nothing else, to turn all to weariness or affected formality, but at seasonable times, and in a serious manner; and talk not of small matters, but of heart and heaven affairs.

10. Crave God's blessing upon your food, and return him thanks for it. Receive it, not chiefly to please your appetite, but to strengthen you as a servant of God, for your duty; and for quality and quantity avoid flesh-pleasing curiosity and excess, and make your health and reason, and not your appetite, the measure of both. Write over your 66 table Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom; pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." (Ezek. xvi. 49.) And, "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and silk, and fared sumptuously every day." "Son, remember that thou, in thy life-time, receivedst thy good things," &c. (Luke vi. 12, 25.) "Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts (or desires) thereof." (Rom. xiii. 14.)

11. At evening, return to your food, and to God's worship in your family; and in secret, if you have time, as was directed you in the morning.

12. At night, look back how you have spent the day; not to waste time in writing down all sins and mercies which are ordinary (for the same coming daily to be repeated will turn all to formality) but to have a special thankfulness for special mercies, and a special repentance for great or aggravated sin, yea, for all that you remember. And quickly rise, by free confession, repentance, and faith, where you have fallen and so betake yourself to rest, with a holy confidence in God's protection, and delightful meditation of him.

S. You tell me of family worship twice a day. I pray you tell me how I must perform it.

P. 1. With a composed, reverent mind, having all your family together that can come, briefly crave God's assistance and acceptance. 2. Then read a chapter, and, if you have leisure, some leaves of some other good book, or else bid them mark such passages as most concern them as they go. 3. Before or after sing a psalm, if you have a family that can sing; if not, read some psalms of praise. 4. Then, in faithful, fervent prayer, call on God through Jesus Christ, in his Spirit: and so at evening. S. I pray you resolve me these few questions. Quest. 1. How oft in a day must I pray in my family?

P. God hath not punctually determined just how oft: therefore
Prov. xxxi. 4, 6.
Psalm iv, 7-9.

you must not superstitiously feign more commands than he hath made. But the general commands of praying continually, and in all things, with the final law, 'Do all to edification,' and the nature of families, and their necessities and opportunities, and Scripture examples, do fully prove that, ordinarily, twice a-day is a duty; which, because I must not here stay to prove, read the full proof in the second part of my Christian Directions.' Keep up the life of grace within, and sense of your necessity, and of the worth of mercy, and keep up the experience what lively prayer and thanksgiving is, and it will preserve you against the libertines' opinion, who cry down constant worship in families, as superstition.

S. 2. At what hour must I pray?

P. God hath not tied you to an hour by Scripture; but his providence will direct you. Usually, early and late are fittest; but if all families have not the same employments nor leisure, that hour must be chosen which family occasions, and bodily temper, and company, do make most fit.

S. 3. Must I pray in secret with my wife, and in my family too, twice every day?

P. Only the general rule of edification, with your conveniences and opportunities, must here also direct you. Family prayer is of the greatest necessity; because there each person is contained. But secret prayer hath great advantages: the heart is there more free to open its particular sins and wants; and they that can do all, must do them. But if you cannot, you must rather take up with family prayer alone, than secret alone.

S. What do you mean by "cannot?" Must not all business give place to secret prayer?

P. No. There are businesses of greater obligation which must be preferred. Learn what this meaneth: "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." A physician, in case of necessity, may omit all prayer, to go help to save a sick man's life. So may any man, to relieve the poor and miserable when it cannot be put off to another time; so may a magistrate to do justice; and so may a pastor, to preach to the congregation, when he hath not time to do both. And poor men, that cannot spare time from their labour, are not bound to spend as much time in reading and prayer as rich men are, who have fuller opportunities.

2. But the case of those who are the speakers in family prayer, much differeth from the case of them that join; for he that speaketh may put up all the same requests in the family as he may do in secret; and therefore a greater duty may oftener dis

pense with his secret prayer: for it is not to be used as a formality. But he that joineth with the speaker hath not the choice of his own matter, nor can so easily keep up a praying mind, without distractions, as he can do when he speaketh himself. Therefore, (avoiding superstitious conceits, and making laws to ourselves, as God's, which he hath not made,) secret prayer is so great a duty, that every man must use it as oft as other duties at that time are not to be preferred, but will give leave. And some can find time for it (with meditation) in their labour, and travel, when they are alone.

S. 4. Is long or short prayer to be preferred?

It varieth

P. The general rule, also, must direct you in this. the case, as times, and persons, and occasions vary. When no greater duty (at that time) putteth you off, you can scarce be too long, if you continue fit for it in mind and expression; but when other duties call you off, or you cannot be long without unmeet expressions and repetitions before others, or without your own or the family's dullness and unfitness, shorter, at that time, may be the best. But see that formal affectation be not the lengthener of your prayers, nor carnal weariness the shortener of them; at least, do not justify either of these.

S. 5. Is it better to pray by a set form, or book, or without, as I am able to express my desires?

P. God hath not made you a law against either, but left every man the way that is fittest for him.

S. How shall I know which is fittest for me?

P. 1. In secret, usually, it is best to use yourself oftest to pray freely, from the present sense of your condition, that you may be able to do it; and vary as occasion serveth. For the best man's mind is apt to grow dull in using the same words an hundred times over: as a music lesson, played too oft, doth become less pleasing; and it will not cure us, to say that it should not be so.

2. Therefore, also, you should learn to pray freely, from an habit, before others also, as soon as you can.

3. But till you can do it without disgraceful expressions, repetitions, and disorders, it is better in your family to use a book, or form.

4. If in public, or secret, any one find that a form, having more fit, large, and lively expressions than he can have himself without it, doth quicken and enlarge him, he may best use it; but if it more bind and straiten him, he may forbear it.

I will add these two advices here. 1. Settle not yourself in

such a calling and way as will not stand with family worship. 2. Take heed of growing in customariness and dead formality, which may too easily befall you, even under extemporate prayers. S. Have you any more counsel for me, for the good and order of my family?

P. At this time I will add no more but these. 1. Watch, against your worldly business, that it eat not out the life and seriousness of holy duties. Alas! in most families the world is all that they have any sense of: though yet your calling must be followed.

S. Truly, landlords are so hard, and people so very poor, that necessity is a constraint and great temptation to them.

P. I know it is. But if landlords be cruel, shall men be more cruel to themselves? If they keep you poor, will you therefore keep your soul ungodly and miserable? The less comfort you have here, and the harder this world useth you, the more careful should you be, in reason, to make sure of a better world. Poor men have souls to save, and a heaven to win, and a hell to escape, and a Christ to believe in, and a God to love and serve, as well as the rich. And I tell you that your temptations are less than theirs.

2. Do all you can to keep up, in yourself and family, the joy of believing, and a delight in God and all his service; therefore, let your daily duty have much in it of thanksgiving and praise. 3. You, that are a farmer, and sit by your servants in the long winter nights, get a good book, and "read to them while they are with you. I will not discourage your own exhortations; but few husbandmen can discourse so profitably, so closely, soundly, and searchingly, as many such books will do, if you choose aright. But more of this, in the next day's conference.

THE EIGHTH DAY'S CONFERENCE.

How to spend the Lord's Day in Christian Families, in the Church, and in secret Duties.

Speakers.-Paul, a Teacher; and Saul, a Learner.

PAUL. Welcome, neighbour. How go matters between you and your family; yea, and your God?

* Dent, xvii. 19; Acts viii. 28, 30.

SAUL. O, sir, you have set me a great deal of work, which my conscience telleth me is good and necessary, and better than any else that I can spend my time in. But my heart is bad and backward; and it is not so soon learned as heard, nor so soon done as learned; and yet I come to you for more. For I am resolved to take God and heaven for my all, and, therefore, to be true to the covenant I have made. I desire you, now, to instruct me about the right observation of the Lord's day; and, first, tell me our obligation to it.

P. I have published a treatise only on that subject, to which I must now refer you, as to the obligation and the disputing part; only giving you this brief intimation: 1. Christ gave his apostles commission to acquaint the world with his will, and to settle the orders of the gospel churches. 2. To this end he promised and gave them the infallible conduct of the Holy Ghost; who is now the Author of what they did in obedience to their commission. 3. As Christ rose from the dead on the * first day of the week, so he oft on that day appeared to his disciples, and, on that day, (Whitsunday) he sent down the Holy Ghost; so that the new world was begun on that day. And on that day the apostles constantly celebrated the holy assemblies, and appointed the churches to do the like, separating that day to the holy worship of God. 4. All the churches in the world from the apostles' times, till a few years ago, did unanimously keep the Lord's day as holy, or separated to holy worship; no one church, no one person, no, not a heretic, that I remember, who confessed Christ's resurrection, ever once excepting against it, or dissenting and this is as ordained by the apostles in their times.

:

S. You need say no more: he that will contradict such proof as this, hath an evil spirit of contradiction. But that which is questioned is, whether it be a Sabbath, and come in the place of the seventh day Sabbath?

P. Trouble not your brains about mere names: it is enough for you that it is a day separated by Christ and the Holy Ghost to holy worship, and called the Lord's day. If by a Sabbath be not meant a day of Jewish ceremonial rest (which is the Scripture sense of that word) then we confess that it is no Sabbath, but that all such Sabbaths are abolished, as types of better things.

2;

* John xx. 1, 19, 26, and xvi. 13-15; Acts ii. 1, and x. 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, Rev. i. 10; Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; Thess. ii. 15.