A monitory letter about the maintenance [sic] of an able and faithful ministry. Directed…A monitory letter about the maintainance [sic] of an able and faithful ministry. Directed…

Briefly, Your Ministers are desirous to follow their Studies closely; and indeed, if they be no• Hard Students, it is impossible they should be Able Ministers of the New Testament. In their Public Discourses, they are not fond of an Off hand Preaching; they be not for Spitting of Sermons; they would not give the Lord that which cost them nothing; they would compose well Studied Meat-Offerings, not only for You O People of the Lord, but also for the Lord of Hosts Himself, that Great King, whose Name is dreadful It is needful, they shou•d have good Libraries, which, I assure you, are Costly Things: And it is needful, they should not be like the Clerks, who having large Libraries which they seldom looked into, were by the K. of France compared unto men with Crooked Backs, which carried a load they never looked upon, but they must sit much in their Libraries, until they become themselves walking Libraries. Besides all this; the Government of their Churches, takes up no little share of their Time. And they must Visit their Flocks, to pray over the Sick, & Comfort the Bereaved & Instruct the ignorant, & Relieve the Tempted & give their best Advice unto the Unadvised. Yea, they must on frequent occasions give themselves to Fasting & Praying in their own Retirements, lest the Devices of Satan (who Desires to Sift them) should in any thing ⟨p. 10⟩prevail against themselves, & their Flocks. Now, Sirs, are any so forsaken of all Reason, that they will not confess it an inestimable Benefit unto a Town, for to have a Minister, (a Good man, and f•ll of the Holy Spirit, & Faith▪) devoting himself unto these Divine Services, for them? Or, Is it Reason, that a man of worth, so Devoted, should by the unworthy Niggardliness, of those, whom he serves, be left wholly to sink under his encumbrances? Or, Is all Reason gone out of the world?

Briefly, Your Ministers are desirous to follow their Studies closely; and indeed, if they be no• Hard Students, it is impossible they should be Able Ministers of the New Testament. In their Publick Discourses, they are not fond of an Off hand Preaching; they be not for Spitting of Sermons; they would not give the Lord that which cost them nothing; they would compose well Studied Meat-Offerings, not only for You O People of the Lord, but also for the Lord of Hosts Himself, that Great King, whose Name is dreadful It is needful, they shoud have good Libraries, which, I assure you, are Costly Things: And it is needful, they should not be like the Clerks, who having large Libraries which they seldome look'd into, were by the K. of France compared unto men with Crooked Backs, which carryed a load they never look'd upon, but they must sit much in their Libraries, until they become themselves walking Libraries. Besides all this; the Government of their Churches, takes up no little share of their Time. And they must Visit their Flocks, to pray over the Sick, & Comfort the Bereaved & Instruct the gnorant, & Relieve the Tempted & give their best Advice unto the Unadvised. Yea, they must on frequent occasions give themselves to Fasting & Praying in their own Retiements, lest the Devices of Satan (who Desires to Sift them) should in any thing