you can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the Lord. And remember! a Methodist Preacher is to mind every point, great and small, in the Methodist Discipline! Therefore you will need to exercise all the sense and grace you have.

¶ 114. Rule 11. Act in all things not according to your own will, but as a son in the Gospel. As such, it is your duty to employ your time in the manner in which we direct in preaching, and visiting from house to house; in reading, meditation, and prayer. Above all, if you labor with us in the Lord's vineyard, it is needful you should do that part of the work which we advise, at those times and places which we judge most for His glory.

¶ 115. Smaller advices which might be of use to us are perhaps these: 1. Be sure never to disappoint a congregation. 2. Begin at the time appointed. 3. Let your whole deportment be serious, weighty, and solemn. 4. Always suit your subject to your audience. 5. Choose the plainest text you can. 6. Take care not to ramble, but keep to your text, and make out what you take in hand. 7. Take care of anything awkward or affected, either in your gesture, phrase, or pronunciation. 8. Do not usually pray extempore above eight or ten minutes (at most) without intermission. 9. Frequently read and enlarge upon a portion of Scripture; and let young Preachers often exhort without taking a text. 10. Always avail yourself of the great festivals by preaching on the occasion.

III. Spiritual Qualifications.

¶ 116. The duty of a Preacher is: 1. To preach. 2. To meet the Societies and Classes. 3. To visit the sick.

¶ 117. A Preacher shall be qualified for his charge by walking closely with God, and having his work greatly at heart, and by understanding and loving discipline, ours in particular.

¶ 118. We do not sufficiently watch over each other. Should we not frequently ask each other, Do you walk closely with God? Have you now fellowship with the Father and the Son? At what hour do you rise? Do you punctually observe the morning and evening hours of retirement? Do you spend the day in the manner which the Conference advises? Do you converse seriously, usefully, and closely? To be more particular: Do you use all the means of grace yourself, and enforce the use of them on all other persons?

¶ 119. The means of grace are either Instituted or Prudential.

¶ 120. The INSTITUTED are:

§ 1. Prayer: private, family, and public; consisting of deprecation, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. Do you use each of these? Do you forecast daily, wherever you are, to secure time for private devotion? Do you practice it everywhere? Do you ask everywhere, Have you family prayer? Do you ask individuals, Do you use private prayer every morning and evening in particular?

§ 2. Searching the Scriptures: 1. Reading: constantly, some part of every day; regularly, all the Bible in order; carefully, with notes; seriously, with prayer before and after; fruitfully, immediately practicing what you learn there. 2. Meditating: at set times; by rule. 3. Hearing: at every opportunity; with prayer before, at, after. Have you a Bible always about you?

§ 3. The Lord's Supper: Do you use this at every opportunity? With solemn prayer before? With earnest and deliberate self-devotion?

§ 4. Fasting: Do you use as much abstinence and fasting every week as your health, strength, and labor will permit?

§ 5. Christian conference: Are you convinced how important and how difficult it is to order your conversation aright? Is it always in grace? Seasoned with salt? Meet to minister grace to the hearers? Do you not converse too long at a time? Is not an hour commonly enough? Would it not be well always to have a determined end in view? And to pray before and after it? T 121. PRUDENTIAL means we may use either as Christians, as Methodists, or as Preachers.

§ 1. As Christians: What particular rules have you in order to grow in grace? What arts of holy living?

§ 2. As Methodists: Do you ever miss your Class?

§ 3. As Preachers: Have you thoroughly considered your duty? And do you make a conscience of executing every part of it? Do you meet every Society and their Leaders?

¶ 122. These means may be used without fruit. But there are some means which cannot, namely: watching, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, exercise of the presence of God.

§ 1. Do you steadily watch against the world? Your-. self? Your besetting sin?

§ 2. Do you deny yourself every useless pleasure of sense? imagination? honor? Are you temperate in all things? For instance, 1. Do you use only that kind and that degree of food which is best both for body and soul? Do you see the necessity of this? Do you eat no more at each meal than is necessary? Are you not heavy or drowsy after dinner? 2. Do you use only that kind and that degree of drink which is best both for your body and soul? Do you choose and use water for your

common drink, and only take wine medicinally or sacramentally?

§ 3. Wherein do you take up your cross daily? Do you cheerfully bear your cross, however grievous to nature, as a gift of God, and labor to profit thereby?

§ 4. Do you endeavor to set God always before you? To see his eye continually fixed upon you?

¶ 123. Never can you use these means but a blessing will ensue. And the more you use them the more you

will grow in grace.

IV. The Profitable Use of Time.

¶ 124. As a general method of employing our time we advise you, 1. As often as possible to rise at four. 2. From four to five in the morning and from five to six in the evening to meditate, pray, and read the Scriptures with notes, and the closely practical parts of what Mr. Wesley has published. 3. From six in the morning till twelve, wherever it is practicable, let the time be spent in appropriate reading, study, and private devotion.

¶ 125. Other reasons may concur, but the chief reason that the people under our care are not better is because we are not more knowing and more holy.

¶ 126. And we are not more knowing because we are idle. We forget our first rule: Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary." We fear there is altogether a fault in this matter, and that few of us are clear. Which of us spend as many hours a day in God's work as we did formerly in man's work? We talk-talk-or read what comes next to hand. We must, absolutely must, cure this evil, or betray the cause of God. But how? 1. Read the

most useful books, and that regularly and constantly. 2. Steadily spend all the morning in this employment, or at least five hours in the four and twenty. "But I have

no taste for reading." Contract a taste for it by use, or return to your former employment. "But I have no books." Be diligent to spread the books, and you will have the use of them.

V. The Necessity of Union among Ourselves.

¶ 127. Let us be deeply sensible (from what we have known) of the evil of a division in principle, spirit, or practice, and the dreadful consequences to ourselves and others. If we are united, what can stand before us? If we divide, we shall destroy ourselves, the work of God, and the souls of our people.

¶ 128. In order to a closer union with each other, 1. Let us be deeply convinced of the absolute necessity of it. 2. Pray earnestly for, and speak freely to, each other. 3. When we meet, let us never part without prayer. 4. Take great care not to despise each other's gifts. 5. Never speak lightly of each other. 6. Let us defend each other's character in everything so far as is consistent with truth. 7. Labor in honor each to prefer the other before himself. We recommend a serious perusal of The Causes, Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions.

VI. Deportment at the Conference.

¶ 129. It is desired that all things be considered on these occasions as in the immediate presence of God; that every person speak freely whatever is in his heart.

¶ 130. In order, therefore, that we may best improve our time at the Conferences, 1. While we are conversing