Adapted
from
The Directory for
Family Worship
by the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, AD 1647
Revised and Edited by
Lakeside Church, Presbyterian Church in America
Approved
by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for Piety and
Uniformity in Secret and Private Worship and Mutual Edification with
an Act of the General Assembly Anno 1647, for Observing the
Same.
Editor’s Introduction
Christian families are under attack. Sadly, as
our faith becomes more and more secularized by a hostile and
aggressive humanism, Christians often develop their understanding of
marriage and family from a non-Biblical perspective. At the center
of this problem is a widespread abandonment by Christian men of
their responsibilities for the spiritual welfare of their families.
Because men refuse to be godly men, their wives and children suffer
accordingly.
The Directory of Family Worship, adopted by the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1647, should make us
all a little humble as we meditate on how far we have fallen from
the standards of our Presbyterian forefathers. Although the level of
discipline required in the Directory of Family Worship may be
startling to our modern senses, it does demonstrate vividly why our
Presbyterian heritage exercised such a powerful influence on their
world, while we today, are too often influenced by the world. Men,
it is time to be men.
Since 17th century English is a
barrier to many, and because the truths contained in this historic
document are so important for us today, Lakeside Church, PCA has
taken the liberty of rephrasing some aspects of the Directory to
simplify its use for modern readers. Our additions, clarifications
and changes are written in parentheses, brackets and ellipses.
Greenville Presbyterian Seminary originally reprinted this document
and should not be held responsible for any errors we may have made.
Copies of the original Directory are available from them at PO Box
9279 Greenville SC 29604.
ASSEMBLY AT EDINBURGH, AUGUST 24,
1647
Section I. [Neglecting Family Worship
Is Subject to Church Discipline] Act for observing the Directions of
The GENERAL ASSEMBLY for standard of private worship, and
Edification, and nurturing those who neglect Family Worship.
1. THE
General Assembly, after mature deliberation, approves the following
Rules and Directions
for cherishing piety, and preventing division and schism; and
appoints ministers and ruling elders in each congregation to take
special care that these Directions be observed and followed;
2.
Likewise, presbyteries and provincial synods should
inquire... whether the said Directions are duly observed in their
bounds; and to reprove or censure (according to the quality of the
offense), such as shall be found to be reprovable or censurable.
And, to the end that these directions may not be rendered
ineffectual and unprofitable through the usual neglect of the very
substance of the duty of Family-worship, the Assembly further
requires and appoints ministers and ruling elders to make diligent
search and inquiry, in the congregations committed to their charge
respectively, whether there be among them any family or families
which neglect this necessary duty.
3. And if
any such family be found, the head of the family is to be first
admonished privately to amend his fault; and, in case of his
continuing therein, he is to be gravely and sadly reproved by the
session; After this reproof, if he is found still to neglect
Family-worship, he shall be, for his obstinacy in such an offense,
suspended and debarred from the Lord’s supper, as being justly
esteemed unworthy to receive the sacraments until he amends his
ways.
DIRECTIONS OF
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, CONCERNING SECRET - AND PRIVATE WORSHIP, AND
MUTUAL EDIFICATION; FOR CHERISHING PIETY, FOR MAINTAINING UNITY, AND
AVOIDING SCHISM AND DIVISION.
Section II. [The Importance of Family
Worship]
1.
BESIDES the public worship in congregations, which God has
mercifully established in this land in great purity, it is expedient
and necessary that secret worship of each person alone, and private
worship of families, be encouraged and established; that, with
national reformation, the profession and power of godliness, both
personal and domestic, be advanced.
2.
...First, for secret worship, it is most necessary, that
everyone apart, and by themselves, be given to prayer and
meditation, the unspeakable benefit where of is best known to them
who are most exercised therein. Secret worship is the means whereby,
communion with God is enjoyed, and right preparation for all other
duties obtained. Therefore it is the responsibility of pastors,
within their several charges, to exhort persons of all sorts to
perform this duty morning and evening, and at other occasions. but
also it is incumbent to the head of every family to have a care,
that both themselves, and all within their charge, be daily diligent
herein.
Section III. [The Duties of Family
Worship]
1.
The ordinary duties of families when convened for worship
are:
a.
First, Prayer and praises performed with a special reference,
as well to the public condition of the Church of God and this
kingdom, as to the present case of the family, and every member
thereof.
b. Next,
Reading of the scriptures, with catechizing in a plain way, that
children and uneducated persons may be the better enabled to profit
under the public ordinances, and they made more able to understand
the scriptures when they are read;
c.
There should also be godly conferences for the edification of
all the members in the most holy faith: as also, admonition and
rebuke, upon just reason, from those who have authority in the
family.
2.
As the charge and office of interpreting the holy scriptures
is a part of the ministerial calling, which none (however otherwise
qualified) should take upon himself in any place,... so in every
family where there is any that can read, the holy scriptures should
be read regularly to the family. And it is commendable, that
afterwards they confer, and by way of discussion make some good use
of what has been read and heard. As, for example,
a.
if any sin is reproved in the word read, use may be made
thereof to make all the family aware and watchful against the
same;
b. or if
any judgment is threatened, or mentioned to have been inflicted...,
use may be made to make all the family fear lest the same or a worse
judgment befall them, unless they beware of the sin that procured
it:
c.
and, finally, if any duty is required, or comfort held forth
in a promise, use may be made to stir up themselves to employ Christ
for strength to enable them to do the commanded duty, and to apply
the offered comfort. In all which the master of the family is to
have the chief hand; and any member of the family may propose a
question or doubt for resolution.
3. The
head of the family is to take care that none of the family withdraw
himself from any part of family-worship: and, seeing the ordinary
performance of all the parts of family worship belongs properly to
the head of the family, the minister is to stir up such men as are
lazy, and train up such as are weak, to a fitness to these
exercises; it being always free to persons of quality to entertain
one approved by the Presbytery for performing family exercise. And
in other families, where the head of the family is unfit, that
another, constantly residing in the family, approved by the minister
and session, may be employed in that service, wherein the minister
and session are to be accountable to the Presbytery.
4. And if
a minister, by Divine Providence, be brought to any family, it is
requisite that at no time he convene a part of the family for
worship, secluding the rest, except in singular cases especially
concerning these parties, which (in Christian prudence) need not, or
ought not, to be imparted to others.
5. Let no
idler, who has no particular calling, or vagrant person under
pretense of a calling, be suffered to perform worship in families;
seeing persons tainted with errors, or aiming at division, may be
ready (after that manner) to creep into houses, and lead captive
silly and unstable souls.
6. At
family-worship, a special care is to be had that each family keep by
themselves; neither requiring, inviting, nor admitting persons from
divers families, unless it be those who are lodged with them, or at
meals, or other wise with them upon some lawful occasion.
7.
Whatsoever have been the effects and fruits of meetings of
persons of divers families in the times of corruption or trouble,
(in which cases many
things are commendable, which otherwise are not tolerable,) yet,
when God has blessed us with peace and purity of the gospel, such
meetings of persons of divers families (except in cases mentioned in
these Directions) are to be disapproved, as tending to the hindrance
of the religious exercise of each family by itself, to the prejudice
of the public ministry, to the rending of the families of particular
congregations, and (in progress of time) of the whole Church.
Besides many offenses which may come thereby, to the hardening of
the hearts of carnal men, and grief of the godly.
8. On the
Lord’s day, after everyone of the family apart, and the whole family
together, have sought the Lord (in whose hands the preparation of
men’s hearts are) to fit them for the public worship, and to bless
to them the public ordinances, the master of the family ought to
take care that all within his charge repair to the public worship,
that he and they may join with the rest of the congregation. And the
public worship being finished, after prayer, he should take an
account what they have heard; and thereafter, to spend the rest of
the time which they may spare in catechizing, and in spiritual
conferences upon the word of God: or else (going apart) they ought
to apply themselves to reading, meditation, and secret prayer, that
they may confirm and increase their communion with God: that so the
profit which they found in the public ordinance may be cherished and
promoted, and they more edified unto eternal life
Section Four: [On Prayer]
1.
So many as can pray
intelligently, ought to make use of that gift of God. While
those who are weaker may begin at a set form of prayers they should not become
sluggish in stirring up... the spirit of prayer, which is given to
all the children of God.... Thus they ought to become more fervent
and frequent in secret prayer which will enable their hearts to
conceive, and their tongues to express, their desires to God for
their family. And, in the meantime, for their greater encouragement,
let these materials of prayer be meditated upon, and made use of, as
follows:
a.
“Let them confess to God how unworthy they are to come in his
presence, and how unfit to worship his Majesty; and therefore
earnestly ask of God the spirit of prayer.
b. “They
are to confess their sins, and the sins of the family; accusing,
judging, and condemning themselves for them, till they bring their
soul to some measure of true humiliation.
c.
“They are to pour out their soul to God, in the name of
Christ, by the Spirit, for forgiveness of sins; for grace to repent,
to believe, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly; and that
they may serve God with joy and delight, walking before him.
d. “They
are to give thanks to God for his many mercies to his people, and to
themselves, and especially for his love in Christ, and for the light
of the gospel.
e.
“They are to pray for such particular benefits, spiritual and
temporal, as they shall in need of for the time, (whether it be
morning or evening,) as benefit the health or sickness,
prosperity or adversity.
f.
“They ought to pray for the Church of Christ in general, for
all the reformed churches, and for this Church in particular, and
for all that suffer for the name of Christ; for all our superiors,
the king’s majesty, the queen, and their children; for the
magistrates, ministers, and whole body of the congregation whereof
they are members, as well for their neighbors absent in their lawful
affairs, as for those that are at home.
g.
“The prayer may be closed with an earnest desire that God may
be glorified in the coming of the kingdom of his Son, and in doing
of his will, and with assurance that themselves are accepted, and
what they have asked according to his will shall be done.”
2. These
exercises ought to be performed in great sincerity, without delay,
laying aside all exercises of worldly business or hindrances, not
withstanding the mockings of atheists and profane men; in respect of
the great mercies of God to this land, and of his severe corrections
with which He has lately disciplined us. And, to this effect,
persons of eminency
(and all elders of the Church) not only ought to stir up
themselves and families to diligence..., but also to exhort all
other families, where they have power and charge, to conscientiously
perform these same exercises.
Section Five: [Other Duties of Family
Worship]
1.
Besides the ordinary duties in families, which are above
mentioned, extraordinary duties, both of humiliation and
thanksgiving, are to be carefully performed in families, when the
Lord by extraordinary occasions, (private or public,) calls for
them.
2. Seeing
the word of God requires that we should all consider one another, to
provoke each other
to love and good works;
therefore, at all times, and specially in this time, when profanity
abounds, and mockers, walking after their own lusts, think it
strange that others do not run with them to the same excess of riot;
every member of this Church ought to stir up themselves, and one
another, to the duties of mutual edification, by instruction,
admonition, rebuke. We should
exhort one another to manifest the grace of God in denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live godly, soberly, and
righteously in this present world. We should comfort the weak in
faith, and pray with and for one another.
3.
Extraordinary duties... are to be performed upon special
occasions offered by Divine Providence; as when under any calamity,
cross, or great difficulty, or when counsel or comfort is sought; or
when an offender is to be reclaimed by private admonition. And if
that warning is not effectual, one or two others should join in the
admonition, according to the rule of Christ, that in the mouth of
two or three witnesses every word may he be enriched.
Section Six: [Special Circumstances]
1. And,
because it is not given to every one to speak a word in season to a
wearied or distressed conscience, it is expedient, that a person...
finding no ease, after the use of all ordinary private and public
means, should go to their own pastor, or some other experienced
Christian. But if the person troubled in conscience is in a
situation, or of that sex, that discretion, modesty, or fear of
scandal, requires a godly, serious, and secret friend to be with
them when they seek such counsel, it is expedient that such a friend
be present.
2. When
persons of different families are brought together by Divine
Providence, (being abroad upon their particular vocations, or any
necessary occasions); they should have the Lord their God with them
wherever they go, they ought to talk with God, and not neglect the
duties of prayer and thanksgiving. But they should take care that
such worship be performed by the person that those present judge
fittest. And they must likewise be careful that no corrupt
communication proceed out of their mouths, but that which is good,
to the use of edifying, that it may give grace to the hearers.
3. The
drift and scope of all these Directions is that the power and
practice of godliness, amongst all the ministers and members of the
Church, may be cherished and advanced, and all impiety and mocking
of religious exercises suppressed. Furthermore that, under the name
and pretext of religious exercise, no such meeting or practices be
allowed, as are apt to breed error, scandal, schism, contempt, or
misregard of the public ordinances and ministers, or neglect of the
duties of particular callings, or such other evils as are the works,
not of the Spirit, but of the flesh, and are contrary to truth and
peace.
Practical
Applications
It can be a little overwhelming when first
reading the Directory of Family Worship. Obviously, our Presbyterian
ancestors thought this an important part of the Christian life. But
the question for the modern reader is, “Where do I start?”
At Lakeside, we encourage people to begin by
setting definite times, every day when Family Worship can be held.
We strongly encourage people to set aside two portions of the day.
The first is in the morning, before we leave for work, school or
other daily labors. The second is in the evening, either after
supper or just before bedtime.
In the morning session, we encourage the Head
of the household to convene the family after they have had their own
personal devotions. This often means getting up a little earlier
than usual. Most homes find that mornings are the most hectic and
troubled time of the day. Beginning the day with Family Worship
helps to focus our attention on what is good and right and proper.
Yes, it means getting up thirty minutes earlier. But the reward is
family time with God.
In the morning, we recommend that the family
start by singing a hymn together. Not every family is musically
gifted, but every family can enjoy singing Psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs (cf. Col 3:16). Don’t allow self consciousness to
rob you of praising God. You can do it and your family will be
enriched by praise. At Lakeside we supply our families with the
hymns we will be singing for the next Sabbath day. This is to help
very young children learn the hymns so they can be fully participant
in the service.
After the hymn, the Father should open with
brief prayer. Though not required, we encourage families to pray the
Lord’s Prayer together and to recite one of the great ecumenical
creeds of the faith (i.e., the Apostle’s or Nicene Creeds are very
good). For very young children, this gives them the opportunity to
both learn important statements of faith as well as giving them
things to do (children can be squirmy!).
Then a passage from Scripture should be read.
If the family has very young children, it is helpful to focus on
narrative passages which tell a story. One can work through the Old
Testament and the gospels in a fairly short time giving children a
broad overview of Scripture.
When the children are older, didactic passages
from the epistles are very useful. The family can discuss the points
made in the passage, with Dad making some practical applications
from it.
We used to re-read the same story as retold by
in a Bible story book. However, we found that these books come in
uneven quality and need to be handled carefully. Eventually, most
Dad’s found that they could re-tell the same story, in their own
words with better effect. If one’s children are old enough, we allow
them to read the Scriptures one verse at a time. In other words, we
try to get as many of the children involved in as much of the
program as possible. This helps attention spans
Dad should focus on making some practical
applications for the family. Many Dads have found that having 15
minutes of private devotions first on the same passage, gives them
the time and opportunity to think through the passage so they can
teach it to the rest of the family. Preparation helps
performance!
We then sing a brief chorus or Scripture song
and pray for the needs of the family, friends, church etc. The
children are asked to pray for specific needs. Sometimes, especially
with children under four, the prayers are quite simple and Dad may
need to help them word them accordingly. But the children are often
quick to pick up on the method.
That’s it! Thirty minutes, tops. And the result
is children who enjoy hearing and studying the Scriptures, singing
doctrinally sound hymns and praying for people they know. For older
children, the Bible story can be replaced with doctrinal passages
and they can be asked much more detailed questions.
In the evening, Family Worship consists of
working on the Catechisms from the Westminster Confession. Again for
very young children, we use the Children’s Catechism. For older
children and adults we recommend the Shorter Catechism. It does not
have to take hours and hours just a good reflective time on God’s
actions during the day and prepares the children for a restful night
sleep. At our home, we do Catechism just before bed. We sing several
gentle Scripture songs, pray together and the children retire for
the evening.
My kids love Family Worship both morning and
evening. It is not a burden to them and they are very disappointed
if we miss a day. We try to make it fun, not a chore, because we are
learning about God and His commands. They value the uninterrupted
time with Mom and Dad and try to outdo each other learning new
questions. In fact, my oldest, who is just seven, sometimes gets the
Catechism book down and leads his four younger siblings in impromptu
family worship sessions of their own!
If you have not had regular Family Worship, do
not be surprised if your children initially resist, fidget, whine,
etc. Set the standard and enforce it. If you are consistent, they
will be. Also, don’t be afraid to have fun! It is a great joy
worshipping the Lord. If you enjoy it, your family will also. Family
Worship ought not to be a drudgery, but a wonderful time of
fellowship with your Lord and God. Enjoy it!
If
you are not having consistent Family Worship discuss it with your
spouse and begin making plans to implement it today. The Head of the
house is responsible to God for caring and nurturing their families.
Your family is the most important ministry God has given you. If you
can’t handle this one, you are not qualified for any other ones (cf.
1 Tim 3:3ff). Don’t let the Adversary rob you, your spouse or your
family of your personal time with the Lord Jesus.