A Dijputation for Family,Worjhip. lies. If any fay, [ Wt fie not God, cl[e we would daily "''"]hip him in our f•milin. J Anfw. Faith feeth him who to fcnfC is invifible. If one of you had a Son that weu: blind, and could not fee his own Father 1 would you think him therefore eXcufable, if he would nor honour his Father, when he knew him to be prcfenc ? We IQ:ow God to be prefcnr, though fltlh be blind and cannot fee him. Argument 4· If Chrifii.rn families ( btjidd all the fotemcmitmed adva1z~a;,u .nt4 obligation.r) a~e alfo jocietiet fan{fijicd to God, then i1 it God.! WiU th,;t families as juch jhvuld folemnly worjhzp him : But Chrijlian fdmi/iu urt focietiu f.mllified to God: Therefore, The Reafon of the Confe.qucnce is, becaufe things fahaified mull in the moll eminent fort that rht y are capable be ufed for God. " To [mt1ifie a ptrfmt or ti:Jing, is to Jet it apart, and [eparate ir from a common or unclean ufe, and to devote it God, to be employed in his ftrvice. .To alienate: this from God, or nor to ufe it for God, when it is dedicated to hih1, or fanctiti.ed by his own dedi– on and fCparation of it from common ufc, isSacriledge. God harh a double Right (of Creation ::~ild Redemption ) to all perfonJ. Bur a treble Right to thefanllified. Anani.:J his fcatful judgeinem was a cad CX:lmple of Gods wrath, on thofc that withhold from him what was de-voted to him. lf Chri– fiian families asfoch, be {llnliificd to God, they mull as fuch worfhip him in their bell capacity. That Chrifiian familiu are fanl1ifted to God, I prove rhus; 1. A Society of holy pcriOns mull needs be aholy Society. But a family of Chriliians is a fociety of holy pcrfonS: Therefore, 2. We find in Scripture not only ji11glt pcr{o1u , but the focietits ot fuch fanl1ifted to God, Deur. 7· 6J "'hott art an holy people 1tnto tht Lordthy God, ht bath chofen thtt to bt aJjecial ptopli to himfilf abovt aU. people that are upon tbrftJce oftht.tarJb. So Deut. 14. 20, 21· So 1he body of that Commonwealth did all jointly enter into Covenant With God, and God to thcm,Dtut.29· & 30. & 26·17,t8.I9· Thou haft vouched the Lord tbis day to be thyGod, and to wal~ in hi-1 wayu : And the Lord bath vouched thee thi-1 day to be biJ peculiar ptople, tbat thou maifl be an boly people to tbe Lord. So 28. 9· DJn. 8. 24· & 12. 7· Jo!h. (24.) devoreth himfelf and hif boufe to the Lord : I and my boufe will ferve the Lord. And Abraham by Circumcifion (the Covenant or feal of the Covt'nanr of God) con(e. crated his whole houfhold to God; and fo were all families afrcr him to do ( as to the Males in whom the whole was confccrated ). And whether btfides the typifying Intent, there were nor fomewhar more in the fan6tilying of all the firfi born to God , who if they lived, wereto bethe heads of the families, may be qudtioncd. The Palfeover was afamily duty, by which they were yet further fanDijiedto God. Yea,it is efpecially to be obftrved how in theNewTetiamcnt the Holy Ghotl doth imitate the language of the old,and fpeak of Gods people, as ofholy focietiu, as rheJews were.As in many Prophdies it was foretold rhar NJtions and Kingdoms 0Jould ferve him ( of which I have fpoken more in my Book of Baptifm ;) and among thofe who fhould mozmt o1.:cr him rrhom they have pierud in Gofpel times ? when rhc Spirit of grJce and fupplication is powred forth, are tht fa·mily of the Hou[t of David apart; and their 1Fivu a.. p3rt, the family uf tht houfe 4'Nathan apart, and theirWivu apart? Every f amily, even aU the [t~miliu that remaimd apart, and their 1Yive.r apart, Za~h· I J, 12, 13, 14. So Chrifi fcndeth his Dif– ciples to baptize Nation.~, having difcipled them; and tht Kingrkm.1 of tbe 1-Yorld ft1aU become tbe Ki~tgdomr of the Lord and bif Cbrijl. And as Exodm 19· 5, 6. faith of the Jews, Yt ]hall be I• pcculi., trea{urt to me above aU people i and )'t fhaU be unto me a Kingdom of Priefts, and a Holy N.Jtion : fo doth Peter fay of all ChriHians, 1 Pet. 2· 5, 6, 7, 9· Yt alfo ar living }loner are built up • [pi– ritual boufi, a bsly PrieftiJOod, to offer up [piri<ual facrifiw acceptabltto God by Jeji<J Chrijl, V. 9• But ye art a chofon Generation, a Royal PritjfhofJd, an Holy Nation, a peculiar people, tbat you jhould fhew forth the p~ifrs of him thJt bath caUcd you out of darlz.neji into his marvelour light. Mark how fully thisTe"!tt doth prove all that we are about. It fpcaks of Chri(i-ians CoUeUively , as in Societies; and in focieties of all the mofi eminent forts ; [ A Gcmr(ttion ; J which feems efpecially eo refer to 1ribn and Families, [A Priefthood, Nation, People;] which comprehenderh all the orders in the Nation oft times. And in all rhefe refpeCl:s they arc holy, and peculiar, and chofen, to thew, that Gods people are [anliifitd in thefe Relations and Socictiu. And ehen mark the Entl of this fan6tification, V. 5· 10 offer up (piritu.l facrifiw .cceptabie to God b)' Jefut Cbrift. V. 9· to ]hew forth the prai{a of him tbat b.rtb calirdyou, &c. Yea, ic feems rhat there was a fpecial dedication of families to God. And therefore we read fo frequently of hou£holds cortvcrted and b3ptizrd; Though none at age were baptized, but fuch as fcem– ed believers ; yet when they profrffcd faith, they were all together initiated as A Houjho!d. And it feems the Mafiers lnterefi and Duty were taken.to be fo great for the converfion of the refl:, that as he was not to content himfe~fwith his own Convtrfion, but to labour prefently even before bi.1 Bap– tifm, that his hsujhold!hould )oyn with him, tliar fo the whole family ar once might be dtvorcd tO God : fo God did blefs this his own Order and Ordinance to that End : And where he impofcd Du– ty on Mafiers, he ufiully gave fuccefs, fo that commonly the whole family was Convtrt£d a1td Baptized with the Ruler of the family. So Ads 18. 8. •Cri[pm btliwcd on tht Lord with aY bif boxji, and they wert Baptized. And Acts 16. 32• Paul prornifeth the Gaoler, Believe on tht Lord Jcfzu Chri/1-, and thou ]halt be faved and thy boufe; and ht and all bit mre Bap<iz•d flraigbt way: for he believed in God with aU his houfe. Ver. 33, 34· AndLydi• is de!cribed a Wo<jhipper of God, Acts 16. r 4 . &vcr. 1)· She was Baptized and her boujho/d. And the Angel told Cornelizw, that Peter fhould tell him rvordt whereby bt al(d all hi< boufholdjhould be faved. Ach u. r4. who were Baptized accordingly. And 1 Cor. 1. 16. Paul baptiJGed tl~e b01<jh'ld ofSteph•""'· And Chrifi told Z.cbezw, Salvation was come · Sff 2 that
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