A Family Altar Erected to the Honor of the Eternal God, Treatise · Chapter 2
Chap. II. Shewing what is meant by Family-Altars, and what's required of Houſholders.
BY Altar I mean (by a Synechdoche) all the Worſhip of God to be performed in Families: To an Altar in old time literally, and in Goſpel-times Myſtically, or Metaphorically; there are four things requiſite.
1. The Inſtitution or Conſecration; none can appoint an Altar to be Erected but God, Exod. 20.24. An Altar of Earth ſhalt thou make: None hath Power to order Gods Worſhip but himſelf alone: Men may not add or diminiſh at their pleaſure:Mat. 28.20. Mininiſters muſt teach, Chriſtians muſt obſerve all things whatſoever our Lord commandeth us:Numb. 7.10. Men may Dedicate an Altar, It is God alone that properly Conſecrates or Sanctifies it; yet men are ſaid to Conſecrate themſelves to the Lord,2 Chron. 29.31, 33. yea and other things in a ſecondary way, and inſtrumentally: But as God appoints, ſo himſelf only doth Authoritatively, efficiently, actually, Conſecrate Perſons and things: Let us ſee we have a warrant from God for what we do in his Worſhip.
2. An Altar requires a Prieſt: Before Moſes Law, the Firſt-born of the Family was Prieſt to offer on the Altar; but afterwards Good took the Tribe of Levi inſtead of the Firſt-born, in remembrance of the Lords ſmiting the Firſt-born in Egypt, Num. 3.12.13.Num. 17.9. Aaron and his Family were the bloſſoming rod whom God had choſe in a peculiar manner to Miniſter before him: But our Lord Jeſus is our New Teſtament Aaron, yet above him, even after the Order of Melchizedeck; Heb. 6.20.an higher Order than that of Aaron: Upon whoſe account all Gods Saints be Kings and Prieſts:Joh. 17.17. For as Chriſts Divinity ſanctified his Humanity, for our Lord as God ſanctified himſelf as man; ſo he alſo ſanctifies all his Saints;Heb. 10.14. By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are ſanctified; for this end, that they may be an holy Prieſthood to offer up ſpiritual Sacrifices, 1 Pet. 2.5.acceptable to God by Jeſus Chriſt.
3. A Prieſt muſt needs have ſomething to offer upon this Altar.Heb. 8.3, 4. The Prieſts under the Law offered Bulls, Goats, and brute Beaſts: Chriſt offered himſelf as a Sacrifice for our ſins: Saints offer their Souls and Bodies as a Thank-offering to the Lord; their prayer and praiſes, as was hinted before: But the Holy Ghoſt adviſeth us to be more ready to hear, than to give the Sacrifice of fools, Eccleſ. 5.1. or than fools to give Sacrifice, who vainly think to pleaſe God with variety and coſtlineſs of their Offerings. Obedience is better than Sacrifice; and the Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; therefore it becomes us all to look to our ſtate and ſtanding and alſo to the manner of ſacrificing, as well as the matter ſacrificed.
4. As to the Altar, there muſt be reſpect to the End and Deſign of this Altar; for the End either makes or marr's the Action: Now the Text ſaith, I will make there an Altar unto God; and God ſaith,Exod. 20, 24. Hoſ. 8.11 An Altar ſhalt thou make unto me; not to Idols, not to ſin, or to themſelves, to pleaſe their own fancy, or for vain-glory: God threatens he will break down all ſuch Altars:Hoſ. 10.2. For though every Family muſt have its proper Altar in their peculiar relative capacities, yet they muſt only make uſe of the one Altar Chriſt Jeſus for acceptance and worſhip God after the pattern ſhewed in the Mount;Zech. 14.9. that the Lord may be one and his name one, i. e. his worſhip uniform, the ſame in all places: Hence it was that when the two Tribes and an half had made an Altar, the other Tribes were offended, and prepared War againſt them; till they were aſſured it was not in oppoſition, but as a Teſtimonial of their relation to, and worſhiping of the ſame God, therefore called it Ed, a witneſs: Read the ſtory, Joſ. 22.10, 34. Every Family muſt Erect ſuch an Altar, to be a witneſs that they ſerve the ſame God that is worſhiped in publick Aſſemblies, and the Catholick Church in all times and places.
Only this Altar I am now treating of, is diſtinct from, 1. Publick. 2 Secret perſonal Altars.
1. It is not properly Publick, either National or Congregational, ſuch as that which David Erected, 2 Sam. 24.18. Gad came to David and ſaid, go up, rear an Altar unto the Lord: This was for all Iſrael to make an Atonement, and this was the place where the Temple was to be built; whither all the Tribes were to go up to worſhip God: And this Family-Altar muſt not exclude the publick Ordinances: Upon which holy Davids heart was ſo ſet, that he envies the Sparow and Swallow that built their Neſts near Gods Altars,Pſal. 8….3. and is tranſported with an extaſie of holy joy at his approach to it;Pſal. 43.4… Then will I go to the Altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: No, no, the more a Chriſtian is converſant with God in his Family, the more will he prize and improve publick Ordinances: Yet this is a diſtinct Altar.
2. This is diſtinct from ſecret Acts of Worſhip or perſonal Altars, ſuch as Abraham Erected, Gen 12.7, 8. The Lord appeared unto Abraham—And there he builded an Altar unto the Lord—and in the next verſe, called upon the name of the Lord. Howbeit ſome Expoſitors think this was a Family-Altar, which Abraham Erected, to keep his Family in the true Religon; and to ſeparate himſelf and them from the Idolatrous Neighbourhood: If ſo it confirms my aſſertion for Family-Altars. But certainly that in Gen. 22.9. was more perſonal: So was Jacob's, Gen. 28.18.
This therefore that I am ſpeaking of is a Family-Altar, an Emblem of Family Worſhip.
It's true ſometimes a Family ſignifies a whole Nation, a Kingdom, Amos 3.1. The whole Family which I brought up from the Land of Egypt: This is all the Hebrews, afterward divided into the two Families of of Judah and Ephraim, Jer. 33.24. The Sons of Adam were all one Family, and after the confuſion of Languages they were diſtributed into the ſeveral Regions of the World,Deut. 32.8. Jer. 8.3. and had their Names from the Head and Root of that Family from whence they ſprung: This is not the notion of Family here: But it is to be taken ſtrictly for perſons dwelling together in one houſe, Lev. 20.5. Then I will ſet my face againſt that man, and againſt his Family: This is diſtinct from Kingdoms and Provinces: Judg. 1 25. They let go the man and all his Family. Eſth. 9.28. Where Family is diſtinguiſhed from Province and City: And this is the moſt famous and ordinary uſe of the Word: And in the Text the reſtriction is to Jacob and his Houſe: Lawers, Civilians, Divines thus uſe the word and ſay that [Domus eſt naturae conſentanea Societas] an Houſe or Family is a Society moſt agreeable to Nature: In this houſe are ſuch as are moſt ordinarily and familiarly converſant together that Work, Eat, Drink, Sleep under one Roof: To a compleat Family (ſay they) is requiſite …. A [Paterfamilias. 2. Materfamilias. 3. Filius. 4. Servus.] Father, Mother; Son, Servant: But indeed the proper conſtitutive eſſential parts of a Family are but theſe two
1. Pars Imperans.
2. Pars Subdita.
i. e.
1. The Governing
2. The Governed
parts:
And ordinarily the Governing part muſt ſet up this Altar, and Order the worſhip of God in his Houſe or Family together with the reſt: Hear what a great Divine (now with God) ſaith in this point Mr. Baxters Chriſtian Directory, Tom. 2. Fol. 490. Note therefore that the Governour is an Eſſential part of the Family, and ſo are ſome of the Governed (viz. that ſuch there be) but not each member; If therefore twenty Children or Servants ſhall Worſhip God without their Father or Maſter of the Family, either preſent himſelf, or in ſome repreſentative, it is not a Family-Worſhip in a ſtrict ſenſe: But if the Head of the Family in Himſelf, (or Delegate, or Repreſentative) be preſent with any of his Children or Servants, though all the reſt be abſent, it is yet a Family-duty, though the Family be incompleat and maimed, (and ſo is the duty therefore, if culpably ſo performed;) thus far that Reverend Man of God.
If it be inquired, how muſt an Houſholder act the part of a Prieſt in his Family? what muſt he do? Anſwer; The office and buſineſs of a Prieſt in the Old Teſtament conſiſted in theſe four things chiefly.
1. To inſtruct the People in the Principles of Religion, and their duty to God and each other; Mal. 2.7. The Prieſts lips ſhould keep knowledge, and they ſhould ſeek the Law at his mouth: Therefore God rejected thoſe Prieſts that rejected knowledge; Hoſ. 4.6. This is the work of Houſholders, Deut. 6.6, 7. Thou ſhalt teach them diligently unto thy Children.
2. To manage the holy Offerings and Sacrifices for the Atonement on the behalf of the Children of Iſrael, Lev. 16.11.Lev. 1.5, 8. Aaron muſt make an Atonement for himſelf, and for his houſe—And verſe 21. Aaron ſhall lay both his hands upon the head of the live Goat, and confeſs over him all the iniquities of the Children of Iſrael: Thus did Job, ch. 1.5. He roſe early in the morning and offered burnt-Offerings according to the number of them all; for Job ſaid, It may be that my Sons have ſinned—Thus muſt we do, confeſs the ſins of our Family, and beg pardon through Chriſt.
3. The Prieſt was to intercede for the People, as Aaron was to take a Cenſer, and put fire thereon from the Altar, and put on Incenſe—and ſtood between the dead and living,Nam quoties in Sanctum ingrediebatur Sacerdos, quaſi in Dei conſpectum prodibat, ut inter eum & populum eſſet Mediator. Calv. in loc. Numb. 16.46, 48. Hence the Prieſts Office was to burn Incenſe in the Temple, and the multitude of the People were praying without, at the time of Incenſe, Luk. 1.9, 10. For as often as the Prieſt entred into the holy place, he appeared as in the preſence of God, that he might be a Mediator between God and the People. It's true, there is no Mediator of Interceſſion, no more than of Redemption betwixt God and Sinners, but Jeſus Chriſt alone in a proper ſenſe; yet as one may pray and prevail for another through Chriſt, ſo a godly Houſholder may and muſt be the mouth of his Family on their behalf.
4. The Prieſt was to bleſs the People, Numb. 6.23. Speak unto Aaron, and to his Sons, ſaying, on this wiſe ye ſhall bleſs the Children of Iſrael, ſaying unto them, the Lord bleſs thee, and keep thee, &c. Doubtleſs this was petitory, or by way of petition, and God anſwers that prayer, verſe 27. And I will bleſs them. But how far they did this in the Name, and by the Authority of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt. I cannot ſay,Weemſ… Chriſtian Syn. p. 311. Weemſe tells us, that the Prieſts lifted up both their hands when they bleſſed the People. The Text in Pſal. 134.2. [Lift up your hands in the Sanctuary] alludes to this, becauſe the Prieſts could not lay their hands upon all the People, they lifted them up; for in bleſſing they were wont to lay on their hands; therefore Jacob laid his hands on Joſeph's Sons:Gen. 48.17 There was a Sacerdotal, a Patriarchal, and a Parental Bleſſing. Thus the Chief of a Family bleſſeth his Houſhold, 2 Sam. 6.20. Then David returned to bleſs his Houſhold; which was by prayer, and in the Name of the Lord, pronouncing a Bleſſing upon his Family; not as a Prieſt, nor as a Prophet only, but as a Governour of his Houſhold, which the meaneſt Houſholder may, and muſt do.