who is to be Ordained, that it appertains to the office of a Deacon, in the Church where he shall be appointed to serve, among other things to instruct the youth in the Catechism." And he then solemnly promiseth that he will do so," by the help of God." Whereby the Church layeth as great an obligation as can be well made, upon every one that is so Ordained, to instruct the youth of the parish, where he is to serve. And none can be admitted to the office, unless he have a title to some place where he may serve God and the Church in the execution of it.

Now if this was duly observed, it would conduce very much to the furtherance of this great work: for Deacons being obliged by the law to continue one whole year at least in that, before they are advanced to the higher Order; if they all catechised the youth of the places where they serve all that time, the youth of such places would at least for that time be taken care of: and they themselves by teaching others would learn more, and be better fitted for the Priesthood, than by any other studies which they can follow in the mean while. And if none could be Ordained Priests without letters testimonial, that they have faithfully executed this, as well as the other parts of the Deacon's office, it would make them more diligent and careful to perform what they promised at their Ordinatiou.

This therefore being an office which Deacons, as well as those in higher Orders, may and ought to execute; and there being so many Deacons every year Ordained in our Church out of them, together with those who are already admitted to the Priesthood, and are out of place, (of which there are too many,) all the great parishes may be supplied with as many as are needful to the instructing of all the children and ignorant people in them, so as that the incumbents may have no more to do in this business than what

they may easily compass. For they being all before instructed in one or more private schools, according to the extent of the parish, the Minister upon the Lord's day need only examine in the church as many as he thinks convenient at one time, to see whether they be fully and rightly instructed, and at another time as many more, and so by degrees go through the whole parish, and then begin again with those which he first examined: for by this means there will not be that necessity of examining the same persons publicly every Lord's day: for they all continuing to be instructed in the schools, they will not lose what they have learned, as they otherwise would, but rather learn more than perhaps they could at church. And if they be at church too, as they ought to be, while the other are instructed and examined, they may receive the same benefit there, as if they themselves also were so.

This I the rather observe here, lest any should think that these private catechetical schools might supersede the Minister's duty in catechising publicly in the Church. For this is what the law requires, and the private instructions are only in order to the having so good a law better observed. And besides, as the Minister to whom the care of the youth is committed, must have an eye to the private schools, to see whether they be rightly instructed there; so it is requisite that he should instruct and examine them in public, that his parishioners likewise may be satisfied as well as he that they are so, and may be thereby also put in mind of many things which otherwise they might not think of.

And I hope there is never a pastor in the Church that will think this below him, upon which depends the safety of so great a part of his flock as the lambs are, which he is expressly also commanded to feed as well as the sheep, and that too in the first place, John xxi. 15, 16, 17. I am sure the great Apostle did not

think so when he solemnly professed, that although he spake with tongues more than all those he wrote to: yet in the church he had rather speak five words with his understanding, that he might catechise others also, (so it is in the original,) than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue, 1 Cor. xiv. 18, 19.

But the main difficulty will be in getting such schools for the children and servants of the rich, as well as poor, (for whom there are charity-schools already in some places,) set up in all parishes that have occasion for them, besides the grammar and other schools, if there be any, where the masters ought to instruct their scholars in the Church Catechism, as well as in any other science, art, or language. In many such parishes the maintenance of the Minister is so small, that it cannot be expected that he should do it himself: where it is otherwise, I doubt not but that he who is entrusted with the care of all the souls in the parish, will do what he can towards it; as many do already. But as the case now stands with us, I do not see how it can be universally practised as it ought to be, without the liberal contribution of pious and well-disposed Christians.

But, praised be God for it, we have still some among us, who out of a deep sense of their duty, and pure zeal for the honour of Almighty God, are as forward and free to any pious and good work, as if they could merit by it and such can never express their piety and charity both together any other way better, if so well as this, which hath an immediate tendency both to the glory of the most high God, our Maker and most merciful Redeemer, and likewise to the salvation of so many thousand souls, as well as to the benefit of the Church and kingdom in which they live, and that too, not only for the present, but for all future ages.

THE END.