49-4. All who attend public worship are expected to be present in a spirit of reverence and godly fear, forbearing to engage in any conduct unbecoming to the place and occasion. Since the family, as ordained by God, is the basic institution in society, and God in the Covenant graciously deals with us, not just as individuals but also as families, it is important and desirable that families worship together.

DIGEST: BCO 26-2 having been temporarily suspended in 1973 (then numbered as 27-2), many changes to the BCO were later proposed by the Constitutional Documents Committee. The current text of this paragraph is one of those changes adopted in 1975. (M3GA, 3-15, p. 57).

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text, 2-4 [M1GA, Appendix, p. 155]
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed text, 2-3, p. 63
3. PCUS 1929, DfW II, §309.
All who attend public worship are expected to be present in a spirit of reverence and godly fear, forbearing to engage in any conduct unbecoming to the place and occasion. It is highly important that children should be with their parents, that the members of a family should sit together in the House of God.

1. PCUS 1925, DfW II-2 [§310]
2. PCUS 1894, II-2
In time of public worship, let all the people attend with gravity and reverence; forbearing to read anything except what the minister is then reading or citing; abstaining from all whisperings, from salutations of persons present or coming in; and from gazing about, sleeping, smiling, and all other improper behavior. It is highly important that children should be with their parents, and that the members of a family should sit together in the house of God.

PCUSA 1789, DfW, II-1
In time of public worship, let all the people attend with gravity and reverence; forbearing to read any thing, except what the minister is then reading or citing; abstaining from all whisperings; from salutations of persons present, or coming in; and from gazing about, sleeping, smiling, and all other indecent behaviour.

PCUSA 1786, DfW, 2d draught
In the time of public worship, let all the people attend with gravity and reverence; forbearing to read any thing, except what the minister is then reading or citing; abstaining from all whisperings, from salutations of persons present or coming in; and from gazing about, sleeping, smiling, and all other indecent behaviour.

COMMENTARY
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 410-411.
The first sentence of this paragraph again stresses the fact that the worshipper must come with the proper attitude of heart, and not just pretending to worship. Each worshipper is to have a sense of meeting God, and thus a "spirit of reverence and godly fear." Such an attitude will result in proper behavior and acts suited to the place and occasion. Parents should see to it that their children refrain from activities that are distracting or unbecoming to the place and time of worship. Despite the modern moves away from bringing small children to the service of worship, the Book indicates that it is important and desirable that families worship together. This is based upon the fact that the family itself is rooted in the Garden of Eden as the first and most basic institution of human society, and also in the fact that in the Covenant of Grace, God has dealt with us not just individually, but especially as families. This is seen in the Covenant with Abraham, with its promise to the children as well as to the parents. Gen. 17:7. "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee." Here we see the essence of the Biblical religion, including both Abraham and his seed. The sign of circumcision was commanded both to the father and to the son.