Prop. l• A 1JijjJUtatioll for Family-Worjhip. ------ !1im. And thofe are the fecond fort of worfhip-aclions, t•iz. When thefub/iance or matter of the work IS a fec:king, or receiving fomewhat from God, or delivering fomething Religioufly in his name and tO is more dirc'7fly for our f~lves; though yet it's God that fhould be our uhimate end in fhi; too. You may perceJve 1 make th1s of three forts. Whereof the firll confillcth in our religious addrdfes to God for fomethi~g th.at we want: And is called Prayer. The 2. confifieth in our religious addrelfcs t~ God to recc1ve (omewhat from him: Viz. l• ln}frullions precepts, prs,.,.i{rr, thrtt~tningr., from h1s mouth, Meffengcrs, &c. 2· The Sacramental fignr of hi1 gr.1ce in Baptifm and the Lords Supper. T~e 3· is when the Officers of Chrill do in his namt: folcmnly deliver either his Laws or Sacraments. H1s LawJ either in...zemral by ordinary Preaching, or by a morepartict~I.-r application in Ati1 ofdi[cipline. 2. The Word L Solemn] fign!fies fometimes any thing ufual and (o fame derive it, Solenne tjt qrtod fieri / vlct. Sometimes that which is done but on one fet day in the year ; and fo forne make {olenne to be qu4i folum femcl iJZ anno.But vulgarly it is taken, and_fo we take it here,for borh celebre & ufitat:tm th.at i:; a thing, th:It is not accidentaUy and feldom, but flatedly and ordinarily to be done, and tha: W1th fuch Gruvity and Honourable ferioufnefs as befec:ms a bufinefs of fuch weight. 3· By [family] we mean, not a tribe or flock of kindred dwelling in many houfes as the word is raken olr in Schptare, but I mean a houfhold. Do~iY& f.mtili..z,. a Houfoold andfamily, are indeed in Oeconomicks fomewhat different notions, but one thmg. DJmiH JS to[<~mili:J as civittH to re{pHblica, the former ls. made the fobjefi of the larter, the la~ttr the fini& intermu of the former. And fo Domt~~ eH {ociettJr ~~~tur.e confentanea, e perfonH do– mtjficu)tit.t in diu omnu comm~de fofltntand.t caJI.fi)coUe[la. Fami/ia eft ordo damur per Regimen Patril·fa– mi/i,.r iiJ perfonar jibi Jrtbjell.H. Where note, that to a complcat family mull go fonr Integral partsPattr familitU)Mater fami/i:~J; Fi– lilu, ServJH. A Father, Mother, Son and Servant : But to the effence of a family it futliceth if there be but the pd.rJ imperani, & par1 {ubdita, one head or Governor, either Father, Mother, Matter, or Mifhefs ~ and one or more governed under this head. Note therefore that the Govcrnour is an dfential,part of the family, and fo are fome of the g1vern~ ed ( viz, that fuch thtir be) but not eacb member. If therefore twenty children, or fervants !hall wo1il1ip God without the Father, or Mafler of the family either prefent himfelf, or in fome Repre– !cnt;itivc, it is not a fJmily worfhlp in firict fenfc. But if the head of the family, in himfelf (or De– legate or Reprtfentatjve) be prcfLnt; with any of his children or fervants, though all the refi ~e ab.. fenr,it is )'\::t a family duty,; though the family be incompleat and maimeP,(apd fa is the duty therefore, if culpably fo performld ). 4· When I f,y [in a11d by J a family, I mean not that each mu!l do the fame parts of the work, but that one (either the head or {ome one deputed by him, and reprcfenting him) be the mouth, and rhe nil perfoun their pans by rtc"c:iving infhuClions, or mentally concurring in the Prayers and praife by him put up. Lafily,by [Divine appointment J I mean any fignincation of Gods will, that it is mens dury to perform this: \Vhcther ~ fignitication by natural means or fupernatural, directly or by confe– qutl:ce, fo we may be CUre it is Gods will. The fum of the Q:!_efiion then is, 1/i'bethtr any Sacrtd Ai1ion1religioufly and ordiMarily to be performed tb Gods ho11our by the bead fl{ the family, witb tht rtjf, be by God1 appointment made our duty l My thoughts of this ~efiiqn llhall reduce to thefe heads, and propound in this order.· 1. I fhall fpeak of family worjhip in Genera/. 2· Of the [ores of that worillip in fpecia/. 3• Of the time. . I. Concerning the firfi I lay down ~y thoughts, in thcfe Propofitions following for limitation and caution, and then preve the main conclufion. Ptep. •· lt is not all forts of Gods worfhip which he hath appointed to be performed by families:as frtch ; Thue being fome proper to more publick Alfemblies. 2. More particularly the Adrninifiration of the Sacraments of Baptifrn and the Lords Supper, are proper to the Minificrial or Organized Churches, and not common to families : for as they are both of them committed only to Minif\ers of theGofpel, and have been only ufed by them forma– ny .hundred years in the Church: ( except that fome permitted others to baptize in cafe ofnecellity.) So the Lords Supper was appointed for a Syrnbole and means of a more publick communion than that of families. And though fome conjecture the contrary from its firfi infi:itution,and think that as there is a family prayer and Church prayer,family teaching and Church teaching: fo there lhould be iamily Sa– craments, and Church Sacraments,yet it is a Mifiake. For though Chrifi adminifired it to hisfamily, yet it was not a1 a f.;mi/y, but as a Church. For that which is but one family may poffibly be a ChHrch alfo. This expofition we have from the Doctrine and practice of the Apof\les, and confianc cuflom of all the Churches which have never thought the Lords Supper to be afam•ly d«ty, but pro– per to l:Jrgcr affemhlifl, and adminifirable only by ordained Minifters : Nor will the reafons drawn from eircurncilion, and the paffeover prove the contrary : both becaufe particular Churches were not then intlituted as now ; and therefore families had the more to do : and bc:caufe there were fame duties pr~pc:r to families in the very infiitution of thofe Sacraments. And becaufe God gave them a power in thofe, which he hath not given to Maft.ers of families no": in our Sacraments. 3· Many thonfands do by their own vitioufnefs and negligence d1fable ~hemfelves: .fo ~hat they can– not perform what God hath made their duty; yet ic remains their duty !IIll: Some d,fabthty may <X· . cufe them in part, but not in whole. I 0~>11 no:w prove, th<t tilt Soltmn Woljhip ofGod ill and by families "'fucb, i< ofDivine appointment. _:. Argument
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