Firft, if families are focieties dependent upon God, and ori. ginating from his inftitution in the nature of things, and enjoy opportunities and advantages to unite in focial adoration, then family worship is a duty of divine ordination. That families are focieties arifing from the nature of things, and from the fuperintending providence of heaven, none can deny; then the heads of those families have great authority and advantages, cach one has power to refrain and direct all under his roof; to inflict penalties upon children and fervants, who refuse his authority, and to eject the refractory from his household. ·He poffefles an abfolute intereft in the affections of his family; hence he enjoys the most perfect advantage, to engage them willingly and freely in this pleafing duty. A duty happy to him and a bleffing to all in his house. Bleffed is the house where God is acknowledged and dwells.

It will be granted by all who profefs the chriftian name, that all the gifts of God and all talents received from him, ought to be improved in obedience to his will; but are not the advantages and opportunities of divine homage in a family capacity, diftinguishing talents. I commit this argument to the head of every family. You love your dear families and with their profperity; O! that God would perfuade you to the pleafure of praying with them.

Secondly, all who have fit opportunities for the worship of God, ought carefully to improve the fame. Families have thefe opportunities in perfection. Hear the word of God in the matter." I will that men pray every where, lifting up "holy hands without wrath and doubting. Continue in prayer "and watch in the fame, with thanksgiving, and whatever ye "do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks unto God and the Father by him; continue inftant in prayer, praying always with all prayer and sup

"plication in the fpirit, and watching thereunto with all perfe❝verance, and fupplication for all faints; pray without cea"fing, in every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God "in Chrift Jefus concerning you." To this tide of revelation, many streams will be added in the fequel which I hope will bear down all oppofition to this doctrine.

If it be the duty of chriftians to pray every where proper and convenient, to continue in prayer, be inftant therein, and to pray always with all prayer, and that without ceafing, these things clearly show, that at all times we should poffefs a pray ing frame of heart, and be ready on all fit occafions to perform devotional fervice. Then it evidently follows that they ought to worship God in their families.

Thirdly, families are the fubjects of many mercies, guilty of many fins, and have innumemerable wants; hence it is obliga tory upon them to acknowledge the favours of heaven in the moft grateful praises, mourn over and confefs their fins, and in all humility and earnestnefs implore the fupply of their neceffities. Reafon and the common feelings of mankind dictate thefe matters. And all heads of families who live under the light of divine revelation, under proper gofpel inftruction, and yet habitually neglect this important branch of religion, they live under the condemnation of their own judgments, and the frequent reproaches of their confciences. Well might God by the Prophet Ifaiah, exclaim against a wicked and prayerless people faying, "Hear, O! Heavens, and give ear, O! Earth, "for the Lord hath fpoken, I have nourished and brought up The Ox know"children, and they have rebelled against me. "eth his owner and the Ass his masters Crib, but Ifrael doth

"not know, my people do not confider."

Fourthly, heads of families are commanded to teach their

H

children to pray, to bring them up in the nurture and admo nition of the Lord, to inftruct them in the fear of God, and to train them up in the way wherein they fhould go. Therefore they muft furely pray with and for them. It is the duty of families to look to Heaven, that all the good things of providence may be fanctified to them, and prayer is the special ap. pointment of heaven for this purpose. Husbands and wives are enjoined to dwell together as heirs of the grace of life," That * their prayers may not be hindered." This fully proves that they are to pray together. No man omits this duty for con{cience fake.

The fcripture faints were fhining examples of this devotional fervice both in the Old Teftament and in the New. We read that Abraham, the father of the faithful, built an Altar at Shechem, and when he removed to Bethel, he built another there, and called upon the name of the Lord. And this was done with his family. He there worshipped God with his household. His pious care of the religious interests of his family is fpoken of in the highest terms of recoinin endation, "I know him, faith the Lord, that he will command his chil "dren, and his houfchold after him, and they fhall keep the "way of the Lord." What is it to keep the way of the Lord? It is walking with him in the practice of every duty. For families to keep his ways, muft intend the faithful maintenance of religion in them and this cannot be done, without family devotion and prayer. Ifaac and Jacob, had their ref pective altars, at which they worshipped with their families. Joshua in our text, is a diftinguifhing example, whofe refolution was, that tho' all Ifrael fhould depart from the adoration of God, yet he and his houfe would ferve the Lord.-David is a re markable inftance to our purpofe; he had brought the Ark to its place, and fpent the day in public homage, then he returned home, "To blefs his houfcheld." This can admit of no other conftruction, only to pray and worship with his family,

Queen Efther and her maidens, "Fafted and prayed to "gether."-Job continually offered up facrifices with, or ac cording to the number of his children.-Daniel went into his houfe," And kneeled upon his knees three times a day and "prayed and gave thanks to his God, as he did aforetime." Cornelius feared the Lord with all his houfe, & he prayed in the fame. But above all examples to inforce this duty, the conduct of our precious Saviour, holds a pre-eminent rank. His difciples were his family, and we often find him praying with

them.

Now a duty thus enjoined by reafon and revelation, and by the examples of Godly men, cannot be neglected, but at the certain displeasure of the moft High. God will pour out "his fury upon the families, that call not on his name." Let prayerlefs families hear this threatening, tremble, repent and reform.

I proceed

Secondly, to direct your attention to the confequences of performing or neglecting this fervice. The bleffed confequences and great benefits flowing from the fincere and confciencious performance of this family fervice, can now only be hinted at, and the enlargement left to the contemplations of your own minds. It is beneficial in every point of view. It tends to promote the temporal intereft of families, to reftrain from vice. and extravagance, to encourage industry, frugality, fobriety, and to excite integrity prudence and good order.-It promotes the moral virtues, affection between parents and children, prevents innumerable broils and much unhappiness, it calms the tumultuous paflions, creates compofure of mind, and fheds abroad through the house, peace, harmony and tranquility

idleness and excefs, will encrease humanity, tenderness, charity and every virtue. With refpect to all the parts of a family the advantages of focial worship are exceeding great, to husbands, wives, children and other domeftics. Where is no fear of God, there can be no happiness.

A fpecial benefit of family prayer, is its tendency to revive and promote vital and practical religion. Families are the fountains of all other focieties, of congregations, towns and nations. Of what infinite importance is it then to the interefts of piety in the world, that religion fhould be cultivated and practised in them? If neglected here, it must vanish from the earth. Therefore, for God's fake, for the fake of religion, for the fake of the happiness of mankind, as we value the falvation of our families and our own fouls, let us attend to the morning and evening facrifice, to the daily offering of prayer and thanksgiving.

An eminent benefit of this domeftic worship, is its tendency to form our families for the better understanding, and improving the public or congregational exercifes of religion. They will hereby be led to reverence and fanctify the fabbath, to conduct with decency and gravity in the house of God, to give a ferious attention to the preaching of the word, and thus divine fervice is likely to become useful to them. It has been often remarked that the children of praying families behave better in church than others. It is well obferved by a certain author, "That a holy well governed family, is a preparative "for a holy and well governed church." Family worship, is like the prophet's "Cafting falt into the fountain," it sweetens all the ftreams, and renders them falutary and useful.

A compofed attention to daily prayer, will greatly tend to imprefs a fenfe of God and divine things upon the foul, to raise in the mind high and exalted thoughts of the glorious perfec