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day without fail, pray to God in private, morning and evening; and if he has a family, he should every day, at some convenient time pray with them also, in order to the better keeping up a sense of religion

in it.

PROOFS SUBJOINED.-Psalm lv. 17. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice. Joshua, xxiv. 15. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

15. Q. Do you think it to be a matter of necessary duty, to pray publicly with the church?

A. In general it certainly is; especially upon the Lord's day, and such other solemn times of prayer as both the laws of the realm, and the canons of the church require of us. As for the daily prayers, if we live in a place where they are publicly read, and are not hindered by any necessary business to come to them, I do not see how we can excuse ourselves from usually joining in them.

PROOFS SUBJOINED.-Acts, i. 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. ii. 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all, with one accord, in one place. ii. 46. And they continuing daily, with one accord, in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. iii. 1. Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. xx. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 1 Cor. xi. 20. When ye come together therefore into

one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. xiv. 16, 19. Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest. Yet in the church, I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Heb. xii. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.

16. Q. Has our Saviour left us any particular direction how we should pray?

A. He has left us a form of his own composing, not only to be continually made use of by us; but also to be a pattern to us, after what manner we ought to put up our own addresses to God.

17. Q. In what does that form chiefly direct us to compose our own prayers aright?

A. It teaches us especially these four things. First, that we should make our prayers short and pertinent; as being most suitable both to the wisdom and majesty of God, and to our own weakness and infirmities. Secondly, that we should pray for others as well as for ourselves; and that in our private as well as our public prayers. Thirdly, that we may pray for the necessaries of this life; though our main concern should be, in our prayers as well as our endeavours, after those of the other. Fourthly, that we should pray to God only, and to him as our Faher, through faith in Christ Jesus. Gal. iii. 26. For e are all the children of God by faith in Christ

esus.

18. Q. Have you any thing else to observe from the form of this prayer?

A. This only, that to pray to God by a set form, is so far from being a thing either in itself unlawful or injurious to the Holy Spirit, that we see our Saviour himself has here given us an example for it: as under the law, God was pleased in several cases to direct the very words in which he would be addressed by the Jews.

PROOFS SUBJOINED.-Numb. vi. 23 to 27. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numb. x. 35, 36. And it came to pass when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee, flee before thee: and when it rested he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Judah. Compare Numb. v. 21, 22. Deut. xxvi. 3, 5, 13. Numb. Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; and this water which causeth the curse, shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: and the woman shall say, Amen, amen. Deut. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us. And thou shalt

speak and say before the Lord thy God, a Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levites, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me.

SECT. XXXIV.

Of the Lord's Prayer in particular; and therein first, of the Introduction of it.

1. Q. Say the Lord's Prayer.

A. Our Father which art in heaven; hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

2. Q. What are the general parts of this prayer? A. It is divided into three general parts: *a preface or introduction; the petitions; and * a doxology, or conclusion.

3. Q. What is the preface to this prayer?
A. Our Father which art in heaven.

4. Q. Wherefore did our Saviour begin his prayer with this compellation of God, Our Father?

A. As for the other reasons hereafter mentioned, so especially to put us in mind that all our hope of being heard, or accepted by God, is by virtue of that

Ask

relation wherein we stand to him, in and through his Son Jesus Christ. John, xiv. 6. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. John, xv. 16. xvi. 23, 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you; whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. See Col. iii. 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Eph. ii. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

PROOFS SUBJOINED. -John, i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Rom. viii. 15, 16. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Gal. iii. 26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal. iv. 5, 6, 7. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God, through Christ.

5. Q. Why was that circumstance added, Which art in heaven?

A. To shew the difference between him and our earthly parents, who sometimes are hard toward their children, and will not give them what they ask; oftentimes are not able to supply their needs: and, in many cases, cannot tell what is best for them; but either deny them when they ought to have given them

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