time; neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary.

¶ 113. Rule 2. Be serious. Let your motto be, "Holiness to the Lord." Avoid all lightness, jesting, and foolish talking.

¶ 114. Rule 3. Converse sparingly and conduct yourself prudently with women (1 Tim. 5. 2).

¶ 115. Rule 4. Believe evil of no one without good evidence; unless you see it done take heed how you credit it. Put the best construction on everything. You know the judge is always supposed to be on the prisoner's side.

¶ 116. Rule 5. Speak evil of no one, because your word, especially, would eat as doth a canker. Keep your thoughts within your own breast till you come to the person concerned.

¶ 117. Rule 6. Tell everyone under your care what you think wrong in his conduct and temper, and that lovingly and plainly, as soon as may be; else it will fester in your heart. Make all haste to cast the fire out of your bosom.

¶ 118. Rule 7. Avoid all affectation. A Preacher of the Gospel is the servant of all.

¶ 119. Rule 8. Be ashamed of nothing but sin. ¶ 120. Rule 9. Be punctual. Do everything ex actly at the time. And do not mend our rules, but keep them; not for wrath, but for conscience' sake.

¶ 121. Rule 10. You have nothing to do but to save souls; therefore spend and be spent in this work; and go always not only to those that want you, but to those that want you most.

Observe! it is not your business only to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that Society,

but to save as many as you can; to bring as many sinners as you can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the Lord. And remember! a Methodist Preacher is to mind every point, great and small, in the Methodist Discipline! Therefore you will need to exercise all the sense and grace you have.

¶ 122. Rule 11. Act in all things not according to your own will, but as a son in the Gospel. As such, it is your duty to employ your time in the manner in which we direct: in preaching, and visiting from house to house; in reading, meditation, and prayer. Above all, if you labor with us in the Lord's vineyard, it is needful you should do that part of the work which we advise, at those times and places which we judge most for His glory.

¶ 123. Smaller advices which might be of use to us are perhaps these: 1. Be sure never to disappoint a congregation. 2. Begin at the time appointed. 3. Let your whole deportment be serious, weighty, and solemn. 4. Always suit your subject to your audience. 5. Choose the plainest text you can. 6. Take care not to ramble, but keep to your text, and make out what you take in hand. 7. Take care of anything awkward or affected, either in your gesture, phrase, or pronunciation. 8. Do not usually pray extempore above eight or ten minutes (at most) without intermission. 9. Frequently read and enlarge upon a portion of Scripture; and let young Preachers often exhort without taking a text. 10. Always avail yourself of the great festivals by preaching on the occasion.

III. Spiritual Qualifications

¶ 124. The duty of the Preacher is: 1. To preach. 2. To meet the Societies and Classes. 3. To visit the sick.

¶ 125. A Preacher shall be qualified for his charge by walking closely with God, and having his work greatly at heart, and by understanding and loving discipline, ours in particular.

¶ 126. We do not sufficiently watch over each other. 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?

¶ 127. The means of grace are either Instituted or Prudential.

¶ 128. 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 practice 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: 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 practicing what you learn there. 2. Meditating: at set times; by rule. 3 Hearing: at 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 self-devotion?

§ 4. Fasting: Do you use as much abstinence and fasting every week as your health, strength, and labor 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?

¶ 129. 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 ever 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?

¶ 130. 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? honor? Are you temperate in all things? For instance, 1. Do you use only that kind and that degree of food which is best both for body and soul? Do you see the necessity of this? Do you eat no more at each meal than is necessary? Are you not heavy or drowsy after dinner? 2. Do you use only that kind and that degree of drink which is best both for your body and soul? 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 labor to profit thereby?

§ 4. Do you endeavor to set God always before you? To see his eye continually fixed upon you?

¶ 131. Never can you use these means but a blessing will ensue. And the more you use them the more you will grow in grace.

IV. Profitable Use of Time

¶ 132. As a general method of employing our time we advise you, 1. As often as possible to rise at four. 2. From four to five in the morning and from five to six in the evening to meditate, pray, and read the Scriptures with notes, and the closely practical part of what Mr. Wesley has published. 3. From six in the morning till twelve, wherever it is practicable, let the time be spent in appropriate reading, study, and private devotion.

¶ 133. Other reasons may concur, but the chief reason that the people under our care are not better is because we are not more knowing and more holy.