Influence of Family Worship on Children (3)

In the rearing of youth, nothing can be thought insignificant which goes to train the thoughts, or give strength and direction to the habits. It is by a repetition of perpetual, patient touches, small in themselves, that the straggling branches of the vine are led by the gardener to grow and spread aright. It is by ten thousand inappreciable dots and scratches, that the plate of the engraver is made to represent the portrait or the landscape. So it is by an ever-renewed application of right principles, that parental care, in the hand of sovereign grace, gives Christian habit to the infant mind. In so precious a work nothing is unimportant: we must give heed to the minutest influences, as we save the filings of gold, and the dust of diamonds. For this reason we ascribe to domestic worship a large share in creating useful habits in the young. We scruple not to say that a child receives advantage by being led to do any thing, provided it be innocent, at stated times, with frequent repetition, and with proper care. The daily assembling of a household, at regular periods, for a religious purpose, directly tends to promote good habits. It is a useful lesson for the speechless babe, to acquire the patient stillness of the hour of prayer. It is good for a family to have a religious motive to early rising and timely attention to personal neatness.

Parents who may read this are respectfully invited to consider whether they do not owe it to their children to give them the daily worship of Cod. Especially are the sons and daughters of the church, whose own youth was hallowed by this constant observance, charged to recall their impressions of the past, and to reckon up the advantages which they are denying to their off-spring.

Christian children must give account at the last day, for the privilege of family prayer. It becomes them to be asking whether they are making use of the instrumentality. Customary means of this kind, we know, are apt to become formalities. When the family is gathered, the careless or drowsy child may hear as though he heard not, and kneel as though he knelt not; may attend to no syllable of God’s Word, and join in no single petition. But let him remember that every instance of family worship affords a means of direct approach to the Most High, and thus a means of saving his soul. Blessed are those children, who, early in their youthful days, remember the God of their fathers, and begin life by choosing Him [by grace] as the guide of their youth! To such, every act of worship is a solemnity and a delight, gradually ripening the soul for faithful service on earth, and for the praises of heaven. Most earnestly is it to be desired, that those who have been baptized, who have been catechized, who have been, during all their youth, embraced in the circle of domestic prayer, should now, when themselves placed at the head of families, carry forward the blessed institutions in which they have been reared, and convey the words of life to coming generations. “We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done” (Ps 78:4).

Being Active

“Draw me, we will run after Thee” (Song of Solomon 1:4a).

May this drawing make you active before the time of drawing is past. The Lord Jesus still offers Himself willingly. He is still trying to draw you by the means of grace. Oh, that now it were the hour of grace, that you might be drawn! It is true that you cannot draw yourself; Jesus must do it. However, diligently do that which is required from your side.

Observe again, the necessity of your being drawn, and your total inability concerning your state. Go now, cast yourself with all your inability at the feet of the Lord Jesus. Show Him in uprightness of heart, with supplications, that you in truth want to be drawn. Cry to Him without ceasing, “Draw me, draw me; Lord Jesus, draw me!” Give Him, with all your heart, all the honor for He alone must draw you, and He is able and willing. Let the quiet breathing of your heart be, while detesting yourself: “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst draw me, and Thou only shalt do it.”

Place yourself, as often as you can, under the administration of God’s living Word, especially under the most powerful and spiritual means, for that is where Christ usually “draws.” Surrender yourself unconditionally to the workings of the Holy Spirit, who, above all, is assigned to accomplish this task. Never resist the work of the Spirit.

—Rev. A Hellenbroek

Dr. lames W. Alexander (1804–1859), eldest son of the renowned Archibald Alexander, wrote many volumes on practical Christian themes, including Plain Words to a Young Communicant (1854) and Thoughts on Preaching (1864). This article is part of a series extracted from his Thoughts on Family Worship (1847).

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen