expofe them to ill Ufage in this; to refuse them due Allowances for human Infirmity, or be more backward to own their Merits, than to fee their Faults: fuch Behaviour, inftead of promoting Truth, will prejudice the World against it; will give Unbelievers dreadful Advantages, and for ever prevent that Union amongst Christians, which would procure us, above all things, the Efteem of Men and the Bleffing of God.

FROM these improper Methods of fupporting Religion, let us now proceed to the proper ones. And they will naturally fall under the general Heads, of our Inftructions and our Lives.

GIVING Inftruction requires Knowledge. And therefore, as a competent Degree of it is juftly expected of Perfons, before they enter into Holy Orders: fo when they enter, the Care of making a continual Progrefs in it is folemnly promised by them, and covenanted for with them. What may be a very good Beginning, is by no means a fufficient Stock to go on with: and even that will leffen, if no Pains be taken to increase it. Continued Application then is a Duty of Importance. Perfons of lower Abilities and Attainments are in danger, without it, of being useless and despised: And they who fet out with greater Advantages, are bound to endeavour at doing, in proportion, greater Services to the Church of God. Without exception therefore, all who are engaged in so serious an Employment as ours, if they have any Regard either to their Duty or their Character, must take

care, not to be more remarkable for their Diverfions, than their Studies; nor indolently to trifle their time away, instead of employing it to good Purposes. And though moft Parts of Learning will be useful to us, and all Parts ornamental; yet we must be sure to remember, what we have been folemnly admonished of, that no Attention to any thing else, ought ever to draw us away from the Pursuit of fuch Knowledge, as is properly Theological. For to excel in other things, and be deficient in that, cannot but caft a grievous Reflexion; either on us, for not studying what we profefs; or on our Profeffion, as having little in it worth studying. Our principal Business therefore must be, to obtain a thorough Acquaintance with the Chriftian Faith: first the Grounds, then the Doctrines of: it. And the previous Qualifications.for attempting this are, a due Knowledge of the Rules of right Reasoning, and of the moral and religious Truths which Nature teaches; of the State of the World in its earlier Ages, and in that when Christianity first appeared. These Preparations being made, the great thing requifite in the next place is a diligent Search into Holy Scripture. For there it is, that both the authentick Syftem of our Belief, and the chief Evidence for it, are exhibited to our View. Scripture therefore above all things the Infidel endeavours to ridicule; the mistaken Christian, to wreft in Support of his Errors: and if we defire, either to confute Them, or to fatisfy ourfelves; our only way must be, to understand it well.

For which end it is quite neceffary, that we make the original Language, at least of the New Testament, familiar to us: and were that of the Old more commonly studied, the Advantages would confiderable.

be very

In order to fee clearly, on what Grounds our Belief ftands; together with the facred Volumes themselves, the Writings of fuch learned Perfons as have proved their Authority, and vindicated their Accounts of things, must be carefully read; and attentively compared with those Objections against them, which have been revived of late, dreffed up with fo much Art, and spread abroad with fo much Diligence. For in our prefent Circumstances we are always liable to be attacked : and confider what an unhappy Triumph it would afford, fhould we be found unprovided of a rational Defence. It is very true, the general Evidence, which we have for our Faith, is abundantly fufficient of itself, to overbalance many Difficulties concerning it, and ever fo many Cavils against it. But yet our being unqualified to give more particular Answers where they can be given, as indeed there are few Cafes where they cannot, may often prove a great Reproach to Us, and a great Stumbling-block to others.

NEXT to the Grounds of Religion, the Do&trines of it, especially the more important and difputed ones, ought to be ftudied, with fuch Diligence: and Impartiality, as may best discover to us the Nature of every Opinion, and the Force of every Ar-gument::

gument: that fo we may neither load Christianity with what doth not belong to it; nor betray, instead of defending it, by giving up what doth; but Tim. vi. 20. faithfully keep that which is committed to our Trust, both entire and unmixed. To fecure this great End, we must ever adhere ftrictly to the Word of God, fairly interpreted by the Help of all fuch means as Providence hath given us: and carefully avoid, on the one Hand, Fondness of Novelty; and on the other, over-great Reverence of Antiquity, especially fuch as comes short of the earliest. But against the former of thefe, it is peculiarly needful to caution the rifing Generation; whom the Rashness of Youth, and the petulant Spirit of the present Age, too often hurries into a strange Vehemence for any Imagination they have happened to take up; and prompts them to fly out against established Do&trines, without having always the patience even to understand them. Such therefore should be exhorted to learn a proper Degree, both of Silence and Sufpence, till cooler Thought, and farther Enquiry, make them fitter Judges of Things. But befides those Controverfies, which this Caution chiefly relates to; that between the Papists and Us deserves at present to be well studied, by fuch of you as live in the Neighbourhood of any. For seldom have they shewn more Zeal or more Artifice, than of late, in their Attempts of making Profelytes. And therefore it is of great Confequence, that we provide our selves against them, with a fufficient Knowledge of their real Doctrines, their more fpecious Pleas, and

the

the proper Answers to them. Another Subject, with which we are concerned to be well acquainted, is what relates to the Government and Worship, Discipline and Establishment of our own Church. Different Parts of our Ecclefiaftical Conftitution are frequently cenfured by different forts of Persons, with very different Views: though indeed the most oppofite of them have appeared for some time unaccountably difpofed to unite against us, and Believers to join with Infidels in ufing their Christian Brethren ill. It may therefore be of great Ufe, to inform ourfelves diligently concerning every Thing of this Nature, which is spoken of to our Prejudice; and be always ready to fhew the genuine State of the Cafe, with Mildness and Fairness. But no Controverfies, however needful, must be suffered to divert our Attention from what is of all Things the most needful, the Study of practical Religion, and of the common Duties of Life. These are the Things, which Mankind are most apt to fail in, and most concerned not to fail in: and therefore spending much time upon them, obtaining a thorough Infight into them, and having a deep Sense of them, is the very Foundation of doing good, both to others and to our own Souls.

A COMPETENT Provifion of Knowledge being fuppofed, the next Thing is, communicating it to those who are under our Care, in fuch manner as their Circumstances require.

THE Proofs of Religion, both natural and revealed, all Men should be taught, and especially at prefent,