I heard Dr. _Lupton_ say, my father, visiting one of his parishioners, who had never missed going to church for forty years, then lying on his death-bed, asked him, “_Thomas_, where do you think your soul will go?” “Soul! soul!” said _Thomas_: “Yes: do not you know what your soul is?” “Aye surely,” said he: “Why, it is a little bone in the back, that lives longer than the rest of the body.” So much _Thomas_ had learned by constantly hearing sermons, yea and exceeding good sermons, for forty years! We must instruct them _from house to house_; till this is done, and that in good earnest, the _Methodists_ will be little better than other people. Can we find a better method of doing this than Mr. _Baxter_’s? If not, let us adopt it without delay. His whole tract, intitled, _Gildos Salvianus_, is well worth a careful perusal. A short extract from it I have subjoined. Speaking of this visiting from house to house, he says, page 351. ♦“We shall find many difficulties both in ourselves and in the people ♦ Ending quote and continuation quotes are not shown in the original text. They have been added based on transcriber’s best interpretation of the author’s intent. “1. In ourselves there is much dulness and laziness: so that there will be much ado to get us to be faithful in the work. “2. We have also a base man-pleasing temper, which makes us let men perish, rather than lose their love, and let them go quietly to hell, lest we should anger them. “3. Some of us have also a foolish bashfulness. We know not how to begin, or to speak plain. We blush to speak for Christ, or to contradict the devil, or to save a soul. “4. Our interest stops our mouths, and makes us unfaithful in the work of Christ. “5. But the greatest hindrance is, weakness of faith: so our whole motion is weak, because the spring of it is weak. “6. Lastly, we are unskilful in the work. How few know how to deal with men, so as to get within them, to win upon them, and suit all our discourse to their several conditions and tempers; to choose the fittest subjects, and follow them with an holy mixture of seriousness, and terror, and love, and meekness, and evangelical allurements?” And we have as many difficulties to grapple with in our people. 1. Too many of them will be unwilling to be taught, till we conquer their perverseness by the force of reason, and the power of love. 2. And many are so dull, that they will shun being taught, for fear of shewing their dulness. And indeed you will find it extremely hard to make them understand the very plainest points. 3. And it is still harder, to fix things on their heart, without which all our labour is lost. If you have not therefore great seriousness and fervency, what good can you expect? And when all is done, it is the Spirit of grace, he alone, who must do the work. 4. And when we have made some impressions upon their hearts, if we look not after them, they will soon die away.