#ÌO PRAYERS FOR CHILDREN. II. Learn the prayers which you use, by heart, as soon as you can : For hereby, you will be able to pray in the dark, where you cannot see to read : Hereby also, you will learn what is the sense and language of a christian prayer, and so you will the sooner be able to form prayers for yourselves, and pray to God without such prayers composed for you. But, I would not have you entirely neglect praying to God all the while you are learning themby heart : For if you read them in a humble, . se- rions and pious manner, God will accept your morning and evening worship. This is far better than to live without prayer, to live as the brute beasts, who never call upon God. And in- deed, when you can repeat the prayers by heart, I cannot think it amiss, many times to have the book open near you, lest your memory slip, in your younger years of childhood, before you are capable of putting in other words of your own, to supply the place of these words, which you have forgotten. III. Seek out a proper time to retire alone by yourself, 'morning and evening, at those seasons or hours wherein you have no other necessary business or duty. And here I would persuade myselfthat parents or masters, who take due care of the souls of children, would not only ad- monish and encourage them to seek God in secret, morning and evening, but would point out a proper place for their retirements. This is easy done in private families : And they should make some observations, whether children observe these seasons or no. In some schools, I have heard there are certain seasons in the day, which are called, " The half hour," which are ordained, on purpose, for children to retire ; and, if they cannot be en- tirely alone, yet, at distant parts of their bed-chambers, they may lift up their hearts, and their low voices, to God in worship. In the morning, I would generally say, the earlier the bet- ter : For if you lose the first opportunity, you will often find that you will be utterly hindered from praying, by other things that may happen. Besides, it is best to call upon God early, and begin the day with religion, that you may begablessing on yourself, and on all your business that day. Do not begin with the world in the morning, before you have been with God. In the evening, I cannot say, the later the better : But rather em- brace the first convenient evening hour that offers, lest you be drowsy. However, it is much better to pray late, than not to pray at all. If, at any time, you are hindered in the morning, be sure, if possible, that you be not hindered in the evening too. But the best way is to keep pretty nearly the same seasons, every day, for your morning and evening retirements, if your circumstances of life, and the affairs of the family where you live will allow it. Perhaps, there may some children, who are called to school,
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