A50162:112
Small offers towards the service of the tabernacle in the wilderness four discourses accommodated…
Small offers towards the service of the tabernacle in the wilderness four discourses accommodated unto the designs of practical godliness : preached partly at Boston, partly at Charleston / by Cotton Mather ; published by a gentleman lately restored from threatening sickness as a humble essay to serve the interest of religion, in gratitude unto God for his recovery.
Boston: printed by R. Pierce, 1689
THE GOOD MANS RESOLUTION. › Section 10 › Rule 3: The Third Rule.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The Third Rule.
Be frequent enough, and yet very serious in your family-Prayers. Very shameful is their neglect, who have Prayers in their Families but once a ⟨image 22⟩day. The Apostle saith in Col. 4. 2. Masters▪ continue in prayer; he speaks with a manifest Allusion to the daily Offering under the Law of old; which was both morning and evening. We should have Morning-Prayers, and Evening-Prayers, correspondent unto the daily Sacrifice. And hence, because the Sacrifice was doubled on the Sabbath, I have known some pious people, pray four times every Lords-Day with their Families. Be sure, Twice a day is ordinarily the seldomest and slenderest Repetition that our Family-prayers are to have.
O but we should therein stir up our selves to take hold on God. When you keel before the Lord, you should not be rash, hasty, sudden in it; you should not be sleig•ty in this great Exercise of of Religion. Before we pray, we should think, Think seriously, To WHOM am I to pray? and For What am I to Pray? and How soon may I dye, and my praying seasons all be over? And before we pray, we should Read. Read seriously something of the Things which are commanded you of God. The Scriptures are to accompany our prayers. Tis said They are to dwell with us. The Bible is to be one of the House, When we betake our selves to our Payers, we should not let the Bible say, I should have been as one of the Family; pray, why was not I called in?