A new family-book, or, The true interest of families being directions to parents and children, and to those who are instead of parents : shewing them their several duties, and how they may be happy in one another : together with several prayers for families and children, and graces before and after meat : to which is annexed a discourse about the right way of improving our time / by James Kirkwood ... ; with a preface, by Dr. Horneck.

3. Duty, to teach them to pray.

Thirdly, Teach them, so soon as may be, to pray to God Morning and Evening; To say after you, or others whom you appoint for that purpose, two or three short Petitions, which are easie to be understood; and as their Understanding and Capacity in∣creaseth, teach them the Lord's Pray∣er; and after that some larger Form of Prayer, which they may say after you, till they can read it themselves, or get it by heart.

You are to have a special care, that they perform their Devotions in as grave and serious a manner as their years can admit: You are to keep them from all sorts of indecent Actions and Postures, when they say their Prayers: For this end, you are to teach them who it is they speak to when they pray, and what those things mean, which the pray for.

Chuse the sittest times for them, wherein to say their Prayers: As in the Morning, when-ever they arise; while

their Spirits are most vigorous, and their Thoughts most free. At Night let them say their Prayers rather be∣fore Supper than after; because after Supper, they are more apt to be very dull and sleepy, and thereby less fit for such a performance. God is not to be served with the refuse of our Thoughts, and with sluggish sleepy Desires; but with our best and most lively Affecti∣ons, and with the strength and fervour of our desires.

You are to prevent their omitting their Prayers at any one time; because doing so once or twice, they are apt to neglect them wholly, or to return to them with great aversness: Where∣as Custom and Constancy in perform∣ing their Devotions, will make them much more easie and pleasant to them.

When they are possessed with more perfect and solid thoughts about Re∣ligion, with stronger and more lively impressions of Divine things, and are able without great difficulty to express the sense of their Souls; They may do what they find serves best the great purposes of Devotion: If praying without restraining themselves to any particular Form of Words, contribute

more to their Fervency and Elevation of Mind in Prayer, let them pray with∣out using a Form: But, if they find that their Minds are more stayed and fixed, and their Fervency and Devotion greater in the use of a Form than with∣out it, let them do that which they find best.

When they pray for outward and temporal things, teach them to do it with an entire submission to the Will of God, who hath promised perishing things conditionally, that is, so far as he sees the bestowing of them will be for his Glory, and the good of his Children: Therefore they must not be peremptory, vehement, and importu∣nate in their desires and Prayers for such things, but ought to pray for them with great Humility and Resignation to the Divine Will.

As for spiritual Blessings, to wit, the pardon of Sin, the direction and assistance of the Spirit of God, his Grace to help them in time of need, power and strength to fight against the Devil, the World, and the Flesh, &c. These things are to be prayed for with all the importunity and earnest∣ness that is possible. The more vehe∣ment

and fervent their desires and Prayers are for such things, the more acceptable are they to God, and the more likely to obtain from him the desires of their Souls; for he hath pro∣mised, to satisfie the longing Soul with good things.

As it is the Duty of Parents to teach their Children to pray Morning and Evening, so they ought to teach them, always to bless God before and after Meals. You ought at first, when they begin to speak, to cause them to say after you, or after those who attend them, two or three words, before and after Meat. And when they come to greater Capacity, teach them a larger Form. This will, in due time, be a means to excite in their Minds a Sense of the power and goodness of God, of their dependance upon him for all need∣ful things, both for Soul and Body, and of their own weakness and indi∣gence.