402 MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS. many serious persons whose hearts have a sincere tendency toward God, and their want of words to express even the pious thoughts that arise within them ; may we not suppose that they would be thankful for some such assistances in this wòrk of in- ward religion, if they were but once furnished with them by their friends, and encouraged to make use of them : and even the wisest and the best of men might be glad of them at some seasons. And let me add also, said he, there is many a family which would have lived to this day without paying homage to the God of nature and grace ht social worship, which has been enabled by the help of pious forms to maintain daily religion in the house, and the children and the servants of the family have been trained up to constant devotion and daily acknowledgement of God, by these assistances, borrowed from holy and skilful writers. And God forbid that any house among christians should be prayerless, since these devout compositions are so easy to be had. This is well known and abundantly practised amongst the christians of the established church, and they rejoice in it as their privilege and their constant blessing ; whereas I fear there are some among the protestant dissenters have been educated with such an unreasonable and superstitious aversion to all pre-com- posed prayers, that a few of them, even to this day, are hardly willing that children and ignorant persons should use them. And there are but few, I doubt, who give themselves leave to make a full and proper use of such advantages with which,our nation and our age are furnished. Dr. Patrick, Dr. Inset, Dr. Menton, and Mr. Jenks, with several other worthy divines, have done much this way ; some of the dissenters themselves bave given assistance in this affair, and have composed forms of address to God upon the common occasions of life, as well as upon the various themes of the christian religion. Mr. Baxter in the last age, and Mr. Howe, and in this century Mr. Murray, Mr. Bourne, and others; and I wish this sort of devotional writings were multiplied among them. I acknowledge, says Libero, this is the case ; we have some unhappy prejudices still hanging about our spirits, in making a religious use of written or printed prayers, either in our retire- ments, or in the family ; and I am now sensible this has bereaved us of those advantages for the religion of the closet and the household, which our neighbours partake of, and which we might enjoy with great liberty of soul,'and rejoice in with rich improvement. I thank you from my heart, dear Bohemus, for the lesson I have learnt of you this day, and I will endeavour that many of my friends shall learn it too, that they may no more renounce that spiritual assistance and relief which maybe borrowed from pious composures ; and especially that masters of families
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