stead of being hardened by belonging to prayerless families, may perhaps early be brought to the Redeemer; and at any rate, the instructions received during these exercises will not be useless. Many an eminent believer dates his first serious impressions from the family prayer. At all events, you deliver your own soul, and need not fear their reproaches when you stand together at the bar of God.

I reluctantly pause in the consideration of motives to this duty : I have been obliged but imperfectly to exhibit a few, and to omit many highly impressive: but still I trust enough has been said to convince you, if you are open to conviction; enough to deliver me from your blood, if you are obstinately resolved to persevere in the omission of so plain, so important, so sacred a duty.

But perhaps the objections resting upon your minds may render this whole discourse useless, if they are unanswered. Renew your attention then, my brethren, while in the

IId. Place, with a studied brevity, I examine these objections, and show their weakness and insufficiency.

1. The first objection that is made is this: 'I am in such a hurry of business, and my avocations are so numerous, that I have no time for family prayer.' But where do you find it mentioned in the scriptures that family prayer is the duty only of the idle and unemployed? Do not all the motives that have been urged apply as strongly to you as to the most unoccupied person in this assembly? Is it not your duty to contract your business, if it is so extensive that you cannot attend to the concerns of piety, and the everlasting interests of your soul?

• Your business is so extensive!' This, instead of being an excuse, should be a strong incentive to this duty. What but this can be a sufficient guard against those temptations which increase as your business increases? What but this can preserve you unspotted amidst the allurements and seductions which your multiplied avocations oblige you to meet? What but this can prevent you from being led astray by the illusions of those passions which would have laid dormant in retirement, but which are called into action and exercise by the hurry of the world? But extensive business not only multiplies your temptations, it also augments your trials and your cares. And what but this daily and solemn acknowledgment of the overruling Providence can enable you to sustain these with patience and without sin? Think how inferior is earth to heaven, time to eternity, and then you will confess that it is no loss to devote a half hour, morning and evening, in preparing for death, judgment, and everlasting realities. Ask yourself for what other purpose time was given you, -but to glorify God and save your soul, and then say, whether it ought all to be bestowed on the transitory toys of earth. Look over your life: do you not daily find time for vain thoughts, for trifling occupations, for frivolous conversations, which neither mend the heart nor improve the mind: and yet, great God! they want time to acknowledge thee, to deprecate thy vengeance, to implore thine eternal mercies! Remember how Joshua, amidst his numberless public occupations; and David, who had the care of a whole kingdom; and Daniel, notwithstanding the multiplicity of his engagements; and a thousand others, whose moments were as fully and as well occupied as you, found time to worship God with their

households, You would find time also, if you loved God as much; for believe me, my brother, it is not want of time, but want of inclination, which prevents you. I pass to a

2d. Objection: I am not able to engage in this exercise; words and expressions fail me when I kneel down with my family.' I acknowledge, my brethren, that fluency in prayer is not always proportioned to the piety of the heart; that there are good men, who nevertheless are unqualified to lead the devotions of our public assemblies. But I believe there are few, who are in the habit of praying frequently in their closets, who may not in an edifying manner pray in the bosom of their families; for prayer does not require us to display great acquirements of mind, profound penetration into the mysteries of God, or an elegance of language; but only that we should reverently acknowledge the perfections of God, humbly confess our sins, fervently petition for his favours, gratefully speak of his goodness, and ask for the different orders of mankind those things which they need. There is nothing in all this beyond the attainment of the most common person. In disease, in poverty, in affliction, you have found it easy to reveal your situation to those who could relieve you. The feeling of your wants gave you a natural and persuasive eloquence; and did you feel equally for the wants of the soul as for those of the body, you would find it easy to reveal them. Let your heart be warmed by the sacred flame of religion, and from its abundance your mouth will speak. By a diligent study of the scriptures, you may lay up a store of proper and touching expressions. And if you are timid and trembling at first, take some of those excellent forms prayer for families. of which we have so many

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our language, and assembling your family, kneel down with them, and read these reverently and solemnly. You will soon outgrow the necessity of such helps, and in the mean time the duty, if your heart be engaged, will be acceptably performed. For, though I ordinarily do not approve of forms of prayer for families, yet I fully agree with the excellent Dr. Doddridge, that "if any had rather that a family should be prayerless, than that a well chosen form should be solemnly and gravely read in it, he judges as absurdly, as if he had rather see them starving to death, than fed out of a dish whose materials or shape are disagreeable to him. And now," (I am still quoting from Doddridge,) " if the matter be come to this, that you will rather sacrifice all the benefits of family prayer, than submit to the trouble of reading a well composed address, which, with a small portion of Scripture before it, would not perhaps take up more than a quarter of an hour's time; indeed, indeed, you must be condemned by God and your own conscience. In such a view, both must testify, that it is neither want of leisure, nor want of ability, which prevents you from discharging your duty, but a stupid indifference about it, or rather, a wretched aversion to it: the natural consequence of which might, if a little reflected upon, be sufficient to throw the most careless and arrogant sinner into an awful alarm, if not a trembling consternation." I know not whether I need mention a

3d. Objection: This duty is so generally neglected, that by attending to it I should expose myself to derision and ridicule.'

I should hope that there is no individual so utterly base and lost to feeling, as to present this plea. What! to forsake God because the world forsakes

him; to abandon the exercises of religion because others disregard them; to cleave to him only when it is fashionable; and fly from his standard as soon as the enemy makes a vigorous assault! It is a mean cowardice, equally repugnant to every principle of honour, and every sentiment of piety. I can conceive no address more calculated to lay hold on the heart, than the words which our Saviour directed to the apostles when he was forsaken by the multitude, "Will ye also go away?" That others neglect it, should only impel us to this duty. We must exercise a holy singularity; and he must lay his account to undergo eternal perdition who will renounce the duties of religion for fear of the sneer of a profligate, or the jest of a fool. Remember the words of our Redeemer, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." (Mark viii. 38.) I have sometimes heard a

4th Objection urged: I am convinced of the propriety of the duty, and I should rejoice if it were introduced into the family; but I cannot prevail on myself to introduce it after so long a neglect.' That is to say, in other words, you are too proud and too obstinate to confess and amend what you know and acknowledge to be a sin. Is this an excuse that you dare present to God? The essence of repentance is to turn from our evil ways; and surely you can never expect the blessings of penitents, if you refuse to go forward in your duty, because you may meet with some difficulties and mortifications. The adversary will endeavour to magnify these difficulties and mortifications, and cause them to appear much greater than they really are. But granting them as