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Eight Charges delivered to the Clergy of the Diocefes of Oxford and Canterbury. To which are added, Inftructions to Candidates for Orders. By THOMAS SECKER, LL.D. late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Lond. 1769.

P. I

The Vifitation Charges which have been published, at different times, by the Bishops of the Church of England, relative to the paftoral duties of the Clergy, are many and good, and thefe by Archbishop Secker deserve as much attention as the best of them. Herbert's Country Parson; Burnet's Paftoral Care; Oftervald's Lectures on the Exercise of the Sacred Ministry; not to speak of Chryfoftom and the other Ancients, who have written on the subject, may be very usefully read by ferious minded

men.

A Treatise concerning the Caufes of the prefent Corruption of Chriftians, and the Remedies thereof. By J. F. OsTranflated into English by C. MUTEL.

TERVALD.

2d Ed. 1702.

p. 115 This book was highly efteemed by Bp. Burnet; and indeed all the writings of Mr. Oftervald have been very favourably received in the world in general.

The Defign of Chriftianity: or, a plain Demonftration and Improvement of this Propofition, viz. That the enduing Men with inward real Righteoufnefs, or true Holiness, was the ultimate End of our Saviour's coming into the World, and is the great Intendment of his blessed Gofpel. By ED. FOWLER, D. D. Bishop of Gloucefter. 3d Ed. Lond. 1699. P. 311

This work was first published in 1676: there have been several editions of it fince; but not fo many, as, from the worth of it, might have been expected. Lucas' Practical Chriftianity; Scott's Chriftian Life; The whole Duty of Man; Holy Living and Dying; and Thomas a Kempis, of the Imitation of Chrift, are works of a fimilar tendency. Bp. Burnet, in fpeaking of such kind of books, very truly fays, "by the frequent reading of thefe books, by the relifh that one has in them, by the delight they give, and the effects they produce, a man will plainly perceive whether his foul is made for divine matters or not; what suitableness there is between him and them; and whether he is yet touched with such a sense of religion, as to be capable of dedicating himself to it."

Appendix.

THE

CHARGE

O F

THOMAS Lord Bishop of OXFORD,

TO THE

CLERGY of his DIOCESE,

IN

His PRIMARY VISITATION 1738.

I

Reverend Brethren,

A M very fenfible, that you cannot meet together on this occafion, without making deep reflexions on the lofs, which you have fuffered, for the publick good, by the removal of a pastor, whom the experience of fo many years hath taught you to esteem and honour fo highly. It is your farther unhappiness, that he is fucceeded by a perfon, very unequal to the care of this confpicuous and important diocese. But your humanity and your piety will, I doubt not, incline you, both to accept and to affift the endeavours of one, who can affure you, great truth, that he is earnestly defirous of being as useful to you all, as he can; and seriously concerned for the interests of religion, and of this church. Would to God there were lefs need of expreffing a concern for them, than there is at prefent!.

with very

Men have always complained of their own times: and always with too VOL. VI.

A

much

much reafon. But though it is natural to think thofe evils the greatest, which we feel ourfelves; and therefore mistakes are easily made, in comparing one age with another: yet in this we cannot be mistaken, that an open and profeffed difregard to religion is become, through a variety of unhappy causes, the diftinguishing character of the prefent age; that this evil is grown to a great height in the metropolis of the nation; is daily spreading through every part of it; and, bad in itself as any can be, muft of neceffity bring in most others after it. Indeed it hath already brought in fuch diffolutenefs and contempt of principle in the higher part of the world, and fuch profligate intemperance, and fearleffnefs of committing crimes, in the lower, as muft, if this torrent of impiety stop not, become abfolutely fatal. And God knows, far from stopping, it receives, through the ill defigns of fome perfons, and the inconfideratenefs of others, a continual increase. Chriftianity is now ridiculed and railed at, with very little referve: and the teachers of it, without any at all. Indeed, with refpect to us, the rule, which most of our adversaries appear to have fet themselves is, to be, at all adventures, as bitter as they can: and they follow it, not only beyond truth, but beyond probability: aflerting the very worst things of us without foundation, and exaggerating every thing without mercy: imputing the faults, and fometimes imaginary faults, of particular perfons to the whole order; and then declaiming againft us all promiscuoufly, with fuch wild vehemence, as, in any cafe but ours, they themselves would think, in the highest degree, unjuft and cruel. Or if fometimes a few exceptions are made, they are ufually made only to divide us amongst ourselves; to deceive one part of us, and throw a greater odium upon the other. Still, were these invectives only to affect us perfonally, dear as our reputations are and ought to be to us, the mifchief would be fmall, in comparison of what it is. But the confequence hath been, as it naturally muft, that difregard to us hath greatly increased the difregard to public worship and inftruction: that many are grown prejudiced against religion; many more, indifferent about it and unacquainted with it. And the emiffaries of the Romish church, taking the members of ours at this unhappy disadvantage, have begun to reap great harvests in the field, which hath thus been prepared for them by the labours of those, who would be thought their most irreconcileable enemies.

Yet, however melancholy the view before us appears, we have no reafon to be difcouraged: for let us take care of our duty, and God will take care of the event. But we have great reafon to think ferioufly, what our duty on this occafion is; and ftir up each other to the performance of it: that where-ever the guilt of these things may fall, it may not fall on our heads. For it must needs be, that offences come: But wo to that man, by whom the offence cometh (a). Our grief for the decay of religion might be attended with much comfort in regard to ourfelves, could we but truly fay, that no faults or infirmities of ours had ever given advantages against it. But though, God be thanked, we are far from being what our adverfaries would reprefent us; whofe reproaches perhaps were never lefs deserved, than now when they are the most violent : yet, it must be owned, we are not by any means, even the best of us, what

(a) Matth, xviii. 7.