to fhew forth in the morning, and his faithfulness every night.

heads of families devoutly calling on God, morning and evening, confeffing their fins, afking for giveness through the Mediator, petitioning for favors for themfelves and others, and offering thanksgiving for benefits they have received, there is certainly, according to experience, much more reafon to hope that their

After the deluge, we find Noah with his family érecting an altar unto the Lord; for the purpose of not only offering family prayer, but family praife, for delivering them from the deluge which swept away the inhabitants of the old world at large. (Gen. viii.) Af. ter Jacob returned from Padan-minds will be feriously impressed aram, he "faid unto his houfe- with thefe fubjects, than though hold, and to all that were with they never heard a prayer ut. him, Put away the ftrange gods tered in the houfe of their educathat are among you, and be clean, tion. We acknowledge that the and change your garments. And hearts even of the most profligate let us arife, and go up to Bethel, are in the hand of God, and that and I will make there an altar un- he can by his Spirit take one from to God, who answered me in the a fynagogue of Satan, and make day of my diftrefs, and was with him a member of his own family; me in the way which I went." but this fact furnishes no argument (Gen. xxxv. 2, 3.) against parental fidelity, nor does it diminish the obligations of heads of families to train up those com mitted to their care in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The ability of the Most High is not the rule of our duty, but the word which he hath, given to us. By this, as well as providence, we learn, that a pious education has a ftrong tendency to form the mind to a wife and good courfe. While the members of families hear the heads of them praying from day to day, for the forrowful and the afflicted, the rich and the poor, the high and the low, the righteous and the wicked, the church and the world, and for their fouls in particular, is it not much more probable that they will feel the worth of gofpel falvation, than if it were not in that folemn manner fet before their minds?

Thefe inftances, with others which might be adduced from facred hiftory, prove the duty of family worship. The altar of praife was an altar of prayer, at which the families of Noah and Jacob united. Inftances are daily occurring in which families are required to unite in rendering thanks to God for deliverances and mercies. This duty implies family prayer.

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3. A third argument to enforce the duty of family prayer, may be taken from the hopeful good influence which it may have on the youth in families. Moft houfeholds are made up of a majority of young perfons; and it is rare to find a family without a child a youth in it. In the morning of life, the mind receives a direction, even on moral and religious fubjects, which is feldom loft. Hence it is of the greatest importance 4. The duty of family prayer that the first impreffions be good, may be inferred from its tendency or favorable to a pious courfe of to prevent openly vicious practices living. from being allowed in houses. While the young behold the There are fome vices which throw

families into fuch diforder as to prevent a regular arrangement in any thing, and confequently fhut out feafons of collecting for devotion. Let much of the night be spent in gay company and vain amufements, evening prayer will be omitted, and fo alfo will prayer in the morning; because this will be confumed in fleep to make up for the lofs of reft in the proper time. Befides, when animal nature has been exhaufted by aniufements, a torpid and carelefs frame of mind ufually follows, which is very remote from a difpofition to call upon God.

beft means, or refifteth very clear light. This obfervation will be found to apply, with very few, if any exceptions, to the profligates who have been educated in a land of gofpel light. We conclude from it that family prayer has a Arong tendency to hand religion down to future generations; and that to be a member of fuch a family ought to be esteemed a high privilege. Would it be fair reafoning to conclude that there was no benefit to be derived from memberfhip in Chrift's family when he was on the earth, because there was a Judas among the twelve?

6. As we advance in the prefeat fubject, an allufion will next be made to a few scripture paffages which imply the duty of famprayer.

Can we believe that houfes of riot, profaneness, gambling, and debauchery, would continue to be fuch, if God's name were invoked in them, both morning and even-ily ing? Let those who have kept. fuch houses, fet up the practice of family prayer, and continue in it, and they will find a revolution in the manners of their domeftics, as well as in themselves.

5. The duty of family prayer, may be argued from its tendency to propagate piety from one generation to another. We are juftified in this conclufion from experience. We find many more inftances of praying families where the heads had been trained up in houfes of prayer, than among those who had been educated in a different manner. We alfo find many more pious perfons defcend ing from fuch families, than from thofe of the oppofite character.

Sons of Belial have, indeed, been seen to arife out of religious families. It has been obferved of fuch, that they are uncommonly abandoned to wickednefs: This affords good evidence of the worth of the means which they had enjoyed. No one ever becomes very abandoned unlefs he abufes the

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A fair argument in fupport of the duty which we are now fidering, may be drawn from the morning and evening facrifices under the law. (Exodus xxx. 6, 7.) Aaron was directed to burn incenfe on an altar made for that purpose, every morning when he dreffed the lamps, and when he lighted the lamps at evening. This was filed a perpetual incenfe before the Lord throughout the generations of the children of Ifrael. That this kind of offering was to be accompanied with prayer, is plain from Luke i. where it is declared that while Zecharias was burning incenfe in the temple of the Lord, the whole multitude of the people were praying without.

There is great propriety in of fering prayer to God in our families, morning and evening; bccaufe thefeintroduce the two principal divifions of the day. When the day commences or opens with the morning light, it appears highly becoming, that we return thanks to God for our preferva.

peared in the flesh, and hath in- | make this objection, confider the culcated family prayer by his ex- antiquity of any practice as a fufample. Often do we find him ta- ficient reafon for rejecting it, unking the particular difciples who lefs in religious concerns? The compofed his immediate family, ufe of money in commerce is very afide from the multitude, and pray- ancient. We find it as far back ing with them.-The as the time of Abraham. Will you refufe to receive money for the property which you fell, becaufe it is an old cuftom? Will you neglect to till your ground, or to plow and fow, because it is an old cuftom?

Reply. There is no one, whe- | yourselves as Noah did in the old world, and as Lot did in Sodom. You may be inftrumental of reforming others by your example. A few religious families generally ftrike a damp upon the loose who are near them, and check them in their career.

ther he pray or not, who does not practife evil. There is not a juft man upon earth that doeth good and finneth not. When we charge our neighbor with having no proper fenfe of what he is doing while in family prayer, we ought to be cautious left we be guilty of the rafh judging which is condemned in the fcriptures. A difpofition to fufpect the fincerity of every one we meet, does not discover a good temper in us.

But if you should meet with reproaches and fufferings for righteousness' fake, you will have the approbation of your own confciences, and what is infinitely greater, the approbation of God. If you are called to be fingular in the ways of piety, and if you meet with fcoffers every day, the period will foon come when you shall receive a glorious reward in heaven, and when hypocrites, unbelievers, mockers, and cavillers of every kind, will be filled with fhame, and held up as objects of everlasting contempt.

OBJECTION IV. "I am fo diffident that I cannot lead in family prayer."

But let us fuppofe the worst which the objector can intend which is, That fome praying heads of families are falfe to their engagements, and fraudulent in their dealings. What relief can you prayerlefs heads of families find here? It is a melancholy fact that the best things in life have been perverted to bad purposes by wicked men. What does this prove? Not the badnefs of the thing perverted, but the badnefs of the man who is guilty of fuch abuse. Should your hypocritical neighbor go on to hell after all his feeming devotion, what relief will this afford you, when you must give account of yourself to God? Will you dare plead then the hypocrify of others, to fave you from the condemnation of the prayerlefs?fore your eyes; which can carry Remember that each one is to be judged in the next world according to his own character, and not according to the character of another.

OBJECTION III.

"Moft around me neglect family prayer; I cannot therefore endure the fingularity or the fcoffs with which I fhall be viewed and treated, if I fet up the practice."

Is it indeed fo, that irreligion generally prevails in your neighborhood? Make an effort to ftem the torrent of iniquity. Diftinguish

The diffidence of which you complain is a difficulty which most labor under, in their first entrance on this duty. If you labor to overcome it, you will find it to decrease. It will diminish ́ by a continued courfe of praying. Éndeavor to fet the fear of God be

you above the flavish fear of man. Be fervent in your fupplications to Him who helpeth our infirmities, and you will rife above overwhelming difcouragements in addreffing the throne of grace. OBJECTION V.

"I have no gift in prayer, and therefore must be excufed from leading in family devotion."

Reply. Placed as you are at the head of a family, be fuitably affected with the thought of neglecting to feek God with your household. Confider alfo that