Matthew Henry on the Cristian Home as a Little Church

 

Matthew Henry on the great duty and value of Family Worship and making the home a little church:

"The pious and zealous endeavours both of magistrates and ministers for the reformation of manners, and the suppression of vice and profaneness, are the joy and encouragement of all good people in the land, and a happy indication that God has yet mercy in store for us: If the Lord had been pleased to kill us, he would not have shewed us such things as these. Now I know not any thing that will contribute more to the furtherance of this good work than the bringing of family -religion more into practice and reputation. Here the reformation must begin. Other methods may check the disease we complain of, but this, if it might universally obtain, would cure it. Salt must be cast into these springs, and then the waters would be healed. Many a time, no doubt, you have been urged to this part of your duty ; many a good sermon perhaps you have heard, and many a good book has been put into your hands with this design, to persuade you to keep up religion in your families, and to assist you therein: but I hope a further attempt to advance this good work, by one who is a hearty wellwisher to it, and to the prosperity of your souls and families, will not be thought altogether need less, and that by the grace of God it will not be wholly fruitless: at least it will serve to remind you of what you have received and heard to this purpose, that you may hold fast what is good, and repent of what is amiss. Rev. iii. 3. The lesson then which I would recommend to you from this text, is this: That the families of Christians should be little churches; or thus, That wherever we have a house, God should have a church in it. Unhappy contests there have been, and still are, among wise and good men about the constitution, order, and government of churches. God by his grace heal these breaches, lead us into all truth, and dispose our minds to love and peace ; that while we endeavour herein to walk according to the light God has given us, we may charitably believe that others do so too; longing to be there where we shall be all of a mind. But I am now speaking of churches, concerning which there is no controversy. All agree that masters of families who profess religion, and the fear of God themselves, should, according to the talents they are intrusted with, maintain and keep up religion and the fear of God in their families, as those who must give account; and that families, as such, should contribute to the support of Christianity in a nation, whose honour and happiness it is to be a Christian nation. As nature makes families little kingdoms, (and perhaps economics were the first and most ancient politics,) so grace makes families little churches; and those were the primitive churches of the Old Testament, before men began to call upon the name of the Lord in solemn assemblies, and the sons of God came together to present themselves before him. Not that I would have these family churches set up and kept up in competition with , much less in contradiction to, public religious assemblies, which ought always to have the preference: The Lord loves the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, (Ps. Ixxxvii. 2.) and so must we; and must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, under colour of exhorting one another daily at home. Far be it from us to offer any thing that may countenance the invading of the office of the ministry, or laying it in common, and the usurping or superseding of the administration of sacraments. No, but these family churches, (which are but figuratively so,) must be erected and maintained in subordination to those more sacred and solemn establishments. Now, that I may the more distinctly open to you, and press up on you, this great duty of family religion, from the example of this and other texts, of a "church in the house, " I shall endeavour, I. To show what this church in the house is, and when our families may be called churches. And , II. To persuade you by some motives, thus to turn your families into churches. And then , III. To address you upon the whole matter by way of application."

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