SECTION X.

Of the Duty of Preachers to God, themselves, and one another.

Quest. 1. What is the duty of a preacher ?
Answ. 1. To preach.

2. To meet the societies, and classes.
3. To visit the sick.

4. To preach in the morning where he can get hearers. We recommend morning preaching at five o'clock in the summer, and six in the winter, wherever it is practicable. Quest. 2. How shall a preacher be quali fied for his charge?

Answ. By walking closely with God, and having his work greatly at heart: and by understanding and loving discipline, ours in particular.

Quest. 3. Do we sufficiently watch over each other?

Answ. We do not. Should we not frequently ask each other, Do you walk closely with God? Have you now fellowship with the Father and the Son? At what hour do you rise? Do you punctually observe the morning and evening hours of retirement? Do you spend the day in the manner which the Conference advises? Do you converse seriously, usefully, and closely? To be more particular: Do you use all the means of grace yourself, and enforce the use of them on all other persons? They are either instituted or prudential.

I. The instituted are,

1. Prayer private, family, and public; consisting of deprecation, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. Do you use each of these? Do you forecast daily, wherever you are, to secure time for private devotion ? Do you practise it everywhere? Do you ask everywhere, Have you family prayer? Do you ask individuals, Do you use private prayer every morning and evening in particular?

2. Searching the Scriptures, by

(1) Reading: constantly, some part of every day; regularly, all the Bible in order; carefully, with notes; seriously, with prayer before and after; fruitfully, immediately practising what you learn there?

(2) Meditating: At set times? By rule? (3) Hearing: Every opportunity? With prayer before, at, after? Have you a Bible always about you?

3. The Lord's supper: Do you use this at every opportunity? With solemn prayer before? With earnest and deliberate selfdevotion?

4. Fasting: Do you use as much absti nence and fasting every week, as your health, strength, and labour will permit?

5. Christian conference: Are you convinced how important and how difficult it is to order your conversation aright? Is it always in grace? Seasoned with salt? Meet to minister grace to the hearers? Do you not converse too long at a time? Is not an hour commonly enough? Would it not

be well always to have a determined end in view? And to pray before and after it?

II. Prudential means we may use either as Christians, as Methodists, or as preachers. 1. As Christians: What particular rules have you in order to grow in grace? What arts of holy living?

2. As Methodists: Do you never miss your class?

3. As Preachers: Have you thoroughly considered your duty? And do you make a conscience of executing every part of it? Do you meet every society and their leaders?

These means may be used without fruit. But there are some means which cannot: namely, watching, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, exercise of the presence of God.

1. Do you steadily watch against the world? Yourself? Your besetting sin?

2. Do you deny yourself every useless pleasure of sense? Imagination? Honour? Are you temperate in all things? Instance in food: (1) Do you use only that kind and that degree which is best both for body and soul? Do you see the necessity of this? (2) Do you eat no more at each meal than is necessary ? Are you not heavy or drowsy after dinner? (3) Do you use only that kind, and that degree of drink, which is best both for your body and soul? (4) Do you choose and use water for your common drink? And only take wine medicinally or sacramentally?

3. Wherein do you take up your cross daily? Do you cheerfully bear your cross,

however grievous to nature, as a gift of God, and labour to profit thereby?

4. Do you endeavour to set God always before you? To see his eye continually fixed upon you? Never can you use these means but a blessing will ensue. And the more you use them, the more you will grow in grace.

SECTION XI.

Of the Duties of those who have the Charge of Circuits or Stations.

Quest. 1. What are the duties of the Elder, Deacon, or preacher, who has the special charge of a circuit ?

Answ. 1. To see that the other preachers in his circuit behave well, and want nothing. 2. To renew the tickets for the admission of members into love-feast quarterly.

3. To meet the Stewards and Leaders as often as possible.

4. To appoint all the Leaders, to change them when he sees it necessary, and to examine each of them, with all possible exactness, at least once a quarter, concerning his method of meeting a class. (See part i, ch. v, § 3, page 82.)

5. To receive, try, and expel members, according to the form of Discipline.

6. To hold watch-nights and love-feasts. 7. To hold quarterly meetings in the absence of the Presiding Elder.

8. To take care that every society be duly supplied with books.

9. To take an exact account of all the matters specified in Part I, ch. iii, § 3, Quest. 5, Answ. 13, page 39, and report them to the Annual Conference, that their number may be printed in the Minutes.

10. To give an account of his circuit every quarter to his Presiding Elder.

11. To report at each quarterly meeting the names of those who have been received into the Church or excluded therefrom during the quarter; also the names of those who have been received or dismissed by certificate, and of those who have died or have withdrawn from our Church.

12. To examine the accounts of all the Stewards.

13. To appoint a person to receive the quarterly collection in the classes.

14. To see that public collections be made quarterly, if need be.

15. To encourage the support of missions (see part iii, ch. iv) and Sunday schools, and the publication and distribution of Bibles, tracts, (see part iii, ch. vi,) and Sunday-school books, by forming societies and making collections for these objects in such way and manner as the Annual Conference to which he belongs, shall from time to time direct.

16. To publicly catechise the children in the Sunday school and at special meetings appointed for that purpose. It shall also be the duty of each preacher, in his report to each Quarterly Conference, to state to what extent he has publicly or privately catechised the children of his charge.