Prayers for the Use of Families, Chiefly Selected from Various Authors: With a Preliminary Essay: Together With a Selection of Hymns

The following Selection of Prayers and Hymns, has been made for the aid of those heads of families who believe family devotion to be a duty, but who are deterred from it by diffidence, or by supposed want of ability. In the Preliminary Essay I have endeavoured to show the importance of the duty, and to meet the usual excuses made for neglecting it. One of these excuses is the plea of the want of ability. To meet that, as far as lies in my power, has been the main design of this selection. In meeting it, free use has been made of all the helps to family devotion within my reach. Alterations have been made where they were deemed to be desirable, and especially made to render the prayers as simple and direct as possible. A few additions have been made to adapt them to our times, and especially to Sunday Schools, and to the great efforts of Christian benevolence to fill the earth with the gospel. These additions are indicated at the beginning and the end by a small asterisk. And as praise may be made a most important, and interesting part of family devotion, a selection of Hymns has been added especially adapted to this design. As no such selections came within my reach, I have made this from various authors, and in the best manner that I was able, with the helps to which I have had access. The Selection has been made from the “Church Psalmody,” by Messrs. Mason and Green; from the General Assembly’s Psalms and Hymns; the “Village Hymns;” “Sacred Lyrics,” by Mr. Beman; Dr. Dwight’s Psalms and Hymns; and Hymns by Dr. Alexander. The book is committed to the blessing of God, with the prayer that it may be one of the aids by which the great ends of the family organization may be secured; and a means by which the worship of God may be extended and perpetuated amidst the families of this land.