The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with…

6. The grievous neglect of Family ⟨p. 105⟩Worship. There is a Worship which is due to God from men; and it doth not only concern men personally, but relatively to•, in the several combinations which God hath ordained to be among them. The most public Religious Worship which was at first performed by men, seems to have been in Families, before it came to be attended in the more open and frequented Assemblies, which is thought to have begun in the days of Enos, Gen 4 26. nor doth the making of this latter a duty now give men a discharge from the former any more than that did from secret Worship. The principal parts of Family Worship, are the Reading of the Scriptures and Prayer; and the reason of it is, because every Governor of a Family hath a charge lying upon him, to see to the Religious management of it, that so it may be a Family consecrated to God. As to Prayer, it is of it self a piece of Natural Worship: and the light of nature in mere Heathen, taught them, not only to pray to him whom they accounted God, but to perform it in and with their Families; and that they had a ⟨p. 106⟩Worship in their Houses, is fully testified in Pagan Antiquity; for this reason there is such an imprecation used against the Heathen Families that call not on Gods Name, Jer. 10.21. and it shows them to have been guilty of sinning against the Law given to man at first, else this neglect would not have laid them open to such a curse; and this is certain, that Family which is without their daily joint prayers unto God, is an irreligious Family, and exposed to the dreadful vengeance of Heaven; and for men whom God hath betrusted with the care and charge of Families, to bring up their Children and Servants without prayer, is to bring them up in▪ Atheism; and yet there is lamentable complaint of this neglect even in this place, where there is so much of conviction offered unto men of their duty: and how many have there been, who, when God hath opened their eyes, and given them a true sight of things, have bitterly▪ lamented themselves, that they have lived in Prayerless Families?