ofMinifier al gifts in Prayer. 183 and catechize tIir children, by fuch books and forms of Catechifms as are compofed by the gifts of abler men ? Moreover Prayer is the duty of every one, and fpeciallyof the heads of families : And there- fore everytrue Chriflian hath gifts procured by Chriff, for fo much as is his duty. And he is bound to ufe his gifts. And yet thofe gifts are fo low in many, that I fear not to call that man ef- fe&ively an enemy to families, fouls and prayer, who forbiddeth all Ad), to ufe fuch forms of prayer as are cornpofed by the gifts of others, The famoufeft Divines in the Church of God, even Luther, Zwwingliu, Melanahon, Calvin, Per - ¿ins, Sibbs, and abundance of Nonconfo.rmifis ofgreateíaname in England, did ordinarily ufe a form of prayer of their own , before their Ser- mons in the Pulpit , and force of them in their families too. Now there men dial it not through idlenefs or through temporizing , but becauff force of them found it bell for the people , to have oit the fame words : and force of ti,en a found fuch a weaknefs of memory, that they judg- ed it the heft improvement of their own gifts. Now befdes the firfi compcfvsre of thefe prayers, ( which perhaps was done zo years before) none of thefe men did ufe their own gifts, any mo -e than if they had ufed a form compofed by another. For the memory & utterance is the fame of both, Thefe all were famous worthy ten, whom no wife man judgeth to be infufficient for the Mini-' flry for want ofgifts. But if inch as there may fo many years forbear the exercife of their gift cf extemporary prayer, much more may far weaker P -l
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