Think it not enough that you give fomething privately to the poor this day, and that this may excufe you from any public contribution: For this would be a flighting of an exprefs command, and making one duty to juftle out another; and befides, would tend to fruftrate Chrift's institution of deacons and church-rulers, who are appointed to receive and distribute the collections for the poor, according to their various neceffities. When the apostle injoins the Corinthians to "lay by them in store on the firit day of the week that there might be no gatherings when he came ;" it is plain, he chiefly means their depofiting their charitable contributions with the church-rulers: For, if it were not so, there would ftill be need of gatherings when he came.

I grant indeed, it were very proper for every man, befides the public charity he gives on the Lord's day, likewife to fet apart fomething this day, and lay it by him in ftore, according to his gains and incomes through the week, as a stock or fund, out of which he might give to pious and charitable ufes, as occafion fhould require; and fo, the stock being prepared before-hand, you will give the more bountifully and more willingly to fuch uses, than otherwise you will find in your hearts to do. If not only rich men, but even tradefmen, labourers and fervants, would thus lay up, every Lord's day fome very fmall thing by them, they might, without any fenfible damage to themfelves, have fomewhat to give to proper and needy objects: And I am perfuaded this would not be the way to impair, but to increase your means.

Quest II. What are the private duties required of us upon the Lord's day?

Anf It is not enough that we fpend fome part of the Lord's day in public worthip; but fince (as I proved before) the whole day is confecrated to God, the rest of it is alfo to be kept holy, and taken up in holy duties, in private and ferret.

Domestic and private duties are neceffary on this day, both for preparing us for the public ordinances, and for improving and reaping advantage by them.

VOL. IV.

Thefe

Thefe duties are, family-worship, by reading the word, finging the praises, and calling upon the name of God, family-catechifing, repetition of fermons, chriftian

conference, &c.

I. Family worship is a duty incumbent on masters of families every day, but more especially upon the Lord's day. It is to be regreted, that there thould be any need to adduce arguments to prove this: But fince there are fome who call themfelves minifters, who either deny it, or else have not so much confcience or courage directly to affert it in their preachings or writings; (they neither prefs the performance of this duty, nor reprove the neglect of it in others; and, as it is generally faid, they do not practife it themfelves; whereby many are encouraged to flight family-worship, and think it no neceffary duty, to the great hinderance of the advancement of piety), I fhall therefore prove it to be the duty of all mafters of families, especially on the Lord's day; and that, in the first place, from the fourth commandment.

The fourth commandment is principally directed to mafters of families, because families, as fuch, are chiefly to be concerned in the keeping of it, both negatively, and pofitively. For as the command injoins every malter of a family, with "all that are within his gates, his fon, his daughter, his man fervant," &c. to forbear all manner of work on the Sabbath; fo it likewife injoins them to "remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy." Now, to keep the "Sabbath holy to the Lord," with out all doubt, implies the worthipping of God: This cannot be understood only of worshipping of God in the public affemblies, for thefe cannot be always had; yet still the command for fanctifying the Sabbath is binding on families, Again, the public worship takes up only a part of the Sabbath; but families are bound to fanctify the day throughout. This cannot be duly done by the members of the family worthipping God apart in fecret; for families, as fuch, are bound to do it. The command binds a mafter to do it jointly with his family, as well as it binds a minifter to do it jointly with his congregation. Morcover, if the command did only bind a matter of a family to worship God in public, and in

fecret,

fecret, upon the Sabbath, then he would be no further concerned in fanctifying the Sabbath than any other member of his family; alfo, he would fanctify the Sabbath as much in communion with the members of other families as those of his own, which were most abfurd. But it is plain, that the command lays it especially on the master of the family to take care of the fantifying of the Sabbath in his family; which must be by worfhipping God, as well as by refting from labour; otherwife he would do no more than is required of the beasts: And this he can never account for, unless he do it in communion with his family, go before them in it, and by his example, direct and encourage them in the holy worship and service of God upon his holy day. We have Joshua's practice fufficiently explaining this precept, Joshua xxiv. 15. He faith not" My houfe hall ferve the Lord;" but "I and my house will do it; i. e. We will jointly worship God, and fanctify his Sabbath, which are the principal parts of his fervice. This he would do, and we ought all to do, though there were no public worship in the world. And this is confirmed by Lev. xxiii. 3. which requires the Sabbath to be religioufly obferved in all our dwellings or private houses, as well as in holy convocations; by every family apart, as well as by many families together.

But I fall demonftrate the indifpenfible neceflity of this duty of family-worship, from feveral other topics. I. The light of nature and found reafon pleads for it on many accounts. 1. It teacheth that all societies fhould jointly honour their founders. Now God is the Author and Founder of families, Pfal. lxviii. 6. "God fetteth the folitary in families;" and ought not families to worship him who inftituted them, and that for this very end, that they might glorify him, and fhew forth his praise ?

2. The light of nature teacheth mafters of families to ufe all proper means for preventing the hurt of the family, and refcuing them from danger: And it is plain, that family prayer is a special mean for this effect. The light of nature taught the heathen mariner, with his 4 gag in bulü fhip's

fhip's crew, Jonah i. 4. to ufe joint prayers to fave them in a ftorm: And we fee it was the master of the hip, that called this cuty. Now, fhall a heathen mafter of a ship do more in his fociety, by nature's light, than a Chriftian master of a family will do in his, who is privileged with the clear light of the gospel?

3. The light of nature teacheth men to do all they can to promote the good of their families, to provide food and phyfic for their fervants and childrens bodies. And doth it not teach them alfo to ufe means, to preferve their fouls from wrath, and further their eternal well being? And what mean more proper for this end, than family-worship and conjunct prayer? O mafters of families, your examples herein will have happy influ ence upon your children and fervants, both to excite them to pray, and teach them how to pray.

4. Nature's light directed the heathens to have their Lares and Penates, or household gods, whom they worfhipped in a special manner, and to whom they offered facrifices for the protection and welfare of their families: So we find in fcripture, that Laban and Micah had their Teraphim or household gods. Now, though these were vain helpless gods, yet it fhews they belived a neceffity of family-worthip. Alas! heathens will rife up in judgment against many who are called Chriftians.

II. We are commanded in fcripture to pray every where, and with all manner of prayer," 1 Tim. ii. 8. Eph. vi. 8. Now, if we must pray in all places, then furely in cur families: if with "all manner of then furely with "family-prayer."

prayer,"

III. Mafters of families are bound to love God" with all their hearts, and their neighbours as themselves ;" and confequently are bound to bring their families along with them to the worl ip of God. God's people are filled with fuch love and zeal, that they frequently call the inanimate creatures to join with them in God's praife, Pial. Ixix. 34. Pfal. cxlviii. 2. &c. and how much more fheu'd they call their neighbours and fellow-chriftians? How oft doth David invite and exhort others to praife God with him? And will not mafters

mafters of families, who love God and their neighbour, invite and exhort those to whom they are fo nearly related, to join with them in the praife and worship of God?

IV. Families have many joint errands to the throne of grace, which call for joint family-prayers and praises: They often fin together, and therefore it is fit they confefs and mourn together. They need many familybleffings, and it is fit they jointly feek them: They are expofed to many family-dangers, therefore they fhould jointly deprecate them: They receive many family-mercies, which call for family thanksgivings: They work in their employments and labour together, and it is very fit they feek a bleffing on them together. V. All churches ought to worship God in a joint and folemn manner: Now, the Spirit of God frequently calls Chriftian families churches; which honourable title they would by no means deferve, if they had not communion together in the worthip of God.

VI. It is plain from 1 Tim. iii 4. 5. 12. that as minifters are bound to rule the church, fo mafters of families are bound to rule their families; which is not only by inftructing them, but going before them in God's worship, and being their guide and mouth in prayers and praises. For every head of a family is a prophet, prieft, and king, in his own houfe: He' is a prophet, to teach and inftruct his household, a priest to intercede and pray for them; and a king to protect and govern them; and efpecially, to maintain God's worship and true religion among them.

VII. It is clear from 1 Pet. iii. 7. that hufbands and wives are bound to pray together, and confequently the whole family: For there they are dehorted from ftrifes and contentions, becaufe of their tendency to hinder their conjunct prayers.

VIII. The examples of the faints in fcripture do invincibly prove family. worship to be our duty, We read not only of Abraham's inftructing his household, and commanding them to worship God by themselves, but alfo, wherefoever he fojourns with his houfehold, he "builds an altar," and with them "he calls on the name

of