One valuable use of this office is to discover cases of religious impression in the several districts, and to encourage free communication with the Minister, gladly introducing them, as Barnabas, cing them, that you are actuated solely by motives of Christian charity and kindness, and have no other end in view than their welfare.-Many topics of friendly conversation and enquiry will readily suggest themselves to you; and in the selection of these, much will depend on your own good sense and discretion.' The Committee, however, would suggest the following hints: 1. Your first enquiries should relate to those subjects, which afford the greatest interest to the poor; such as the number of which the family consists-the ages of the children-whether they attend any school, or can read-whether the family possesses a Bible or any other religious books; and, where you find a disposition to answer your inquiries, you will endeavour to ascertain whether the persons you visit attend Public Worship, and where their occupation-means of subsistence-whether by parochial relief, by labour, charity, or otherwise the period of their residence in the district-amount of rent paid-and manner of spending Sundays and leisure hours.-2. You will gently and prudently lead their attention to religious subjects, endeavouring to impress their minds with a sense of the importance of their immortal souls and of the value of the Holy Scriptures as a message of mercy from God to sinful man. You will urge on them the duty and privilege of observing the Sabbath, of prayer, and of attending Public Worship. You will point out to them, as occasion may require, their relative duties; and avail yourself of suitable opportunities of reproving open vice. You will pay particular attention to the young, the sick, and the aged. You will encourage parents to send their children to Day and Sunday Schools, and recommend grown up persons, who cannot read, to attend adult evening schools. You will inform those who are without a Bible, how they may obtain one, and suggest weekly subscriptions for this purpose; and you will transmit their names and residence to the nearest Bible Association, or to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.-3. It will be necessary, that you should be provided with information as to the Places of Worship, Adult, Day, Sunday, and Infant Schools in the neighbourhood; and where there is any obstacle to the attendance of the persons you visit, from want of accommodation or distance, you will make this circumstance known to the Local Committee of the District.-4. You will not fail to inculcate habits of industry, and cleanliness both of rooms and persons. Where practicable, employment should be suggested to persons out of work, and in many cases it will be desirable to point out the advantages of Savings' Banks, and encourage weekly deposits for rent.—5. In cases of sickness and want, you will endeavour to ascertain, whether there is any medical or other attendance, whether relief is afforded by any benevolent society, and what charitable assistance is required.-6. The Committee recommend that relief should be administered (where practicable) through the medium of some existing Society or Institution: and it will be very desirable, that the Visitors should be provided with recommendations of Subscribers to such Societies, and to the nearest Dispensary, to be used as occasion may require.-7. It may in some cases be advisable to release the tools and clothes of mechanics from pawn; but, except in instances of pressing and immediate want, it is strongly recommended, that no pecuniary aid be afforded from the funds of the Society, before the case has been submitted to the Local Committee.-8. It will be necessary to bear in mind the prevalence of fraud and imposture; and it is hoped that the frequency of your visits will gradually facilitate their detection. While you will avoid all appearance of harshness, or want of feeling for the misery which meets your notice, you will use every precaution to guard against the misapplication of charitable aid upon objects of merely pretended distress, or upon those who are receiving adequate relief from other sources.-9. You will avoid as far as possible encroaching on the necessary occupations of families and individuals; and with this view it will be very important, that you should ascertain the time, when visits are most acceptable, and put persons the least out of the way.-10. You will not attempt to force yourselves on those, who shew a determined aversion to your visits; but you will express to them in a friendly manner your readiness to call upon them again, should they become more disposed to receive you.-11. It will generally be desirable, that the Visitors should go two and two, although they may frequently be engaged at the same time with different families under the same roof.-12. You will be provided with a journal, in which you will enter the name, residence, &c. of the persons visited; with answers to certain queries suggested, which should be submitted to the Local Committee of your district, at each meeting, accompanied with a notice of any particular occurrences tending to illustrate character, shew improvement, call for particular advice, &c., and with such general observations on the state of your Section as may appear useful.—13. The Committee would only further entreat you to remember the Master whom you serve; when certified of the conversion of Saul,' to the fellowship of the Church. This is at once a most important benefit to the individual, and a real support to the Pastor; enabling him to combine with his solemn warnings to the unconverted, his delightful commission to "comfort the people of God," and establish them in the faith of the Gospel. It must however be remembered, that helpers are not Ministers. There is an essential difference between Lay Agency and Lay Preaching. The Ministry of the New Testament stands upon the same authority as the Priesthood of the Old. No entrenchment must be allowed upon the consecrated office. Laymen may exhort with love, meekness, entreaty, but not with authority. Their work is rather brotherly admonition than fatherly teaching. They have no special commission. They must "speak as the oracles of God, and as of the ability which God giveth;" but they cannot speak as "ambassadors for Christ." They may speak in his name (in dependence upon him as their Head) but not "in his stead"-as having a message and commission from him. They need at once to be excited, directed, and controuled; and under this discipline, we may cherish the "hope, when their faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by them according to our rule abundantly." They will indeed be to us "instead of eyes;" their "work and labour of love" will powerfully act, as one of the wheels in the great machine of perpetual motion; and their reward of grace will be with "Urbane and the beloved Persis," with "Clement and with other fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life." 776 But we must not forget, that the meanest member of the Church sustains this useful character of a helper. How cheering is it to enter the pulpit (as the Apostle spoke of coming to Rome) not only to "impart to our hearers some spiritual gift;" but with the hope of being "comforted by their faith!" When faith glistens in the eyes of an attentive congregation, how does it quicken our energies, interest, and love; producing from the impulse of the occasion thoughts far more striking than had been the result of the contemplation of the study! We need scarcely remark upon the daily help we derive from the power of a consistent example, sometimes even more forcible than the Pulpit Ministry. None can gainsay and in cases of opposition or insult, to govern your temper-to return good for evilblessing for cursing-to be patient towards all men, "in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves." 1 See Acts ix. 27. 3 1 Peter iv. 11. 2 See Isaiah xl. 1, 2. 4 2 Cor. x. 16. 5 Numb. x. 31 or resist this visible "seal of our Apostleship." As confirming every word of instruction, invitation, and encouragement; and as exhibiting the strait ways of the Gospel to be "paths of pleasantness and peace," this testimony is above all price. Least of all, must we forget (though it has been before alluded to) the help we obtain from the prayers of our people. So sensible was the Apostle of the value of this help, that, distinguished as he was for eminence of grace, experience, and services, he pleads for it with the earnestness of a beggar requesting alms. Bishop Davenant justly traces the allowance of so many ignorant Ministers in the Church to the want of hearty supplication. And indeed a praying people will be sure eventually to be blessed with an edifying Ministry. We are far more in the power of our people than we are always conscious of. Humanly speaking-our personal graces, the spiritual character of our Ministrations, and the consequent consolation and fruitfulness with our people, very materially depend upon their secret labours on our behalf. We are the conduits by which the living water flows into the Church. The Church therefore must pray for the continual supplies to be poured into those conduits; or they will return (like the nobles of Judah) "with their vessels empty; ashamed and confounded, and covering their heads." It will doubtless be found, that the Gospel is promoted by the prayers as well as by the Ministry of the Church. Christians therefore should be reminded, that they owe this exercise of love to their fellow-sinners, as redeemed by the same blood-to us, as in some degree probably the instruments of their salvation— and still more to our great Master, as the undoubted and sole Author of it. Let therefore the blessing, through our instrumentality be sought in this way-"ye also helping together in prayer to God for us; that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf." And while we realize the delightful enjoyment of being raised on the wings of our people's prayers; they will not be without their recompence. For never is supplication sent up for a blessing upon the Minister, but it returns with tenfold blessing upon the supplicant's head.5 At all events therefore, let us expose the fallacy of the indolent notion, that Ministers are to do every thing. The best answer to give to the adversaries of our Establishment, is to set in motion 1 See Rom. xv. 30. 2 Daven. in Col. iv. 3. 3 Jer. xiv. 3. 4 2 Cor. i. 11. 5 Specific remembrance of the Minister in secret and social worship, on the mornings of the Sabbaths especially (not of course forgetting his daily claim upon their remembrance) might be inculcated with the greatest, though perhaps unconscious, advantage to ourselves and to our Ministry. 1 every wheel of the great machine. Reminding therefore our people of our immense burden-" besides" the weight of personal trial"that which cometh upon us daily—the care of the churches" let us call out our resources for active service, as the matter may require. Let us inculcate expansive and energetic diligencemaking our people generally useful to each other--parents to their families-neighbours among one another-promising young persons to the rising generation. They often look to the Pastor to suggest plans of practical usefulness. Almost every sphere furnishes work for every Christian under the Minister's direction and controul. Each will find a large blessing in laying himself out for the interests of his fellow-sinner--not to speak that his office--working with his Minister--necessarily invests him with a public character, and consequently furnishes a strong incentive to personal piety. Conscious helplessness brings with it special encouragements. The pride of Satan is humbled by being vanquished by worms; while Christ is glorified in the manifestation of his "strength made perfect in weakness.”2 If then our people can do any thing, let them help us in winning souls to Christ. Let them spread the influence of the sacred leaven around them, " till the whole be leavened ;" so that, while our doctrine is perverted, misunderstood, or opposed on all sides, we may be able to point to their lives and tempers, in illustration of its holy tendency and happy effects-"Ye are our epistle, known and read of all men-manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us."3 CHAPTER VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.4 A FEW particulars, which have not hitherto found a place in our work, may be here specified, such as-The importance of Adult Schools. These are indeed the complement of the School System. 1 2 Cor. xi. 28. "Cometh unto me"-rushing like a torrent, one after another, ready to bear me down. For the illustration of the peculiar emphasis of the term, Beza and Doddridge may be consulted, or perhaps a better commentator than either—at particular seasons of trial-experience. 2 2 Cor. xii. 9. 3 Ibid. iii. 2, 3. 4 Some useful hints on various miscellaneous departments of the Ministry, may be found in "The Country Clergyman's Advice to his Flock." By Rev. William Mudge. (Hatchards and Seeleys.) It is difficult to retain boys in the weekly school long enough to ground them in the principles of useful instruction. The Sunday School also is left, without any other means of preserving the knowledge which they have acquired. The utility of adult schools as an indefinite continuance of instruction-is therefore of the highest consideration. The knowledge of the word of God is equally valuable to adults as to children; while their capacity of understanding it (though much hindered by inability to read) is far greater. Shame indeed will sometimes restrain from stooping to the first elements of instruction; yet on the other hand, experience even of the temporal disadvantages of ignorance (where the spiritual deprivations are not apprehended) supplies a constant stimulus for exertion. Here is useful employment for helpers, though some ministerial superintendence will be usually needed. The smallness of numbers must not discourage. It is a great matter to persuade a person in the middle or decline of life, that in commencing his alphabet, he may be able by a few months of patient application to read his Testament. In a village therefore, but few may be sometimes found willing to attend. But an assembly of three or four is well worth our regular pains. If sufficient numbers of different ages can be collected to form into classes, the lads and adults should, as far as possible, be separated. The Scripture lessons will furnish an interesting course of questioning, and personal application. Where confidence has been gained, and opportunities are favourable, a Sunday class might be formed for more direct instruction, either between the hours of service, or at any more convenient time of the day. Employment of this leisure hour for spiritual instruction (which otherwise might have been spent in idleness or sin); and the advantage to the domestic œconomy from a more intelligent acquaintance with relative duties and obligations, render this system peculiarly important. The general success, especially where the love of the sacred volume is the principle of perseverance, is highly encouraging. Many, whose scanty knowledge of its contents had flowed from the uncertain kindness of others, have thus found an immediate and most happy access to this unsearchable treasure.1 A Parochial Library, where practicable, is an excellent appendage to the Pastoral system. The capacity of reading, communicated to old and young, lays upon us a weighty responsibility, to give a right direction to this new medium of intelligence, which 1 We recommend the Bristol Adult Spelling Book, (Mason, Paternoster Row, from its excellent type, and selection of Scripture Lessons. |