A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

The last daily duty to be performed of us, is, effectual and fervent prayer, from which not any day, nor any part of the ¹day is to be exempted; for we must, as the Apostle speaketh, pray without ceasing, always watching thereunto with all perseverance. To which end tendeth the parable of the unrighteous Judge, propounded by our Saviour Christ. In which regard, that may be said of prayer, which the Apostle requireth in preaching, namely, that it must be done in season and out of season; if at least any time may be said unseasonable for this holy duty; whereby we are not to understand with those ancient Heretics, that we must spend our whole time in prayer and do nothing else; for the Apostle Paul himself spent much of his time in preaching, writing, disputing, and in other duties of his calling, and yet as he exhorted others, so he often professeth, that it was his own practice to pray continually and without ceasing. And our Saviour Christ also, who requireth this at our hands, and propounded ²himself as a pattern of his own precept, spent much of his time in other exercises, as preaching, conferring, doing miracles, and ⟨p. 209⟩such like: But that we always be ready, and have a disposition to prayer at all times; that we think no time exempted, when any fit and good occasion is offered, whether it be night or day, or any part of either of them, nor any place excluded, if there be cause and opportunity: for we must pray every where, lifting up holy hands