the question that he asked preparatory to it was Simon lovest thou me more than these from which they justly gather that the Love of God a Zeal for his Honour and a preferring of that to all other things whatsoever is a necessary and indispensible qualification for that Holy Imployment which distinguishes the true Shepherd from the Hireling and by which only he can be both animated and fortified to go through with the labours and difficulties as well as the dangers and sufferings which may accompany it When St. Paul was leaving his last charge with the Bishops that met him at Ephesus he still makes use of the same Metaphor of Shepherd in those often cited words Take heed to your selves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops or Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood The words are solemn and the consideration enforcing them is a mighty one they import the Obligations of the Clergy both to an exactness in their own Deportment and to earnest and constant labours in imitation of the Apostle who during the three Years of his stay among them had been serving God with all humility of mind with many tears and temptations and had not ceased to warn every one both night and day with tears and had taught them both publickly and from House to House Upon which he leaves them calling them all to witness that he was pure from the Blood of all Men. There has been great disputing concerning the Persons to whom these words were addressed but if all Parties had studied more to follow the Example here proposed and the Charge that is here given which are plain and easie to be understood then to be contending about things that are more doubtful the good Lives and the faithful Labours of Apostolical Bishops would have contributed more both to the edifying and healing of the Church than all their Arguments or Reasonings will ever be able to do St. Paul reckoning up to the Romans the sâ—veral Obligations of Christians of all ranks to assiduity and diligence in their callings and labours among others he numbers these Ministers let us wait on our ministring or he that teacheth on teaching he that ruleth with diligence In his Epistle to the Corinthians as he states the Dignity of the Clergy in this that they ought to be accounted of as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God He adds that it is required in Stewards that a Man be found faithful In that Epistle he sets down that perpetual Law which is the Foundation of all the Provision that has been made for the Clergy That the Lord hath ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel But if upon that the Laity have looked on themsâ—lves as bound to appoint so plentiful a Supply that the Clergy might have whereon to live at their ease and in abundance then certainly this was intended that they being freed from the troubles and cares of this World might attend continually on the Ministry of the Word of God and on Prayer Those who do that Work negligently provoke the Laity to repent of their bounty and to defraud them of it For certainly there are no such Enemies to the Patrimony and Rights of the Church as those who eat the Fat but do not preach the Gospel nor feed the Flock Happy on the â—ther hand are they to whom that Character which the Apostle assumes to himself and to Timothy does belong Therefore seeing we have received this ministry as we have received mercy we faint not but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the Truth commending our selves to every man's Conscience in the sight of God In the Epistle to the Ephesians we have the ends of the Institution of all the Ranks of Clergy-men set forth in these words He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for tâ—e Work of the Ministry for the edifying the Body of Christ till we all come iâ— the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In these words we see something that is so vast and noble so far above those slight and poor performances in which the far greater part do too easily satisfie themselves that in charity to them we ought to suppose that they have not reflected sufficiently on the Importance of them Otherwise they would have in some sort proportioned their labours to those great designs for which they are ordained and would remember the Charge given to the Colossians to say to Archippus who it seems was remiss in the discharge of his duty Take heed to the Ministry which thou hast received in the Lord that thou fullfil it The Epistles to Timothy and Titus are the Foundation of all the Canons of the Church in these we have the Characters of Bishops and Deacons as well as the duties belonging to those Functions so particularly set forth that from theâ—ce alone every one who will weigh them well may find sufficient Instruction how he ought to behave himself in the House of God In these we see what patterns those of the Clergy ought to be in Word or Doctrine in Conversation in Charity in Spirit in Faith and in Purity they ought to give attendance to reading to exhortation and to doctrine that is both to the instructing and exhorting of their People They ought not to neglect that gift that was given to them by the laying on of hands they ought to meditate on these things to give themselves wholly to them that so their profiting may appear unto all and to take heed to themselves and their Doctrine and to continue in them for in so doing they shall both save themselves and those that hear them Those that govern the Church are more particularly charged before God the Lord Iesus and the Holy Angels that they observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by partiâ—lity by Domestick regards the considerations of Friendship Intercession or Importunity and above all that they lay hand suddenly on no man to which are added words of great terror neither be thou partaker of other mens sins keep thy self pure Which ought to make great Impression on all those with whom the Power of Ordination is lodged since they do plainly import that such as do ordain any rashly without due enquiry and a strict examination entitle themselves to all the scandal they give and become partners of their guilt which if well considered must needs make all such as are not past feeling use great care and caution in this sacred Trust. Bishops are the Depositaries of the Faith which
another Parish-Church they shall be forced notwithstanding of any Dispensations or Unions that may have been granted them for term of Life to resign within the space of Six Months all that they do now hold except one Cathedral or one Parochial Church otherwise all their Benefices whether Parochial or others shall be by Law esteemed void and as such they shall be disposed of to others Nor may those who â—ormerly enjoyed them receive the mean Profits after the term of Six Months with a good Conscience But the Synod wishes that some due Provisâ—on might be made such as the Pope shall think fit for the necessities of those who are hereby obliged to Resign These were the decrees that were made by that pretended general Council And wheresoever that Council is received they are so seldom dispensed with that the Scandal of Non-Residence or Plurality does no more cry in that Church In France tho that Council is not there received yet such regard is had to Primitive Rules that it is not heard of among them Such Examples are to us Reproaches indeed And that of the worst sort when the Argument from the neglect of the Pastoral Care which gave so great an Advantage at first to the Reformers and turned the Hearts of the World so much from their Careless Pastors to those who shewed more Zeal and Concern for them is now against us and lies the other way If the Nature of Man is so made that it is not possible but that Offences must come yet woe be to him by whom they come CHAP. VI. Of the declared Sense and Rules of the Church of England in this matter WHatsoever may be the practice of any among us and whatsoever may be the force of some Laws that were made in bad times and perhaps upon bad ends yet we are sure the Sense of our Church is very different She intended to raise the obligation of the Pastoral Care higher than it was before and has laid out this matter more fully and more strictly than any Church ever did in any Age as far at least as my Enquiries can carry me The truest Indication of the Sense of a Church is to be taken from her Language in her Publick Offices This is that which she speaks the most frequently and the most publickly even the Articles of Doctrine are not so much read and so often heard as her Liturgies are and as this way of Reasoning has been of late made use of with great advantage against the Church of Rome to make her accountable for all her Publick Offices in their plain and literal meaning so I will make use of it on this occasion It is the stronger in our case whose Offices being in a Tongue understood by the people the Argument from them does more evidently conclude here In general then this is to be observed that no Church before ours at the Reformation took a formal Sponsion at the Altar from such as were ordained Deacons and Priests That was indeed always demanded of Bishops but neither in the Roman nor Greek Pontifical do we find any such solemn Vows and Promises demanded or made by Priests or Deacons nor does any print of this appear in the Constitutions the pretended Areopagite or the antient Canons of the Church Bishops were asked many questions as appears by the first Canon of the fourth Council of Carthage They were required to profess their Faith and to promise to obey the Canons which is still observed in the Greek Church The questions are more express in the Roman Pontifical and the first of these demands a promise that they will instruct their people in the Christian Doctrine according to the Holy Scriptures which was the Foundation upon which our Bishops justified the Reformation Since the first and chief of all their Vowes binding them to this it was to take place of all others and if any other parts of those Sponsions contradicted this such as their Obedience and Adherence to the See of Rome they said that these were to be limited by this All the account I can give of this general practice of the Church in demanding Promises only of Bishops and not of the other Orders is this that they considered the Government of the Priests and Deacons as a thing that was so entirely in the Bishop as it was indeed by the first Constitution that it was not thought necessary to bind them to their Duty by any Publick Vowes or Promises though it is very probable that the Bishops might take private engagements of them before they ordained them it being in the Bishop's power to Restrain and Censure them in a very Absolute and Summary way But the case was quite different in Bishops who were all equal by their Rank and Order None having any Authority over them by any Divine Law or the Rules of the Gospel the power of Primates and Metropolitans having arisen out of Ecclesiastical and Civil Laws and not being equally great in all Countries and Provinces and therefore it was more necessary to proceed with greater caution and to demand a further security fâ—â—m them But the new face of the Constitution of the Church by which Priests were not under so absolute a subjection to their Bishops as they had been at first which was occasioned partly by the Tyranny of some Bishops to which bounds were set by Laws and Canons partly by their having a special Propety and Benefice of their own and so not being maintained by a Dividend out of the common-stock of the Church as at first had so altered the state of things that indeed no part of the Episcopacy was left entrirely in the Bishop's hands but the power of Ordination This is still free and unrestrained no Writs nor Prohibitions from Civil Courts and no Appeals have clogged or fettered this as they have done all the other parts of their Authority Therefore our Reformers observing all Office of Ordination and they made both the Charge that is given and the Promises that are to be taken to be very express and solemne that so both the Ordainers and the Ordained might be rightly instructed in their Duty and struck with the awe and dread that they ought to be under in so holy and so important a performance and though all mankind does easily enough agree in this That Promises ought to be Religiously observed which men make to one another how apt soever they may be to break them yet to make the sense of these Promises go deeper they are ordered to be made at the Altar and in the nature of a Stipulation or Covenant the Church conferring Orders or indeed rather Christ by the Mininestry of the Officers that he has constituted conferring them upon those Promises that are first made The Forms of Ordination in the Greek Church which we have reason to believe are less changed and more conform to the Primitive pattenrs than those used by the Latins do plainly import that the Church only declared
of the King of kings that has committed it to us and of labouring with all possible diligence to effectuate the great Design on which we are sent The reconciling Sinners to God The Work having in it self a proportion to the Dignity of him that imploys us in it Another and yet a more Glorious Title is that of Angels who as they are of a pure and sublime Nature and are called a Flaming Fire so they do always behold the face of our Heavenly Father and ever do his will and are also Ministring Spirits sent forth to minister to them that are appointed to be the Heirs of Salvation This Title is given to Bishops and Pastors and as if that were not enough they are in one place called not only the Messengers or Angels of the Churches but also the Glory of Christ. The Natural Importance of this is that men to whom this Title is applied ought to imitate those Heavenly Powers in the elevation of their Souls to contemplate the Works and Glory of God and in their constant doing his will more particularly in ministring to the Souls of those for whom the great Angel of the Covenant made himself a Sacrifice I do not among these Titles reckon those of Rulers or Governours that are also given to Bishops because they seem to be but another Name for Bishops whose Inspection was a Rule and Government and so carried in its signification both Authority and Labour To these Designations that carry in them Characters of Honour but of Honour joyned to Labour and for the sake of which the Honour was due according to that esteem them very highly for their works sake I shall add some other Designations that in their significations carry only Labour without Honour being borrowed from Labours that are hard but no way Honourable They are often called Watchmen who used to stand on high Towers and were to give the Alarm as they saw occasion for it These Men were obliged to a constant attendance to watch in the Night as well as in the Day So all this being applied to the Clergy imports that they ought to be upon their Watch-Tower observing what Dangers their People are exposed to either by their Sins which provoke the Judgments of God or by the Designs of their Enemies they ought not by a false respect suffer them to sleep and perish in their Sins but must denounce the Judgments of God to them and rather incur their displeasure by their freedom than suffer them to perish in their Security St. Paul does also call Church-men by the Name of Builders and gives to the Apostles the Title of Master-builders this imports both hard and painful Labour and likewise great care and exactness in it for want of which the Building will be not only exposed to the injuries of Weather but will quickly tumble down and it gives us to understand that those who carry this Title ought to study well the Great Rule by which they must carry on the Interest of Religion that so they may build up their people in their most holy Faith so as to be a Building fitly framed together They are also called Labourers in God's Husbandry Labourers in his Vineyard and Harvest who are to sow plant and water and to cultivate the Soil of the Church This imports a continual return of daily and hard Labour which requires both Pain and Diligence They are also called Soldiers men that did war and fight against the Powers of Darkness The Fatigue the Dangers and Difficulties of that State of Liâ—e arâ— so well understood that no Application is necessary to make them more sensible And thus by a particular enumeration of eiâ—her the more special names of these Oâ—â—â—ces such as Deacon Priest and Bishop Rulâ—r and Governour or of the designaâ—ions given to them of Shepherds or Pastors Stewards Ambassadors and Angels it appears that there is a great Dignity belonging to them but a Dignity which must carry labour with it as that for which the honour is due The other Titles of Watchmen Builders Labourers and Soldiers import also that they are to decline no part of their duty for the labour that is in it the dangers that may follow or the seeming meanness that may be in it since we have for this so great a Rule and Pattern set us by our Saviour who has given us this Character of himself and in that a Rule to all that pretend to come after him The son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister This was said upon the proud Contentions that had been among his Disciples who should be the greatest two of them presuming upon their near relation to him and pretending to the first Dignity in his Kingdom upon that he gave them to understand That the Dignities of his Kingdom were not to be of the same nature with those that were in the World It was not Rule or Empire to which they were to pretend The Disciple was not to be above his Lord And he that humbled himself to be the last and lowest in his Service was by so doing really the first He himself descended â—o the washing his Disciples feet which 〈◊〉 proposeth to their imitation and that came in latter Ages to be taken up by Princes and acted by them in pageantry But the plain account of that Action is That it was a Prophetical Emblem of which sort we find several Instances both in Isaiah Ieremy and Ezekiel the Prophet doing somewhat that had a mystical signification in it relating to the Subject of his Prophecy So that our Saviour's washing the feet of his Disciples imported the Humility and the descending to the meanest Offices of Charity which he recommended to his Followers particularly to those whom he appointed to preach his Gospel to the World CHAP. II. Of the Rules set down in Scripture for those that minister in Holy things and of the Corruptions that are set forth in them I Intend to write with all possible simplicity without the affectations of a strictness of Method and therefore I will give one full view of this whole matter without any other order than as it lies in the Scriptures and will lay both the Rules and the Reproofs that are in them together as things that give light to one another In the Law of Mâ—ses we find many very particular Rules given for the washing and consecration of the Priests and Levites chiefly of the Holy Priest The whole Tribe of Levi was sanctified and separated from the common Labours either of War or Tillage and tho they were but one in twelve yet a tenth of all was appointed for them they were also to have a large share of another tenth that so they might be not only delivered from all cares by that large provision that was made for them but might be able to relieve the necessities of the Widows and Fatherless the Poor and the Strangers that sojourned
sadder Apprehensions than all that could be feared from that wild Beast that was then beginning to vex and persecute the Church by which probably Iulian is meant the comfortable prospect of dying for the name of Christ made that a Persecution was not so dreadful a thing in his account as the Sins the Divisions and Distractions of Christians This then was the reason that had made him fly to the Wilderness for the state of the Church had made him despond and lose all his courage He had also gone thither that he might quite break himself to all his Appetites and Passions and to all the Pleasures and Concerns of this Life that did darken the shinings of the Divine Image upon his Soul and the emanations of the Heavenly Light When he considered the Judgments of God upon bad Priests and many other strict Rules in the old Dispensation and the great Obligations that lay upon those who were the Priests of the living God and that ought before they presumed to offer up other Sacrifices to begin with the Oblation of themselves to God he was upon all these Reasons moved to prepare himself by so long a Retreat I have given this long Abstract of his Apologetical Oration not only to set before my Reader the Sense that he had of the sacred Functions but likewise to shew what were the Corruptions of that Age and with how much Freedom this Holy Father laid them open If there is any occasion for applying any part of this to the present Age or to any Persons in it I chose rather to offer it in the Words of this great Man than in any of my own I wish few were concerned in them and that such as are would make a due Application of them to themselves and save others the trouble of doing it more severely I go next to another Father of the Greek Church S. Chrysostome whose Books of the Priesthood have been ever reckoned among the best pieces of Antiquity The Occasion of writing them was this He had lived many years in great Friendship with one Basil at last they having both dedicated themselves to sacred Studies the Clergy of Antioch had resolved to lay hold on them and to use that Holy Violence which was in those times often done to the best Men and to force them to enter into Orders Which when Basil told Chrysostome he concealed his own Intentions but pressed Basil to submit to it who from that believing that his Friend was of the same Mind did not go out of the way and so he was laid hold on but Chrysostome had hid himself Basil seeing he could not be found did all that was possible to excuse himself but that not being accepted of he was ordained Next time that he met his Friend he expostulated severely with him for having forsaken him upon that Occasion This gave the Occasion to those Books which are pursued in the way of a Dialogue The first Book contains only the preparatory Discourses according to the Method of such Writings In the 2 d. he runs out to shew from our Saviour's Words to St. Peter Simon lovest thou me What tender and fervent Love both to Christ and to his Church a Priest ought to feel in himself before he enters upon the feeding those Sheep which Christ has purchased with his own Blood To lose the Souls of the Flock first and then ones own Soul for his Remissness was no light matter To have both the Powers of Darkness and the Works of the Flesh to fight against required no ordinary measure both of strength and courage He pursues the Allegories of a Shepherd and a Physician to shew by the Parallel of these laid together the labours and difficulties of the Priesthood especially when this Authority was to be maintained only by the strength of Perswasion and yet sometimes severe methods must be taken like Incisions to prevent Gangrenes or to cut off a Part already corrupted In the managing this great Art and Prudence was necessary a Bishop ought to have a great and generous a patient and undaunted Mind Therefore Chrysostome says that he found tho he truly loved his Saviour yet he was so afraid to offend him that he durst not undertake a Charge that he did not yet judge himself qualified for It was not enough that a Man was tolerably well esteemed by others He ought to examine himself for that of a Bishop's being well reported of is but one of many Characters declared necessary by S. Paul He complains much that those who raised Men to Orders had more regard to rank and wealth and to much time spent in a vain search into profane Learning tho Christ chose Fisher-men and Tent-makers than to true Worth and an earnest Zeal for the real good of the Church In the 3 d. Book he runs out with a great compass on the praises of the Priestly Function he looked upon it as a dignity raised far above all the Honours of this VVorld and approaching to the Angelical Glory A Priest ought to aspire to a Purity above that of other Mortals answering that of Angels VVhen a Priest performs the Holy Functions is sanctifying the Holy Eucharist and is offering a Crucified Christ to the People his thoughts should carry him Heavenwards and as it were translate him into those upper Regions If the Mosaical Priest was to be Holy that offered up Sacrifices of a lower Order how much Holier ought the Priests of this Religion to be to whom Christ has given the Power both of retaining and forgiving of Sins But if S. Paul after all his Visions and Labours after all his Raptures and Sufferings yet was inwardly burnt up with the concerns of the Church and laboured with much fear and trembling how much greater Apprehensions ought other Persons to have of such a Trust. If it were enough to be called to this Function and to go thrâ—ugh with the Duties incumbent on it in some tolerable manner the danger were not great but when the Duty as well as Dignity together with the Danger belonging to it are all laid together a Man is forced to have other Thoughts of the matter No Man that knows he is not capable of conducting a Ship will undertake it let him be pressed to it never so much Ambitious Men that loved to set themselves forward were of all others the most exposed to Temptations They were apt to be inflamed by the smallest Provocations to be glad at the faults of others and troubled if they saw any do well they courted Applause and aspired to Honour they fawned on great Persons and trod on those that were below them they made base Submissions undecent Addresses and often brought Presents to those in Authority they durst not in any sort reprove them for their Faults tho they reproached the poor out of measure for their failings These were not the natural Consequences of the Dignity of the Priesthood but unworthy and defiled Persons who without true
aâ—â—â—e Business and Labour of their Lives Having known the very good effect that this Method has had on some I dare the more confidently recommend it to all others Before I conclude this Chapter I will shew what Rules our Reformers had prepared with Relation to Non-Residence and Pluralities which tho they never passed into Laws and so have no binding force with them yet in these we see what was the sense of those that prepared our Offices and that were the chief Instruments in that blessed Work of our Reformation The 12 th Chapter of the Title concerning those that were to be admitted to Ecclesiastical Benefices runs thus Whereas when many Benefices are conferred on one Person every one of these must be served with less order and exactness and many learned Men who are not provided are by that means shut out therefore such as examine the Persons who are proposed for Benefices are to ask every one of them whether he has at that time another Benefice or not and if he confesses that he has then they shall not consent to his obtaining that to which he is presented or the first Benefice shall be made void as in case of Death so that the Patron may present any other Person to it Chap 13. is against Dispensations in these Words No Man shall hereafter be capable of any Privilege by virtue of which he may hold more Parishes than one But such as have already obtained any such Dispensations for Pluralities shall not be deprived of the effects of them by virtue of this Law The 14 th Chapter relates to Residence in these Words If any Man by reason of Age or Sickness is disabled from discharging his Duty or if he has any just cause of absence for some time that shall be approved of by the Bishop he must take care to place a worthy Person to serve during his absence But the Bishops ought to take a special Care that upon no regard whatsoever any Person may upon feigned or pretended Reasons be suffered to be longer absent from his Parish than a real necessity shall require These are some of the Rules which were then prepared and happy had it been for our Church if that whole work of the Reformation of the Ecclesiastical Law had been then setled among us Then we might justly have said that our Reformation was compleat and not have lamented as our Church still does in the Office of Commination that the godly Discipline which was in the Primitive Church is not yet restored how much and how long soever it has been wished for It is more than probable that we should neither have had Schisms nor Civil Wars if that great design had not been abortive If but the 19 th and 20 th Titles of that work which treat of the publick offices and Officers in the Church had became a part of our Law and been duly executed we should indeed have had matter of glorying in the World In the Canons of the Year 1571. tho there was not then strength enough in the Church to cure so inveterate a Disease as Non-Residence yet she expressed her detestation of it in these Words The absence of a Pastor from the Lord's Flock and that supine negligence and abandoning of the Ministry which we observe in many is a thing vile in it self odious to the People and pernicious to the Church of God therefore we exhort all the Pastors of Churches in our Lord Iesus that they will as soon as is possible come to their Churches and diligently Preach the Gospel and according to the value of their Livings that they will keep House and hospitably relieve the Poor It is true all this is much lessened by the last Words of that Article That every Year they must reside at least Threescore daies upon their Benefices By the Canons made at that time Pluralities were also limited to 20 miles distance But this was enlarged to 30 miles by the Canons in the Year 1597. Yet by these the Pluralist was required to spend a good part of the Year in both his Benefices And upon this has the matter rested ever since but there is no express definition made how far that general word of a good part of the Year is to be understood I will not to this add a long invidious History of all the attempts that have been made for the Reforming these abuses nor the methods that have been made use of to defeat them They have been but too successful so that we still groan under our abuses and do not know when the time shall come in which we shall be freed from them The defenders of those abuses who get too much by them to be willing to part with them have made great use of this that it was the Puritan Party that during Q. Elizabeth and K. Iames the 1 sts Reign promoted these Bills to render the Church odious Whereas it seems more probable that those who set them forward what invidious Characters soever their Enemies might put them under were really the Friends of the Church and that they intended to preserve it by freeing it from so crying and so visible an abuse which gives an offence and scandal that is not found out by much learning or great observation but arises so evidently out of the nature of things that a small measure of common sense helps every one to see it and to be deeply prejudic'd against it But since our Church has fallen under the evils and mischiefs of Schism none of those who divide from us have made any more attempts this way but seem rather to be not ill pleased that such Scandals should be still among us as hoping that this is so great a load upon our Church that it both weakens our strength and lessens our Authority It is certainly the interest of an Enemy to suffer the body to which he opposes himself to lie under as many Prejudices and to be liable to as much censure as is possible whereas every good and wise Friend studies to preserve that body to which he unites himself by freeing it from every thing that may render it less acceptable and less useful Here I will leave this Argument having I think said enough to convince all that have a true Zeal to our Church and that think themselves bound in conscience to obey its Rules and that seem to have a particular jealousie of the Civil Powers breaking in too far upon the Ecclesiastical Authority that there can be nothing more plain and express than that our Church intends to bring all her Priests under the strictest obligations possible to constant and personal Labour and that in this she pursues the designs and Canons not only of the Primitive and best times but even of the worst Ages Since none were ever so corrupt as not to condemn those abuses by Canon even when they maintained them in practice She does not only bind them to this by the Charge she appoints to be given
dwelling too long on Thoughts that are too hard for them to Master The Opinion that has had the chief Influence in raising these Distempers has been that of Praying by the Spirit when a flame of Thought a melting in the Brain and the abounding in tender expressions have been thought the Effects of the Spirit moving all those Symptoms of a warm Temper Now in all People especially in Persons of a Melancholy Disposition that are much alone there will be a great diversity with relation to this at different times Sometimes these Heats will rise and flow copiously and at other times there will be a damp upon the Brain and a dead dryness in the Spirits This to men that are prepossessed with the Opinion now set forth will appear as if God did sometimes shine out and at other times hide his face and since this last will be the most frequent in men of that Temper as they will be apt to be lifted up when they think they have a fulness of the Spirit in them so they will be as much cast down when that is withdrawn they will conclude from it that God is angry with them and so reckon that they must be in a very dangerous Condition Upon this a vast variety of troublesom Scruples will arise out of every thing that they either do or have done If then a Minister has occasion to treat any in this Condition he must make them apprehend that the heat or coldness of their Brain is the effect of Temper and flows from the different State of the Animal Spirits which have their Diseases their hot and their cold Fits as well as the Blood has and therefore no measure can be taken from these either to Judge for or against themselves They are to consider what are their Principles and Resolutions and what 's the settled Course of their Life upon these they are to form sure Judgments and not upon any thing that is so fluctuating and inconstant as Fits or Humours Another part of a Priest's Duty is with relation to them that are without I mean that are not of our Body which are of the side of the Church of Rome or among the Dissenters Other Churches and Bodies are noted for their Zeal in making Proselytes for their restless Endeavours as well as their unlawful Methods in it they reckoning perhaps that all will be sanctified by the encreasing their Party which is the true name of making Converts except they become at the same time Good Men as well as Votaries to a Side or Cause We are certainly very remiss in this of both hands little pains is taken to gain either upon Papist or Nonconformist the Law has been so much trusted to that that method only was thought sure it was much valued and others at the same time as much neglected and whereas at first without force or violence in Fourty years time Popery from being the prevailing Religion was reduced to a handful we have now in above twice that number of years made very little Progress The favour shew'd them from our Court made us seem as it were unwilling to disturb them in their Religion so that we grow at last to be kind to them to look on them as harmless and inoffensive Neighbours and even to cherish and comfort them we were very near the being convinc'd of our mistake by a terrible and dear bought Experience Now they are again under Hatches certainly it becomes us both in Charity to them and in regard to our own Safety to study to gain them by the force of Reason and Persuasion by shewing all kindness to them and thereby disposing them to hearken to the Reasons that we may lay before them We ought not to give over this as desperate upon a few unsuccessful Attempts but must follow them in the meekness of Christ that so we may at last prove happy Instruments in delivering them from the Blindness and Captivity they are kept under and the Idolatry and Superstition they live in We ought to visit them often in a Spirit of Love and Charity and to offer them Conferences and upon such Endeavours we have reason to expect a Blessing at least this of having done our Duty and so delivering our own Souls Nor are we to think that the Toleration under which the Law has settled the Dissenters does either absolve them from the Obligations that they lay under before by the Laws of God and the Gospel to maintain the Vnity of the Church and not to rent it by unjust or causeless Schisms or us from using our endeavours to bring them to it by the methods of Perswasion and Kindness Nay perhaps their being now in Circumstances that they can no more be forced in these things may put some of them in a greater towardness to hear Reason a Free Nation naturally hating Constraint And certainly the less we seem to grudge or envy them their Liberty we will be thereby the nearer gaining on the generouser and better Part of them and the rest would soon lose Heart and look out of Countenance if these should hearken to us It was the Opinion many had of their strictness and of the looseness that was amongst us that gained them their Credit and made such numbers fall off from us They have in a great measure lost the Good Character that once they had if to that we should likewise lose our bad one if we were stricter in our Lives more serious and constant in our Labours and studied more effectually to Reform those of our Communion than to rail at theirs If we took occasion to let them see that we love them that we wish them no harm but good then we might hope by the Blessing of God to lay the Obligations to Love and Peace to Unity and Concord before them with such Advantages that some of them might open their Eyes and see at last upon how flight Grounds they have now so long kept up such a Wrangling and made such a Rent in the Church that both the Power of Religion in general and the strength of the Protestant Religion have suffered extreamly by them Thus far I have carried a Clerk through his Parish and all the several Branches of his Duty to his People But that all this may be well gone about and indeed as the Foundation upon which all the other Parts of the Pastoral Care may be well managed he ought frequently to visit his whole Parish from House to House that so he may know them and be known of them This I know will seem a vast Labour especially in Towns where Parishes are large but that is no excuse for those in the Country where they are generally small and if they are larger the going this Round will be the longer a doing yet an hour a day Twice or Thrice a Week is no hard Duty and this in the Compass of a Year will go a great way even in a large Parish In these Visits much Time is