instruct them and assist them in This their most Important Concern It might be hoped that if Parents did their part in the use of God's first appointed Means to sanctify their Children he would usually bless their Indeavours in order to his saving Grace And when serious Religion is once got into a Family it has been observed for your Encouragement that ordinarily the Grace of God doth not soon leave it tho there may be some sad Interruption yet it appears many times again in Grand-Children and Great Grand-Children as in the Seed of good Jehoshaphat and others 2 Chron. 20.21.22 Chap. Jotham had Ahaz but Ahaz had Hezekiah and if not in the direct Line yet collaterally So that by this means you may transmit Religion to Posterity from Generation to Generation as Sin is propagated from Father to Son and from one wicked Family diffused to many others And you perpetuate your own Name and Honour too for Godly Children occasion their Parents to be called to Memory By beholding Timothy's Piety the Apostle is minded to remember his Mother and Grandmother Eunice and Lois 2 Tim. 1.5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned Faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy Grandmother Lois and thy Mother Eunice and I am perswaded that in thee also The Piety and Care of holy Women is recorded with Honour Acts 16.1 Behold a certain Disciple was there named Timotheus the Son of a certain Woman which was a Jewess and believed but his Father was a Greek Such is the fingular Usefulness of the holy Government of Families to reform the World and destroy the Kingdom and Interest of the Devil that there is hardly any thing that Men have more Objections against or more Evasions and Excuses to extenuate the Noglect of their Duty or perswade themselves it is none than in this Case One of the most common and prevailing Cavils is this That if they bring their Children and Servants to the Publick Worship to be taught by the Minister there is no positive express Scripture for the Worship of God in their Families to call them together to pray with them and read the Scriptures c. But in how many other cases is it granted that the want of a positive express Command will not conclude such or such a Thing to be no Duty The Baptism of Infants the Sanctification of the first Day of the Week as the Christian Sabbath the Admission of Women to the Lord's-Table and other Instances may be given which may be proved to be Matter of Duty without positive express Command The Apostle is said to confound the Jews dwelling at Damascus proving out of the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ Acts 9.21 it must be by the Harmony of the Holy Scriptures and by Deductions from express Texts for he did not bring any one particular Scripture out of the Old Testament to prove in so many Letters that Jesus was the Christ Nor did our Lord in his Proof of the Resurrection of the Dead against the Pharisees out of the Old Testament Mat. 22.37 There are no such words as the Resursurrection of the Dead mention'd in that Passage from which he proves it I am the God of Abraham c. 'T is an Argument of a very perverse Mind to insist so much upon positive Scriptural Proof of that as our Duty which must be acknowledged to be so much for our Benefit and Advantage and for the Publick Good There is reason enough to believe that they who pretend there is no express Scripture for this kind of Duty would little mind it if there were never so many and never so express for if Men were true to God and their own Souls in those things for which we have the most positive and express and repeated Authority of the Holy Scriptures they would not raise such a Scruple There is an express Command to Repent of Sin and to Believe on Christ and to make your Calling and Election sure to Redeem your Time and walk Circumspectly to do good unto all to pray every where and all sorts of Prayer and in every Calling Station and Relation therein to abide with God to live by Faith upon the invisible World to prepare to die and to remember the Judgment-Seat of Christ before which we must be made to stand to answer for all we have received and done in the Body c. there are Express Scriptures about these things And did we believe them remember them and obey them we should soon see Reason and Evidence sufficient for all that Duty of worshiping God and promoting Religion in our Families which I would now press I know there be some Arguments used from Scripture upon this Subject which many think will not conclude all that which they are brought to prove As that because we read of the Church of God in such a Man's House Rom. 16.5 when it is likely there were no common Assemblies of Christians at Rome that therefore every House should be as a Church by daily Prayer and Praise to God For the House of God is an House of Prayer and a Church is God's House I will not urge this because a House might be called a Church only on the Account of the Church sometimes assembling for Divine Worship in such a Man's House I grant the smallest Congregation of the Faithful met to worship God may bear the Name of a Church However I do not believe this Argument because I believe it true of many in this City and Nation and wish I had no ground for it that they have had frequent Meetings in their Houses for Prayer and Preaching and divers Christians have resprted to the Worship of God there and yet the Master of the Family lived in the neglect of Family Prayer and the daily Worship of God in his House Neither will I urge the Example of our Saviour Christ his praying with his Disciples Though much may be gathered from his Pattern as having a Family whereof he was the Master and his Twelve Apostles Members Constant Residence in one House is not necessary to constitute the Relation between the Head of a Family and the Members of it We read of his instructing 'em praying with 'em and praising God by singing together c. But I will not lay too much stress on this Example because though our Blessed Lord did occasionally pray with his Disciples as we find in several places of the Gospel-History yet his Case and ours are vastly different What was suitable for his Disciples was not proper for him He could not ordinarily be their Mouth in Prayer for what they daily needed He could not for himself ask the Forgiveness of Sin and the Mortification of Lust and the Increase of Grace c. But there is enough from the Holy Scriptures to convince those that will seriously consider it of the Duty of Family Religion and Prayer as a part of it For Instance we read of Joshua that he resolves for himself
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
Our daily Sacrifices by Prayer and Praise under the fuller Dispensation of Gospel-Grace should not be fewer or less frequent than theirs of another sort But I hope I have said enough in the Former Letter to recommend the Worship of God in Families Doubtless one Advantage of it would be to sit us for those other Duties and Parts of Worship which are sometimes urged to excuse the Neglect of this For how many are ready to say we pray to God every day in Secret and we joyn every Week with others in Publick Worship and what need of any more Whereas one part of our Duty is so far from interfering with the other that the one will help to the better performance of the other By praying in Secret you will be inabled to pray in your Family and by both these may obtain Assistance and Success in the Publick Worship of God and by attending upon the Publick Worship you will be fitted for the other parts of your Duty in Secret and Private You are obliged to pray in Secret if you had no Families and it is very doubtful in a numerous Family whether all the Members of it do daily pray in Secret or not If it be said that there are very many of those who make a great Profession of Religion who yet live in the neglect of Family Worship I answer that is no wonder because there be many who profess to be what they are not who have a Name to live and are dead But if they be real upright Christians they are either under the Power of a present Temptation or under the Conduct of an erring Mind as misled by some False Teachers c. and so they will neglect this Duty no longer than till their Errour be removed or the present Difficulties in the way of this Practice are got over which many say they would be glad of but cannot yet attain As in some Families it is pretended they have not Time every day for such Work My Trade will not allow me I have a Charge of Children that must be maintained and my Business must be minded or I am obliged to be Abroad early and late I cannot read the Holy Scriptures in my Family and pray every day with those of the Family for want of Time I have often thought of this Objection this Winter and how the Providence of God has removed it as to a great many Families to their sad Disappointment and Sorrow What else mean the many Complaints of Starving Families for want of Trade They have Time enough now to pray for they have no Work Let such reflect upon themselves and consider how righteous it is from God that whereas while they had Trade and Business they would not find Time to pray God should punish their Neglect by blasting their Endeavours and now they want Trade and would be glad of Work to employ their Time But what need is there for any to be so long in Family-Worship as to hinder the Business of their particular Calling Though it may be all in the Family cannot come together yet some may and possibly the greater part if a little Prudence and Consideration be used as to the choice of the Time And if less time were spent in the Morning in most cases there might be more redeemed in the Evening Many might redeem time from the Coffee-House and from the Tavern and from time-wasting Clubs and Meetings by appointment without Business while their Children and Servants at home are exposed to Temptation and the Worship of God neglected there or hudled over slightly towards midnight between sleeping and waking Every one will grant that Success in his Trade and Calling depends upon the Blessing of Heaven but most live as if they believed nothing of it For it can hardly be denied that to begin the Day with God and heartily implore his Blessing is the best way to have it If what you get be not accompanied with the Divine Blessing you will have little Comfort in such increase And how can it be proved that it is your Duty to grasp so much Worldly Business as is inconsistent with the worshiping of God in your Families and having time to mind the Souls of those committed to your Charge Business you say must be minded Your lawful proper Business it is true must be so in its place But as one says this Devil of pretended Business has destroyed and damned more Souls than all the Devils in Hell besides How easily can God by Sickness or grievous Pains unfit you for the business of your Calling or disable your Servants by Sickness if he be provoked by your neglect of him in your Families He may either blast all your Diligence the Curse of God shall blow upon you you shall labour much and get nothing Or he may disable you and yours from following your Trade and Business O how easily can God make you know that if you will not find a time to pray you must have a time to be sick as well as others How soon and suddenly may he summon you by Death to his Judgment-Seat Think now whether when you shall appear there you will pretend the want of time for this Work Let Conscience speak the Truth Is it not that you want a Heart God allows us a sufficient Time for our particular Calling If our Hearts were filled with Love to God and awed with his Holy Fear we should not rob him of that which belongs to his Service The Grace of God to sanctify our Hearts would answer and remove a thousand such Pretences There be many who cannot plead the want of Leasure who pretend the want of Parts and Gifts to instruct and teach others or to pray with them But let them seriously accustom themselves to secret Prayer and they may quickly learn to pray in their Families Get but your Hearts affected in a due manner with Family Wants and Sins and Mercies and you will soon be able out of the abundance of the Heart to express your selves sufficiently well For it is not fine Words and good Language that God regards and is pleased with but a serious reverend holy thankful Heart You do not want words to express your Desires in other Cases nor would you here if you were to beg your own Life or that of a dear Relation of an earthly King or Judge It is a shame for Christians who have lived long under the Ministry of the Gospel and have such Advantages of the Bible in a known Tongue and of so many useful practical Books to pretend the want of Gifts for this Duty However rather use a Form and take the Assistance of a Book for a while than wholly neglect the Duty Almost all the Old Divines called Puritans acknowledged the Lawfulness of a Form of Prayer and advised the use of one in this Case It is better to own and acknowledge God and do something in this kind though with some Imperfection than affront him and despise him