ment in the world; and so careful was he (like Jacob) "to drive as the children could go," not putting "new wine into old bottles." If some good people that mean well would do likewise, it might prevent many of those prejudices which young persons are apt to conceive against religion, when the services of it are made a toil and a terror to them.

On Thursday evenings (instead of reading) he catechised his children and servants in the Assembly's Catechism, with the proofs, or sometimes in a little catechism, concerning the matter of prayer, published in the year 1674, and said to be written by Dr. Collins, which they learned for their help in the gift of prayer, and he explained it to them. Or they read, and he examined them in some other useful book, as Mr. Pool's Dialogues against the Papists, the Assembly's Confession of Faith with the Scriptures, or the like.

On Saturday evenings, his children and servants gave him an account of what they could remember of the chapters that had been expounded all the week before, in order, each a several part, helping one another's memories for the recollecting of it. This he called, "gathering up the fragments which

He

remained, that nothing might be lost." would say to them sometimes as Christ to his disciples, "Have ye understood all these things?" If not, he took that occasion to explain them more fully. This exercise (which he constantly kept up all along) was both delightful and profitable, and being managed by him with so much prudence and sweetness, helped to instill into those about him betimes, the knowledge and love of the holy Scriptures.

When he had sojourners in his family, who were able to bear a part in such a service, he had commonly, in the winter time, set weekly conferences, on questions proposed, for their mutual edification and comfort in the fear of God; the substance of what was said, he himself took and kept an account of in writing..

But the Lord's day he called and counted the queen of days, the pearl of the week, and observed it accordingly. The fourth commandment intimates a special regard to be had to the Sabbath in families, "thou, and thy son, and thy daughter," &c. it is "the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." In this therefore he was very exact, and

abounded in the work of the Lord in his family on that day. Whatever were the circumstances of his public opportunities, (which varied as we shall find afterwards) his family religion on that day was the same: extraordinary sacrifices must never supercede the continual burnt-offering and his meat-offering, Numb. xxviii. 15. His common salutation of his family or friends, on the Lord's day in the morning, was that of the primitive Christians: "the Lord is risen, he is risen indeed;" making it his chief business on that day, to celebrate the memory of Christ's resurrection; and he would say sometimes, "Every Lord's day is a true Christian's Easter day." He took care to have his family ready early on that day, and was larger in exposition and prayer on Sabbath mornings than on other days. He would often remember, that under the law the daily sacrifice was doubled on Sabbath days, two lambs in the morning, and two in the evening. He had always a particular subject for his expositions on Sabbath mornings; the harmony of the Evangelists several times over, the Scripture prayers, Old Testament prophecies of Christ, "Christ the true treasure" (so he en

titled that subject,) "sought and found in the field of the Old Testament."

sung a psalm after dinner, and

He constantly another after

And in the

supper, on the Lord's days. evening of the day his children and servants were catechised and examined in the sense and meaning of the answers in the catechism; that they might not say it (as he used to tell them) like a parrot, by rote. Then the day's sermons were repeated, commonly by one of his children, when they were grown up, and while they were with him; and the family gave an account of what they could remember of the word of the day, which he endeavoured to fasten upon them, as a nail in a sure place. In his prayers on the evening of the Sabbath, he was often more than ordinarily enlarged; as one that found not only God's service perfect freedom, but his work its own wages, and a great reward; not only after keeping, but (as he used to observe from Psal. xix. 11,) in keeping God's commandments. A present reward of obedience in obedience. In that prayer he was usually very particular, in praying for his family and all that belonged to it. It was a prayer he often put up that, that we might have

grace to carry it "as a minister, and a minister's wife, and a minister's children, and a minister's servants should carry it, that the ministry might in nothing be blamed." He would sometimes be a particular intercessor for the towns and parishes adjacent: how have I heard him when he hath been in the mount with God, in a Sabbath evening prayer, wrestle with the Lord for Chester, and Shrewsbury, and Nantwich, and Wrexham, and Whitchurch, &c. those nests of souls, wherein there are so many, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left in spiritual things. He closed his Sabbath work in his family with singing Psalm cxxxiv. and after it a solemn blessing of his family.

Thus was he prophet and priest in his own house; and he was king there too, ruling in the fear of God, and not suffering sin upon any under his roof.

He had many years ago a man-servant that was once overtaken in drink abroad; for which, the next morning at family worship he solemnly reproved him, admonished him, and prayed for him with a spirit of meekness, and soon after parted with him. But