Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
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A60133
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Family religion in three letters to a friend / by John Shower.
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Shower, John, 1657-1715.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing S3666; ESTC R33838
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45,661
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120
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besieged upon the stated Time of the solemn Worship and Sacrifices of the Family of the Fabii passed through the Enemies Camp to the Quirinal Hill and dischargod the accustomed Sacra returning to the Capitol without Disturbance or Affront from the Enemy Liv. lib. 5. And the Family-Ceremonies in the Sacrifice of an Oxe unto Hercales by the Folitii and Pinarii were adopted by Romulus and Numa into the use of the whole People the Posterity of those Families being made as it were their Publick Prirsts thereby And after they had confirm'd the Administration of their Sura in publick Solemnities for the whole Community yet they left it free to single Parsons and Families to sacrifice for themselves as they saw good For as they took up the Former Course probably from the Form and Example of Mosaical Institutions so they did the Lattâ—… from the Original Practice and Tradition of the World Even the meanest of the People continued their Family Libations Sacrima they called the Wine which your Countrymen offered to Bacchus as Festus testifies and Capar the Vessel out of which they drew the Wine whereof they made a Libation to Jupiter Struserta and Suo-veturaulia were the Satrifices of poor Families And something in Resemblance of this Original Practice continued among the People of God after the giving of the law Dr. Owen on the Hebrews Vol. 2. Exer. cit 10. §. 4. Heathens And shall the Pagans out-do us Shall they be sensible of their Dependance in their Families on some Superiour Aids so as to worship Stocks and Stones in their Houses rather than have no Worship at all and shall Christians live contentedly without the Worship of the true God in their Families All People will walk every one in the Name of bis God and shall not We resolve to walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever Mic. 4.5 IN SHORT If God be the Founder the Owner the Governour and Benefactour of Families If such little Societies be of his Appointment and do both need and receive daily Mercies from him it is but fit he should be worshiped and owned every Day in particular Families Before the giving of the Law to Moses how was God worshiped but in Families Family-Worship was the first kind of Social Worship Religion was at first confin'd to single Persons upon the Increase of Mankind it begun in Families Every Ruler of a Family was then a Priest to his own House or offered his own Sacrifice and governed his Family not only as such but as a Religious Society Afterwards Religion spread into larger Societies This was the first Power God intrusted Man with to be the Head and Ruler and Father of a Family to take care of the Welfare of that little Society and of all that belonged to it Especially to take care of Religion and the Worship of God there He was not only the Civil Governour but the Priest though not by proper Office for that results not from the Light and Law of Nature but depends on Institution as typical and representative of the Priesthood of Christ I mention this because it is commonly said that the Priesthood belonged to the Firstborn as a Branch of the Primogeniture and that the Priesthood of every Family was in the Possession of the Firstborn till the time of the Levitical Law But this is not * Bp Stilling fleet 's Irenicum Part I. Chap. 4. citing Theodoret. quest 108. in Gen. 8. and Isid Pelus lib. 2. Ep. 47 48. proved from Scripture what is commonly alledged from Numb 3.41 of the Levites being taken instead of the Firstborn will conclude no such thing God having delivered their Firstborn in Egypt Exod. 12.23 called for them to be sanctisied to him Chap. 13.22 upon the Account of the special Propriety he had in them by that Deliverance and not on the Account of any special Service for many were unfit for that by reason of Age and which is observable God requires as well the Firstborn of Beasts to be sanctified and redeemed When therefore God would settle a way of Worship he gave the Israelites liberty to redeem them and instead of the Firstborn he pitched on the Tribe of Levi for his own Service Besides we find in Scripture that the Younger were ordinarily preferred before the Firstborn as Abel before Cain Seth before Japheth Abraham before his Elder Brethren Isaac before Ishmael Jacob before Esau Judah and Joseph before Reuben Ephraim before Manasses Moses before Aaron and David before the rest of his Brethren although that was after the Law From the Beginning doubtless the Father of the Family was the High-Priest to it and the Duty of sacrificing was committed to him and herein it is * See Dr. Owen on the Hebr. vol. 2. exercir 1◠§. 6 7 8 9. probable he had the special Assistance of the Firstborn of the Family whereby he might be initiated into his future Duty But that Office of a Priest was not confin'd to the Elder Brother for Abel offered Sacrifices in his own Person while his Father and his Elder Brother were alive as Abraham did after the Flood while the Eldest Son of Noah was living and when the Younger Sons of Noah were separated and dispers'd into several distinct Families they did not lose the Right of solemnizing the Worship of God thereby When the World increased and larger Societies were set up the Power of a Parent as Head of a Family was in some respects broken and Parents had not the Power of Life and Death over their Children as before But much of the Power of a Parent and Master over his own Family is continued by God and therefore Children and Servants are commanded to obey their Parents and Masters as well as to obey Civil Magistrates Now I would argue thus That if Family-Worship at first did not exclude personal Religion and private Prayer to God by one alone as doubtless it did not then the publick Worship of God when many Families meet together should not exclude Family-Worship or the daily Invocation of God in particular Families by as many of such a little Society as can come together There is the same reason why Family-Worship and Religion should continue after the publick Worship of God by many Families together is set up as that Personal Religion and secret Prayer should continue a Duty after God began to be worship'd in Families I shall not insist upon Queen Hester's keeping a Fast with her Maids which was extraordinary nor enlarge on the Example of Jacob who built an Altar and called on the Name of the Lord and called on his Family to prepare for it Gen. 35.2 3. Saying to his Houshold and all that were with him Put away the strange Gods and let us build an Altar to Jehovah c. His Grandfather Abraham circumcised all the Males in his House brought 'em under the Bond and Seal of the Covenant and where-ever he resided with his Family for any considerable time
and Family I and the Men of my House will serve before the Lord That is the Men who dwelt with him in his House And we read of Cornelius Acts 10.2 that he was a devout Man one that feared God with all his House and gave much Alms to the People and prayed always He was a Roman Captain over the Italian Band which attended the Roman Governour 's Person as his Life-guard and therefore probably of that Nation This Cornelius is said to be a Devout Man Whether he were a Proselyte to the Church of Israel or no is doubtful be sure not a Proselyte of the Covenant or of Justice for such were Circumcised If he were an Uncircumcised Proselyte or a Proselyte of the Gate he was not incorporated into the Commonwealth of Israel The Apostle Peter had a Vision first to authorize him to go to him And the Christians of the Circumcision exprest their Resentment for his Conversation with him till they knew his Warrant Acts 11.3 Yet this Roman this Souldier this Centurion was accepted of God as being prepared to believe in Christ assoon as he should be revealed to him He was a devout and good Man and not only good himself but chose such to be in his Family as feared God He was full of good Works and constant in Prayer and God testified his Acceptance of him Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up as a Memorial before God Vers 4. Of a Truth I perceive says the Apostle that God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness shall be accepted Vers 39. Here is a surprizing Example of a devout Souldier a devout Roman spreading Religion in his Family One that feared God with all his House and prayed always The Fear of God is an usual Expression comprehensive of all Divine Worship 2 Kings 17.36 37. Let all the Earth worship him Psal 66.4 Let all the Earth fear him Psal 67.7 And Prayer being the principal part of it we may suppose that as he feared God and all his House so he prayed with all his House unto God And he himself seems so to explain it I prayed to God in mine House at the ninth Hour or with my Houshold as it may be rendered He afterwards called together his Kindred and his near Friends when Peter came but mentions not the calling of his Houshold as what was usual and supposed And the praying always or continually can hardly bear a less Sense than the doing of it every Day As the daily Sacrifice which God appointed the Jews is called the continual Sacrifice which was offered Morning and Evening Dan. 8.11 So Mephibosheth is said to eat Bread at the King's Table continually 2 Sam. 9.7 that is at Meal-time every Day Nature and Scripture both seem to concur to recommend Morning and Evening as the proper Season for Prayer It is good to give Thanks unto the Lord and to sing Praises to thy Name O most High to shew forth thy Loving-kindness every Morning and thy Faithfulness every Night Ps 92.1 2. God is to be worshiped by all Persons and all People Ps 22.27 28. Ps 66.4 and by Social Worship Psalm 34.3 Acts 12.12 The general Nature of Worship and all the Essentials of true Divine Worship is found in the Worship of God by Families as such The Object the End and the Rule is the same And since there are many Commands in Scripture concerning Divine Worship and this part of it Prayer in particular which are of general Extent such as of praying always and giving thanks always and continuing in Prayer and Thanksgivings with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit every where lifting up holy hands in every thing giving thanks c. 't will be hard to obey all these Commands and yet live in the neglect of Family-Prayer For by the Light of Nature we may from hence be able to determine the Performance of this Duty to be every Day as a proper Time and in every House as a proper Place for it But if it were only permitted us we are greatly wanting to our own Interest to neglect it These general Rules and Precepts do at least warrant and make lawful our Praying together every Day We have leave to pray together and shall we not use it What if God should have forbidden us if he should put any of our Families under an Interdict and say You shall not pray to me I will not receive a Sacrifice from you Your Neighbours may pray to me every Morning and Night I 'll hear them and accept them As for you you shall have no Family-Altar or Sacrifice Who would not be griev'd to be forbidden such a daily Privilege Who would not then use it if they might And because the Evening and Morning do make one Day as the Beginning and the End do comprehend the whole he that prays every Morning and Evening may be said to pray continually to pray always to pray without ceasing Doth not the Light of Nature which instructs us in the Being of God and the Immortality of the Soul oblige us to endeavour the good of those in our Families And as one proper means of their spiritual Welfare it may direct the Master of a Family to pray with them there being Family-Sins to be confessed by us and forgiven by God there being many Temptations every day to be resisted Wants to be supplied Duties performed Graces exercised Crosses prevented Mercies acknowledged c. in Families as such with respect unto all these Family-Prayer and Worship is an excellent Means Some of those who had not the Advantage of Scripture-Revelation have yet had their Houshold-Gods The Eastern Nations had their Teraphim the Egyptians Greeks and Romans had their Lares and Penates a Sort of Family-Gods to rule preserve and defend them in their Houses whom they worshiped and sacrificed unto in their Houses and several of them had a particular Room set a-part for an Oratory to that purpose The Heathen Poets Hesiod Homer and others mention their daily Sacrifices to their Gods every Morning and Evening that they might prosper and succeed by their Favour in all their Affairs and their Practice may be urged for our Conviction It seems a Prescription of the Law of Nature that every Society wherein Men do unite and joyn according to the Mind of God should own their Dependance on him by some Worship common to that Society and as performed in the Name of it especially is it so as to an Houshold or Family which is the Foundation of all other Societies Hence there were Sacrifices peculiar unto Families before the Law wherein the Father of the Family was the sacred Administrator So Job offer'd Burnt-Offerings for himself and Family Chap. 1.5 and Jacob for his Gen. 35. And such Family-Sacrifices were famous among the * An Eminent Instance hereof the Roman Historian gives us in C. Fabius who when Rome was sack'd by the Gauls and the Capitol