posed to know his own: and so yourselves know, whether some time might not be spared from the coffee-house, or from unseasonable visits, at that hour of the day that would be most fit for the religion and worship of your family. I can but appeal to yourselves, whether it may not be so.

I know, it may possibly be alleged in a particular case; if it be asked, "Why were you not at a more seasonable hour about the exercises of religion in your family?" Why, "I was obliged to observe such an appointment with such a one about business in a coffee-house or a tavern." But I would inquire; Is it necessary, that this must be constantly so, or more ordinarily so? Or can it not be provided, that such meetings might be at more seasonable hours, so as not to exclude familyduty in its proper season; that is, to occasion it either to be quite laid aside, or (which may be as culpable,) to be deferred to so late an hour of the day or night, (for the greatest danger of this kind is in the evening,) till every one naturally is more disposed to sleep, than to prayer or to hear God's word read or opened to them? Might it not be managed otherwise? And then may I not appeal to you, whether this be not an affront to the majesty of God? According to that which is urged by the prophet Malachi, (chap. 1. 13.) When ye bring that which was torn, and the lame and the sick for an offering, should I accept this at your hands? saith the Lord." Or, as in ver. 8. "Is not such a sacrifice evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee?" It is to offer God an affront, instead of a sacrifice; the worship of a carcase, instead of a living sacrifice or service. It speaks your contempt of the divine Majesty, when you dare ordinarily presume to do so; instead of that reverence which ought to animate all your worship.

And therefore about this, no other course can be taken by one who shall preach to you upon such an occasion, but only to leave you to serious communing about this matter between God and your own souls. Bring the case before him, and consider your rule, and consider your judge; for you are not to be final judges; nor are you to judge arbitrarily in a subordinate way, but by rule.

Consider, I say, the rules you are to judge by, what such laws as these lay upon us. Whatsoever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. 31. Can you go to God in in this case, and say, "Lord, I appeal to thee, who knowest all things, whether I was not about business at the coffee-house or tavern, which did more tend to glorify thee, than inspecting my family would then have done; than reading out of thy holy word or calling upon thy name would then have done.”

We are required to do all that we do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Col. 3. 17. A most awful thought that! This is to run through our lives, to do all we do in the name of our Lord Jesus. Nor is it an unreasonable thing, that this law should be laid upon us. For by whose vouchsafement and procurement is it, that we have a being in this world? It is "by him that all things consist." This world, if it had not been for him, would have been pulled in pieces about the ears of its inhabitants many a year ago. It was said concerning Joseph, exalted in that high trust in Egypt; and it was said to him by the prince upon the throne, "Without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt." Gen. 41. 44. If God say so concerning him, of whom Joseph was but a type, our glorious blessed Lord; "The creation is given to thee, it might have been all made to vanish into nothing long ago, but it is now devolved into thy hands; be thou absolute Arbiter of life and death, and of all concernments to this whole creation; All power is given to thee in heaven and in earth :" This being the state of the case, it is not an unreasonable law that I now mention, that whatsoever ye do in word or deed, ye should do all in the name of Christ; you have nothing to do in this world, but in his name. Now can you go by this rule, and say, "Lord, it was in the name of Jesus Christ, that I thought myself more concerned to mind such and such businesses at a public house at such an hour in the evening, rather than the business of my family in the exercises of religion; rather than in reasoning, and in opening and urging the Scriptures to them, and calling on thy name with them?" Let these things be considered in the fear of God; and not like persons that mean to trifle in matters, wherein God will not trifle with us one day. I need to do no more, than to leave such cases to a communing between God and your own souls. If you will let the matter be heard there, it will bring the case before God, and the peal will be made to him about it. But if you will judge the matter without hearing, and as the sole judges, when you are no way so but in subordination; if you will have it determined finally by an improper judgment, without debate, without examining the matter pro and con: this argueth a bad cause and a guilty conscience; when you dare not try the matter between God and your own souls; and dare not to see how it will go there, when there is none to audit the account but He and you.

I would fain have you consider the matter in this light day by day in such cases; that, when you go to take your rest at night, you may lie down and sleep in peace; not because you do not consider the state of your case, whether you have done

your duty or not; but because you have; and so can appeal to God about it, that you have done according to the obligations of the Christian law, lying upon you in reference to yourself and in reference to yours.

Objection II. Some may say, "It is true they begin to apprehend and admit a conviction, that it is very reasonable and fit, there should be religion in families, even as such; but they know not how to master the great difficulty of beginning.” It hath been hitherto an unwonted thing with them; and if the truth of the matter should be confessed, it would be plainly this, that they are ashamed to be taken notice of by their relatives and dependants, as those who have admitted a conviction that they have been hitherto in the wrong. They think it will be an owning of a sort of guilt in their omission hitherto, when they shall set this on foot as a new course.

Answer. But methinks the providence of God hath mighty opportunely provided you an answer against this objection, if it hath any place in the minds of any; by ordering the matter so, that the duty should be recommended so unanimously at the same time by so great a body of the ministry, that in many considerable congregations in this city this subject of familyreligion hath newly been insisted on at once. Is it a shame to hearken to the voice of instructors, so instructed (as we may believe) of God, as unitedly to give a kind of celeusma, to cry, "Come let us all at once see what can be done to beat down the growing irreligion and profaneness of the age, and to revive languishing religion and to cause it to spring up afresh in families!"

Oh what a comely, lovely example was London to the rest of the Christian world, when religion and the order of families was more generally kept up in it! Such a lustre in this respect did hardly shine upon any spot on earth, as did upon this city. And when there is so common a cry only to revive a former practice, should it be a shame to hearken to it?

We are indeed to take all heed imaginable, that this may not degenerate into a dead or sleepy formality. It is no necessary consequence, that it should do so. It is not the design, either of the Scripture precept, or of them that enforce such precepts upon you, that you should rest in the external form of this piece or part of religion: but that we should all labour to get the form filled up with life and spirit more and more. And by how much the more it shall be so; as London hath been an eminent instance of religion in former times and ages, especially since the reformation, so it will be much more So. As it is grown more in other respects, so may it through the blessing of God grow in this respect also!

We are expecting the time, when the Spirit of the Lord is to be poured forth more copiously, more generally, and in a greater measure, than hitherto : and what an honour will it be, that shall be put upon London, if that shall be made a luminary to so great a part of the world besides, as such a city can fall under the notice and observation of? Instead of shame, here will be glory. Do you glory, (instead of being ashamed) to bear your part in so noble a design, to revive languishing religion in our land, and in London, and in our age. If you think it fit, that Christian religion should not dwindle and go out in a snuff; oh, contribute your utmost in your several stations, that it may be more and more a spreading and vivid thing, such as may spread and recommend itself.

SERMON VI.*

WE

E now proceed to the Use, which may be proper to be made of all the foregoing discourses. And,

I. That which hath been said may be useful for our instruction in sundry inferences, which it will be very obvious to deduce from it.

1. That if there ought to be such a thing as family-religion; then certainly there ought to be such a thing as personal. For as families do suppose persons, and are made up of them; so family-religion must suppose personal religion. For the reason formerly mentioned, I did select out of this text for my main subject the business of family-religion, and do not design a distinct discourse concerning personal; that being the business of all our preaching and hearing all the year about. But yet, as I told you, I shall not pass over upon this subject the business of solitary or personal religion. But I reckon it very fitly comes in by way of inference and deduction from what hath been said to the former: for there cannot be a greater absurdity or solecism in all the world, than that a man should pretend to set up religion in his family, and yet know nothing what belongs to any exercises of religion alone and apart by himself.

* Preached January 21, 1693.