How the Scottish Covenanters Did Family Worship
The Directory for Family Worship, 1647
In the days in which the Westminster Standards were drawn up, a lesser known document was composed. In 1647, assembled at Edinburgh, Scotland, the Directory for Family Worship1 was accepted for the use of private worship amongst the church members. It was given with three purposes in mind: “for cherishing piety, for maintaining unity, and avoiding schism and division”.
The directory is divided into 14 short paragraphs providing useful and edifying rules that still prove helpful to this day.
They are summarized below:
Preamble
For the sake of stirring up piety, maintaining unity, and avoiding schism and division, ministers and elders are to inquire about the personal and domestic worship of their members. Any head of the household who lacks in leading his family in private family worship must be disciplined.
For there to be national holiness, it is expedient that each individual be devoted to personal worship, and each household be given to regular worship together. It is how the power of godliness is advanced.
I.
Each person must given over to prayer, morning and evening, where they maintain communion with God, and a right preparation of their duties is performed.
The head of the household is to ensure that each member of his household is keeping with this directive.
II.
Ordinary family worship is comprised of two things: First, prayer and praises to God, as well as petitions for the church and each member of the family. Second, the Scriptures are to be plainly read, and simply explained for the edification of each member.
III.
It is the duty of each head, by God and the church, for the Scriptures to be read for the good of the household.
If any sin is reproved in the Scriptures, the family must then be watchful, repent, ask Christ for strength, and be comforted by His grace.
IV.
The head of the family must make sure that no member leaves family worship.
Ministers are to “stir up” the lazy man, and to “train up” those who are weak so that they each may suitable to lead his family.
If the head of the household is unfit to perform this, then on special occasion may a minister or elder, who is under a presbytery, may lead family worship.
V.
A man who is not gainfully employed should not lead in family worship. Such persons are liable to be filled with errors, division, and may lead away unstable souls.
VI.
At family worship, no outsider is to be admitted unless they are overnights guests, there for meals, or for some other reasonable explanation.
VII.
Despite whether or not the outcome was good or bad, the meeting with people of families who are openly sinful or in error is to be disapproved. It may prove to be a hinderance to family worship, bring shame upon the name of Christ, give the family a bad name, and (in due time) a bad name to the church.
Such interactions may harden the hearts of believers, and grieve the godly.
VIII.
Each member of the household is to prepare their heart for public worship. When they return home, they are to spend their time in catechizing, and speaking to one another about the word of God.
When not together, they are to apply the word of God, meditate, and pray in private, in order to confirm and strengthen their relationship with God so that the public ordinances may prove profitable.
IX.
The private individual is to be diligently found in prayer so that they their hearts are stirred up and their tongues loosened to ask God for good things towards their family.
For their overall encouragement their prayers should generally have these aspects:
Confession to God how unworthy they are to come into His presence, and how unfit they are to worship Him.
Confession of their sins and the sins of the family, bringing them to true humility.
Ask God for the forgiveness of sins in Christ, for the sanctification to live holy, godly, upright lives, so that they may live joyfully.
Thank God for His good gifts and mercies to His people and themselves.
Petitions for particular needs, spiritual or temporal, whenever they are in need of them.
Pray for the good of the Church, for the leaders over their country, for their ministers and elders, for their congregation, as well as their neighbors.
That it close with the petition for the glory of God, and for the advancement of the kingdom of His Son.
X.
Private worship is to be performed, without delay, and not be hindered by everyday business.
Elders and ministers are to not only stir up diligence in themselves and their families, but to ensure that the practice is being done in the homes of those under them.
XI.
Families are to not only perform these ordinary duties, but also extraordinary ones, such as thanksgiving and humiliation, carefully, as the rare times call for it.
XII.
As members of a world where we are surrounded by profane and immoral men, we are bombarded by their public and private displays of sin. In our sinful flesh we ourselves are tempted to join them. We must be expedient to be on guard and deny the lusts of the flesh, but not only ourselves but we are to exhort, admonition, and edify our brothers in Christ.
When we admonish a brother privately, and he is not repentant, we must bring in two or three witnesses so that a true word is established, as the Lord taught.
XIII.
Because not everyone is blessed to give a word in season to a troubled or wearied soul, that believer is to find either their minister or an experienced Christian to address that soul privately or publicly.
But if the person who lives with a troubled conscience is afraid of embarrassment or scandal, they may require a good, godly, and trustworthy friend to be at their side when they are given a comforting word.
XIV.
Whenever Christian families are mixed with unbelieving families, they ought to walk with God, not neglecting thanksgiving and prayer. They must be on guard that no corrupting word proceed from their mouths so that what is good and edifying may be a grace to them.
The end for which these directives are given is to promote the power and practice of godliness throughout the church and the world. The gathering of believers is to be done carefully as to not bring about schism and error, and to prevent the disregard of the ordinances of the church.