The Third VISIT,

By Theophilus alone.

The good Man's Settlement of his Temporal

Y

Concerns.

Theophilus. My dear friend, we have appointed to be with you three days hence; but yet paffing not far from you, I could not have pardoned myself, if I had not come a little out of my way to inquire after you and I am heartily rejoiced to find you so much better than we left you.

Anchithanes. You are very kind in thus concerning yourself for me. But pray how do you know I am fo much better? You find me where you left me; and why do you think me amended?

Theoph. You look more chearfully, and feem eafier than you were. But the chief caufe of my congratu lation is, that as I came, I had the good fortune to meet with Theodorus, who gave me a good account of you, and that he took you to be in a fair way of recovery: for which you may be fure I could not but be very glad.

Anchith. It is like yourself to fhare in the welfare or affliction of your friends; and I return you a thoufand thanks for this, and all your favours.

Theoph. I was heartily glad too, to find that Theodorus had been with you.

Anchith. He is very kind indeed. He has been here three times in these two days, fince I had the happiness of your laft vifit; and has promis'd to fee me again in the evening.

Theoph. And are you ftill of opinion, that he thinks it a trouble to attend upon you, or is difpleafed, that you fent to defire his affliftance?

Anchithe

Anchith. His readiness to vifit me, effectually fhews the contrary; and makes me afhamed, that I have had no better thoughts of him.

Theoph. I hope you have been fo much your own friend, as to deal treely and openly with him, and acquaint him with all your doubts, together with the reafons of them; and in fhort, that you have impartially laid before him the whole ftate of your foul, and taken his judgment upon it.

Anchith. To tell you the truth, I had fome difficulty in expofing my fhame before him; but by degrees I brought myself to it, and have dealt very frankly with him. And I thank God, that I did fo; for I find my mind much more at eafe fince; and I hope his pious affiftance will be of everlasting advantage to me.

Theoph. Are you at any time afhamed to tell your phyfician the nature of your diftemper, in order to a cure?

Anchith. I know no reafon for that.

Theoph. Is not the cafe then the fame in relation to your fpiritual physician, the doctor of your foul? And why fhould you not be as free with him?

Anchith. Because my fickness is the effect of my natural constitution, or perhaps, in some cases, the stroke of God's immediate hand upon me.

Theoph. Not always fo; but too often sickness, and death itself, are the effects of man's own vices and folly. But I do not any way fufpect this to be Anchithanes's cafe, and therefore you may please to proceed.

Anchith. Sickness, I fay, ordinarily speaking, is what we cannot avoid, and therefore may juftly be forry for it, but have no cause to be afham'd of it: but my fins are my own faults, and fo caft a very ill reflection upon me, and are a strong temptation to study how I may moft fecurely conceal them. And this made it fo hard for me to discover them. I was afraid, left I should lofe Theodorus's good opinion of me for ever; and if he should ever fpeak of them to others,

others, as we are generally too apt to do, I fhould not know how to fhew my face abroad, if it should please God to restore me to my former health, as I begin now to hope he may.

Theoph. O, Sir, you seem a great ftranger to this fort of penitential proceedings. The priest is strictly obliged not to discover what he is told in confeffion: and he must be a very inconfiderate man, and no way deferving his facred character, who will do it. So that you need be in no pain upon that account; for you may reft affured, that one of Theodorus's piety and prudence, and diligent care of his parish, will never be guilty of fo highly indifcreet and irregular an action, as to divulge what is thus fecretly committed to him in confeffion; tho', if it were to have. been, I leave it to yourself to determine, whether it be not far more eligible, to be condemn'd for your mifcarriages by men at prefent, than by Almighty God at the last day. And then, as to Theodorus's own private opinion and esteem of you, neither need you fear lofing this, by any freedom of this nature you may have taken, were your fins much fouler and more aggravated than there is reafon to fuppofe they are. For if (a) there is joy in beaven over a finner that repenteth, how fhould it enter into your head to imagine there fhould not be joy likewife upon the fame account, amongst all the good men that are let into the secret of it? Had your fins been ever so heinous, abundantly more so than I can poffibly expect of my Anchithanes, the good man, upon the notice of them, would prefently conclude this difcovery to proceed from a thorough conviction of the evil and danger of thern, and a hearty forrow and contrition for them, and fo would rather honour and love you for your repentance, than flight or undervalue you for fuch former miscarriages: which now he no longer looks upon as your's, because he knows you have renounced them, and fought to God for the pardon of them, and re(4) Luke xv. 7, 19,

folved by his grace and affiftance watchfully to refrain from them for the remainder of your life.

And I

Anchith. He has promis'd me, never to let what he has heard from me to be known to any one. hope he will be as good as his word.

Theoph. My life for your's, he will. And let me therefore prevail with you, never to give yourself the leaft pain in that refpect. Whatever you have acquainted him with, depend upon it, all is fafe as if it were yet concealed in your own breaft. But pray tell me, did he not take it very kindly, that you fent to him?

Anchith. He thanked me over and over again, and told me he would not fail to be with me, as often as the other affairs of his parifh would permit, till it fhall please God either to reftore me to health, or take me to himself.

Theoph. Then you must own I was in the right, in advifing you to apply to him.

Anchith. I do fo; I freely and thankfully acknowledge it.

Theoph. Believe me, he is one of thofe worthy di❤ vines, thofe faithful minifters of God, who (b) take beed to themselves, and to the flock over which the Holy Ghoft bath made them overfeers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood; and of whom a most admirable author, as well as an indefatigable promoter of Chriftian piety and devotion, by his exemplariness of life in all refpects, no less than by his excellent and useful writings, teftifies, (c) that they would not only be content, but very much rejoice, to affift, in all spiritual affairs, such as shall • make applications on thele accounts; and would take it for a great comfort and encouragement to their • labours, if they could find their parishioners ready ⚫ upon all occafions, to confult them in the concerns

of their fouls, either for the inftruction of their ignorance, or the refolution of their doubts, for direction (b) A&ts xx. 28. (c) Mr. Nelfon's Preface to the Companion for the Festivals and Fafts, &c. pag. 18, 19.

• in order to the avoiding or withstanding temptations, •for their confolation under trials and afflictions, or for the best method of obtaining pardon of their fins, and quieting their confciences.'

Anchith. This is fo natural a defcription of Theodorus, fo far as I can judge, by what converfation I have hitherto had with him, and the fingular benefit and comfort I have received by it, that it looks to me, as if that worthy gentleman had had him par-, ticularly in his eye whilft he wrote this.

Theoph. You ought not to imagine that; for there are many serious and devout gentlemen of the clergy, that are equally ready to execute their office at all times, and upon all occafions. However, you fee by this time, that the minifters of God are of fome other use, than purely to pray to God in the church, and to preach to the people, and acquaint them with the nature, and perfuade, prefs and urge them to the confcientious obfervance of their duty, and to adminifter the facraments in publick. Thefe are noble offices, and muft be acknowledged well worthy of a divine commiffion, in order to the good fuccefs of them. But yet these are not all the purposes, for which they are commiffion'd and impower'd to act in God's name; but there are, as I faid, many other good ufes to be made of.. them.

Anchith. Good uses! Yes; admirable ufes indeed. And fo I now find experimentally, to my no small comfort and benefit: for which I mightily condemn myself, that I had not understood it fooner. Had I made the fame advantage of Theodorus's converfation formerly, that I have done these two days laft paft, I fhould have been far wifer and better, and quieter and lefs disturbed in my mind, and fitter for either this or the other life, than I have been. For he has not only prayed effectually and fervently with me, and for me, but has examined, and advised me, from time to time, to examine my own foul, and fee what judgment I am to pass upon myself, what grounds I have for a

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