Two years after, it was agreed by all our brethren, that no preacher who will not relinquish his trade of buying and selling, or of making and vending pills, drops, balsams, or medicines of any kind, shall be considered as a travelling preacher any longer: and that it shall be demanded of all those preachers, who have traded in cloth, hardware, pills, drops, balsams, or medicines of any kind, at the next conference, whether they have ♦entirely left it off, or not? ♦ “intirely” replaced with “entirely” * _Q._ 33. Why is it, that the people under our care are no better? _A._ Other reasons may concur; but the chief is, because we are not more _knowing_ and more _holy_. _Q._ 34. But why are we not more _knowing_? _A._ Because we are idle. We forget the very first rule, “Be diligent. Never be unemployed a moment. Never be triflingly employed. Never while away time: neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary.” I fear there is altogether a fault in this matter: and that few of us are clear. Which of you spends as many hours a day, in God’s _work_, as you did formerly in _man’s work_? We talk,――or read history, or what comes next to hand. We must, absolutely must, cure this evil, or give up the whole work. But how? 1. Read the _most useful_ books, and that regularly and constantly. Steadily spend all the morning in this employ, or at least five hours in twenty-four. “But I read _only_ the bible.” Then you ought to teach others to read only the bible, and by parity of reason, to _hear only_ the bible. But if so, you need preach no more. Just so said _George Bell_. And what is the fruit? Why now, he neither reads the bible, nor any thing else. This is rank enthusiasm. If you need no book but the bible, you are got above St. _Paul_. He wanted others too. _Bring the books_, says he, _but especially the parchments_, those wrote on parchment. “But I have _no taste_ for reading.” Contract a taste for it by use, or return to your trade. “But different men have different tastes.” Therefore some may read less than others; but none should read less than this. “But I have no books.” I will give each of you, as fast as you will read them, books to the value of five pounds. And I desire the assistants will take care, that all the large societies provide _The Christian Library_, or at least the notes on the new Testament, for the use of the preachers. 2. In the afternoon follow Mr. _Baxter_’s plan: Then you will have no time to spare: none for learning Latin or Greek, or Hebrew: you will have work enough for all your time. Then likewise no preacher will stay with us, who is as salt that has lost its savour. For to such, this employment would be mere drudgery. And in order to it, you will have need of all the knowledge you can procure. The sum is. Go into _every house_ in course, and teach _every one_ therein. Young and old, if they belong to us, to be Christians inwardly and outward!y.