Ghost teacheth, they are the most acceptable words. Likewife ftudy the Ten Commands, view the large extent and meaning of them, the duties required, and fins forbidden in each of them, and they will furnish you with vaft matter for confeffion and petition... Also study the Lord's prayer, and the import of the feveral petitions thereof, for there are many petitions wrapt up in every one of them.

1

2. Study well the attributes and works of God, and they will afford manifold matter, both for prayer and praises. View the work of creation; and more espe cially, the work of redemption, the eternal contrivance of it, the glorious Mediator, his nature, his offices, life, death, fufferings, and infinite love; his fulness; graces, offers, promises, and well ordered covenant; and then, I am fure, you will not be barren of fuitable matter, and words for prayer." A very child (as one faith) "when he fees a merchant's pack opened, where there "are variety of things which he defireth, will learn, "without book, to fay, O father, buy this, or give me "that." So the foul will not want what to fay, that fees the treasures and riches of Christ opened.

3. Study to be acquaint with yourselves, your hearts and lives: Confider your state and circumftances both in foul and body, and the providences of God towards you. Think upon the vanity and inconftancy of all worldly things, the frailty of man, and brevity of life; and particularly, think much on the four laft things,' death, judgment, heaven and hell, and you will have abundance of matter for prayer.

Befides all which, there are four words ye fhould always keep in mind when you go to prayer, which would prove a lafting fountain for fuitable matter to you, vizu your fins, miferies, wants, and mercies.

1. Your fins. Have you not a great multitude to confefs, and feek mercy for, fins original and actual, of omiffiom and commiffion, of heart and life? What indwelling corruptions, and heart-plagues have ye to lament, hardness, deadnefs, carnality, unbelief, backfliding, hypocrify, &c. Look into your lives, and behold

what

what fins ye have committed, and what duties ye have omitted, and make particular confession of them

2. Your miferies. How many have ye to complain of, and beg deliverance from in prayer? Are you not born in a loft ftate, a child of wrath, an heir of hell, under an unfupportable burden of unpardoned guilt, most loathsome and polluted in God's fight; under the tyranny of fatan, liable to all the miferies of this life, cares, toils, loffes, croffes, fickness and death; yea, expofed to the wrath of God, the curfes of the law, the fword of juftice, to a ftrict and fevere judgment feat, to unquenchable fire, and everlasting burnings, and to banishment from God's favour and prefence to all eternity?

3 Your wants. Are ye not poor beggarly finners, full of wants and neceffities? "In us dwells no good thing." Do you want the bread of life, the balm of Gilead, pardon of fin, peace with God, deliverance from wrath, a new nature, a soft heart! Do you want

eye falve, white raiment, gold tried in the fire ?" Do ye want faith, love, repentance, victory over lufts?" &c. And have ye not matter for prayer and fupplication ? Have ye not temporal wants to lay before God? Ye can tell them to your friends, and complain to them, though they afford you little help; ought ye not far rather go to God with them, who is both able and willing to help? Do you want health to your bodies, bread to your families, provifion for your children, a bleffing on your labours? Then feek them from God: "The ravens cry to him, and he hears them," how much more will be hear you?

64. Your mercies. God daily loads you with his mercies; they are new to you every morning: It is of the Lord's mercies, that your houfes are not confumed with fire, in the night, and ye buried in the ruins thereof; that fudden death doth not fmite your children, fervants, cattle, or relations; that you waken in fafety every morning, and not in everlafting flames. Doth not the Lord fet a hedge about you, and all that you have, and preferve you from devils, enemies and manifold dangers; give you health and strength, blefs the VOL. IV. work

R

work of your hands, cover a table for you, and rain manna about your tents? And have you not plenty of matter for thanksgiving? Yea, he hath contrived a way to fave you, fent his Son to redeem you, makes preffing offers of his falvation, and waits patiently for your repentance. Now, if you thirk on these mercies, can you want words in prayer to blefs God for them? I fay then, remember your fins, miferies, wants and mercies, and ye will never be scarce of matter for prayer. Object. III." We have not confidence to pray before others."

Anfi Mind what Christ faith, "They that are afhamed of him before men, he will be afhamed of them before his Father in heaven."

2. Many are ashamed to pray before others, who are not afhamed to fin, curfe, fwear, drink drunk, and break the Sabbath before others.

3. Why fhould you be afhamed to pray before your own family, these you conftantly converfe with, and of whom you have the command? Will you have confidence to plead this frivolous excufe, at the day of judgment?

3

But, lafly, You you will not plead fuch excufes in things relating to the body If your children and family were ftarving for want of bread, ye would neither want words nor confidence to make known your cafe to a rich friend; if you were mortally fick or wounded, you would freely tell your cafe to a phyfician; if ye were drowning, ye would call aloud for help: And now, when ye and your families are ready to perish in your fins, will ye not make known your cafe to God, and cry with the difciples, "Lord fave us, or else we perifh" The common beggars, that go from door to door, will rife up against you; they think no fhame to cry at the rich man's door, hear them who will; they want not words enough, ye need not teach them what to fay; their pinched bowels make them both eloquent and importunate; they weary not to fland and cry, though they be but expecting a small morfel: And fhall we, whofe needs are far greater, whofe expectations are far higher, want words or confidence to cry and knock

knock at God's door, fince he declares that our impor tunity is nowife a trouble, but a pleafure to him? Are not everlasting life, and deliverance from hell, worth the feeking? Shall men do more for the welfare of their dying bodies, than we for the falvation of our immortal fouls?

Object. IV. "We have not time to fpare for family"worship, our labour is fo great, and business so "throng."

Anf. 1. Is not the worship and fervice of God the greatest business you have to do in the world? All other things are trifles in refpect of this.

2. Better want time for fleeping, for eating, or any thing, than want time for this, which is far more neceffary than any thing else.

3. God, in his providence, may foon caft greater hindrances in the way of your worldly business than this, as ye fuppofe, would be: He may fend fevers among children and fervants, that will top your labour much longer than a little time fpent daily in familyworship would do. When ficknefs or death comes, they will not be put off by telling that you have no time for your labour to be fick; no, ye must find time to be fick and ly on beds, though it were in the throng of harvest. And mut ye, whether ye will or no, find time to be fick and die; and will you find no time to pray with your families, in order to prepare you and them for ficknefs and death? And further, it is likely, that if ye prayed more in your families, your labour would be lefs ftopt by fieknefs and other troubles; you fhould have fewer croffes and perplexities in your buinefs; and, whatever they were, you might expect they would be fanctified. Family-prayer would be a fweet vent and ease to the mind, under all family cares and anxieties.

4 Family prayer will not hinder your business, though in the throng of harveft. What stop would it be to your work, to be every morning and evening a quarter of an hour upon your knees with your family? Nay, it would further it, and procure a blefling on the work of your hands. And I have obferved, that in

R 2

thefe

thofe parts of the nation where husbandmen and tradefmen take time for family-worship, they are in a more flourishing condition in worldly things, than in thofe parts where it is neglected. Remember, that all the fuccefs of your labour depends on the fpecial bleffing and providence of God, and there is no way more likely to obtain this than family-prayer. If God vouchfafe not his bleffing, your labour will be labour in vain, Pfal. cxxvii. 1. 2. How foon may God blast all the labours of prayerless perfons?

5. Whatever you pretend from want of time on week days, to excufe you from family-worship; yet, there is no fhadow for this objection upon the Sabbath-day, in which you have no other bufinefs but to ferve and worship God. He is gracioufly pleased to free you this day from your labour, that ye may apply yourselves entirely to his worship without diftraction. O ye that are straitened for time through the week for family and fecret prayer, be bufy on the Lord's day in the perform ance thereof, and be thankful to God for allowing you this day for these exercises.

In the name then of the great God who hath founded families, and is the God of all the families of Ifrael and in the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, in whom only the families of the earth can be bleffed; I befeech and obteft all you that are mafters of families, to honour the Creator and Redeemer of the world in your fami lies; erect him a family-altar, and dedicate your houfes to be temples for the worship of God. Perform this duty confcientiously every day, but more especially upon the Lord's day; let your family facrifices this day be doubled. I fhall add fome more motives to it.

I. This is the way to procure you all forts of familybleffings. Would you have God to build your houses, bless your fubftance, dwell in your families, and be a guard to then night and day? Would ye have your relations comfortable, your affairs fuccefsful, and your enjoyments fweet? Then fet up, and keep up familyworship, make your houses little churches.

1. You may expect family-protection. If you, by family-prayer, lodge your families "under the fhadow

of