As a general thing, at the present day, not more than three or four families out of a whole congregation, have established the family altar.  The parents may engage in closet prayer, but their children are strangers to the fact.  Their devotions they seem zealous to conceal, as if they were ashamed of their piety.  Can this be right?  Is this the will of God?  No! methinks if the parent is faithful to the duty of private prayer, he cannot omit the duty and privilege of family devotion.  But why neglect family prayer?  Are you ashamed of your children?  Have you no time?  Then you are unworthy of a family, and should not profess to act towards them as the steward of God.  Think you that God will not answer and bless your prayers?  What more could you do and hope for your children than to offer up supplications for them to God?

           “What could a mother’s prayer,
  In all the wildest ecstacy of hope,
  Ask for her darling like the bliss of heaven?”

Many seek by the most frivolous excuses, to justify their neglect of family prayer.  Some will urge the press of other duties, alleging that other engagements prevent it.  This is false.  God lays upon you no engagement that is designed to supersede the necessity of prayer.  Besides, you will find that you really waste more time than it would require for family devotion.  And further, can you spend your time to better purpose than in family prayer?  I think not.  It is the best husbandry of time.  Says Philip Henry to his children, “Prayer and provender hinder no man’s journey.”  But another pleads incapacity.  He has not the gift of speech, and cannot make an eloquent prayer.  This is no excuse.  Prayer is the gift of the Holy Spirit; and if you have the spirit of prayer, you will find words for its utterance.  Besides, eloquence does not condition the efficacy of prayer.  Where there is a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

  “When we of helps or hopes are quite bereaven,
  Our humble prayers have entrance into heaven.”

We have the capacity to ask for what we earnestly desire and feel the need of.  The anger of God will kindle against you for this excuse, as it kindled against Moses for a similar one.  When He called him to be his messenger to Israel, Moses said, as you do, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent,—­I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.  And the Lord said unto him, who hath made man’s mouth? or, who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?  Have not I the Lord?  The anger of the Lord was kindled against him.”