Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-01-05
Mistrllanrou5 &eading.
FAMILY WORSHIP.
With God In the Home There Is Little
Danger From Without.

Danger From Without.
Written for The Yorkville Enquirer:
Lord, how delightful 'tis to see,
A whole family worship Thee;
At once they sing, at once they pray;
They hear of heaven, and learn the
way"
The duty to maintain family worship,
on the Part of the Christian husband
and father, is almost universally ac-
knowledged: while the observance Of
family worship is almost universally
neglected. This neglect constitutes one
of the most discouraging and alarming
features Of the church's life today. 1t
is stated on good authority that not one
Christian family in twenty maintain
any form Of family worship. 1t is ex-
ceedingly doubtful whether the Chris
ton families of York county would
measure up to even this low stand
ard.
There are three reasons for the erec-
tion of the family altar in every Chris
tion lone, either one Of which, 1t would
seem, would be sufficient to induce ev-
cry Christian parent to observe family
Worship and when combined, we can
not understand why the strong for
tress of indifference and neglect Is not
at once swept away, and the family al
tar erected
l. Family worship is duty, recog-
nized as duty, deeply written on the
Christian conscience. In a long minis
try of over twenty-five years, recall
but one man who did not acknowledge
this duty. This is such an important,
such a vital duty, that the Christian
conscience cannot but recognize it. 1t
is a duty the head of the family owes
to himself a duty he owes to his
family; duty he owes to his church;
a duty he owes to his country; duty
he owes to his God Good and only
goods flows from this fountain of bless
ing in the family. Evil and only evil
can result from it's neglect. Was 1t
Gen. Lee who said: Duty IS the great
est word in the English language"
Duty known, calls for action prompt
and joyous; and the Christian who does
not respond stabs his own conscience
impedes his own growth in grace, and
grieves his Savior. Duty is the path
God marks out for His children to
walk In. Conscience sees that path,
approves the man that walks therein
and condemns the man that does not
Family worship is such a duty. Let
not the Christian husband and father
for one moment hesitate to perform
that duty. and thus enjoy the rich fruits
thereof IF ye know these things hap
py are ye if ye do them" He that
knoweth his duty and doeth 1t not, shall
be beaten with many stripes"
2. The word of God requires the
head of each family to maintain family
worship. The assertion has been made
that the Bible does not anywhere COM
mand family worship. He must be
very Superficial student Of the Bible
Tho does not ind this duty laid down
IN the word of God. 1t is there both
by good and necessary inference, ana
py positive command.
Cd In NAL. ii, XIV, it Is declared GOO
instituted the family, That He might
seek a godly seed" If the design OF
the family is realized, the children must
receive in the family a godly training
How can this training be complete
without family worship? A little cniid'
after saying his prayers taught him
py his mother astonlshed her by saying
"wnen | get to he a man l Will not
have to pray" why not, my son." the
mother asked. Because" he replied,
.fatner never prays." There the ex-
ample of the father seemed to be max
ing a deeper impression on the chlld
than the teaching Of the mother. To
rear a godly seed, you must set god
ly example. You cannot expect godly
children to come from goddess families
And Is not that a goddess family where
God is not worsniped in the family!
The individuals may possibly be Chris
tians: but I think you must agree that
if God Is not worshiped in the family
that cannot be called a godly family.
(2) In. Jer. xxi, l, Jehovah declares,
Il will be the God of all the families OF
Israel, and they shall be my people,
Here II must be seen family worship Is
necessarily implied. If JehoVah Is the
God of an individual, that individual
must worship God. Even so, If Jeho-
vah is the God Of a family, He must
be worshiped in that family. If there
is no family worship, it is hard to see
how God could be the God of that
family. How could He be the God OF
family where His authority is not
recognized, and where He is not wor-
SHIPPED? Of family where there is no
altar, no priest, no sacrifice of prayer
and praise?
(3) "The church in the house" is
the Bible idea of the family, Col. iV, 10.
Since the members of a pious family
constitute a scriptural church, we must
infer that the worship Of God is main-
tanned in that family. Worship is an
essential element in a church. There
can truly be no church where there Is
no Worship If the church is in the
family, then family worship must be
there.
(D Family worship is positively en-
Joined in Deut. vi, 6, I, And these
words which l command thee this day
shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt
teach them diligently unto thy children
and shalt talk of them when thou sit
test in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou
liest down and when thou risest up.
Mark the Thou shalt" in this passage.
There is no discretion or choice in the
matter. The command to read the
scriptures and teach them to the chill
dren morning and evening, is as clear
as noon-day. Christian parents are
you obeying this command of God in
your family?
81 Again, the duty Of family worship
is enjoined on the father in Eph. VI, 4,
And we fathers, provoke not your chill
dren to wrath, but bring them up in
the nurture and admon.tion of the
Lord" To bring up the children in the