·. Family Fa~Jng~' 3~5 extt:aordinary prayer infamilies, upoti fome fpee1al occafions, is both required by him, and acceptable un· to him through Jefus Ghrift his Son. . Secondly, As for a providential ca{l to famzly-fa/1ing and humiliation; by what i~ faid_before, fo~ clear– ing o(one's call to perfonal fa{hng, tt may be JUdged · of and difcerned ; the circumfiances of the family be"' ing duly confidered, and what the conduCt: of provi– dence towards it appears to point unto. The cafe of others, in whom the family hat.b a particular concern, efpecially the cafe of the church, may found a call to family-fafling; as is clear from the prall:ice ofEjther with her maids, Efih. iv. 16. And fo may the private cafe of the family itfelf; whether ,in refpell: offamily– fins, fami/y·flrokes threafned,or inflicted, or fome fpecial family·mercies to be defired~ And fince the exemplification of thefe general heads, ip one's pri– -vate cafe, made in the fecond Sell:ion of the forego" ' ing chapter, may without difficulty be accommodated to the cafe of one's family, by perfons of the mean– eft capacity difpofed to confider them; it is not ·ne• .ce£fary here to defcend to particulars again. . , Lajlly, For direCtions towards family-fafling; there are but few that need to be added unto thefe given be– fore, in the cafe of perfonal fafiing. It is plain from · the nature of the thing, that the external ordering and management of this matter belongs to the head of 1 the family: and he or fue is difcreetly to choofe and ap– point the time and place, wherein the fami!ymay /per– form the duty ~ith leafi difl:urbance ; and to fee, that all ,be done decently and in order. And, Firjl, ,Let the head of the family, fome competent time, .at leafr the night before, give notice to them, that fuch a time is fet apart for, and to be fpent in. that exercife ; and withal fuew them the caufes of it~ and exhort them 1 to fiir up thernfelves to the duties 0f fuch a folemn approach untd God. Common pru· , -d.ence will direCt, as well as Chrifiian duty doth oB b 2 blige,
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