others run into the other extreme, will that be any excuse to you? Christ's church hath always suffered between profane unbelievers, and heretical dividers, as he suffered himself on the cross between two thieves. And will the sin of one excuse the other?-4. And yet I must say (lest I be impiously blind and ungrateful), that through the great mercy of God, the matter is so far amended, that many hundred drunken, swearing, ignorant, negligent, scandalous ministers are cast out; and we have many humble, godly, painful teachers in a county for a few that we had before. This is so visibly true, that when the godly are feasted, who formerly were almost famished, and beaten for going abroad to beg their bread, you can hardly by all your arguments or rhetoric persuade them that the times are no better with them than they were; though men of another nation may possibly believe you in such reports. I bless God for the change that I see in this county; and among the people, even in my own charge, which is such as will not permit me to believe that the case is as bad with them as formerly it hath been. I say, with Minutius Fœlix, p. 401. (mihi) ‘Quid ingrati sumus? quid nobis invidemus? Si veritas divinitatis nostri temporis ætate maturuit. Fruamur nostro bono: Et recti sententiam temperemus: cohibeatur superstitio: impietas expietur: religio servetur.' It is the sinful unhappiness of some men's minds, that they can hardly think well of the best words or ways of those whom they disaffect; and they usually disaffect those that cross them in their corrupt proceedings, and plainly tell them of their faults. They are ready to judge of the reprover's spirit by their own, and to think that all such sharp reproofs proceed from some disaffection to their persons, or partial opposition to the opinions which they hold; and therefore they will seldom regard the reproofs of any but those of their own party, who will seldom deal plainly with them, because they are of their party. But plain-dealers are always approved in the end; and the time is at hand when you shall confess, that those were your truest friends. He that will deal plainly against your sins in uprightness and honesty, will deal as plainly for you against the sins of any that would injure you: for he speaks not against sin, because it is yours, but because it is sin. It is an observable passage that is re

ported by many, and printed by one, how the late king Charles, who by the bishop's instigation had kept Mr. Prynne so long in prison, and twice cropt his ears, for writing against their masks and plays, and the high and hard proceedings of the prelates, when he read his notable, voluminous speech for an acceptance of the King's concessions, and an agreement with him thereupon, did, not long before his death, deliver the book to a friend that stood by him, saying, 'Take this book; I give it thee as a legacy; and believe it, this gentleman is the Cato of the age.' The time will come when plain dealing will have a better construction than it hath, while prejudice doth turn the heart against it.

I shall stand no longer on the apologetical part: I think the foregoing objections being answered, there is no great need of more of this. The title of the book itself is apologetical, which if I tell you not, I may well expect that some of my old ingenuous interpreters should put another sense upon it. I pretend not to the sapience of Gildas, nor to the sanctity of Salvian, as to the degree; but by their names I offer you an excuse for plain dealing. If it was used in a much greater measure by men so wise and holy as these, why should it in a lower measure be disallowed in another? At least from hence I have this encouragement, that the plain dealing of Gildas and Salvian being so much approved by us now they are dead, how much soever they might be despised or hated while they were living, by them whom they did reprove, at the worst I may expect some such success in times to come.

But my principal business is yet behind. I must now take the boldness, brethren, to become your monitor, concerning some of the necessary duties of which I have spoken in the ensuing discourse. If any of you should charge me with arrogancy or immodesty, as if hereby I accused you of negligence, or judged myself sufficient to admonish you; I crave your candid interpretation of my boldness, assuring you that I obey not the counsel of my flesh herein, but displease myself as much as some of you; and had rather have the ease and peace of silence, if it would stand with duty and the church's good. But it is the mere necessity of the souls of men, and my desire of their salvation, and the prosperity of the church, which forceth me to

this arrogancy and immodesty, if so it must be called. For who that hath a tongue can be silent, when it is for the honour of God, the welfare of his church, and the everlasting happiness of so many persons?

And the first and main matter which I have to propound to you is, Whether it be not the unquestionable duty of the generality of ministers, in these three nations, to set themselves presently to the work of catechising, and personal instructing all that are to be taught by them, who will be persuaded to submit thereunto? I need not here stand to prove it, having sufficiently done it in the following discourse. Can you think that holy wisdom will gainsay it? Will zeal for God, will delight in his service, or love to the souls of men gainsay it? (1.) That the people must be taught the principles of religion, and matters of greatest necessity to salvation, is past doubt among us. (2.) And that they must be taught it in the most edifying advantageous way, I hope we are agreed. (3.) And that personal conference, and examination, and instruction, hath many excellent advantages for their good, is beyond dispute, and afterward manifested. (4.) As also that personal instruction is commended to us by Scripture, and the practices of the servants of Christ, and approved by the godly of all ages, so far as I can find, without contradiction. (5.) It is past all doubt that we should perform this great duty to all the people, or to as many as we can: for our love and care of their souls must extend to all. If there be a thousand or five hundred ignorant people in your parish, it is a poor discharge of your duty now and then occasionally to speak to some few of them, and let the rest alone in their ignorance, if you are able to afford them help. (6.) And it is as certain that so great a work as this is, should take up a considerable part of our time. (7.) And as certain is it, that all duties should be done in order, as far as may be, and therefore should have their appointed times. And if we are agreed to practise according to these commonly acknowledged truths, we need not differ upon any doubtful circumstances. Object. We teach them in public; and how then are we bound to teach them man by man besides ?'

Answ. You pray for them in public: must you not also pray for them in private? Paul taught every man, and exhorted every man, and that both publicly, and from house to

I

house, night and day with tears. The necessity and benefits afterward mentioned prove it to be your duty. But what need we add more, when experience speaks so loud? am daily forced to admire how lamentably ignorant many of our people are, that have seemed diligent hearers of me these ten or twelve years, while I spoke as plainly as I was able to speak! Some know not that each person in the Trinity is God; nor that Christ is God and man; nor that he took his human nature into heaven; nor many the like necessary principles of our faith. Yea, some that come constantly to private meetings are found grossly ignorant; whereas in one hour's familiar instruction of them in private, they seem to understand more, and better entertain it, than they did in all their lives before.

Object. But what obligation lieth on us to tie ourselves to certain days for the performance of this work?'

Answ. This is like the libertine's plea against family prayer. They ask, where are we bound to pray morning and evening? Doth not the nature and end of the duty plainly tell you that an appointed time conduceth to the orderly successful performance of it? How can people tell when to come if the time be not made known? You will have a fixed day for a Lecture, because people cannot else tell when to come without a particular notice for each day : and it is as necessary here, because this must be a constant duty, as well as that.

Object. But we have many times may interrupt the course.'

other businesses that some

Answ. Weightier business may put by our preaching, even on the Lord's-day, but we must not therefore neglect our constant observance ordinarily of that day: and so it is here. If you have so much greater business, that you cannot ordinarily have time to do the ministerial work, you should not undertake the office: for ministers are men 'separated to the Gospel of Christ, and must give themselves wholly to these things.'

Object. All the parish are not the church, nor do I take the pastoral charge of them, and therefore I am not satisfied that I am bound to take this pains with them.'

Answ. I will pass by the question, whether all the parish be to be taken for your church; because in some places it is so, and in others not. But let the negative be supposed:

Yet, (1.) The common maintenance which most receive, is for teaching the whole parish; though you be not obliged to take them all for a church. (2.) What need we look for a stronger obligation, than the common bond that lieth on all Christians, to further the work of men's salvation, and the good of the church, and the honour of God, to the utmost of their power; together with the common bond that is on all ministers, to further these ends by ministeral teaching, to the utmost of their power? Is it a work so good, and apparently conducing to so great benefits to the souls of men, and yet can you perceive no obligation to the doing of it?

Object. But why may not occasional conference and instructions serve the turn?'

Answ. I partly know what occasional conferences are, compared to this duty, having tried both. Will it satisfy you to deal with one person of twenty or forty, or an hundred, and to pass by all the rest? Occasional conferences fall out seldom, and but with few; and (which is worst of all) are seldom managed so thoroughly as these must be. When I speak to a man that cometh to me purposely on that business, he will better give me leave to examine him, and deal closely with him, than when it falls in on the by: and most occasional conferences fall out before others, where plain dealing will not be taken so well. But so much is said afterward to these and several other objections, that I shall add no more here.

I do now, in the behalf of Christ, and for the sake of his church and the immortal souls of men, beseech all the faithful ministers of Christ, that they will presently and effectually fall upon this work. Combine for an unanimous performance of it, that it may more easily procure the submission of your people. But if there should be found any so blind or vile as to oppose it, or dissent, God forbid that other ministers should because of that, forbear their duties. I am far from presuming to prescribe you rules or forms, or so much as to move you to tread in our steps, in any circumstances where a difference is tolerable, or to use the same catechism or exhortation as we do: only fall presently and closely to the work. If there should be any of so proud or malicious a mind, as to withdraw from so great a duty, because they would not seem to be our followers, or drawn