time, when men are ready to leave the world, and that time determines their fate to all eternity. It is particularly fo with refpect to MINISTERS; it is the last care they have to take for finners, and God will require their blood at the hands of him who has fuffered them to perish." He adds, "This function is alfo one of thofe which is very ILL discharged, the generality of minifters ufe no preparation for it, notwithstanding it is no lefs difficult than important."* One cannot but with therefore, as the excellent bifhop Wilfon expreffes it, "that fuch as have the care of fouls, would think in good earnest how to improve fuch momentous occafions to the best advantage."+ This importance therefore enforces the greater need to execute it well; not only with refpect to the fick perfons, but thofe around them. How much good may be done to them! what an opportunity is thus afforded to a zealous, good, and fenfible man to improve! of how much benefit may it be the happy caufe! Should the invalid recover, the clergyman has a door of communication opened to him ever after, as his fpiritual guide and earthly friend, as many have happily realifed, and owned with joy. Should he not, how thankfully may he reflect upon having improved the opportunity thus afforded him, of doing good to those, who were "out of his reach" before. Yet, to caut on, to counfel, to reprove, to exhort, to folace, to attemper every feel. ing, and every infirmity, how great the skill that is requifite, how arduous the preparation to perform it well! Every alfiftance fould be, and indeed is, fought with avidity, and received with gratitude ‡. And when we confider how much * Ostervald's Lect. on the Sacred Ministry, Lect. 14. Sec. 2. a work of such practical utility and excellency, that no clergyman should want it. + Parochialia, p. 147. See The Clergyman's Companion in Visiting the Sick, which contains a very useful selection from our best divines. Spinckes's Sick Man Visited, an excellent body of instructions divided into visits. Dr. Coney's Companion for a Sick Bed. All the doc tor's works are excellent. See his Devout Soul, I Part, B. 5. C. 6, p. 241. Bishop Taylor's Holy Dying. C. 5. of The Visitation of the Sick, p. 185, and that admirable little manual, and excellent companion, Bishop Wilson's Parochialia of Visiting the Sick, p. 147. including an excellent form of examination, plain, practical, and effective, These works afford abundance of information, both much advantage is taken of this by the defigning fectary, a proportionately greater degree of fkill and caution is requir ed of our clergy. For at thefe times, when the heart is tender, and the mind pliant, and the will obedient, the ignorant are easily impofed upon and deceived into fatal and lafting errors and it is found by experience that the less the fenfe, and the greater the former depravity of the "fick man vifited," the more precipitately does he run into the oppofite extreme, and if he dies, dies frequently in grofs delufion, or if he lives, continues to live the dupe of artifice, of ignorance, of enthufiafm, and fchism. Thefe calls of our venerable mother are furely loud enough to be heard, and to enforce attention and obedience from her fons, or must a voice of thunder be fubflituted, from that great head of the Church, who imperiously commands his minifters to be inftant, both in feafon and out of feafon; that EVERY OPPOR TUNITY may be as ZEALOUSLY improved by THEM, as it must be accounted for to HIM!!! And as it is the duty of the CLERGY to quit them like men on all these occafions, as the ambassadors of Chrift, and minifters of God, ever SEEKING OUT fuch means of doing good; fo are the LAITY bound to obey the injunctions of the church, and as the rubric directs them, "give notice" of their fickness, and that not to any perfon they please, but to the regularly ordained and appointed "minifter of the parish," in which they live, and "this fhould be done at the beginning of the illness, that they may have the more time, and that the increase of the illness may not prevent their receiving the advantage of it, by making them infénfible, from pain or any other caufe. A death-bed repentance has no certainty, be * for the clergy and the laity, which latter will find much assistance from Stonehouse's Advice to a Patient, price 3d; and Stanhope's Meditations for Sick Persons, price 2d; very plain and useful tracts, sold by Messrs. Rivingtons, (both dispersed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the Endeavour Society.) See also the Offices for the Sick, very properly added to almost every manual of devotion, especially Spinckes's Church of England's Man's Companion in the Closet. Dodd's Comfort for the Afflicted will be found a very useful book, as containing much instruction and consolation under the various calamities that may befal either the mind, body, or estate, under which 3 heads they are arranged. *See Rubrick to the office for visitation of the sick in the common prayer, caufe cause it has no foundation. There is no proof of fincerity, but REFORMATION. Health is the time to fhew these fruits, and not a death-bed.”* Remember then the advice of archbishop Secker, "all we can certainly determine is, that fuch repentance as they are capable of, united with Chriftian Faith, is the beft and only thing to which they can have recourse. Right behaviour will certainly make their cafe, in fome degree, better; and wrong behaviour then, when every thing confpires to remind them of what they ought to have remembered fooner, muft make it unspeakable worfe. Their duty therefore is clear. Frightening themselves beyond the capacity of thinking and acting reafonably, muft do harm." + But as they may be taken off by fudden death, they should recollect, that thofe who negle&t God in health, have the leaft reason to expect his mercies at the time or in the manner of their death. They muft therefore ufe all proper and lawful means for the recovery of their health, in the way of medicine, &c. be thankful for them, pray for a bleffing upon them, and leave the event to God, as they may do, with the most perfect confidence, when they thus ufe every means that is required of them, both for their bodies and fouls. "Let them defire the prayers of the church,and fhew a good example to those about them, and be kind, and thankful to them:" that in all things behaving themselves as fincere Christians, they may be prepared for any event that may befall them, and that whether living or dying they may be the Lord's. Should they die, they will enter into his joy; fhould they live, they will praise his name, by whom they have efcaped death: and rejoice in the opportunity of proving the sincerity of their repentance, and the vows they made when they were in trouble, Let them read and practise bishop Gibson's Advice to * The Duties of Health and Sickness plainly and shortly stated; 3rd edit. p. 13. printed by the Endeavour Society, price 2d; Sold by Messrs. Rivingtons, St. Paul's Church-yard, and Hatchard, Piccadilly. + The Rev. Dr. Stevens's Duties of the Sick, from archbishop Secker, p. 42, a very useful tract just printed, by Messrs. Rivingtons. See also his Grace's Sermons on this subject in his works. Duties of Health and Sickness, as before, p. 14. The late Dr, Gregory of Edinburgh, very pertinently observed, there was no impropriety in seeing the Clergyman and Physician attend the same person, See his elegant Lectures on the Duties of a Physician, R Vol. XIII. Churchm, Mag, for August 1807. Perfons Perfons recovered from Sickness. (See the Tract on Health and Sickness before quoted.) The Abfolution of a finner is an advantage peculiar to Chrif tianity; fo that it may be truly faid, the religion of Chrift is peculiarly the religion of the afflicted. The comfort. and benefits of it are great indeed; declaring that by CHRIST'S authority, the penitent is abfolved of all his fins; i. e, SO FAR, and TO THAT EXTENT, which Chrift hath allowed his minifters to exprefs, agreeable to the ufage of the primitive church, whofe practice fo well authorifes the custom of our own. The learned Bingham flates that the antients, challenged no power in this matter, but that which was purely minifterial; leaving the abfolute, fovereign, independent, and IRREVERSIBLE power only to Godt, and fupporting his affertion by quoting Tertullian, Novatian, St. Bafil, Athanafius, Chryfoftom, Hilary, Jerome, Victor, Cyril, &c. the indicative form EGO TE ABSOLVO, being firft, used in the 12th or 13th centuries, as Morinus fhews, and not long before Thomas Aquinas, who was one of the hrft that defended it. Well therefore do our canonifts and ralifts fay that it is certain Chrift did leave fuch a power with his church, and that there was never more need of it f, that it is the highest form used; and that our church has herein fhewn a great deal of wildom and moderation, neither, omitting an antient ufage fo comfortable to the foul, nor retaining the Romish corruptions. The former part is precatory, addreffing GOD for pardon, and declaring the priest does NOT act judicially and authoritatively as in the Romish Church (which calls our form heretical) arrogantly divefting God of his. peculiar privilege. Before the reformation the form, ran in * Dodd's Comfort for the Afflicted, p. 193. 287: See Bingham's Works, Origines Eccles. B. 19. C. I. p. ‡ Ibid. C. 2. p. 246. $ Comber on the Common Prayer, Visitation of the Sick. Consolations. Il Wheatley on the Common Prayer, ibid. Nicholls's commentary on the Common Prayer, ibid. Notes 1 and Fol. Edit. 1710, with the additional notes of bishop Cosins, Andrews, &c. and the SUPPLEMENT, which see, art. 2. divis. 4, p, 5. and on the absolution of an excommunicate article, 2. p. 13. See also Scripture proofs for this and every other part of our Common Prayer, in Veneer's Exposition of the Common Prayer: (art. Absolution in the Morning Service and Visitation Office.) the the name of ST. PETER. Abfolvimus te vice Petri Apoftolorum Principiis, cui Dominus poteftatem ligandi atque folvendi dedit, &c.which, adds Dr. N., being both fuperftitious and blafphemous, was omitted. The ufe of the abfolution then in OUR Church is perfectly correct, and orthodox, and in ftrict conformity with the best and pureft ages of the primitive church. "This therefore is a "fure rule for us"; as our homily expreffes it,: "we defire nothing of God but what may promote his glory, and is plainly confiftent with it. We afk good things in them"felves, and for good ends and purposes."* While we do thus, we are fecure from error and delufion of every kind, more especially that prevailing one of fchifm, which St. Auftin reckons as "the greatest of all wickedness. "God" fays he, "punifhed it more feverely than idolatry, since they who were guilty of that, were destroyed by the fword: but fchifmatics were fwallowed up of the eartht. (See Numbers vi. 16. a part of fcripture little noticed, and never regarded by our fchifmatics): And Dionyfius of Alexandria tells the author of the Novatian herefy, that he had better have fuffered any thing than thus to have made a rent in the church; and that it was as glorious a martyrdom, to die to prevent a fchifm, as to avoid idolatry; infifting on it as a greater thing, one being a martyrdom for the church, the other for his own foul." "Let us then make it our care to preferve unity, than which nothing is better” "My foul be fecurity for them, fays that holy father and martyr, St. Ignatius, that "Jubmit to their bifhop, with their prefbyters and deacons, and may my portion be together with theirs in God. § Let none "of you be found as a deferter." In conclufion I muft crave your apology for the length of this, from the importance of the subject: and for the errors which it may contain, being written in a fick room. Depending upon your usual indulgence, Newington Butts, I fubfcribe myself, Dear Sir. Select Homilics, in Discourses, by Dr. Nourse, Discourse 1. of Prayer, p. 18. See the passage quoted in a very seasonable work, entitled Modern Pleas for Schism and Infidelity, reviewed, &c. by J. Smith, 1717. p. 45. ‡ Ibid. § See archbishop Wake's epist. of the Fathers, Epist. of St. Igmatius to St. Polycarp. Sec. 1 and 6. |