Judge in peace, let them rejoice; but if any are conscious to themselves that they are not prepared, let them mourn, repent, and return to God upon the gracious terms of the gospel, before their day of grace expires, and their feet stumble upon the dark mountains of death.

SERMON XXIV.

THE BLESSING OF GOD UPON THOSE WHO HONOR HIS

INSTITUTIONS.

JANUARY 7, 1821.

AND the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom, in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and

all that he had. 1 CHRONICLES, Xiii. 14.

IN the days of Eli, the Philistines waged war with Israel, and in one battle slew thirty thousand footmen, and took the ark of God, and set it in the house of Dagon their god. But the next morning they found their false deity fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. Though they immediately sent the ark of God from Ashdod to Ekron, yet it remained in the land of the Philistines seven months. At length, at the direction of their priests, they carried the ark to Beth-shemesh. But God awfully frowned upon the men of Beth-shemesh, who presumed to look into the ark; upon which they sent to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim to come and take it from them. Accordingly they came, and carried it to the house of Abinadab, where it remained twenty years. After David had come to the throne, and effectually subdued the Philistines, he determined to fetch the ark from the house of Abinadab to his own city, Jerusalem. But while he was joyfully performing this pious work, Uzzah, one of the priests who accompanied him, put forth his hand to steady the ark, which was displeasing to God, who struck him dead in a moment for his error. This sad catastrophe so affected the heart of David that he said, "How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of

David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had;" or as it is said in another place, "all his household."

The ark was a small elegant chest, which contained the two tables of the law, written by the finger of God in alphabetical letters. This was probably the first alphabetical writing in the world. Though the Egyptians and other heathen nations used to employ hieroglyphics, to record past events, and denote the actions and intellectual and moral qualities of men, yet they were totally ignorant of letters, which compose words and sentences by their particular sounds. For there was no analogy between hieroglyphics and letters. Hieroglyphics were pictures, or signs, and conveyed ideas by their shape, without sounds. Letters convey ideas by their sounds, and not by their shapes. Though some conjecture that letters were a human invention, yet no author has presumed to tell us positively when, or where, or by whom, letters were first discovered; which is a strong presumptive evidence that no man ever did discover them, and consequently that they were at first revealed to Moses, at the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. The law contained in the ark was the Hebrew Bible, written by the finger of God in alphabetical letters; and is now the oldest as well as the best book in the world. Obed-edom knew that the ark contained the written word of God, and esteemed it, as David did, "better unto him than thousands of gold and silver." He gladly received it into his house as the richest treasure, and treated it with the highest veneration and respect; which was highly pleasing to God, who for that reason "blessed him and all that he had;" that is, all his household. From this we may justly conclude,

That God will bless those families who treat his word with proper respect. I shall show,

I. That they ought to treat it with proper respect.

II. That if they do this, they may expect God will bless

them.

I. I am to show that families ought to treat the word of God with proper respect.

By the word of God, in this discourse, we are to understand not only the two tables of the law, written by the hand of God, in alphabetical letters, but also all the books of the Old and New Testaments, written at different times, by different men, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. After God had written and delivered the two tables of the law to Moses, he inspired him to write the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Numbers, and Deuteronomy. After Moses had written the five books which have been mentioned, and which are commonly called the Pentateuch, God inspired Samuel, David, and a succession of prophets, to write all the rest of the books of the Old Testament, from Joshua to Malachi. Then divine inspiration ceased for about two hundred and twenty years. At the close of that period God inspired the evangelists and apostles to write all the books of the New Testament, at different times and in different places. These books of the Old and New Testaments compose the Bible, which contains the whole word of God. The Bible is the most venerable and valuable book in the world, and ought to be treated in every family as the ark was treated in the family of Obed-edom, who highly esteemed and respected it. Here then it may be observed,

No

1. That every family ought to have the word of God in their house. It was sent to the family of Obed-edom providentially, who received and kept it gladly. It was not sent to every family in Israel in the same extraordinary way. family could have a Bible without writing one out themselves, or applying to some priest to write one out for them. The case is far different here, at this day. Bibles are now multiplied, and may be easily obtained by every family. This is generally if not universally true, with respect to those who live in this land of Bibles. Though thousands are actually destitute of this sacred volume, yet it is owing more to their contempt and disregard of the word of God, than to any other cause. No family who have a proper respect for the word of God will fail to have and keep the Bible in their house. It is the most valuable and important article they can possess, whether they are poor or rich. But I will not dwell upon this particular, since I would charitably hope that but few families in this place, or in these parts, are so unwise and negligent as not to have and keep the word of God in their houses.

2. Parents, or heads of families, should not only have the word of God in their houses, but read it seriously every day in their families. Having the Bible in their houses, while they neglect to read it, is treating it with contempt, instead of respect. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Parents and children, masters and servants, old and young, rich and poor, all need the daily instructions of the word of God; and, for this reason, it ought to be read every day in every family, for the benefit of all its members. Paul intimates that Timothy had known from a child the scriptures, by such family instruction. God required the heads of

households among his people of old, to teach their children daily and diligently, the precepts and commands which he had given them for their good. The word of God, which is able to make men wise unto salvation, ought to be read statedly every day in every family circle. Whoever is at the head of such a little society, ought to call all the members together, that he may read the scriptures in a serious and social manner; which must be more impressive, than for each individual, though able, to read to himself. There is something in almost every chapter, which will more especially apply to each member of a family, and carry peculiar instruction to each individual, with respect to duty, or danger, or consolation. When the Bible is read in a family, God speaks to one as well as another, and all are deeply interested in what God says to them, which ought to fix their whole attention to what they hear.

3. The Bible ought to be read in a family with a view to understand it. It can be of no service to read and hear the word of God, without understanding it. Though there be some historical, typical and prophetical parts of it, that are hard to be understood; yet the great doctrines and duties contained in it are level to every capacity. It is not difficult to understand what God says of himself, or what he says to saints, or what he says to sinners, or what he says to parents, or what he says to children, or what he says to the rich, to the high, and to the low. The doctrines, the duties, the promises, the threatenings, and the great objects of eternity, are most plainly and solemnly exhibited in the Bible. Way-faring men cannot easily misunderstand it, if they seriously and impartially attend to it. But if they do not seriously and impartially attend to it, with a view and desire to understand it, they will read and hear it in vain, and worse than in vain. Instead of being instructed, they will be condemned, by it. The Bible is not to be read in a formal and irreverent manner in a family, but with the same solemnity and attention which becomes every religious duty; and, if it be read and heard with a view to understand the great and solemn truths contained in it, the reader and hearers will be both solemn and attentive, as hearing God himself speaking to them. They will throw aside all secular business, and banish all wordly thoughts from their minds, and endeavor to learn what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God, which they ought to know and regard. I may add,

4. The Bible is to be read and heard in a family, with a sincere desire and intention to do whatsoever God has commanded. Paul said, "he delighted in the law of God, after the inward man." David resolved that he would "run in the