prefent, in the most intelligible and convincing Manner. As for the Objections against either: fuch as it may be fuppofed they have thought or heard of, fhould be diftinctly answered; but the reft obviated only, as Occafion offers. For to enter into them farther, would be mifpending Time. Next to the Truth of Religion, they should have its Importance laid before them. The Neceffity of a moral Life most Men will own in general Terms: only what they are pleased to call so, is often a very immoral one, both with refpect to their FellowCreatures, and the Government of themselves. But Regard to Piety is strangely loft, even amongst Perfons that are otherwise tolerably ferious. Many have laid afide all Appearances of it: and others who would seem to keep them up, do it with evident Marks of Indifference and Contempt. It should therefore be induftriously fhewn and inculcated, that an inward Senfe of Love and Duty to God, founded on juft Conceptions of him, and expreffing itself in frequent Acts of Worship, constant Obedience and Refignation to him, is in Truth the Mat. xxii. 38. first and great Commandment, the principal and most important of moral Obligations. But then, befides those Inftances of Piety which Reafon requires of us, there are others, founded on Relations equally real, and confequently deferving equal Regard, enjoined by Revelation. The utmost Care therefore ought to be used, confidering the prefent Difpofition of the World, to convince Men of what Moment the Doctrines and Duties of the Gospel

are.

are. To make Reason fufficient for nothing in Religion, is to overturn every thing. But to infist on its Infufficiency for many most valuable Purposes, which Revelation is fully fufficient for, and on the Neceffity of obferving whatever God hath thought fit to command, this is doing but common Justice, though a very seasonable Piece of Justice, to the Doctrine of our Bleffed Saviour and the Authority of our Maker.

WHEN Once Men are brought to understand the Value of Christianity, the next thing is, to give them a proportionable Sollicitude for it: to make them obferve, how vifibly the Belief and Practice of it decay, and how dreadful the Confequences muft be and are: to fhew them, that Religion is not the Concern of the Clergy merely, but the common Concern of all Men; the great thing, on which publick and private Happiness depend in this Life, as well as eternal Felicity in the next: that therefore, if they have any Value for these important Interests, they must take the neceffary Means of fecuring them: their Children, their Servants and Dependants must be diligently watched over and instructed; private Devotion must be practised, Family-Worship revived, and the Service of God in the Church regularly and seriously attended upon. For laying afide these things hath almost banished Religion from amongst us: and nothing, but reftoring them, can bring it back. Piety is indeed feated in the Heart: but to give it no vent in outward Expreffion, is to stifle and extinguish it. Neg

lecting the publick Exercise of Religion, is destroying the publick Regard to it: and teaching Men to defpife their own Form of Religion, is enough very often to make them despise it under any Form.

GREAT Pains have been taken by our Adversaries to give the World an ill Opinion of Religious Instruction: and we must take equal Pains to give them a good one of it; by representing to them, both the natural Influence it hath, and the divine Authority that enjoins it. But after all, the only effectual Conviction will be that of Experience. And therefore the chief Point is, to endeavour that Men may feel the Benefit of our teaching: feel at leaft it is their own Fault, not ours, if they do not become the wiser, the better and happier for it. To this end we must all dwell often and strongly on the great Duties and great Failures of Duty in common Life: first explaining the Obligations of Religion fo as that they may be practised; then infifting on it, that they must: entring into the Particulars of each with fuch Plainnefs, that every one may clearly fee his own Faults laid before him; yet with fuch Prudence, that no one may fo much as imagine himself perfonally pointed at: and taking the strictest Care, that no Part of what we fay may feem in the least to proceed from our own Paffions, or our own Interests; but all appear evidently to flow from a true Concern for the good of those that hear us. Diligent Confideration, what our Subject and our feveral Characters will bear us out in, must direct us, when to give our Judgment with

Diffi

Diffidence, when to lay ftrefs upon it: in what

Cafes to exhort with all long-suffering; in what, to 2 Tim. iv. z. rebuke with all Authority. But which foever we do, Tit. i. 15. neither our Language fhould be florid, nor our Manner Theatrical: For these things only raise an Eufelefs Admiration in weak Perfons, and produce great Contempt in judicious ones. Nor yet on the other hand, fhould our Expreffions be mean, or our Behaviour lifelefs: but Both must be suitable to the Employment we are upon; Both such as come naturally from the Heart of the Speaker, and therefore will naturally move that of the Hearer.

To this our publick Teaching it will be a great Help, and indeed a valuable Part of it, if we perform the several Offices of our excellent Liturgy devoutly and properly: neither with an irreverent Precipitation, nor a tedious Slowness; neither in a flat and languid Manner, nor yet with an affected. Liveliness, or a Vehemence ill-placed or over-done: but so as may best exprefs the Sense and the Importance of what we read; and, by fhewing our own Attention to it, engage that of all around us.

BESIDES Our general Inftructions, it is very needful, that we give the Youth under our Care, in particular, an early Knowledge and Love of Religion, that may abide with them; and stand the Trials, to which their riper Years will of courfe be exposed. I hope you are all diligent in that most useful Work of Catechizing: and have done your utmost to prepare for Confirmation, those whom you prefent to me. And I earnestly recommend

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it to you, that the good Impreffions, which may well be fuppofed to have been made upon their Minds at this Seafon, be not fuffer'd to wear off again; but be improved, by still farther Exhortations, and leading them, as foon as poffible, to the Holy Communion, into fettled Habits of Religion and Virtue. But, though all the Youth deferve our peculiar Attention; yet if any of them be educated in Charity-Schools under our Inspection, these we should think ourselves more nearly concerned for, than the reft: and by first taking care, to have them taught whatever is proper, and nothing else, then making known the good Management they are under; put an end to thofe Accufations, of their learning Idleness and Pride, Superftition and Difloyalty; which may have been, sometimes one of them, fometimes another, in. fome degree deserved; but have been carried with a wicked Industry moft fhamefully beyond Truth, and leffened the Credit of this excellent Inftitution, even with many good Perfons, to the great Detri ment of true Piety.

ANOTHER very useful Method of spreading the Knowledge of Religion, and teaching Men a ferious Regard to it, is by distributing, or procuring to be distributed, fuch pious Books, especially to the poorer Sort, as are beft fuited to their Capacities and Circumstances. For there is great Variety of them to be had: and at fo very low Prices, that much Good may be done this way to confiderable. Numbers at once, in a most acceptable manner, for a trifling Expence.

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