:DireBions for Fami~ and fecret Prayer. 599 God and Prayer be difuonoured. And if you c..nnot do it compttently without, ufe • well com– pofedform. ~· Si• Dircd:. SI· Ltt not family Prayer be ufid at the time ofpublick.. prayer i.n the Church, nor Diretl. Si• preferred before it; but profer publick prayer, though the m•nncr were more imperfcCl than your own. · ~· 10 • DireCt. ro. 'teach your Children and Servants how r. pray thcmfe/vu, that they may not Dire[/. IQ, be praycrlefs when they come among thofe that c.nnot pr•y. John and Chrill taught theit Difdples t'.:~. ~· •. to pray. Tit. 4· Special 1JireEfio1zs for Jecret Prayer. ~· 1 , Dire<l. r. LET it be iJt aJ [tcret a plt~ce a; convmitntly yo:. can. ; that y~u. ~~ not be DireQ. l• dijlurbed. Let It be done fo that others may not be wttneffes of u, tf you can avoid it ~ and yet rake it not for your duty, to keep it unknown that you pray fccretly at all : for that will be a fnare and fcandal to them. §. 2· D!retf. 2· Ltt your voicr be fuired to ymr own help and benefit, if none elfe hear you: If it be Dircl1. 2· needfi.ll to the orderly proceed ins of your own thoughts, or to the warming of ·your own afftCl:ions, you may u[e a voice: But if others be wi1hin heuing; it is very unfit. ~· 3· D ireCt. 3· In [ecrtt let the matter ofyour prayers be that which is moft peculiarly yl)ur owJi Dire{]. 3• concernment, or tbr{e flcrrt tbingnhat are not fit for pubLick.. prayer, or are there paff(d by : Yet never forgettin~ the highd\ intmtl of Chrif\, and the Gofpel and the World and Church. §. 4· DireCt. 4• Be lrfi fiJUicitnM ab(lut wordJ in {ecret th.m with others, and lay out your oare about Dirdl. 4· the heart. For·that's it that God moll: elleemcrh in your pra~rs. ~· 5· D!rcC't. 5· D(' n~t throug~ .c.Jrnal :enwiUingne{1 gro~ into a 1ttg~i![l of {ecret pr<~yer, when yrm Direl1. 5 • have time : Nor yet do not {uperjfm aJtflJ tye your felvu to J"ft fo luHg ume, whether y?u t~re fit, or at leifitre from greater duties or not. But be the longer when you arernofi fir and VAcant, .and rhe f'hortet when you are not. To give way to tvery Clrnal backwardnefs, is tht= fin on one fide ; and to nfolve to fpend fo long time, when you do but tire your felves, and tlcep or bufin.efs or difiemper rnakerh it a lifelcfs rhiogl is a fin on the other fide. Avoid them both. ~· 6 Direct 6. A mel.Jncholy perfon who i1 unfit for mHchfolitarintfi and burt-fea,.chingi, muft be mucb Dirtll. 6. fhort, if not alfo foldomtr in fecrrt prayer~, th:m othtr Chrijlian1 thot art capiJbll of bearing it : And they mull inllead of thac which they cannot dB;-be-the more in that which they can do: As in joyning wirh others, and in Chorr ej..ct.dati0ns, befides other duties : but not abatcing their piery in the main upon any pretence of curing melancholy. H hhh CHAP.
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