The Directory for Family Worship is a book of general directions for private, family worship in the Calvinist tradition. It was approved by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the highest court of the Church of Scotland, on 24 August 1647. [1]
While generally approving of the products of the Westminster Assembly (namely, the Westminster Standards), the Church of Scotland viewed it as incomplete without directions for private worship. The Directory was approved by the General Assembly at Edinburgh, Scotland on August 24, 1647, at the tenth session of meeting. The directory became the standard of family worship in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide, including to this day.[ citation needed ]
In America, for example, it was highlighted in 1733 by the Synod of Philadelphia to seek "some proper means to revive the declining Power of Godliness," recommended "to all our ministers and members to take particular Care about visiting families, and press family and secret worship, according to the Westminster Directory." [2]
The wording of the act which the Assembly of the Church of Scotland passed in relation to the Directory of Family Worship is given verbatim below. It was titled: Act for observing the Directions of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY for secret and private Worship, and mutual Edification; and censuring such as neglect Family-worship. [3]
The wording of the Act suggests the seriousness with which the Church leaders of the time perceived the matter of Family Worship, and the level to which they implored everyone to be obedient to the call to participate within family worship. [4] The matter of family worship was so important that, in the preface, they wrote that if any family did not practice regular family worship, the head of that family (i.e. the father / husband) was to be “gravely and sadly reproved by the session” if he was deliberately neglectful of his duty to provide spiritual leadership to his family. If he did not repent of this, he was to be barred from the Lord's Supper until he repented. [5] The home, as the Puritans were quoted as saying, was to be “a little church.” [5]
“The General Assembly, after mature deliberation, doth approve the following Rules and Directions for cherishing piety, and for preventing division and schism; and doth appoint ministers and ruling elders in each congregation to take special care that these Directions be observed and followed; as likewise, that presbyteries and provincial synods enquire and make trial whether the said Directions be duly observed in their bounds; and to reprove or censure [according to the quality of the offence], such as shall be found reprovable or censurable therein. And, to the end that these directions may not be rendered ineffectual and unprofitable among some, through the usual neglect of the very substance of the duty of Family-worship, the Assembly doth further require and appoint ministers and ruling elders to make diligent search and enquiry, in the congregations committed to their charge respectively, whether there be among them any family or families which use to neglect this necessary duty; and if any such family be found, the head of the family is to be first admonished privately to amend his fault; and in the case of his continuing therein, he is to be gravely and sadly reproved by the session; after which reproof, if he be still found to neglect Family-worship, let him be, for his obstinacy in such an offence, suspended and debarred from the Lord’s Supper, as being justly esteemed unworthy to communicate therein, until he amend.” [1]
The Directions Of The General Assembly, Concerning Secret And Private Worship, And Mutual Edification; For Cherishing Piety, For Maintaining Unity, And Avoiding Schism And Division was introduced with:
"BESIDES the publick worship in congregations, mercifully established in this land in great purity, it is expedient and necessary that secret worship of each person alone, and private worship of families, be pressed and set up; that, with national reformation, the profession and power of godliness, both personal and domestick, be advanced."
The Directory is split into 14 sections, most of which are a paragraph or two. A summary of each section is given below. [1] [3] [4]
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