Sins; for Grace to repent, to believe, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly; and that they may 'ferve God with Joy and Delight, walking before him.

They are to give Thanks to God for his many Mercies to his People, and to themselves; and efpecially for his Love in Chrift, and for the Light of the • Gospel.

'They are to pray for fuch particular Benefits, fpiritual and temporal, as they ftand in need of for the Time (whether it be Morning or Evening) as anent Health or Sickness, Profperity or Adverfity.

'They ought to pray for the Kirk of Chrift in general, for all the reformed Kirks, and for this Kirk in ( particular, and for all that fuffer for the Name of Chrift; for all our Superiors, the King's Majefty, the 'Queen, and their Children; for the Magiftrates, Minifters, and whole Body of the Congregation, whereof they are Members, as well for their Neighbours abfent in their lawful Affairs, as for thofe that are at Home.

The Prayer may be clofed with an earneft Defire 'that God may be glorified in the Coming of the Kingdom of his Son, and in the doing of his Will; and with 'Affurance that themselves are accepted, and what they have asked according to his Will fhall be done.'

X. Thefe Exercifes ought to be performed in great Sincerity, without Delay, laying afide all Exercifes of worldly Bufinefs or Hindrances, notwithstanding the Mockings of Atheists, and profane Men; in respect of the great Mercies of God to this Land, and of his fevere Corrections wherewith lately he hath exercised us. And to this Effect, Perfons of Eminency (and all Elders of the Kirk) not only ought to ftir up themfelves and Families to Diligence herein, but alfo to concur effectually, that in all other Families, where they have Power and Chirge, the faid Exercife be confcionably performed.

XI. Besides the ordinary Dut'es in Families, which are above-mentioned, extraordinary Duties, both of Humiliation and Thanksgiving, are to be carefully perfor

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med in Families, when the Lord by extraordinary Oc cafions (private or publick) calleth for them.

XII. Seeing the Word of God requireth, that we fhould confider one another to provoke unto Love and good Works; therefore, at all Times, and fpecially in this Time, wherein Profanity abounds, and Mockers, walking after their own Lufts, think it strange that others run not with them to the fame Excefs of Riot; Every Member of this Kirk ought to ftir up themselves, and one another, to the Duties of mutual Edification, by Inftruction, Admonition, Rebuke; exhorting one another to manifeft the Grace of God, in denying Ungodlinefs and worldly Lufts, and in living godly, foberly, and righteously in this prefent World, by comforting the Feeble-minded, and praying with, or for one another: Which Duties refpectively are to be performed upon fpecial Occafions offered by Divine Providence; As namely, when under any Calamity, Crofs, or great Difficulty, Counsel or Comfort is fought, or when an Offender is to be reclaimed by private Admonition; and if that be not effectual, by joining one or two more in the Admonition, according to the Rule of Chrift: That in the Mouth of two or three Witnesfes every Word may be established.

XIII. And becaufe it is not given to every one to fpeak a Word in Seafon to a wearied or distressed Confcience, it is expedient, that a Perfon (in that Cafe) finding no Eafe after the Ufe of all ordinary Means, private and publick, have their Addreffes to their own Paftor, or fome experienced Chriftian: But if the Perfon, troubled in Confcience, be of that Condition, or of that Sex, that Difcretion, Modefty, or fear of Scandal, requireth a godly, grave and feeret Friend to be present with them in their faid Address, it is expedient that such a Friend be prefent.

XIV. When Perfons of diverfe Families are brought together by Divine Providence, being abroad upon their particular Vocations, or any neceffary Occafions; as they would have the Lord their God with them whitherfoever they go, they ought to walk with God, and not

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neglect the Duties of Prayer and Thanksgiving, but take Care that the fame be performed by fuch as the Company fhall judge fittest. And that they likewife take heed that no corrupt Communication proceed out of their Mouths, but that which is good, to the Use of edifying, that it may minifter Grace to the Hearers.

The Drift and Scope of all these Directions is no o ther but that, upon the one Part, the Power and Prac tice of Godliness amongst all the Ministers and Members of this Kirk, according to their feveral Places and Vocations, may be cherished and advanced, and all Impiety and mocking of religious Exercifes fuppreffed: And upon the other Part, that, under the Name and Pretext of religious Exercifes, no fuch Meetings or Practices be allowed, as are apt to breed Error, Scandal, Schifin, Contempt, or Mif-regard of the publick Ordinances and Minifters, or Neglect of the Duties of particular Callings, or fuch other Evils as are the Works, not of the Spirit but of the Flesh, and are contrary to Truth and Peace.

A. KER.

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POSTSCRIPT.

Very Learned and Godly Divine having bewailed the great Distractions, Corruptions and Divifions that are in the Church, he thus reprefents the Caufe and Cure: Among others, a principal Caufe of these Mischiefs, is the great and common Neglect ' of the Governours of Families in the Discharge of that Duty which they owe to God for the Souls that are under their Charge, efpecially in teaching them the Doctrine of Christianity. Families are Societies that 'must be fanctified to God, as well as Churches: And "the Governours of them have as truly a Charge of the * Souls that are therein, as Pastors have of the Churches. 'But, alas! How little is this confidered or regarded! But while negligent Minifters are (defervedly) caft out ' of their Places, the negligent Maiters of Families take R 2 ⚫ them.

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⚫ themselves to be almost blameless. They offer their Children to God in Baptifm, and there they promife to teach them the Doctrine of the Gofpel, and bring them up in the Nurture of the Lord; but they easily promife, and eafily break it; and educate their Children for the World and the Flesh, altho' they have renounced thefe, and dedicated them to God. This Covenant-breaking with God, and the betraying the 'Souls of their Children to the Devil, muft ly heavy on them here or hereafter. They beget Children, and keep Families, merely for the World and the Flesh; but little confider what a Charge is committed to them, and what it is to bring up a Child for God, and govern a Family as a fanctified Society. O how fweetly and fuccefsfully would the Work of God go on, if we would but all join together in our several Places to promote it! Men need not then run without fending to be Preachers: But they might find that Part of the Work, that belongeth to them, to be enough for them, and to be the beft that they can be imployed in Efpecially Women fhould be careful of this Duty, becaufe as they are most about their Children, and have early and frequent Opportunities to inftruct them; fo is this the principal Service they can do to God in this 'World, being reftrained from more publick Work. And doubtlefs many an excellent Magiftrate hath been fent into the Common-wealth, and many an excellent Paftor fent into the Church, and many a precious Saint to Heaven, through the happy Preparation of a holy Education, perhaps by a Woman, that thought herfelf afclefs and unferviceable to the Church. Would Parents but begin betimes, and labour to affect the Hearts of their Children, with the great Matters of everlafting Life, and to acquaint them with the Subftance of the Doctrine of Chrift, and when they find in them the Knowledge and Love of Chrift, would 6 bring them then to the Paftors of the Church to be tried, confirmed, and admitted to the further Priviledges of the Church; What happy well-ordered Churches might we have? Then one Paftor need not

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be put to do the Work of two or three hundred or thousand of Governors of Families, even to teach their Children thefe Principles, which they fhould have taught them long before: Nor fhould we be put to ( preach to fo many miferable ignorant Souls, that be not " prepared by Education to understand it: Nor should we have need to fhut out fo many from holy Communion upon the Account of Ignorance, that yet have not

'the Grace to feel it, and lament it, nor the Wit and Patience to wait, in a learning State, till they are ready to be Fellow-Citizens with the Saints, and of 'the Houfhold of God. But now they come to us with aged Self-conceitednefs, being paft Children, and yet 'worse than Children, ftill having the Ignorance of Children, but being over-grown the Teachableness of 'Children; and think themfelves wife, yea wife enough to quarrel with the wifeft of their Teachers, becaule they have lived long enough to have been wife; and the Evidence of their Knowledge is their aged Igno< rance: And they are readier to flee in our Faces for 'Church-priviledges, than to learn of us, and cbey our Inftructions, till they are prepared for them, that they may do them good; like fnappifh Curs that will fnap us by the Fingers for their Meat, and fnatch it out of our Hands, and not like Children, that stay till we give it them. Parents have so used them to be unruly, 'that Minifters have to deal with too few but the Unruly. And it is for want of this laying the Foundation well at first that Profeffors themselves are so ignorant, as most are; and that fo many, especially of ( the younger Sort, do fwallow down almost any Error 'that is offered them, and follow any Sect of Dividers 'that will entice them, fo it be but done with Earneftnefs and Plaufibility. For alas! tho' by the Grace of God, their Hearts may be changed in an Hour (whenever they understand but the Effentials of the Faith) yet their Understandings muft have Time and Diligence 'to furnish them with fuch Knowledge as muft ftablif 'them, and fortifie them againft Deceits. Upon thefe, and many the like Confiderations, we should entreat