The country-curate's advice to his parishioners, in four parts I. Directs us, how to serve God on the Lord's day, II. On the week day, III. How to discharge our duty in our several relations, as husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants, IV. How to prepare for death / by H.C.

TO THE READER.

REligion is the grand employ∣ment of our Lives, the main design and biass of our ratio∣nal Natures, the important work and task that Heaven hath set us: and calls for our greatest vigour and vi∣vacity to attend it: and though perhaps it may suffer some diminution from the meanness of the Person, who treats of it: Yet it is not to be denied, that its own intrinsick worth and native excellency are sufficient to render it most accepta∣ble to all intelligent Minds, and unpre∣judiced Understandings.

I pretend not to any high strain of Eloquence, or high flown Rhetoricati∣ons: for if I were Master of a very flu∣ent Oratory; yet should I at this time

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wave it, and study plainness; the Sta∣tion I am in, a Curate: the Persons I write unto, not Courtiers but Country-men: oblige me to it.

My Office is to present my Reader with a Portraicture of Practical Religi∣on; especially as it hath an aspect to the Duties which constitute our Devo∣tion: Here it is not proper to be quaint and florid, but to make Impression on Mens Hearts; and bring the Deity in∣to their Souls. This I have attempted to accomplish in the ensuing Sheets: though I most frankly acknowledge how feeble and languid my Enterprize hath been.

Among the plain Directions which I have given towards the Consummating of a Religious Life, I have placed those which respect the Lord's Day in the Front of all: and with good reason; seeing this sacred time is the Queen and Empress of all the Days in the Week; and hath a just precedency of them by our Saviour's Institution, and the pra∣ctice of his holy Apostles.

Religion commenceth here: he that begins not with the right Celebration of this Day; will be extreamly defective in all the other acts of Devotion and Religion.

This therefore in the first place I most passionately recommend to all Votaries of Christianity; that they would con∣cern themselves in the due Observation of this Divine Time: and accordingly I here offer them such Rules, as will be a certain conduct to them, and fully in∣struct them how to behave themselves, in all the Portions of that Sacred Day.

If this attempt be favoured and incou∣raged by the Religious Reader: I shall be animated then to aspire to a further degree of consulting his Spiritual advan∣tage, by committing to the Press those other Directions which I have prepared for the guidance of pious Minds in the grand business of Religion.

In the interim, I bid such adieu, and incessantly implore the Tri-une Deity; That these my weak endeavours may prove Auspicious.

H. C.