Altho' a Master or Mistress shall (as becomes their Character and Station) take to themselves the Office of reading Prayers to the rest, yet it may not be amiss to train up some other of the Family to be able to perform it decently, that in Case of their Indisposition, or unavoidable Absence, the Duty may not be omitted, and by Degrees forgotten.

You will observe, that each of the two Prayers for Morning and Evening, is divided into several Branches; each Branch being a shorter Prayer, in the Manner of a Collect, and containing one distinct Head of the several Matters, for which a Christian is bound to pray. And I chose this Method, because, in my Opinion, it keeps the Thoughts more distinct, than they can well be kept in one long continued Prayer; and if they happen to wander, the solemn Conclusion of one Prayer, with the En

trance

trance upon another, and the Part which every one present has in saying Amen to each; is a good Means to awaken the Attention, and to recall the Thoughts to their proper Work.

May the good Spirit of GOD stir up every Family under my Charge to this Practice of Daily Devotion, and continually aid and assist you in it; that thereby obtaining daily Supplies of Grace, and always living in his Fear and Obedience, you may give me Cause to bless Him for making me in any Measure the Instrument of your spiritual Good in this World, and may secure to yourselves an Eternity of Happiness in the next. Which is, and always shall be, the earnest Prayer of

Your Affectionate

Brother and Pastor,

EDMUND GIBSON.

New-year's-day,

1705.

ΑΝ

EXHORTATION

ΤΟ

FAMILY PRAYER.

RAYER is a Service that we owe to Almighty GoD, as he is our Creator and Preserver, and we his Creatures, who depend upon him for the Comforts and Necessaries of Body and Soul. Which Service is not only most reasonable in itself, as it is an humble Acknowledgment of GoD's Dominion and Sovereignty over us; but is in many Places of Scripture expressly enjoin'd by CHRIST and his Apostles, as a necessary Condi

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tion and a sure Means of having our Wants supplied. Our Saviour (Matt. vii. 7.) makes our Asking the only Means of our Receiving; Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find. And St. James expressly saith, (James, iv. 2) That we have not, because we ask not; And St. Paul's Precept is, (Phil. iv. 6.) That in every thing by Prayer and Supplication, with Thanksgiving, we let our Requests be made known unto GOD.

Now the Reason why GoD requires us to pray to him for his Blessing and Assistance, is not, that he wants to be informed what our Necessities are; for he understands them much better than we ourselves, and as our Saviour speaks (Matt. vi. 8.) knoweth what Things we have need of before we ask him. But the Design of making Prayer a Religious Ordinance, and of obliging Christians to Ask that they may Receive, is, to preserve upon their Minds a constant Sense of their Dependance upon GOD, and of

their manifold Obligations to him; that so these daily Acknowledgments of the Divine Power and Goodness, may keep up in Creatures a due Fear and Love of their Creator, and an habitual Reverence and Obedience to him and his Laws.

FROM hence appears the Reasonableness and Necessity of FREQUENT PRAYER; both in regard to the daily Wants of our Souls and Bodies, which GOD has no where promised to supply but upon our earnest Prayer to him; and also because the Cares and Pleasures of this World are very apt to make us forget the Things of the next Life, unless an heavenly Temper, and a Sense of GOD's Being and Goodness, be preserved upon our Souls by the Exercise of frequent Prayer, which is a conversing with GOD, and the nearest Communication we can have with him, as long as we continue in this World.

THE Apostle commands us (1 Thess. v. 17.) to pray without Ceasing; and (Col.