Originally Posted by VirginiaHuguenot

I did a little reading tonight on this subject to see what others have said. Oliver Heywood in Family Altar allows that women may pray aloud in family worship provided that they wear a veil over their face. He concludes: "But I am not positive herein, and leave it to the consideration of others" (p. 405).

Kerry Ptacek, in his book Family Worship: Biblical Basis, Historical Reality, Current Need, published by Southern Presbyterian Press (GPTS), provides a number of Biblical and historical references to show that it is primarily the duty of heads of households to lead the family in prayer as it flows from the headship principle. As God deals covenantally with families, so heads of households stand before God on behalf of their families. He cites Joshua 24.15, among the other examples of the patriarchs. He also draws a parallel between the governors of the church and governors of familes: "Speaking in the assembly is an exercise of the headship of the husband. Since he rules in his household, he also speaks for it, including his wife" (p. 32).

Later on he cites Daniel Cawdrey, Westminster divine and author of Family Reformation Promoted (1656): "For example, Cawdrey argued that the Christian 'chief householder' acts 'in Christ's stead to his family' and exercise the offices of prophet, priest, and king in his instruction, prayer and rule in the family (Cawdrey, pp. 58-9)" (p. 48).

Speaking of the Directory of Family Worship, he says: "It bears emphasizing that the Directory clearly views the male head of the household as the person in charge of all aspects of family worship." (p. 49). The Directory itself says in Sect. IV: "The head of the family, who is to lead in this service, ought to be careful that all members of his household duly attend..."

Ptacek (p. 52) then goes on to cite Richard Baxter's comments in A Christian Directory:



And Matthew Henry: "Masters of families, who preside in the other affairs of the house, must go before their households in the things of God. They must be as prophets, priests, and kings in their own families; and as such they must keep up family-doctrine, family-worship, and family discipline: then is there a church in the house, and that is the family religion I am persuading you to." (A Church in the House. A Sermon Concerning Family Religion., p. 251) (Ptacek, p. 52).

He goes on to cite J.W. Alexander's classic Thoughts on Family Worship: "The maintenance of domestic religion in every house is primarily entrusted to the head of the family" (Alexander, p. 43; Ptacek, p. 59). Ptacek: "Alexander viewed the husband as the spiritual guardian of his wife and considered the reversal of that relationship to be "unnatural" (Alexander, p. 46). Family worship is a means for exercising this spiritual guardianship. No one else can exercise this role with his wife. Moreover, a head who does not act as a spiritual leader of his children cannot be replaced by his wife." (Ptacek, p. 59).

J.W. Alexander, p. 193: