Watchman Of The South

DIRECTIONS FOR PASTORAL VISITS
An Esteemed Young Minister has Written to us urgently asking for an original article on the subject of Pastoral Visits. Instead of this, we propose to give him the views of the pious Cotton Mather on the same subject. We trust our readers will all feel that they have an interest in understanding this subject, and not forget that if ministers ought to visit them, they ought to make their pastors welcome, and not hinder the profitableness of their visits by idle conversation or otherwise. Our author says:—
You may resolve to visit all the families belonging to your congregation; taking one afternoon in a week for that purpose: and it may be proper to give previous notice to each family, that you intend at such a time to visit them. On visiting a family, you may endeavor, with addresses as forcible and respectful as possible, to treat with every person particularly about their everlasting interests.
First, you may discourse with the elder people upon such points as you think most proper with them. Especially charge them to maintain family prayer; and obtain their promise of establishing it, if it has been hitherto neglected; yea, pray with them, that you may shew them how to pray, as well as obtain their purposes for it. You may likewise press upon them the care of instructing their children and servants in the holy religion of our Saviour, to bring them up for him.
If any with whom you should have spoken are absent, you may frequently leave one or two solemn texts of the sacred scripture, which you may think most suitable for them; desiring some one present affectionately to remember you to them, and from you to recommend to them that oracle of God.
You may then call for the children and servants; and putting to them such questions of the catechism as you think fit, you may, from the answers, make lively applications to them, for engaging them to the fear of God. You may frequently obtain from them promises relating to secret prayer, reading of the scriptures, and obedience to their parents and masters. You may also frequently set before them the proposals of the new covenant, after you have labored for their conviction and awakening; till with floods of tears they expressly declare their consent to it, and their acceptance of it.
Some of the younger people you may order to bring their Bibles, and read to you from thence two or three verses, to which you may direct them: this will try, whether or not they can read well.
You may then encourage them to think on such things as you remark from the passage, and never to forget those "faithful sayings" of God. You may sometimes leave with them some serious question, which you may tell them they shall not answer to you, but to themselves; such as the following: "What have I been doing ever since I came into the world, about the great errand upon which God sent me into the world?" "If God should now call me out of the world, what would become of me throughout eternal ages?" "Have I ever yet by faith carried a perishing soul to my only Saviour, both for righteousness and salvation?"
You will enjoy a most wonderful presence of God with you, in this undertaking; and will seldom leave a family without having observed many tears of devotion shed by all sorts of persons in it. As you can seldom visit more than four or five families in an afternoon, the work may be as laborious as any part of your ministry.
My son, I advise you to set a special value on that part of your ministry, which is to be discharged in pastoral visits. You will not only do good, but also get good, by your conversation with all sorts of persons, in thus visiting them "from house to house." And you will never more "walk in the Spirit," than when you thus walk among your flock, to do what good you can amongst them.
In your visits an incredible deal of good may be done, by distributing little books of piety. You may, without much expense, be furnished with such books to suit all persons and circumstances: books for the old and for the young—for persons under afflictions or desertions—for persons who are under the power of particular vices—for those who neglect domestic religion—for sea-faring persons—for the erroneous—for those whom you would quicken and prepare to approach the table of the Lord—for those who are about to have their children baptised; and catechisms for the ignorant. You may remarkably enforce your admonitions, by leaving suitable books in the hands of those with whom you have conversed; you may give them to understand, that you would be still considered as conversing with them by these books, after you have left them. And in this way you may speak more than you have time to do in any personal interview; yea, sometimes, more than you would wish to do. By good books a salt of piety is scattered about a neighborhood.
Pastors, uphold and cherish good schools in your towns! And be prevailed upon occasionally to visit the schools. That holy man, Mr. Thomas White, expressed a desire, "That able and zealous ministers would sometimes preach at the schools; because preaching is the converting ordinance; and the children will be obliged to hear with more attention in the school than in the public congregation; and the ministers might here condescend to such expressions as might work most upon them, and yet not be so fit for a public congregation." I have read the following account of one, who was awakened by this advice to act accordingly: "At certain times he successively visited the schools. When he went to a school, he first offered a prayer for the children, as much adapted to their condition, as he could make it. Then he went through the catechism, or as much of it as he thought necessary; making the several children repeat the several answers: but he divided the questions, that every article in the answers might be understood by them; expecting them to answer, Yes, or No, to each of these divisions. He also put to them such questions, as would make them see and own their duties, and often express a resolution to perform them. Then he preached a short sermon to them, exceedingly plain, on some suitable scripture, with all possible ingenuity and earnestness, in order to excite their attentive regard. After this, he singled out a number of scholars, perhaps eight or ten, and bid each of them turn to a certain scripture, which he made them read to the whole school; giving them to see, by his brief remarks upon it, that it contained something which it particularly concerned children to take notice of." Then he concluded with a short prayer, for a blessing on the school and on the tutors.
While we are upon the subject of visiting. I would observe that you will not fail to visit the poor as well as the rich; and often mention the condition of the poor, in your conversation with the rich. Keep, sir, a list of them. Recollect that although the wind does not feed any one, yet that it turns the mill which grinds the corn, the food of the poor. When conversing with the rich, you may do this for the poor who are on your list.
In visiting the poor, you will take occasion to dispense your alms among them. These alms, you will, with as much contrivance as possible, use as vehicles for conveying to them the admonitions of piety; yea, means and instruments of obtaining from them some engagements to perform certain exercises of piety. All ministers are not alike furnished for alms, but all should be disposed for them. They that have small families, or large interests, ought to be shining examples of liberality to the poor, and pour down their alms upon them, like the showers of heaven.
All should endeavor to do what they can in this way. What says Nazianzen of his reverend father's alms-deeds? They will find that the more they do (provided it be done with discretion) the more they are able to do: the loaves will multiply in the distribution. Sirs, this bounty of yours to the poor will procure a wonderful esteem and success to your ministry. "Suadet lingua, jubet vita." It will be an irrefragable demonstration that you believe what you speak concerning all the duties of christianity, but particularly those of liberality, a faithful discharge of our stewardship, and a mind weaned from the love of this world; it will demonstrate your belief of a future state; it will vindicate you from the imputation of a worldly man; it will embolden and fortify you, when you call upon others to do good. and to abound in those sacrifices with which God is well pleased. Et sic exampla parantur!
Finally, After all the generous essays and labors to do good that may fill your lives, your people will probably treat you with ingratitude. Your salaries will be meaner than those at Geneva. They will neglect you; they will oppress you; they will withhold from you what they have engaged, and you have expected. You have now one more opportunity to do good, and so to glorify your Saviour. Your patience, O ye tried servants of God, your patience will do it wonderfully! To "bear evil" is to "do good." The more patient you are under ill usage, the more you exhibit a glorious Christ to your people, in your conformity to your adorable Saviour. The more conformed you are to him, the more prepared you are, perhaps, for some amendment of your condition in this world, most certainly for the rewards of the heavenly world, when you shall appear before the Lord, who says, "I know thy works and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience."
It was said of Ignatius, "that he carried Christ about with him in his heart:" and this I will say, if to represent a glorious Christ to the view, the love and admiration of all people be the grand intention of your life; if you are desirous to be a star to lead men to Christ; if you are exquisitely studious, that the holiness and yet the gentleness of a glorious Christ may shine in your conversation; if in your public discourses you do with rapture bring in the mention of a glorious Christ in every paragraph, and on every occasion where he is to be spoken of; and if in your private conversation you contrive to insinuate something of his glories and praises, wherever it may be decently introduced; finally, if when you find that a glorious Christ is the more considered and acknowledged by your means, it fills you with, "joy unspeakable and full of glory," and you exclaim, "Lord, this is my desired happiness!" Truly, you then live to good purpose, you "do good" emphatically!
There was a worthy minister, whom the great Cranmer designed for preferment, and he gave this reason of his design-"He seeks nothing, he longs for nothing, he dreams about nothing, but Jesus Christ." Verily, such "men of Christ" are "men of God;" they are the favorites of Heaven. and shall be favored with opportunities to do good above any men in the world: they are the Gaons of christianity.