first day of the week, the day he had our, they could not think of parting, of bread according to his example, th memorial of his dying love, his aton ous resurrection and triumphant ret designed as a pledge of their mutual ion with one another. And though were animated with more life and lov ly in a better frame for partaking of alas, we now are, yet we must own, t same obligations of love and gratitu deemer, and have the same need of the of his blood, and of a confirmed intere they had; and consequently ought to Lord's days to the celebration of this supper, than now we do; especially of this ordinance is the proper work of one special design of the institution o

2. Baptism is most proper on this d and the sacrament is holy. Children the congregation, and baptized in fac baptism is the door to Christ's house, ed when the family is convened or th that so the receiving of new members mologate by them; that the parents' en the more witnesses to them, and the prayers put up for them; and also, th gation may be edified by this solemn of ted to remember and improve their own afterward.

As to the feasting part of this solemn proper on the Lord's day: This may the day after.

V. Making public collections for th duty on this day, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. T tuted to keep up the memorial of Chri to mankind, and for our meeting to red and mercies from him, we are in grati occasion to be liberal to his poor; this promote our Sabbath-day's frame. Le neglect his duty, which is so plainly con

Think it not enough that you give something privately to the poor this day, and that this may excuse you from any public contribution for this would be a slighting of an express command, and making one duty to justle out another; and besides, would tend to frustrate Christ's institution of deacons and church-rulers, who are appointed to receive and distribute the collections for the poor according to their various necessities. When the apostle enjoins the Corinthians to lay by them in store on the first day of the week that there might be no gathering when he came ;"it is plain, he chiefly means their depositing their charitable contributions with the church-rulers: for if it were not so, there would still be need of gatherings when he came.

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I grant, indeed, it were very proper for every man, besides the public charity he gives on the Lord's day, likewise to set apart something this day, and lay it by him in store, according to his gains and incomes through the week, as a stock or fund, out of which he might give to pious and charitable uses, as occasion should require; and so, the stock being prepared beforehand, you will give the more bountifully and more willingly to such uses, than otherwise you will find in your hearts to do. If not only rich men, but even tradesmen, labourers and servants, would thus lay up every Lord's day some very small thing by them, they might, without any sensible damage to themselves, have somewhat to give to proper and needy objects: and I am persuaded this would not be the way to impair, but to increase your means.

Quest. II. What are the private duties required of us upon the Lord's day?

Ans. It is not enough that we spend some part of the Lord's day in public worship; but since (as I proved before) the whole day is consecrated to God, the rest of it is also to be kept holy, and taken up in holy duties, in private and secret.

Domestic and private duties are necessary on this day, both for preparing us for the public ordinances, and for improving and reaping advantage by them.

These duties are family worship, by reading the word, singing the praises, and calling upon the name of God; family-catechising, repetition of sermons, christian conference, &c.

I. Family-worship is a duty incumbent on masters of families every day, but more especially upon the Lord's day. It is to be regretted that there should be any need to adduce arguments to prove this: But since there are some who call themselves ministers, who either deny it, or else have not so much conscience or courage directly to assert it in their preachings or writings, (they neither press the performance of this duty, nor reprove the neglect of it in others; and as it is generally said, they do not practice it themselves; whereby many are encouraged to slight family worship, and think it no necessary duty, to the great hindrance of the advancement of piety,) I shall therefore prove it to be the duty of all masters of families, especially on the Lord's day; and that, in the first place, from the fourth commandment.

The fourth commandment is principally directed to masters of families, because families, as such, are chiefly to be concerned in the keeping of it, both negatively and positively. For as the command enjoins every master of a family, with all that are within his gates, his son, his daughter, his man servant," &c. to forbear all manner of work on the Sabbath; so it likewise enjoins them to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Now, to keep the "Sabbath holy to the Lord," without all doubt, implies the worshipping of God: This cannot be understood only of worshipping of God in the public assemblies, for these cannot be always had; yet still the command for sanctifying the Sabbath is binding on families. Again, the public worship takes up only a part of the Sabbath; but families are bound to sanctify the day throughout. This cannot be duly done by the members of the family worshipping God apart in secret; for families, as such, are bound to do it. The command binds a master to do it jointly with his family, as well as it binds a minister to do it jointly with his congregation. Moreover, if the command did only bind a master of a family to worship God in public, and in secret upon the Sabbath, then he would be no further concerned in sanctifying the Sabbath than any other member of his family; also, he would sanctify the Sabbath as much in communion with the members of other families as those of his own, which were most absurd. But it is plain, that the command lays it especially on the master of the family to take care of the sanctifying of the Sabbath in his family;

which must be by worshipping God, as well as by resting from labour; otherwise he would do no more than is required of the beasts: And this he can never account for, unless he do it in communion with his family, go before them in it, and, by his example, direct and encourage them in the holy worship and service of God upon his holy day. We have Joshua's practice sufficiently explaining this precept, Joshua xxiv. 15. He saith not "My house shall serve the Lord;" but "I and my house will do it ;" i. e. We will jointly worship God, and sanctify his Sabbath, which are the principal parts of his service. This he would do, and we ought all to do, though there were no public worship in the world. And this is confirmed by Lev. xxiii 3. which requires the Sabbath to be religiously observed in all our dwellings or private houses, as well as in holy convocations; by every family apart, as well as by many families together.

But I shall demonstrate the indispensable necessity of this duty of family-worship, from several other topics.

I. The light of nature and sound reason pleads for it on many accounts. 1. It teacheth that all societies should jointly honour their founders. Now God is the Author and Founder of families, Psal. Ixviii. 6, "God setteth the solitary in families ;" and ought not families to worship him. who instituted them, and that for this very end, that, "they might glorify him, and shew forth his praise "

2. The light of nature teacheth masters of families to use all proper means for preventing the hurt of the family, and rescuing them from danger and it is plain, that family prayer is a special mean for this effect. The light of nature taught the heathen mariner, with his ship's crew, Jonah i. 4. to use joint prayers to save them in a storm and we see it was the master of the ship that called to this duty. Now, shall a heathen master of a ship do more in his society, by nature's light, than a Christian master of a family will do in his, who is privileged with the clear light of the gospel?

3. The light of nature teacheth men to do all they can to promote the good of their families, to provide food and physic for their servants and children's bodies. And doth it not teach them also to use means, to preserve their souls from wrath, and further their eternal well-being? And

what mean more proper for this end and conjunct prayer? O masters of ples, herein will have a happy influ dren and servants, both to excite ther them how to pray.

4. Nature's light directed the he Lares and Penates, or household gods ped in a special manner, and to who ces for the protection and welfare of we find in scripture, that Laban and phim or household gods. Now, tho helpless gods, yet it shews they belie mily worship. Alas! heathens will r against many who are called Christia

II. We are commanded in scripture t and with all manner of prayer," 1 Ti Now if we must pray in all places, t milies if with all manner of praye family prayer."

III. Masters of families are bound all their heart, and their neighbours a censequently are bound to bring their them to the worship of God. God's peo such love and zeal, that they frequentl creatures to join with them in God's p Psal. cxlviii. 2. &c. and how much m their neighbours and fellow-christians vid invite and exhort others to praise G will not masters of families, who love G bour, invite and exhort those to whom related, to join with them in the praise a

IV. Families have many joint errand grace, which call for joint family-prayer often sin together, and therefore it is fi mourn together. They need many fami is fit they jointly seek them; they are e mily dangers, therefore they should joint they receive many family-mercies, whi thanksgivings. They work in their em bour together, and it is very fit they