holinefs of a mean fubject, how venerable muit a devout parent or mafter appear in the eyes of his own family, when, besides that authority which his station gives him, they fee him adorned with that piety and regard to God, which of themfelves would dignify him, and render him worthy of their esteem and honour? How muft it endear him to their hearts, to behold his anxious concern for their welfare; to hear him morning and evening commending them to the protection of Almighty God, imploring the pardon of their fins, and earneftly foliciting the fame bleffings for them. which he begs for himfelf? And how muft this esteem and love influence their whole behaviour, and make them not only faithful, but cheerful, active, and zealous in every part of the duty and fervice which they owe him? I am aware, I am aware, that many think to maintain their authority in their families by other fort of prayers than those I am recommending: I mean, by horrid curfes and imprecations; yea, fome are fo abandoned. as to plead the neceffity of these, to render their orders effectual. But this practice

muft

appear

muft fo abfurd and odious to every thinking perfon, that, I am perfuaded, I need not spend your time in expofing it. Such a vile and impious habit must evidently deftroy at once all that efteem and love, which are the only fure and permanent principles of obedience. Their whole authority, therefore, must lean on the precarious foundation of a fervile fear, which God, who hath the hearts of all men in his hands, can remove when he pleases; and then they fhall become utterly contemptible, and may curfe on without having any perfon to regard them, till their own curfes overtake them. -But,

2dly, As the practice of worshipping God in your houses, would contribute much to your worldly profperity, in the manner I have just now explained; fo it has likewise a manifest tendency to promote your fpiri'tual and eternal interest. It is not only a confiderable branch of that homage which you owe to God, but it may be alfo of great ufe to restrain you from fin, and to render you cautious and circumfpect in every part your behaviour. A man will be ashamed

of

to

to do any thing against the honour of that God whom he fo publicly acknowledges before his family; and the very defire of appearing confiftent with himself in the eyes of his children or fervants, will hardly fail to produce at least an outward decency, and to restrain him from many of those scandalous fins, which he might otherwise be in danger of committing. So that though family-worship ferved no higher purpose than to hedge in our practice before our household, I fhould even think that a confiderable recommendation of it; and every wife and good man must esteem and value it upon that account. But this is one of the leaft of its happy effects. The practice of this duty would not only render our outward conduct cautious and decent, but would also tincture our minds deeply with a fente of God, and of divine things. It would give us greater boldnefs, too, in our fecret approaches to the throne of grace. How can that man have any, confidence or enlargement of heart in fecret prayer, whose confcience reproacheth him with never having honoured that God in public, from whom

whom he is now going to ask the most unmerited favours? It is true, indeed, that our Lord, in great condefcenfion, granted a private audience, in the night season, to Nicodemus, who had not the courage to own him in the face of the day. But no man hath reafon to expect the fame indulgence now. Nay, however uncharitable it may be thought, I must declare it as my opinion, that the neglect of public duties gives too just ground to fufpect, that those of a more private nature are either little minded, or fuperficially performed. For, did you obtain accefs to God in fecret prayer, and taste the fweetness of holy communion with him in your clofets, there can be no doubt that you would thereby be difpofed to the duties of focial worship.-A

3d advantage of family worship is, That under the influences of the divine Spirit, it is one of the most effectual means of promoting the falvation of all your household. Many godly perfons have afcribed their own vital impreffions of religion to their living in a devout family: and many a finner, ruined by vice and evil habits, has too juft

ly

ly laid the blame of it on the wickedness of thofe with whom he dwelt. What numbers of children and fervants have been loft for want of that good example which it was the duty of their parents or masters to have given them? As in a profane and fenfual family there are continual temptations to fin, to swearing, lying, intemperance, and contempt of God; fo in a devout well governed house, there are continual incitements to a holy life, to faith, love, fobriety, and heavenly mindedness. The authority of the heads of the family, and the converfation and example of all the members of it, are powerful inducements to a religious temper and behaviour. As in a well-difciplined army, even the cowards are constrained to stand to their arms, and to act violently, by the general order of the whole; fo in a religious household, a wicked man can scarcely contrive how to live wickedly, but feems to be almoft a faint, by being continually among those who appear to be faints. O how easy and well paved (if I may use the expreffion) is the way to heaven in such cious fociety, in comparison of what

a ́ gra

it is to

thofe