Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

" hold;" i. e. to pray with them and for them, and probably to offer up his familythanksgivings for the great national mercy which he had been celebrating in the public affembly. From this plain and instructive paffage of Scripture-history, I fhall take occafion, in the

First place, To prove, that it is the indifpenfable duty of all to whom God hath given families, to worship God publicly in their own houfes; or, that every man is bound, according to the example of David, "to blefs his houfehold." In the

Second place, I fhall fhow you the reafonableness of this duty. And then, in

the

Third place, I fhall reprefent to you the advantages which accompany the practice of it, and the pernicious confequences which muft follow from the neglect of it.

I BEGIN with proving, that it is the indifpenfable duty of all to whom God hath given families, to worship God publicly in their own houses. This is a truth which: even the light of nature doth very plainly

teach

teach us. A family is a fociety connected together by fuch ftrict ties, that every argument for the propriety of private prayer, is equally conclufive for that of family-devotion. Of this even the Heathens were fenfible for befides their tutelar deities, who were fuppofed to prefide over cities and nations, and who had public honours paid to them in that character, we read of houfehold-gods, whom every private family worshipped at home as their immediate guardians and benefactors.

But the light of Scripture affords us a more clear and fatisfying discovery of our obligations to this duty, as well as of the proper manner of performing it. It reveals to us that great Mediator, by whom we have access to the throne of grace, and through whom all our religious fervices are accepted by God. It not only represents prayer as a privilege which we are permitted to ufe, but exprefsly requires it as a duty which we are bound to perform. Thus we are commanded, " In every thing, by prayer and "fupplication, with thanksgiving, to make our requefts known unto God; to pray VOL. III. always,

P

46

always, with all prayer and fupplication " in the Spirit, and to continue in prayer:" And it is obfervable, that this last exhortation is particularly addressed to mafters of families, as you may read, (Coloff. iv. 1, 2.), "Masters, give unto your fervants that "which is just and equal, knowing that ye "alfo have a Mafter in heaven." The Apostle goes on, ftill addreffing them in the fame character; " Continue in prayer, and "watch in the fame, with thanksgiving." In the fame ftrain Paul writes to Timothy, (1 Tim. ii. 8.), "I will therefore, that men

pray every where, lifting up holy hands, "without wrath or doubting." And furely, if in all places men ought to lift up holy hands unto God, much more ought they to do fo in their own families, which are immediately under their care, and for whofe spiritual as well as temporal intereft they ought to be chiefly concerned. Accordingly, we learn from the facred history, that this has been the uniform practice of good men in all ages of the world. The care of the ancient Patriarchs, to keep up familyreligion, is very remarkable. We find A

braham

braham rearing up altars wherever he came : And for what end did he this, but that on these altars he might offer facrifices, and call upon God with his household? We have another bright example of this in Job, of whom we read, (Fob i. 5.), that “ he sent for "his fons and fanctified them, and rofe up "early in the morning, and offered burnt"offerings for cach of them ;" and left it might be thought that this family-worfhip was only occafional and accidental, it is added at the close of the verse, "Thus did Job "continually." Nor was this peculiar to the patriarchal state, when each family was a church by itself; but the fame good practice was continued after the Jews were formed into a national church, and had priests appointed to prefide in the public worship. Thus Joshua vowed, not only for himself, but likewife for his house, that they would ferve the Lord: which plainly imports a refolution on his part, to ufe all the means in his power to make his family do so: particularly, to worship God before them, and to take care that, none fhould dwell in his house, who would not join in this holy fer

[blocks in formation]

vice. The example of David in the text is abundantly plain; for though he had priests and Levites about im, yet he did not devolve the work upon them, but he himself, as head and master of the houfe," bleffed his ❝household."

In the New-Teftament writings it is very ufual to give private families of devout Christians the name of churches. But furely this would have been a most improper appellation, if God had not been publicly acknowledged, and the daily facrifices of prayers and praises had not been offered in them.

Thefe, I think, are fufficient intimations of the will of God in this matter; and may ferve to convince any man, who acknowledgeth the divine authority of the Scriptures, that it is the unquestionable duty of all who have families, to maintain the worfhip of God in their houses.-The reasonableness of this duty was the

[ocr errors]

Second thing which I propofed to fhow: and this, I hope, will appear from the following confiderations.

« AnteriorContinuar »