universally the heinous sin of cursing and swearing, and that which foments and increases those and all sins, the great contempt of the Lord's holy day and ordinances, and the gross and almost incredible ignorance of the common sort, under so much assiduous preaching and catechising; for the more effectual redress of all these evils, have agreed and resolved, through the Lord's help, each one within himself, to stir the grace and zeal of God that is within him, to renewed vigour and fervour, and more earnest endeavours in the use of all due means for that effect; and particularly,

1. The applying of their sermons and doctrines more expressly and frequently to the reproof of those wickednesses, especially of that horrible sin which almost all ranks of men do more easily and frequently commit than they can possibly do other gross sins, and that with less sense and remorse -cursing and swearing: And that they will, by God's assistance, not only use short and frequent reproofs of this and other sins, but at sometimes more largely insist in representing the exceeding sinfulness and vileness of such a particular sin, and the great danger of the Lord's wrath and heaviest judgments upon those that persist in it.

2. That with this they will join constant private inspection over the lives of their people, and, by all due means, particularly inquire into them; and when they find any one guilty of any gross sin, privately to admonish him, meekly and affectionately, but yet with all freedom and plainness; and if upon that they mend not, to proceed in the regular way of discipline and censure within their own charge; and if they be not by that reclaimed, but prove obstinate, then to delate them to the highest judicature, in the usual order of this Church.

3. To use more frequent catechising, and that in so plain a method and way as may be most apt both to inform the minds of the most ignorant, and, through the blessing of God, to make more deep impression upon their hearts.

4. That, as much as is competent for ministers, they will

endeavour to procure the executing of those penal laws made against cursing and swearing, and other scandalous offences, in such a way as may be most convenient and feasible in each of their respective parishes.

5. That they will endeavour, both by exhortation and, where need is, by use of discipline, to bring their people to more careful and constant attendance on all the ordinances of God at all times of the accustomed public meetings, and to a more religious and reverend deportment in them throughout the whole, but particularly in time of prayer.

6. That they be particularly careful to inquire after the daily performance of the worship of God in families, and, where they find it wanting, to enjoin it, and make inquiry again after it and this should be especially provided for in the choice and most eminent families in the several congregations, as exemplary to all the rest.

VI. Concluding Paragraph, April 1668.

The Bishop, having commended the Brethren for their unity, and concord, and good conversation, exhorted them to continue therein, and to be more and more exemplary in holiness, and in modesty and gravity, even in the externals of their hair and habit, and their whole deportment; and to the regulating of their children, and their whole families, to be patterns of religion and sobriety to all about them; and that they themselves aspire daily to greater abstraction from the world, and contempt of things below; giving themselves wholly to their great work of watching over souls, for which they must give account; and to reading and meditation; and to prayer, that draws continual fresh supplies from Heaven, to enable them for all these duties.

VII. Paragraph respecting Baptismal Vows, October 1668.

That which had been sometimes spoke of before, the Bishop now again recommended to the Brethren, that, at their set times of catechising and examining their people, they would take particular notice of young persons, towards their first admission to the holy communion; and, having before taken account of their knowledge of the grounds of religion, would then cause them, each one particularly and expressly, to declare their belief of the Christian faith, into which, in their infancy, they were baptized; and reminding them of that their baptismal vow, and the great engagements it lays upon them to a holy and Christian life, would require of them an explicit owning of that vow and engagement, and their solemn promise accordingly, to endeavour the observing and performance of it, in the whole course of their following life: And then, in their prayer with which they use to conclude those meetings, would recommend the said young persons, now thus engaged, to the effectual blessing of God, beseeching Him to own them for His, and to bestow on them the sanctifying and strengthening grace of His Holy Spirit, as His signature upon them, sealing them to the day of redemption.

And this practice, as it hath nothing in it that can offend any, even the most scrupulous minds, so, it may be a very fit suppletory of that defect in Infant Baptism, which the enemies of it do mainly object against it, and may, through the blessing of God, make a lasting impression of religion upon the hearts of those young persons towards whom it is used, and effectually engage them to a Christian life; and, if they swerve from it, make them the more inexcusable and clearly convincible of their unfaithfulness and breach of that great promise and sacred vow, they have so renewed to God before His people. And for authority of divines, if we regard it, it hath the general approbation of the most famous Reformers, and of

the most pious and learned that have followed them since their time: and, being performed in that evangelical simplicity as it is here propounded, they do not only allow it as lawful, but desire it, and advise it as laudable and profitable, and of very good use, in all Christian churches.

RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS

FOR A

HOLY LIFE.

FOR disposing you the better to observe these rules and profit by them, be pleased to take the following advices;

of

1. Put all your trust in the special and singular mercy God, that He for His mercy's sake, and of His only goodness, will help and bring you to perfection. Not that absolute perfection is attainable here, but the meaning is, to high degrees of that spiritual and divine life, which is always growing and tending towards the absolute perfection above; but in some persons comes nearer to that, and riseth higher, even here, than in the most. If you with hearty and fervent desires do continually wish and long for it, and with most humble devotion daily pray unto God, and call for it, and with all diligence do busily labour and travail to come to it, undoubtedly it shall be given you. For you must not think it sufficient to use exercises, as though they had such virtues in them, that, of themselves alone, they could make such as do use them, perfect; for neither those nor any other, whatever they be, can of themselves (by their use only) bring unto perfection. But our merciful Lord God, of His own goodness, when you seek with hearty desires and fervent sighings, maketh you to find it. When you ask daily with devout prayer, then He giveth it to you; and when you continually, with unwearied labour and travail, knock perseveringly, then He doth mercifully open unto you. And because those exercises do teach you to seek, ask, and knock, yea, they are none other than very devout