-- Personal Worship

under God, preparing their families to profit from the public ministry.

Private teaching, therefore, is subordinate to public teaching, and must be ruled by it. Men may not teach in their homes whatever pleases them, but only that sound doctrine which they have received from the ministry of the Church. Thus, though the matter of instruction is the same in house and church, the office of teaching is not.

If it be asked whether the head of the family must teach in person or by another, the answer is: as much as possible, he must perform it himself. Yet if necessity require—through the largeness of the household, or his employment in public affairs—he may appoint a deputy to teach in his stead, as Abraham entrusted his servant with the most weighty business concerning his family, the choice of a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24).

Second, the master of the household must be the chief leader and example in all parts of family worship. For this cause, the fourth commandment is directed first to him: he must see that the Sabbath is kept holy and must be foremost in every act of devotion. Christ

Himself fulfilled this role in His own household of disciples, among whom He administered the worship of God (Luke 22:17–20).

Let householders therefore consider their duty and be exhorted to perform it with conscience and diligence. Take heed of Moses's example: though he was appointed to deliver Israel and serve God in Egypt, yet the Lord met him in the way and sought to slay him

(Exodus 4:24)—because he had neglected to sanctify his own family, leaving his son uncircumcised. So may men in our day expect the like judgments, if they live in the same neglect.

Personal Worship

The final kind of worship is that which concerns the individual person in his own place and calling. This consists in maintaining faith—that is, true religion—together with hope of everlasting life and a clear conscience before God and man. This is the true service of God, not the careless uttering of a few words, morning or evening, without understanding or affection. Paul teaches this in his own example: "After the way which they call heresy, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things written in the Law and the Prophets, and having hope toward God that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward

God and toward men" (Acts 24:14–16).

That this personal worship may be both rightly performed and faithfully continued, two duties must be diligently practiced.

1. Private Reading of the Scriptures The first is the private reading and study of Holy Scripture. This was the common and continual practice of the Jews. Christ Himself said,

"Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39). They are "a light shining in a dark place" (2 Peter 1:19); therefore we must attend to them while we journey through this world's night. But we cannot attend to them unless we read them. The Word of God is "the sword of the Spirit"

(Ephesians 6:17), and no man can skillfully wield this sword unless he is well acquainted with it. David, though a prophet, read and meditated in the Scriptures continually (Psalm 119:97). Daniel, though divinely inspired, read the writings of Jeremiah to understand the time of deliverance (Daniel 9:2).

Yet in our day, this duty is greatly neglected. In many homes one may find a fine table, yet no Bible. Some will not part with enough money to purchase the Word of life. Others take delight in reading vain tales, songs, and idle discourses, but have no desire for Scripture. This is an evil sign. When the stomach refuses wholesome

food, the body is diseased; so when the heart finds no savor in God's Word, it betrays spiritual corruption. The Scriptures are like fragrant spices—the more they are ground and pressed, the sweeter their aroma. Neglect of them brings God's judgment: "My people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge" (Isaiah 5:13). And again, "He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination" (Proverbs 28:9).

2. Private Prayer The second means of maintaining faith, hope, and a good conscience is private or secret prayer. Isaac went out into the field in the evening to meditate and pray (Genesis 24:63). Moses interceded forty days and forty nights for Israel (Deuteronomy 9:18). Samuel said, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23). David prayed morning, noon, and evening

(Psalm 55:17), and seven times a day praised God (Psalm 119:164).

Our Lord Jesus Christ, though sinless, often withdrew to solitary places and continued in prayer through the night (Luke 6:12). Paul also charges the faithful, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians

5:17).

If any should say, "How shall we hold to true faith and religion when so many disputes and divisions confuse us, so that we scarcely know which is true?" I answer: subject your hearts and lives to God; obey

Him in all His commandments, and you shall certainly come to the knowledge of the truth. For "the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him" (Psalm 25:14), and Christ Himself declares, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is of God" (John 7:17). Remember this well: truth is not attained by clever disputation, but by humble obedience.

The Keeping of a Good Conscience

To preserve a clear conscience before God, two duties especially are required.

First, we must abide within the limits of our calling—that is, the particular duty God has assigned us in relation to Himself and to men. We must beware of leaving our proper sphere or meddling with that which does not belong to us. Let us learn to distinguish between necessary duties and unnecessary activities. The first we must diligently perform; the second we must leave alone, that we be not busybodies in other men's matters.

Second, we must perform the works of our calling in a right manner. For this, several things are needful:

1. They must be done in obedience to God—with a sincere intention to please and honor Him.

2. They must be done in the name of Christ—with prayer and thanksgiving through His mediation (Colossians 3:17).

3. They must be done in faith—depending wholly upon God for His blessing and the good success of our labor.

4. They must be done in love—for both God and neighbor; for all true religion and every grace of the heart must express itself in the works of our particular calling. What a man is in his calling, that indeed he is before God.

5. Lastly, they must be done with patience. "The good ground," says Christ, "brings forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15). For it is the will of God to exercise His servants with manifold trials in every condition of life.

When the works of our callings are thus performed—in obedience, faith, love, and patience—they are the fruits of a good conscience and the true service of God.

FINIS

-----

MONERGISM BOOKS

Conventions. By downloading this eBook, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Monergism Books.

This edition has been carefully modernized for clarity and accessibility while preserving the theological precision, reverent cadence, and Puritan tone of the original. Archaic grammar, syntax, and vocabulary have been updated, and overly complex constructions smoothed for modern readers, without altering the author's meaning or doctrinal intent. Artificial Intelligence (AI) was employed under human supervision to assist in this editorial process. Final review and editing were conducted by the editor to ensure full fidelity to the original text. ePub, .mobi & .pdf Editions October 2025. Requests for information should be addressed to: Monergism Books, PO Box 491, West Linn,

OR 97068

↑ Back to top