Address to Ministers and Others

Reverend and Beloved Brethren, — The whole design and business of this discourse being the propagation of the gospel, and saving of men’s souls, I have thought it not unmeet to acquaint you with another work to that end, which we have set on foot in this county, and to propound it to your consideration, and humbly invite you to a universal imitation. You know, I doubt not, the great inequality in ministerial abilities, and that many places have ministers that are not qualified with convincing lenity, and awakening gifts. Some must be tolerated, in the necessity of the Church, that are not likely to do any great matters towards the conversion of ignorant, sensual, worldly men; and some that are learned, able men, and fitted for controversies, may yet be unfit to deal with those of the lower sort. I suppose, if you peruse the whole ministry of a county, you will not find so many such lively, convincing preachers as we could wish. I take it for granted, that you are sensible of the weight of eternal things, and the worth of souls; and that you will judge it a very desirable thing that every man should be employed according to his gifts, and the gospel in its light and power should be made as common as possibly we can. Upon these and many the like considerations, the ministers in this county resolved to choose out four of the most lively, yet sober, peaceable, orthodox men, and to desire them once a-month to leave their ovn congregations, to the assistance of some other, and to bestow their labour in the places where they thought there was most need; and as wo were resolving upon this work, the natives of this county inhabiting the city of London having a custom of feasting together once a-year, and having at their feast collected some moneys by contribution, for the maintaining of a weekly lecture in this county, besides other good works, did, by their stewards, desire us to set up the said lecture, and to dispose of the said moneys in order thereto; and their judgments upon consultation did correspond with our design. So that the said money being sufficient to satisfy another that shall, in their absence, preach in their own places, we employ it accordingly, and have prevailed with some brethren to undertake this work.

I propound to your consideration, reverend brethren, and to you, the natives of each county, in London, whether the same work may not tend much to the edification of the Church, and the welfare of souls, if you will be pleased speedily and efi’ectually to set it on foot through the land? Whether it may not, by God’s blessing, be a likely means to illuminate the iornorant, and awaken the secure, and countermine seducers, and hinder the ill-success of Satan’s itinerants, and win over many souls to Christ, and establish many weak ones in the faith? — And not doubting but your judgments will approve of the design, I humbly move, that you will please to contribute your faculties to the That the Londoners of each county will be pleased to manifest their benevolence to this end, and commit the moneys to the hands of the most faithful, orthodox ministers, and that they will readily and self-denyingly undertake the work.

I hope the gentlemen, natives of this county, will be pleased to pardon my publishing their example, seeing my end is only the promoting of men’s salvation, and the common good.

And that you may more fully understand the scope of our design, I shall annex the letter, directed to the several ministers of the county, which the lecturers send to the ministers of the place, and receive his answer, before they presume to preach in any congregations.