to choose every Night a fhort Text of Scripture, which may be easily remembered, meditated on in Bed before they fleep, and at Times in the next Day, while they are employed in Bufinefs. By this ufeful Method they will be keeping up an Acquaintance with the Scriptures, and treafuring up in their Memories many important Texts.

4.In the Winter Evenings recommend to the most serious of the People (especially young People) to meet once in a Week, the young Men at one Houfe, and the young Women at another, to edify one another in the Scriptures, as it may be of Use to them: And it will be taken kindly, if you would on fuch Evenings lend them POOLE'S Annotations on the Bible--one of the Volumes of HENRY's Expofition of the Old and New Teftament-BURKITT on the New Teftamentor, DODBRIDGE'S Family Expofitor.

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Thefe would be fome Affiftance to them. And let me defire you fometimes to call on them yourself. Commend their laudable Endeavours to improve themselves in the Knowledge of God's Word. — Explain any difficult Paffages they may want to have explained, and encourage them to apply to you for farther Instruction whenever they think they stand in Need of it.

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que to not not) adgilt vous loads of HINTS on Vifiting the Sick.

1.IT T is a most difficult, and awful Thing to od act in many Circumftances, which arife sin an Attendance on the Sick. A Minifter may be deceived: The fick Perfon may deceive Himself. It will therefore be proper to inquire what are his Hopes of Salvation? On what founded? And how they operate in languishing and dying Circumstances? Reading the Vifitation Office to the Sick* is but a fmall and trifling Part of a Minif ter's Work. You must go further: It is of the utmoft Importance. Make what prudent Inquiries you can of others who are acquainted with them, what their Character and Lives have been. Inquire of themselves what their Views have been, and what they now are: Their Views of Sin; of their own Guilt and Danger, of CHRIST and the Gofpel; of the Terms of Acceptance; of Eternity: Whether they have been accustomed to fecret Prayer, and how they have conducted it, and add fuch other Questions, as may be fuitable to their State of Mind and Circumstances. There are fome, who through Ignorance cannot, or Stupidity will

* I would recommend to your Cnnfideration STERNE de Vifitatione Infirmorum; Archdeacon DODWELL'S Sick Man's Companion, or Clergyman's Affiftant in vifiting the Sick; and MASON'S Paftor and Student. See likewife JeNKS's Devotions; and the new Manual of Devotions (Fifteenth Edition) in which is an Office for the Sick.

will not, give proper Anfwers to fuch Questions. They will affent to what is? faid, but drop Nothing of themselves, by which one can judge of their State; as I have frequently experienced to my great. Concern in attending the Sick, and Dying. This is the most perplexing Part of a Minif ter's Work. Allowances however must be made for a bad Education, finall Advantages, and their being unaccustomed to talk on these Subjects. It is better to err perhaps on the fufpicious, or doubtful Side, than to give flattering Hopes. Some may die in Tranfports and Raptures, and yet be far from making a good End. Deep Humility,. Repenting, and Believing are furer Eviden ces of Salvation*, than Confidence and Tranfports. Notwithstanding the preceding Caution, not to give flattering Hopes, you will I hope, be very careful to animate and encou rage thofe, who appear to have been fincere in Religion, tho' their Capacities are weak.

2. In your Attendance on the Sick, it is. adviseable to vifit fometimes alone; fometimes, where it may be no Injury to the fick Perfon, to give Notice of your coming, that the Neighbours may have an Opportunity of stepping in, and improving by what you may think proper to fay at thefe mollia Tempora fandi.

3. Though

See the latter Part of the 97th of Archbishop TILLOTSON's Sermons,

3. Though I shall always willingly and thankfully repay you whatever you think neceffary to give to any of my poor Parifhioners, I would not advife you, when requested to attend the fick Poor, to make it a Cuftom to give them any Thing; because it will be a ftrong Temptation to them to defire to fee the Minister merely with this View. Contrive therefore to give Alms at fome other Time: Or, if they want Relief particularly at that Time, convey it by fome proper Perfon.

4. Too many, who have led a careless, and perhaps a wicked Life, will, when they apprehend themselves in Danger of dying, fend for the Minister to give them the Sacrament. This they consider (strange Infatuation !) as a Paffport on the Road to Heaven, which they expect will answer their Purpose at once. But alas! they will not find that the Way of Salvation prescribed in the Gofpel, is fo eafy as they abfurdly imagine it to be. You will be cautious therefore to whom you administer the Sacrament. You may make it a general Rule not to give it to fuch fick Perfons, as would not receive: it in Health; unless you can bring them to a due Senfe of their Guilt, to an hearty Repentance of all that is paft, with fincere Refolutions of Amendment should they recover, and to a Determination to make every Kind of Reftitution in their Power to thofe, whom they may have injured. Till you have ftrong Proofs, that they are brought

to

to fuch a Difpofition, you have no Warrant either in Scripture, or by the Rubric, for adminiftering the Sacrament to them; for the Rubric exprefsly injoins the Minifter "to "examine whether the Sick Perfon has truly "repented of his Sins, is in Charity with "all Mankind, forgives all who have of"fended him, and has actually recompenf"ed, or folemnly promifed to recompenfe as foon, and as far as in his Power, the Par"ties, to whom he hath done any Injury or « Wrong.

5. When fick Perfons recover, follow them with ferious Exhortation:-Remind them of the Treachery of the Heart,how prone Men are to forget their Promifes and Refolutions made in Time of Trouble, and the near Views of Death:-Remind them how foon they may be in the fame Circumstances again, and how certain Death is, and how awful the Confequences of it. Urge constant Watchfulness and Prayer, and the faithful Discharge of thofe Duties, which they may have neglected, efpecially an Attendance upon the LORD's Supper: Give them like wife the Bifhop of London's, DrGIBSON, Serious Advice to Perfons, who have been Sick,

16. Be particularly careful to introduce ferious and useful Converfation at Funerals, when there is an Opportunity, and it can be done with Propriety, as the Minds of the Relations and Friends of the deceased are then in general peculiarly impreffible. And

vifit