knock at God's door, fince he declares that our impor. tunity is nowife a trouble but a pleasure to him? Are not everlasting life, and deliverince from hell, worth the ferking? Shall men do more for the welfare of their dying bodies, than we for the salvation of our immortal fouls ?

Object. IV. "We have not time to fpare for family"worship, our labour is fo great, and business so "throng."

Anf. 1. Is not the worship and fervice of God the greatest business you have to do in the world? All other things are trifles in refpect of this.

2. Better want time for fleeping, for eating, or any thing, than want time for this, which is far more neceffary than any thing else.

3. God, in his providence, may foon caft greater hindrances in the way of your worldly bufinefs than this, as ye fuppofe, would be: He may fend fevers among children and fervants, that will top your labour much longer than a little time spent daily in familyworship would do. When fickness or death comes, they will not be put off by telling that you have no time for your labour to be fick; no, ye must find time to be fick and ly on beds, though it were in the throng of harvest. And must ye, whether ye will or no, find time to be fick and die; and will you find no time to pray with your families, in order to prepare you and them for fickness and death? And further, it is likely, that if ye praved more in your families, your labour would be lefs ftopt by ficknefs and other troubles; you fhould have fewer croffes and perplexities in your bu inefs; and, whatever they were, you might expect they would be fanctified. Family-prayer would be a fweet vent and ease to the mind, under all family cares and anxieties.

4 Family prayer will not hinder your bufinefs, though in the throng of harveft. What stop would it be to your work, to be every morning and evening a quarter of an hour upon your knees with your family? Nay, it would further it, and procure a blefling on the work of your hands. And I have obferved, that in

R 2

thefe

those parts of the nation where husbandmen and tradefmen take time for family-worship, they are in a more flourishing condition in worldly things, than in those parts where it is neglected. Remember, that all the fuccefs of your labour depends on the special bleffing and providence of God, and there is no way more likely to obtain this than family prayer. If God vouchsafe not his bleffing, your labour will be labour in vain, Pfal. cxxvii. 1. 2. How foon may God blast all the labours of prayerlefs perfons?

5. Whatever you pretend from want of time on week days, to excufe you from family-worship; yet, there is no fhadow for this objection upon the Sabbath-day, in which you have no other businefs but to ferve and worship God. He is gracioufly pleased to free you this day from your labour, that ye may apply yourselves entirely to his worship without diftraction. O ye that are ftraitened for time through the week for family and fecret prayer, be bufy on the Lord's day in the performance thereof, and be thankful to God for allowing you this day for thefe exercises.

In the name then of the great God who hath founded families, and is the God of all the families of Israel; and in the name of his Son Jefus Chrift, in whom only the families of the earth can be bleffed; I befeech and obteft all you that are masters of families, to honour the Creator and Redeemer of the world in your families; erect him a family-altar, and dedicate your houses to be temples for the worship of God. Perform this duty confcientioufly every day, but more efpecially upon the Lord's day; let your family facrifices this day be doubled. I fhall add fome more motives to it.

J. This is the way to procure you all forts of familybleffings. Would you have God to build your houfes, bless your fubftance, dwell in your families, and be a guard to them night and day? Would ye have your relations comfortable, your affairs fuccessful, and your enjoyments fweet? Then fet up, and keep up familyworship, make your houfes little churches.

1. You may expect family-protection. If you, by family-prayer, lodge your families" under the fhadow

of

of the Almighty, you need not be afraid of terrors that fly by night or by day :" for you are under the tuition of him that keeps Ifrael, who neither flumbers nor fleeps." Praying families are preferved from many more evils and mifchiefs than they are aware of; fometimes divine providence makes a visible diftinction be tween them and others. I have read of a little town in the canton of Bern in Switzerland confifting of 90 houses, that in the year 1584, was all deftroyed by an earthquake, except the half of one houfe, where the master of it, with his family, were at the time on their knees at family-prayer. This is a noble pillar for fupporting your houfes.

2. You may expect family-provifion; your bread fhall be given you, and your water fhall be fure; you fhall dwell in the land, and verily have food-" God feeds the ravens that cry to him, and will he not much more feed Chriftian families that cry, "Lord, give us this day our daily braad ?" O poor tradfemen, who can hardly get your credit kept and families maintained; O poor tenants, who can fearcely get your farms paid, and children provided for, by all your fore toil and labour; will you try family-prayer fincerely? I dare fay, that the Lord, who "bleiled the house of Obededom, and all that pertained to him, because of the ark of God which he lodged," will from that day forth blefs you, profper the work of your hands, and make your affairs more fuccefsful: It will not hinder your labours, but procure a bleffing on them. I fay then, make a fair trial, and I hope in a little time you shall find a fenfible change in your affairs. Some have obferved this in their experience

3. You will have the more comfort and fatisfaction in your family-relations; this is the way to keep up your authority among them, and to procure you more refpect from them. If a mafter of a family exert his authority to bring those under his charge to attend family-worfhip, he will find them more obfervant of his other commands; children would be more obedient, and fervants more faithful; the fear of that God, whom they daily worthip with you, would be an awe-band upon

them,

them, to do their duty to you, and act for your intereft.

I. Family worship is an excellent mean to advance religion ard reformation through the whole land. every one would begin with his own family, reform it, and plant piety therein, what happy cities and parishes would we foon have? If you would recover decaying piety in the land, and banish curling, fwearing, drunkennefs, Sabbath breaking, &c. out of the town and parish where you live, then begin with your own family; fet up prayer and religion therein. Satan and vice will not dwell contentedly befide prayer. The way to make à clean street is, for every houfe to fweep before their own door. Religious families are excellent nurseries to the church, and feminaries of piety. Do you wish then to fee religion flourish, and reformation carried on? and do you defire to be inftrumental therein ? then worship God, promote piety in your own family: Your example might influence your neighbours about you to the like; it would excite your children and servants to fecret prayer; and, when they come to get families of their own, they will readily do as you do, and fo will their children and fervants after them: And thus you will be inftruments of handing down religion to the rifing generation, and for "turning many unto righte ousness." O if God would perfuade the hearts of people, both in town and country, to fet about familyworship, how foon would religion put on another face? The ftreets and fields would not be fo thronged with old and young on the Sabbath, people walking and discourfing idly, and boys playing and fporting themfelves; the church would be better frequented, and people more attentive and devout in time of fermon, and public-worship. Family- worship alfo, is a notable help to prepare us for public-worship, and the right obfervation of the Sabbath.

But the domeftic fanctification of the Sabbath, enjoined by the fourth command, includes more duties than prayer, reading the word, and finging of pfalms in families: And fo I come to fpeak of others.

1

A

A fecond domeftic duty on the Sabbath, is family catechifing and inftruction.

Mafters of families are bound to inftruct and teach tbofe under their charge, viz. their children and fervants, in all things neceffary to falvation. Yea, they are bound, not only to inftruct them in the knowledge of the principles, but alfo to enjoin them the performance of the duties of the Chriftian religion, and to admonish and reprove them for the neglect thereof. The neceffity of this duty may be proven by many arguments.

ye

1. From the law of nature that binds us to do what we can to promote the welfare and happinefs of our children and families, and to help them, when in mifery and diftrefs. Children are a part of the parents wrapt up in another fkin; and therefore parents fhould do for them as for themfelves. 'Tis not enough that provide for their bodies; for the very birds and beafts, do this, nay, even the fea monsters draw out the breaft, and give fuck to their young ones?" Lam. iv. 3. but you ought to provide for their fouls, which are their better part, yea, a thousand times more precious than their bodies. You would think it barbarous cruelty in a parent, to fuffer his child or fervant to ftarve for want of bodily food; O but it is far more crual, to fuffer their precious fouls to perifh and ftarve for want of fpiritual food, or neceffary inftructions.

2. From the clear light of God's word, that binds this on mafters of families as a duty. We fee, the fourth command obligeth masters to be anfwerable for their children and fervants, touching the fanctification of the Sabbath, and the service of God on that day; which certainly imports their inftructing them in their duty. The Lord commits their fouls to their care, and they muft account for them to him. When God gives. any of you a child, he charges you, as Pharaoh's daughter did Mofes his mother, Exod. ii. 9. " Take this child, and nurse it for me; and I will give thee thy wages:" Or, as the prophet faid to the king, 1 Kings xx. 39. Keep this man; if by any means he be miffing, thy life fhall go for his life." If this child or this fervant

perish