7. Be very attentive and ferious at church; ufe no laughing, nor gazing about, nor whispering, unless it be to ask those by you, fomething of the fermon that you flipped in writing. 8. Sing the finging pfalms with the reft of the congregation. 9. After fermon, eat moderately at dinner, rather fparingly than plentifully upon this day, that you may be fit for the afternoon's exercise, without drowsiness or dulnefs. 10. Walk half an hour after dinner, in the garden, to digest your meat, then go to your chamber and perufe your notes, or recollect what you remember of the fermon, until it be church-time. II. If you are well, be fure you go to church morning and afternoon, and be there before the minister begin, and stay till he hath ended: and all the while you are at church, carry yourself gravely, foberly, and reverently. 12. After evening fermon go up to your chamber and read a chapter in the Bible; then examine what you have written, or recollect what you have heard; and if the fermon be not repeated in your father's house, but be repeated in the minifter's house, go to the minifter's house to the repetition of the fermon. 13. In all your speeches or actions of this day, let there be no lightness nor vanity; ufe no running, or leaping, or playing, or wrestling; ufe no jefting, or telling of tales or foolish stories, no talk about worldly business; but let your actions and fpeech be fuch as the day is, serious and facred, tending to learn or inftruct in the great bufinefs of your knowlege of God, and his will and your own duty. 14. After fupper, and prayers ended in my family, every one of you going to bed, kneel down upon your knees, and defire of God his pardon for what you have done amifs this day, and his bleffing upon what you have heard, and his acceptance of what you have endeavoured in his fervice. 15. Perform all this chearfully, and uprightly, and honestly; and count it not a burden to you; for assure yourselves you shall find a bleffing from God in fo doing. And remember it is your father that tells you fo, and that loves you, and will not deceive you; and (which is more than than that) remember that the eternal God hath promif ed, Ifa. lviii. 13, 14. "If thou turn away thy foot from "the fabbath, from doing thy pleafure on my holy day, "and call the fabbath a delight; the holy of the Lord, "honourable; and fhalt honour him, not doing thy own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor fpeaking "thine own words; then fhalt thou delight thyfelf in "the Lord, and I will caufe thee to ride upon the high "places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath fpoken it." And thus I.have written to you of the obfervation of the Lord's day; wherein, though I have omitted many things that might have been fit to be inferted, yet you must consider that I had but a fmall portion of time allowed me to write, while I lay at an inn, and upon that day wherein I have performed those duties, which I now enjoin you. Let the original be laid up fafely for your brother R. and every one of you take copies of it, that you may thereby remember the counfels of October the 20th, 1662. "} Your loving Father. The CONTENTS of the FIRST VOLUME. HE Life of the Author. To the Confideration of our Latter End. Of Wifdem, and the Fear of God. Of the Knowlege of Chrift Crucified, in 2 Parts. Of Humility. The Modefty and Reasonableness of Jacob's Defire. Of Contentation. Of Afflictions. Page 9 A good Method to entertain unftable and troublesome Times. Changes and troubles, a Poem. Of the Redemption of Time. The Great AUDIT. The Account of the good Steward. Diretions for keeping the Lord's Day. THE END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 107 115 135 252 276 313 323 340 366 372 373 384 389 424 |