nation expressly promised to use both public and private monitions and exhortations, both to the sick and whole within your cures, as need shall require and occasion be given, the Lord being your helper. Now we cannot use them duly, without being resident. But further still, since their ordination, all vicars have sworn particularly to be resident unless they are dispensed with, which means by lawful authority: nor doth any dispensation of a bishop last beyond his own time; or beyond the term for which he gave it; or, if that were indefinite, beyond his pleasure : points, which vicars ought to consider much more seriously than they often do. And every rector hath sworn in general to obey his bishop in all things lawful and honest. Now surely residence is lawful and honest and what is punishable by a bishop may, if done without his leave, be well interpreted disobedience to him: and the non-residence of rectors is punishable just in the same manner with that of vicars.

It must not therefore be pleaded, that however necessary the residence of some minister may be, that of a curate may suffice. For your engagement is not merely that the several duties of your parish shall be done, but that you personally will do them: and if it were enough to substitute another to do them, a layman would be, in point of reason and conscience, as capable of holding a benefice, as a man in holy orders. Besides, a curate will usually have less knowledge and less experience, than the incumbent: and he and the parishioners will conceive, that they are less related to each other. He will consider himself, as being with them only for an uncertain, and he may hope, a short time; which will tempt him to neglect them. And they will consider him,

as not the person, who hath authority over them; which will tempt them to disregard him: especially as the largest salary, that can be legally appointed, or generally afforded to a curate, will not enable him to recommend himself to them by doing good amongst them in any expensive way: whilst yet the people will think, and justly too, that the whole income of the benefice was intended to procure them a minister, to do them as much good in every way, as could reasonably be expected from it.

There are indeed cases, in which the law dispenses with holding two livings, and by consequence allows absence from one. But persons ought to consider well: supposing they can with innocence take the benefit of that law; whether they can do it on other terms, than their dispensation and their bond expresses, of preaching yearly thirteen sermons, and keeping two months' hospitality, in the parish where they reside least. For the leave given them on these conditions, is not intended to be given them, however legally valid, if the conditions are neglected: always excepting where just impediments happen. There are likewise cases, in which the non-residence of persons, who have only one living, is permitted by law. But some of these also are put under limitations, beyond which the permission doth not reach.

Further still, I am sensible, that considerations of health and strength, and particular circumstances of incumbents or their families, require leave of absence to be sometimes allowed, where the law makes no allowance, But then it should never be taken for any considerable time, without being asked: nor should it be asked without good cause. And mere fancy, or desire of living more at ease, or in a cheerfuller, and, it may be, less clerical manner, is by no means a sufficient cause. Nor indeed is the allegation of health

to be urged too far, or to be too much regarded. For places, called unwholesome, prove upon trial very wholesome to many persons: and those, which are least so, must have some ministers in or near them; and whom rather, generally speaking, than such as enjoy the whole profits? Much less is indulgence to be granted for every present convenience, or prospect of temporal advantage: which if clergymen appear to have greatly at heart, and the care of their parishes but little, indeed it looks very ill.

Another plea may be offered by some, that though they live not on their own cures, they serve others. And it is not always an insufficient one. But, with very few exceptions, the most natural and most useful method by far is, that each take the oversight of the parish, which properly belongs to him: and absenting himself from that, for a little more income, a little more agreeableness, or any slight reason, is unbecoming and unwarrantable behaviour.

At the same time I acknowledge, that the poorness of some benefices makes the residence of a distinct minister upon each of them impracticable: and therefore they must be served from an adjoining parish, or a greater distance; and no more duty expected, than there is a competent provision for. But then I fear, indeed I have found, that in some benefices, not so poor, one minister supplies two churches on a Sunday; contrary to a repeated injunction of successive archbishops to their suffragans, which they certainly designed to observe themselves; and the words of which are these; that you do not allow any minister to serve more than one church or chapel in one day, except that chapel be a member of the parish church; or united thereunto; and unless the said church or chapel be not able to maintain a curate. The consequence of disregarding this injunction

is, not only the very bad one, that the service is performed in irreverent haste, but that catechising is neglected in both places, if not altogether, yet in a great degree. Nay, perhaps for great part of the year, if not the whole, each of them hath prayers but once. Where indeed it can be truly alleged in this last case, that the inhabitants of each parish not only with convenience may, but actually do attend at both churches, the plea must be allowed its weight. But, as to other excuses: If the number of the people be small, the service is not less enjoined, and is more easily performed: if they had rather have a sermon at another church, than merely prayers at their own; they ought to have more than prayers; an exposition of the catechism, which they will account equivalent to a sermon: or you may reduce it with ease into the form of a sermon: and then many of them will come to their own church, who now go to no other, but profane the rest of the day : if they are content with part of the Sunday service, which however may be said or believed without sufficient ground, yet probably they would be glad of the whole. But supposing them to be indifferent about it, or even averse from it, their minister is bound to shew them, that they ought not. And how long soever this hath been the practice; if it ought not to have been so at all, the longer the worse. My pious and learned predecessor, Archbishop Potter, lamented heavily to me the irregularities of this kind, which he found in this diocese: and if any remain, I must, after his example, endeavour to have them rectified.

I hope they will be rectified by the best method beyond comparison; your own serious reflections on what you owe to your flocks, and what you owe to the great Shepherd of souls. Though you are ever so

expressly permitted by human laws to be absent from your cures, or by your ordinary to serve them, or let them be served, by halves; you are answerable to an infinitely higher tribunal for what God, and not man alone, hath made your duty. Therefore, if you regard the peace of your own souls and your final comfort, you will never do any of these things, unless very strong reasons oblige you to it: and you will never be glad of such reasons, but heartily sorry. You will give your parishes both morning and evening prayer, wherever it is possible: and you will supply them in person, unless particular circumstances render it impracticable, or unless, by living at a distance for the present, you are more useful to religion some other way, and peculiarly qualified for that usefulness. Far from catching at weak pretences, you will rather be diffident about strong inducements and much readier to follow the directions, than solicit the indulgence, of your superiors. But if any do choose the worst part, they must remember, that we bishops are bound to oppose, instead of consulting their inclination, from concern for them, as well as their parishioners. And therefore you will not surely think it real good-nature to connive at liberties of this kind presumptuously taken without leave, or to grant requests made for them, as matters of course nor impute it to a fondness of exercising power, when compliance with the rules of the church is required nor yet hastily condemn it, as partial behaviour, if an indulgence, denied to one, is granted to another; for there may be, in the cases of different persons, considerable disparities, unknown to you, or unobserved by you.

But when it is ever so clear, that the non-residence of ministers ought to be allowed, it is at least equally