HINTS

ON THE

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General DUTY of a MINIster.

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I. ❖❖T is the Duty of a Minister to be diligent, and to watch every Opportunity of doing Good to his Parishioners. He fhould therefore endeayour to know their Wants, both spiritual and temporal, and as a kind Protector, and conftant Friend, as well as a careful Instructor, and prudent Admonisher, fhould give them the beft Advice and Directions in his Power: For this is the true Design of parochial Ministry: And this only will anfwer the first, and great Intention † of fuch an Inftitution.

2. Every

Let me recommend to your repeated Perufal Bishop BURNET's Paftoral Care-BOWLES's Paftor Evangelicus-BAXTER'S reformed Paftor, reduced, to a new Method by PALMER.-Archbishop HORT'S. Inftructions to the Clergy;-And Archbishop SECKER'S Charges to the Clergy of the Diocefes of Oxford, and Canterbury.

"Such, as want your Help moft (fays Archbishop SECKER, in his firft Charge to the Clergy of

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the

2. Every Minifter has promifed at his Ordination, "That he will use both pub"lic and private Monitions and Exhor"tations, as well to the Sick, as to the "Whole, within his Cure, as Need shall "require, and Occafion fhall be given." It would therefore be very proper for Him to read over, as in the Sight of GOD, on the annual Return of the Day of his Ordination, that Service, by which He fo folemnly dedicated Himself to the Ministry.

3. A Minifter is to be a Pattern to his Flock of every Thing good and praifeworthy, and therefore fhould keep a conftant Guard on his own Temper and Conduct, remembering that great Confequences are often produced by little Things, that an Indifcretion in Him will be aggra

vated,

the Diocese of Canterbury)" may not come to your Ser"mons, or may not apply them to their own Ufe, or "may need to have them enforced by Confiderations "peculiar to themfelves, and unfit to be specify'd " in public Speaking to them feparately, and "agreeably to their several States of Mind and Life, may have unforeseen Influence: And being al

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ways at Hand to awe the diforderly, and counte"nance the well-behaved, to advise and comfort the "difeafed and afflicted, to relieve, or procure Re"lief for the neceffitous, to compofe little Differ"ences, and difcourage wrong Customs in the Beginning, to promote friendly Offices, and to keep up an edifying and entertaining Conversation in "a Neighbourhood, muft add incredible Weight "to public Instruction."

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vated, and that the Folly and Imprudence of one Hour, or a fingle Vifit, may ruin a fair Character, and be long an Obstacle (perhaps an infuperable one) to his Acceptance and Usefulness.

HINTS on PREACHING. 1. INSTEAD of preaching always on general and difconnected Subjects, it will be an ufeful Exercife to yourself, very agreeable and most serviceable to the Parish, to expound in a Sermon, Verse by Verfe",

fome

"Inftead of taking a Text, (fays Archbishop SECKER, in his third Charge to his Clergy), which comprehends within itfelf the whole Subject of which you would treat, it may often be useful to choose one, which hath a Reference to Things preceding and following, and to expound all the Context. This will afford you Variety of Matter, and give you Opportunities for fhort unexpected Remarks; with which Perfons are frequently more ftruck, than with an entire Difcourfe; for of the latter they forefee the Drift all the Way, and therefore fet themselves to fence against it. Thus alfo you may illuftrate the Beauties, at the fame Time that you fhew the practical Ufes, of large Portions of Scripture at once: For Inftance, of a Parable, a Conversation, a Miracle of our bleffed LORD; or a Narration concerning this or that other memorable Perfon, whether deferving of Praise or Blame. For Scripture Hiftories and Examples are eafily remembered, and have great Weight. In Proportion as we overlook them, we fhall appear lefs to be Minifters of GOD'S Word: And our People will have lefs Veneration for it, for us, or for both."

some of the most interesting Paffages of Scripture; particularly the Hiftories, the Parables, and Miracles; chufing for a Text the principal Verse in the Paffage defigned to be expounded. Sometimes you may felect for this Purpofe one of the Leffons, or either the Epiftle or Gospel for the Day.

2. It may be proper at other Times to explain, in the Way of Sermons, the Book of Common Prayer, fo far as it relates to the conftant Service of the Church; for it is as neceffary, that People should understand the devout Ufe, and true Meaning of it, as that a Soldier should understand the dextrous Ufe of his Weapons.-To this should be added a more particular Explanation and Enforcement of the Duty of frequently receiving the holy Sacrament.And I would advise you likewife to inculcate (in a Courfe of Sermons) the relative Duties, on Gospel Principles.-You will thoroughly understand my Meaning by the following Paffage from a very useful little Book, intitled, Two Difcourfes on Preaching, by the late Rev. Mr JOHN JENNINGS; to which is added, a Letter concerning the most useful Way of Preaching by Dr FRANCK, Divinity Profeffor in the Univerfity of Hall, in Saxony."I will felect, fays Mr JENNINGS, by Way of Specimen, fome of the Apoftle's Difcourfes on moral

Duties,

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Duties, where Preachers are most apt to forget the Mention of CHRIST, or to have Refpect to Him, that it may at once appear the Apostles preffed fuch Duties, and had a Regard to CHRIST in treating on them. "Charity is injoined by the Apof"tle, as our Bodies are Members of CHRIST, as we are one Spirit with Him, Temples of "the Holy Ghoft, and bought with a Price," 1 Cor. vi. 15. Alms-giving is recommended, as it will bring à large Tribute of "Praife to God for our Subjection to the Gofpel of CHRIST and CHRIST became poor "for OUR fakes," 1 Cor. viii. and ix.Subjects are commanded to obey Magiftrates, because the Gofpel Day is come, and we "fhould put on CHRIST JESUS," Rom. xiii.-Hufbands are charged to love their Wives, as CHRIST loved the Church," Ephef. v. 25.-The Obedience of Wives is urged, because the Husband is the Head of the "Wife, as CHRIST is the Head of the "Church," Ephef. v. 22.-Servants are exhorted to their Duty, as they " adorn the "Doctrine of CHRIST;-because Grace fo "teacheth; and that we look for Chrift's Appearance, who gave Himself for us, that.

we might be holy," Titus ii. 9.-Should not we therefore introduce the Peculiarities of the Gospel on all proper Occafions, as frequently, as the Apoftles did? Surely we fhould not fupprefs or feldom urge thofe glo-