THE DOMESTIC WORSHIPPER; CONSISTING OF PRAYERS, SELECTED SCRIPTURE PORTIONS, AND WITH PRAYERS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD." EDITED BY THE REV. SAMUEL GREEN, AUTHOR OF THE "BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL DICTIONARY," LONDON: BENJAMIN L. GREEN, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. PREFACE. Ir apology be needed for introducing the following work to the public, the Editor is glad to find it in the increasing feeling as to the importance of a regular and intelligible performance of family worship. It is designed to aid such worship. Extemporaneous prayer in the household is greatly to be preferred to any form, however excellent, because of its greater flexibility and adaptedness to impress; and very earnestly would the Editor urge on his Christian brethren the persevering attempt to adopt it. They will find it much easier than it is frequently supposed to be. Nevertheless there are heads of families to whom a form is indispensable; and much as extempore prayer and praise are to be preferred, rather than omit domestic worship by all means let a form be used. The following forms, it is believed, will be found suited. The prayers are short; they are simple in language; they are evangelical, as all acceptable prayer must be; and they are sufficiently varied to comprehend all ordinary family eircumstances. Many books of the kind are exceedingly voluminous; four bulky quartos the Editor has now lying on his table, of varied excellence, but beyond the pecuniary means of many a family, the heads of which would fain find some help in leading their domestic devotions. Smaller volumes, such as Jay's, Henry Thornton's, Bickersteth's, Rogers's, George Smith's, Temple's, those of the Religious Tract Society, a beautiful volume, entitled "Our Father," recently brought out by Dr. Cumming, and a small one of the Editor's published about twelve years since; whatever may be the value of some of them, being mostly courses for a month, are for too short a time to secure sufficient variety. Young persons are likely to lose their interest in what is so frequently repeated. The Editor extends the present course to two months; and he has added a large number of brief petitions adapted to the various phases of family history. |