Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-12-14
RELIGIOUS MISCELLANY.
From the Religious Magazine.
RULES FOR FAMILY PRAYER

From the Religious Magazine.
RULES FOR FAMILY PRAYER.
Family prayer ought to be regarded by
Christians not so much as duty which
they ought to perform, as in the light of
privilege which they are permitted to en-
JOY.
The case is this. God gives man the
permission TO come to him at all times
with all his cares and hopes, and interests,
and promises to hear and grant his petit
tlonS, He places also under his care
family,-and connected with this family
are almost all his worldly enjoyments and
hopes. He must find peace and happi-
ness here, or he must be perpetually mis-
cradle. His children must be projected
| from the temptations and dangers which
beset them, or else they must, BY their sin
full courses, make his later wears of life
grievous burden, and bring down his gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave. He has
domestics, apprentices, or workmen in his
household, to continue in sin, and be for
ever lost-or to come and give them
selves up to the service of God. Now he
has the permission to come with this
household every day before God, and
commit them to his care, and bring them
all under the subduing, sofening infu-
ences of prayer. Can he, if he really
has any love to God himself, hesitate o.
We trust not. He will not need to be
driven to family prayer as a duty-he
will cling to it eagerly. as to privilege
If he does not, there is strong evidence
that he does not understand the feelings of
true child of God.
l. Family prayer ought to be regular.
There ought to be a regular time for it,
a regular sigma! and it would be better
that each member of the family should
have his regular, appointed place at the
freside. These things are of no impor-
lance in themselves, but they are of great
importance as means ofinfuencing hearts
so under the control of circumstances and
associations as ours are. liza little bell Is
struck at an appointed time, and the men,
bers of the household gather at once, each
to his appointed seat, as arranged perhaps
by an older child,-and the service is
commenced regularly and in order, the
moral effect will be vastly greater, and
more salutary, than where the household
are called together at any hour when they
happen to be ready, sometimes before
breakfast, sometimes after, and sometimes
not at all,-summ oned perhaps by sever
al messengers sent in opposite directions
and seating themselves in disorder, wher
ever they can find chairs, and moving te
, accommodate one another. Let no one
say in reply to this that our family is SC
large and heterogeneous, that we canno
be regular,-it is in precisely such fam
ily that order and method is most lndls
pensable, -and it is always possible to Sc
cure it. A college, and a cotton factor!
: are families with hundreds Of inmates
and they are as regular as cloc k-work.-
If large family is not regular, then 1t II
: owing not 10 its size, but to the habits o
: example of the head Of tat least, so ia
as family prayer is CONCERNED, see to
! that all things are done decently and IL
1 order.
2. The Bible should be read and ez
planned at family prayer. Chr istlans ar
seldom aware how ignorant their chIldre'
: and the various members of their house
holds are of the truths and duties of rell
r gion, and even of the narratives and his
tory of the Bible. These every maste
d of a family can explain. He can, on tn
Sabbath, read several chapters, with Scot
. or some other commentary, and then }!
;, the course of the week read them to hi
n family, part OF chapter at each exer
D, else, repeating the substance OF the eS
r plantations and thoughts which nc obtain
p ed from the commentary, and also maxim
g asy other remarks which may occur t
9. him. These explanations should b
y adapted to the. youngest children presen
y and often addressed directly to them. b
= this means, the master Of the family wi
i increase his own knowledge of the Bib
a in the best possible way, and fix it in n
misd, and he will awaken and conee.