I Send you this, in purſuance of His Majeſty's Letter, that was ſent to me by My Lord Biſhop of London, which, according to my duty, I have not long ago tranſmited to all you the Clergy of my Dioceſe. I do bleſs God that has put into His Majeſty's Heart ſuch a Zeal for this our Church, and ſuch a ſenſe of the ways that are moſt proper for preſerving it, and which by the Bleſſing of God will certainly do it. For if the Paſtors and Guides of the Church of all Ranks, do adorn their Profeſſion with a good Converſation, and apply themſelves ſeriouſly and zealouſly to the Duties of their Function, the Church will both ſhine and proſper in ſpite of all the oppoſition that can be made to it from its enemies. The leaſt blemiſh in a Church man's Life, as it is ſearched out and obſerved by all men, ſo it not only leſſens the force of all his other Labours; but it weakens very much the credit of the whole Church, which is often judged by the Errors and Diſorders of every one of its Paſtors.

Yet it is not enough for men in Holy Orders to be free from thoſe crying ſins which are odious to all Chriſtians, but are to be deteſted out of meaſure in Church-men. It is a monſtrous thing to ſee one of that Holy Profeſſion give himſelf to the exceſſes of Eating and Drinking, or other Senſual Appetites, to be guilty of Injuſtice or Lying, of ungoverned Paſſion or Swearing, of Malice or filthy Avarice. Theſe things ought not to be named but with deteſtation among us. We ought not only to be blameleſs and harmleſs, but to ſhine as lights in the World, and to ſhew in our lives, that to which we exhort our People in our Sermons, being Patterns to the Believers in Word, in Converſation, in Charity, in Faith and Purity, and giving attendance to Reading, to Exhortation and to Doctrine; that in ſo doing we may both ſave our ſelves and alſo them that hear us.

Conſider often what a great Account you have to make to God for the Souls committed to your charge.

Remember and read over frequently the Vows that you made to God at your Ordination, and the Charge that was then given you, and examine your ſelves frequently whether you do obſerve theſe or not.

Think how Sacred a Truſt that of Souls is, which the Son of God has purchaſed with his own Blood: and how ſeverely he will reckon with you, if through your ill Example, bad Doctrine, or the other neglects of your duty, thoſe Souls periſh, for which he died.

Think it not enough barely to read Prayers, or perform other Divine Offices among them: You muſt go often among them to inſtruct, exhort, admoniſh, or reprove them, as there is occaſion for it.

You muſt inſtruct the Youth, viſit the Sick, reprove Offenders, and reconcile ſuch Differences as happen at any time to create Quarrels among your People, and all this you muſt do with Zeal and Affection.

And in particular, you ought to warn your People of the heavy Judgments of God, which the ſins of the Land give us juſt cauſe to apprehend; and that the rather, ſince God has ſpared us ſo long, whilſt he has viſited ſo many Nations round about us in ſo terrible a manner, and has given us ſo great a meaſure of the light of his Goſpel, and ſo long a courſe of Temporal as well as Spiritual Bleſſings.

And frequently ſet forth to them the heinouſneſs of ſuch ſins as you find do moſt abound among them, whether they be the crying ones related to in the Acts of Parliament lately ſent you, or others; You ought to repreſent to them the high contempt done to God, when Men make their Bodies, which ought to be Temples for God to dwell in by his Spirit, the members of a Harlot; and the Indignity done their own Natures, when by the exceſſes of Drinking, a Man has changed himſelf into a Beaſt.

You ought to ſhew them what a horrible Affront it is to Almighty God to profane his Holy Name by raſh and vain Swearing, and what a dreadful thing it is to ſwear falſly, even in common Diſcourſe, but much more when it is before a Judge.

You ought to ſet often before your People the great wickedneſs of Lying and Slander, of Falſhood and Injuſtice, and of all Cheating and Oppreſſion, and that in all caſes of wrong done their Neighbours, there is no repentance that is acceptable to God, but that which is accompanied with reſtitution or reparation, as far as the Party can poſſibly make it.

You are often to repreſent to your People the indiſpenſable neceſſity of true holineſs, without which no Man can ſee God, and without which, their believing a true Faith, and their being of a true Church, cannot ſerve them in any ſtead. For we are aſſured from the Word of God, that not only Idolaters, but Fornicators and Adulterers, Thieves, Covetous Perſons, Drunkards, Revilers, and Extortioners cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

Put them often in mind of the importance of the Word Reformed Churches, which imports, that as our Doctrine and Worſhip are by the bleſſing of God Reformed; ſo our Lives ought alſo to be Reformed; otherwiſe all the advantages that we have of light and truth beyond other Churches, will riſe up in Judgment againſt us, if we do not live ſuitably to them.

But above all things ſtudy to poſſeſs your people with a deep ſenſe of the duty that they owe to God their Maker, and to Jeſus Chriſt their Saviour, that ſo they may apply themſelves to the exerciſes. of Devotion in ſecret, to the frequenting the Publick Worſhip, and chiefly to the receiving the Sacrament with that ſerious diſpoſition of mind which becomes ſuch Holy Performances, that ſo they may delight in going together to the Houſe of God.

And in order to their doing this aright, infuſe into them a great reverence for the Lord's Day, as a time ſeparated from the common buſineſs of life, for their attending on the Worſhip of God, and ſuch other Religious Exerciſes as may both increaſe their knowledge and their ſenſe of Divine Matters, and that therefore they ought not to ſatisfie themſelves with going to Church, and aſſiſting publickly in the Service of God; but that they ſet themſelves more to Prayer on that day, and to the reading of Scriptures, or other good Books, both apart and together in their Families, that ſo they may grow up in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt.

Theſe things you muſt open to your People frequently in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, both at Church, and from houſe to houſe. And I charge you by all the Authority that I have over you, by the Zeal that you bear to the Church of England, and as you deſire to have from your Labours and your People, a Crown of rejoycing in the day of the Lord, and as you bear a due regard both to your own Souls, and to the Souls that are committed to your care, and to that Precious Blood by which they were redeemed, as you deſire to be faithful to your Ordination-Vows, and to have a ſhare in thoſe bleſſed words; Well done, good and faithful ſervant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord: That you will give your ſelves wholly to theſe things, that you will account no labour great in advancing that Work for which our Saviour ſpared not his own life: and that you will purſue all the parts of your Miniſtry with a Zeal ſuitable to the importance of them, that ſo we doing our parts faithfully under the Protection and Favour of Our Gracious King and Queen, whom God long preſerve, this Church may recover its firſt Glory, and may ſo ſhine in all thoſe things which can adorn our Holy Profeſſion, that by the Divine Favour and Bleſſing ſhe may ſtill continue in ſafety, and may ſo conquer and gain upon all that depart from her, that all her Children may with one Heart, and one Mouth glorifie the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt: who undoubtedly will ſucceed and proſper us in all our undertakings; if we earneſtly and conſtantly implore the aſſiſtance of his Grace, and apply our ſelves, with ſerious endeavours, to conſider how to make them effectual. In order to which I ſhall end this Letter, with theſe Three Directions.

I. Firſt, That your Obedience to His Majeſty's Letter may be regular and uniform, I deſire you to obſerve this Method. On the Sunday ſevennight before the Aſſizes, read the Act of Parliament againſt PERJURY and preach upon that Subject. On the Second Sunday in May, read the Act for the Obſervation of the LORD's DAY, and exhort your Pariſhioners to the religious Obſervation thereof. On the Firſt Sunday in Advent read the Act againſt DRUNKENNESS, and likewiſe preach againſt that Vice. On the Second Sunday in Lent the Act againſt BLASPHEMY, Swearing and Curſing; and preach on that Subject. On the Fourth Sunday in Lent, againſt the Sins of ADULTERY and FORNICATION. It is intended that Homilies be provided for all theſe days: But till they be, let every one furniſh himſelf with Sermons upon theſe Heads, and continue this courſe from year to year.

II. Secondly, That Confirmation may be adminiſtred to Edification, and all diſorders and crowds may then be avoided, I deſire you to take Notice that I will Confirm none, but ſuch whoſe Names ſhall be delivered to me by you, the Miniſters of the ſeveral Pariſhes from whence they come: with a Certificate under your Hands that you have examined them, and find them not only able to repeat the Words of the Catechiſm, but alſo ſenſible of the ſolemn Vow that was made in their Name at their Baptiſm, which they are deſirous to renew themſelves. Let it be your endeavour therefore to diſpoſe the young People of your Pariſh unto this. And for the better performance of it, I will confirm as frequently as I am able, not only in the Cathedral at Eaſter and ſuch ſolemn times: but alſo when I go to any Church in my Dioceſs, where thoſe in the Neighbourhood, who are fitted to be confirmed, may reſort to me.

III. Thirdly, I deſire you to ſignifie unto ſuch as you find deſirous to be put into Holy Orders, that I expect they come to me a Month at leaſt before Ordination-Sunday: that I may have ſufficient time not only to try and examine them, but alſo to give notice of their intentions to the Pariſh where they live; that if they have any impediment to object why they ſhould not be admitted, I may have timely Information of it. For there cannot be too much care taken, that the Flock of Chriſt be not committed into the Hands of bad Men; but ſuch may be ſet over them as will watch for their Souls: fleeing youthful luſts, and following Righteouſneſs, Faith, Charity, Peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Unto whoſe Grace and Bleſſing I do moſt earneſtly commend you and your Labours.