require but let us look to it, that though we cannot do what we should, we be not wanting in what we may."-Gurnal's Christian Armor, p. 235, quoted by the author at the end of his preface. The whole passage is worth reading.

2 Mr. Baxter, in his preface, tells us what was his method: "At the delivery of the catechisms (says he) I take a catalogue of all the persons of understanding in the parish; the clerk goes a week before hand to every family to tell them when to come, and at what hour; e. g. one family at eight o'clock, the next at nine, the next at ten,

etc."

mon and troublesome business, which I now put you upon; but I hope you will not think it needless. Had I thought so, I should have saved you and myself this labor. But God has told me in his word, how great a thing it is to have the charge of souls, and that the blood of them that perish will be required at the hands' of such ministers as neglect them; so that my conscience will not suffer me to be so guilty of such a neglect, as I have been. The Lord only knows how long you and I may be together; it therefore concerns me to do what I can for your salvation and my own, before I leave you and the world. I hope you will be glad of help in so needful a work, and not think much of it that I put you to this trouble, when even the trifles of the world cannot be gotten without much greater."

2. In general, take each person alone, and discourse with him out of the hearing of the rest; for some do not like to be questioned before others, and cannot answer you with freedom. However, let none be present but those of the same family, or those with whom they are familiar. I find by experience that, in general, people will bear plain and close dealing about their sin, their misery and their duty, when you have them alone, better than when others are pre

sent.

3. As for those that commit a catechism to memory, it may be proper at the beginning of these exercises, to take an account of what they have learned, and to hear them repeat the answers to each question.

4. When you form questions of your own to propose to them, be careful of the following things. Let them be such as they may perceive to be of great importance, and of the nearest concernment to themselves;—e. g. "What do you think becomes of men when they die? Do you believe that you have sinned? What doth sin deserve? What remedy hath God provided for saving sinful and miserable souls? Hath any one suffered for sin in our stead? Who are they that God will pardon? What change must be made on all that will be saved? And how is it made? Where is our chief happiness, and what must our hearts be most set upon?"-Take heed of asking them any nice, doubtful, or difficult questions. Be very cautious how you put them upon definitions, or descriptions; so contrive to bring the predicate into your questions, that they may perceive what you mean; e. g. "What is God? Is he flesh and blood as we

are, or is he a spirit?"-Look not after words but things; and often leave them to a bare yes, or no; for there are many elderly and godly people who cannot speak their minds in any tolerable expressions. If you find them at a loss, and unable to answer you, do not drive them on too hard or too long, lest they should imagine that you only intend to puzzle and disgrace them. When you perceive them troubled that they cannot answer, take off their burden by answering the question yourself; and then do it thoroughly and plainly, that they may understand it before you leave them.

5. When you have done what you think necessary in trying their knowledge, proceed to instruct them further. This must be done according to their several characters. If the person be a professor, fall upon something which you apprehend he most needs; either explain some doctrine, or lay the foundation of some duty which you have reason to think he neglects, etc. If the person be grossly ignorant, give him a plain, familiar summary of the Christian religion; for though he may have it in the catechism, a more familiar way of discoursing upon it, may help him better to understand it. If you perceive he does not understand you, go over it again; then ask him whether he does or not, and endeavor to leave it fixed in his memory.

6. If you suspect any to be ungodly, whether they be grossly ignorant or not, make a prudent inquiry into their states. The least offensive way of doing it will be, to take your occasion from some article in the catechism, which they have repeated; e. g. " though I have no desire needlessly to pry into the secrets of any, yet, because it is the office of a minister to give advice to his people in the matters of salvation, and because it is so dangerous a thing to be mistaken, where life or death eternal is depending, I would intreat you to deal faithfully, and tell me whether you ever found this great change upon your hearts, whether you live in this or that sin or whether you perform this or that duty;" etc.-If any such person tells you he hopes he is converted, show him, in the plainest manner, what true conversion is; then renew and enforce the inquiry. Ask him such questions as these; "Can you truly say, that all the known sins of your past life are the grief of your heart? That you have felt yourself undone by them? That you have gladly entertained the news of a Saviour, and have cast your soul upon Christ alone for salvation? Can you say from your heart, that you hate the

sins which you formerly loved, and that you now love that holy life for which once you had no relish? Do you live in the practice of any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty? Is the main course and bent of your whole life to please God, and enjoy him forever?"-Mention particularly some of those duties which you most suspect him to omit, and ask him whether he performs them; especially prayer, in the family, and in secret; as also, how he spends the Lord's day?

7. If you discern an apparent probability that the person is in an unconverted state, your next business is to labor, with all your skill and power, to bring his heart to a sense of his condition. Address him in some such a manner as this."Truly, friend, the Lord knows I have no mind to make your case worse than it is, nor to occasion you any unnecessary fear or trouble; but I suppose you would take me for an enemy, and not a faithful friend, if I should flatter you and not tell you the truth. I much fear that you are yet a stranger to the new and divine life. If you were a Christian indeed, you would not have lived in such a sin, etc. Alas! What have you been doing? How have you spent your time, that you are so ignorant, and so unprepared for death if you should now be called to it? What if you had died before now, an unconverted state? What had become of you and where had you now been?" Here be very earnest; if you get not the heart, you get nothing. That which does not affect, is soon forgotten.

in

Let this be followed with a practical exhortation concerning the nature and necessity of closing with Christ, and the use of every proper means, for the time to come, to avoid former sins. Speak to them to this effect. "I am heartily sorry to find you in so sad a case, but should be more so to leave you in it. Let me therefore entreat you for the Lord's sake, and for your own sake, to regard what I shall say to you. It is a great mercy that you were not cut off in your natural state; that you have yet life and time; especially, that there is a sufficient remedy provided for you in the blood of Christ. There is yet a possibility of your being converted and saved. Let me then entreat you, not to rest in your present condition, since, if you do, you must perish forever. Think seriously of the vanity of the world, the awful nature of eternity, and the importance of religion. Without any delay, accept of the salvation offered in the gospel, and close