"hear; thy command I haften to obey." Such was the meaning of his words, and of his practice. For he does not delay, or hefitate: "THEN Jacob faid unto his household, and to all that were with him, put away the ftrange gods that are among you, and "be clean, and change your garments; and let us "arife, and go up to Bethel." From hence we may obferve alfo,

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Fourthly, That holy preparations become the folemn fervice of God. They are generally deemed neceffary for minifters. It is fuppofed they ought to be previously alone; to fix their attention; to imprefs their minds; to implore the divine affiftance and bleffing. But have hearers no need of this? Are they to engage in the worship of God, entirely regardless of the nature, the importance, and the influence of divine inftitutions? To omiffions of this kind it is owing, that ordinances in our day are, become as unprofitable as they are common. If before you came together, you retired, and endeavoured to obtain an abftraction of mind; if by reflection you procured a seriousness of frame, fo friendly to devotion; if by examining yourfelves, you discovered what finful prejudice, or paffion, was likely to render you partial hearers; if you formed a refolution to lay yourselves open to the influence of the word, and to rectify whatever appeared to be wrong; if you remembered that you are accountable even for your attendance, and that the word you hear will judge you in the last day; if you came with defire and earnest expectation, founded on the promise of God, that he is the rewarder of them that diligently feek him; and above all, with prayer, knowing that

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"neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that wa"tereth, but God who giveth the increase;" were you thus to enter on the service of the fanctuary; I ask, would there not be a natural tendency in all this to render the means of grace impreffive and efficacious, and is not this the only authorized way in which you can hope for the divine bleffing? Rafh entering upon duty is rarely profitable. God may meet with us unawares, but where has he promised to do it?" Draw "nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." "Keep "thy foot when thou goeft to the house of God." "Offer not the facrifice of fools." "Take heed how

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ye hear." "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness, and fuperfluity of naughtinefs, and receive with meekness "the engrafted word, which is able to fave your fouls." Thefe are the commands of God, and they regulate our hope, as well as our practice. And in this manner our good old forefathers worshipped; then public fervices were not fo multiplied as to abridge, if not exclude the duties of the family and the closet; then hearing the word was not rendered an entertainment fo cuftomary, common, and trifling; with them divine worship was an awful thing; they prepared for one duty, by another; and like wife performers, they tuned the inftruments before the concert began.

Fifthly, There may be wickedness in a religious family. We find "ftrange gods" even in Jacob's household. We may view iniquity in fuch a fituation two ways. First, as a good man's affliction; and a dreadful affliction it will prove. It is bad to have ficknefs in his houfe, but it is worse to have fin, the plague and peftilence of the foul. How, fays he, can I bear to

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fee the deftruction of my kindred! Secondly, as a good man's fault. Could we see things as God does, and be able to trace back effects to their caufes, we fhould foon perceive the fource of the disorders and wickednefs which prevail in many houses. Mafters of families! have you ruled well the charge which God has given you? Have you behaved towards your fervants, as remembering you have a master in heaven? Have you fhewn them a kind and a pious attention? Have you had your children in fubjection? Have you trained them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Have you inftructed them only in particular dogmas, or impregnated them with the spirit of christianity; and endeavoured to render its duties lovely and practicable? Have you not provoked them to wrath, till they are difcouraged? Or has not your indulgence become connivance, fo that you have resembled Eli, whose "fons made themfelves vile, and he reftrained them "not?" or David," who had never displeased Adonijah at any time in faying, why haft thou done fo?" Have you maintained order; or lived in a confufion favourable to every evil work? Has daily devotion been seriously performed? Have you enforced all by your own walk and converfation? Have you set no evil thing before your eyes? While you have preached meekness in words, have you not recommended paffion by example? While you have taught them humility by precept, have you not enforced pride by practice? And are you surprised to find irregularities in YOUR family? Wonder if you please, but wonder at your own folly in feeking by the wayfide to " gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thiftles." Complain if

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you please, but complain of yourselves. Are you fo unreasonable as to expect to " reap where you have "not fown, and to gather where you have not straw"ed?"

Again, we remark that our religious concern fhould not be confined to ourselves only; we are to engage our families to accompany us in the exercises of devotion. Thus Jacob would not go alone, but calls upon his household, and all that are with him; each must prepare, and each must attend. And of Abraham, fays God, "I know him that he will warn his children. "and his HOUSEHOLD after him, and they fhall keep "the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment, "that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which "he hath spoken of him." In the fame difpofition was Jofhua, who faid, "as for me and my HOUSE, we "will ferve the Lord." We may add the centurion; "he feared God, with all his HOUSE." In your own families you poffefs an authority and an influence; "a "father has honour, a master fear." Servants and children naturally obey. This authority and influence you are to employ for religious, as well as civil purposes; and to vary the exercife of them according to the condition of those who are in family connection with you; ufing command with fome, perfuafion with others, means with all. As the head of a family, 'you are to mind the fouls of those who are under your care, as well as their bodies. They are not defigned to live here only, or principally; they are hastening into eternity. And you are not to live here always; you will foon be called " to give an account of your stewardfhip," and you will be judged, not only as an indi

vidual; but as the owner of an HOUSEHOLD: after the man has been tried, the mafter will be fummoned; O that you may "give up your account with joy, and "not with grief." Even here you have the advantage of domestic religion; "the voice of falvation and of "rejoicing is in the tabernacles of the righteous;" fuch households only are fafe and happy. How pleafing is it to fee all the members of a family worshipping God together daily in their own houfe! How lovely to observe them coming forth in the morning of the fabbath, all going to the houfe of God in company! Minifters are encouraged, while they fee in such households the nurseries of their churches, and address with pleasure a hopeful affembly, formed by the union of a number of amiable, orderly, serious families. But they are pained to fee you disjoined, and coming in alone; the father without the fon, and the mother without the daughter. Shall I intimate here the propriety not only of your engaging your families in religious duties, but of taking them along with you, as far as circumftances will allow, to the SAME place of worship? Thus you will be certain of their attendance, by their being under your eye; while they will be preferved from that faftidiousness and vagrancy of mind, fo much cherished by loose and various hearing.

Once more we may obferve, that deliverance claims service; that prayer answered is to become praife. Jacob refolves to distinguish himself for God, who had appeared fo wonderfully for him; and to make the place of mercy, the place of duty: "there will I make "an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I

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