Objt{J. •· Objcl/. 2. ob;eaiollS agai~zft Family.Worjhip anjivercd. Ir is a greater ~cube whether then he had au:? _ozhcr publick Wor!hip. \Vhcn there were ffw or no Church·afTemblles that were larger than famll1cs, no doubt God was ordinarily woJfhipped in f 3 mi– lics. Every Ruler of a family then was as 'l Prieft to his own family. Cain and Abet otlcrcd their ow Sacrifices : f~ did Nvab,Abrabamand Jac'J!J• n If it be obJetted, that allthi< ,..fed,,..,.. the Office of the Pricft WJJ inj!ituttd, and ro deny the lat<r p3It of my Antectdent, I reply, I· Though fi me make a doubt of it, whe<her the Office of Pricft– hood was infiitutcd befote AoronJtime, I think there is no great doubt to be made of it ; feeing we find a Priefihood then among otb~r N.;tion.r, .who had it either by the light of ~ature, or by Traditi– on from the Church : And MrlciJizcdrck.f Pndlhood (who was a Type of CIUJII ) is expreOy men– tioned. So that thoughf,mily-worlhip was then the molt urual, yet [ome more publick worOrip there was. 2· After the: inllilution of AaroNJ PrieUhood family wor!hip continued, as I have proved before: ~ea, the two Sacraments of Circumcifion and the PajJtov€r, were celebrated in Familiu by the Maller ot the houfe: Therefore Prayer was certainly continued in families. 3· If that plrt of Wor· fhip that was afterward performed in Synagogues and publick Affernl>lies was approprhte.rJ. rO rhem that no whit proveth, that the part which agreed to tamilies as fuch, was transferred to thofe A1fem: blies. N:ty, it is a certain proof that that part wa~ left to families Hill, becauiC we find that the publick Alfemblics never und<rtook it. We find among them no prayer but Church-prayer ; and not thar which was tined to FamiltcJ as fuch at all. Nor is there a word of Scripture tftat fpeakethof Gods reverling of his command or order for famil)·pra)'r, or other proper family-worlhip. There– fore it is proved to continue obligatory ilill. Had I not been too long already, I lhould haye umed to this end the example of Job in racrificing daily for his Sons; and of E}lhtr's keeping a Fafi with her Maids, Hrjt. 4· 16. And Jer. ro. 2 5 , Pour 9UI thy fury on t!Jt Htatbm tbat k.,.non.t tbee not, and on t.be fami lia that eaU not on thy Name. Its true that by [families J here is meant Tribts of people; and by cJUing on his N.zme, is meam their W01f11ipping the true God. But yet this is fpoken ofaUTribts without exception, great and finall: And Tribes in the beginning (as AbrahamJ, I[aacJ, Jacobs, &c.) were contined to families; And the argument holdeth from parity of reafon, to a proper family ; t\nd that caUing on God! N,sme, is put for his Wo1iliip, doth more confirm us, becaufe it provcth it robe themoH eminent p.ut ofworlhip, or clfe the whole would not be tignitied by it; At leafi no reafon can imagine it excluded. So mud• for the proof of the fourth Propo!ition. Obje8ions m if Juerd. Ohjell. r. HAd it btm a dulyHndtr lht G'jpt/10 pray in familin, rrr fho~tld tertqinly h>vt found it. more txprrfly required in the Scriplfre. An{tP. l· 1 haVe already {hewed you, that it js plainly required in the Scripture: But men mull not teach God how ro fpeak : nor oblige him eo mlke all plain to blind perverted minds. 2. Thofl; thivgs which were plainly revealed in the Old Tdlament, and the Church thenhcl~ ''-!.i\bout any con· tradiction, even from the pcrfccutors ofChri(\ themfe:lves, might well be plll over in.' the Goff>el, and taken as fuppofed acknowledged things. 3· The Gtneral Precepts (to pray alway, with aU prayq, in all places, &c. ) being <xprdfed in the Gorpel, and the Light ofNature making parti,ular applica: tion of them to Familin, what need there any mo~c? 4• This reafon is, app:ucnt why Scrlpcure f}:>cak– cth of it no more cxprdly: Before Chriils time the Wodhip of God was lefs fpir'itua.l, and more certmonial than, afterward it was: And therefor.c you rind after mention ofCircumc)(ion and facti· fic.ing, than of Prayer: And yet Pr~yer was !\ill fuppored to coneurr. And aft« Chrifis ti,me o~ · urth,' moll Chrifiian families were ditlurbed byper!ccution, and Cbrifiians fold up all and live.d in Communily : And alro the Scripture Hifiory was to defcribe to us the (lare of th0 Churcbes, rother than of pa,rticular families. · Obj<Cl:- 2· Cbrijf hi,nfelf aid not u{e to pray wid1 hjs f•rnily : as apptamb by the DifciP,Its Mkjng him tottacb tbem topr~y, and by tht filmce of tht Scriptutt i1(this point: Therefore it Uno ditty to us. An[..-. r. Scripture lilcnce is 110 proof that Chrilt did not ure it. All things arc not w'ritten which he did.' '•· His Teaching them the Lords Prayer, and their d<Gre of a common Rule ofPra~er, might confifi with his ufual prayi11g with them: At lea!l with his uGng to pray with them 4{1<r tbar, though at firjr he did not ure ir. 3 But it is the Confequence that I principally deny: r- Bccauli: Chrilt did afterward-s call his fervants to many duties which he put them not on at tiril ; as SJcrall].ents, Difcipline, preaching,fr<quenter Praying,&<. efpecially after the coming down of the Holy Ghofi: As they undcr– lloqd not many Articles of that faith rill thep, fo np \)londer if they undcrfiood not many duties tiU then: t·or Chrifi would have thcm.thus fuddenly infirulled and fullycr ranlliticd h,y a Miracle, that thejrMinifiry might be more credible, their Million being evident!~ Divir)e, and thrybtin~;.pafi the rufpi~ion of for11cry and deceit. 2. And though it is evident, that Chrifi did ure to Jjlefs the Mear, andhngHymnstoGod with his Difeiples, Lu'<!22·17,1S. Mar:I4.22,23,2tl• M~ltb.z6.2J, 28, 30· and therefore it is Very probable prayed with,them often,,as John 17· Yet. It co~1ld not be <xpelled that he lhould ordinarily be their inouth in fuch prayers ~s they <\aily nc.eded· HJs cafe and ours are exceedingly different. His Difciples mufi daily confe(s the.ir lins, atl.d be h~mbkd for thcrn, and ask forgivenefs: but Chri!l had none of this to do, They mufi pray for mortrfyJng grace, and help againlt fin ; but he had no Gn to mortilie or t>ray againfi. They 1 mufi pray, for the Spirit, and " the
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