ceeding great moment to yourselves, to the people, and to the honour of God, I would not have troubled you with so many words about it, nor have presumed to have spoken so sharply as I have done. But when it is for life and death, men are apt to forget their reverence, and courtesy, and compliments. For my part, I apprehend this as one of the best and greatest works that ever I put my hand to in my life. And I verily think that your thoughts of it are as mine; and then you will not think my words too many or too keen. I can well remember the time when I was earnest for the reformation of matters of Ceremony; and if I should be cold in such a substantial matter as this, how disproportionable would my zeal appear! Alas, can we think that the Reformation is wrought, when we have cast out a few Ceremonies, changed some vestures, gestures, and forms! O no, sirs! it is the converting and saving of souls that is our business. The chief part of the Reformation is that which doth most good, and tendeth most to the salvation of the people. Let others take it how they will, I will so far speak my conscience for your just encouragement, as to say again, that I am verily persuaded that as you are happily agreed and combined for this work, so if you will but faithfully execute this Agreement, together with your former Agreement for Discipline, you will do much more for a true Reformation, and that peaceably without meddling with controverted points, than has yet, been done in any part of England, though no more than is unquestionably your duty.

I am next to answer some of those Objections which backward minds may cast in our way.

1. Some may object, that this course will take up so much time that a man shall have no time to follow his studies: most of us are young, and have need of much time to improve our own abilities, which this course prohibits us.' To which I answer :

(1.) We suppose them whom we persuade to this work, to understand the substance of the Christian Religion, and to be able to teach others; and the addition of lower and less necessary things is not to be preferred before this needful communication of the fundamentals. I highly value common knowledge, and would not encourage any to set light by it; but I value the saving of souls before it. That work which is immediately connected with the end of all our

labours must be done, whatever be undone. It is a very desirable thing for a physician to be thoroughly studied in his art; and to be able to see the reason of his experiments, and to resolve such difficult controversies as are before him; but if he had the charge of an hospital, or lived in a city that had the raging pestilence, if he would be studying 'de fermentatione, de circulatione sanguis, de vesiculo chylo, de instrumentis sanguificationis,' and such excellent, useful points, when he should be looking to his patients, and saving men's lives, and should turn them away, and let them perish, and tell them that he cannot have while to give them advice, because he must follow his own studies, I should take that man for a preposterous student that preferred the remote means of his studies before the end itself: and indeed, I should think him but a civil kind of murderer. Men's souls may be saved, without knowing whether God did predetermine the creature in all its acts; whether the understanding necessarily determines the will; whether God works grace in a physical or moral way of causation ; what freewill is; whether God have scientiam mediam,' or positive decrees 'de malo culpæ;' with a hundred such like, which are the things that you would be studying when you should be saving souls. Get well to heaven, and help your people thither, and you shall know all these things in a moment, and a thousand more, which by all your studies you can never know; and is not this the most expeditious and certain way to knowledge?

(2.) If you grow not extensively in knowledge, you will by this way of diligent practice obtain the intensive and more excellent growth. If you know not so many things as others, you will know the great things better than they; for this serious dealing with sinners for their salvation will help you to far deeper apprehensions of their saving principles, than will be got by any other means; and a little more of the knowledge of these is worth all the other knowledge in the world. O, when I am looking heavenward, and gazing towards the inaccessible light, and aspiring after the knowledge of God, and find my soul so dark and distant, that I am ready to say, 'I know not God-he is above mequite out of my reach;' this is the most killing and grievous ignorance! Methinks I could willingly exchange all other

knowledge that I have for one glimpse more of the knowledge of God and the life to come. O that I had never known a word in logic, metaphysics, &c.; nor known what schoolmen said, so I had but one spark more of that light that would shew me the things that I must shortly see. For my part, I conceive that by serious talking of everlasting things, and teaching the Creed and Catechism, you may grow more in knowledge, though not in the knowledge of more things, and prove much wiser men, than if you spent that time in common, or curious and less necessary things.

(3.) Yet let me add, that though I count this the chief, I wish you to have more; because those subservient sciences are very useful: and therefore I say, that you may have competent time for both, lose none upon vain recreations and employments; trifle not away a minute; consume it not in needless sleep; do what you do with all your might, and then see whether you have not competent time. If you set apart but two days in a week for this great work, you may find some for common studies out of all the other five.

(4.) Duties are to be taken together, and the greatest preferred; but none neglected that can be performed; nor one pleaded against another, but each in its proper place. But if there were such a case of necessity, that we could not read for ourselves in the course of our further studies, and instruct the ignorant too, I would throw by all the libraries in the world, rather than be guilty of the perdition of one soul; at least I know this is my duty.

Object. 2. But this course will destroy the health of our bodies, by continual spending the spirits, and allowing us no time for necessary recreations; and it will wholly lock us up from any civil and friendly visitations, so that we must never stir from home, nor take our delight at home one day with our friends, for the relaxation of our minds; but as we shall seem discourteous and morose to others, so we shall tire ourselves, and the bow that is still bent will be in danger of breaking at last.'

Answ. (1.) This is the mere plea of the carnal mind for its own interest. The sluggard saith, there is a lion in the way. He will not plough because of the cold. There is no duty of moment and self-denial, but if you consult with flesh and blood, they will give you as wise reasons as these

against it. Who would ever have been burnt at a stake for Christ, if this reasoning had been good; yea, or who would ever have been a Christian?

(2.) We may take time for necessary recreation for all this. An hour, or half an hour's walk before meat, is as much recreation as is of necessity for the health of most of the weaker sort of students. I know something of this by long experience. Though I have a body that hath languished under great weakness many years, and my diseases have been such as require as much exercise as almost any in the world, and I have found exercise the principal means of my preservation till now, and therefore have as great reason to plead for it as any man that I know alive, yet I have found that the aforesaid proportion hath been blessed to my preservation, though I know that more would have tended to increase my health. I do not know one Minister in a hundred, who needeth so much as I do. Yea, I know abundance of Ministers that scarcely ever use any exercise at all, though I commend them not for it. I doubt not but it is our duty to use as much exercise as is of necessity for the preservation of our health, so far as our work requireth: else we should for one day's work lose the opportunity of many. But this may be done, and yet the works that we are engaged in, be done too. On those two days a week that you set apart for this work, what hinders but you may take an hour or two to walk for the exercise of your bodies, much more on other days.

But as for those men that limit not their recreations to their stated hours, but must have them for the pleasing of their voluptuous humour, such have need to study better the nature of Christianity, learn the danger of living after the flesh, and get more mortification and self-denial before they preach these things to others. If you must needs have your pleasures, you should not have put yourselves into that Calling that requireth you to make God and his service your pleasure, and restraineth you so much from fleshly pleasures. Is it your Baptismal engagement to fight against the flesh; and do you know that much of the Christian warfare consisteth in the combat between the flesh and the Spirit; and that is the very difference between a true Christian and a wicked wretch, that one liveth after the Spirit, and mortifieth the deeds and desires of the body, and the other liveth

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after the flesh? And do you know that the overcoming of the flesh is the principal part of our victory, on which the crown of life depends; and do you make it your Calling to preach all this to others, and yet must you needs have your pleasures? If you must, then for shame give over preaching the Gospel, and the profession of Christian self-denial, and profess yourselves to be as you are; and as you sow to the flesh, so of the flesh shall you receive the wages of corruption. Doth such an one as Paul say, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away." (1 Cor. iv. 26, And have not we need to do so? Shall we pamper our bodies, and give them their desires in the unnecessary pleasures, when Paul must keep under his body, and bring it into subjection? Must Paul do this, lest after all his preaching he should be a cast-away; and have not we cause to fear it of ourselves much more? I know that some pleasure itself is lawful; that is, when it is of use to fit us for our work. But for a man to be so far in love with his pleasures, as that he must unnecessarily waste his precious time in them, and neglect the great work of God for men's salvation, yea, and plead for this as if it might be done, and so to justify himself in such a course, is wickedness inconsistent with the common fidelity of a Christian, much more with the fidelity of a teacher of the Church. Such as are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, must look to be loved of him accordingly, and are more fit to be cast out of Christian communion, than to be the chief in the Church; for we are commanded from such to turn away. (2 Tim. iii. 5.) Recreations for a student, must be especially for the exercise of his body, he having before him such variety of delights for his mind; and they must be as whetting is with the mower, only to be used so far as is necessary to his work. And we must be careful that it rob us not of our precious time, but be kept within the narrowest bounds that may be. I pray peruse well Mr. Wheatley's Sermon of Redemption of Time. The labour that we are now engaged to perform, is not likely much to impair our health. It is true, we must be serious; but that will but excite and revive our spirits, and not spend them. Men can talk all the day long of other