PCA HISTORICAL CENTER
Archives and Manuscript Repository for the Continuing Presbyterian Church


The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 63 : Christian Life in the Home
Paragraph 5 : Of Godliness in the Home

63-5. Parents should set an example of piety and consistent living before the family. Unnecessary private visits on the Lord’s Day and indulgence in practices injurious to the spiritual life of the family, should be avoided.

[DIGEST: The current PCA text remains unchanged from PCA 1973, and dates to the PCUS revision of 1929. Editions prior to that were more verbose.

BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text, DfW 17-5 [M1GA, Appendix, p. 161]
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed DfW text, p. 77
3. PCUS 1929, XVII-5, §384
4. PCUS 1929, XVII-5, §384
Parents should set an example of piety and consistent living before the family. Unnecessary private visits on the Lord's day, and indulgence in practices injurious to the spiritual life of the family, should be avoided.

 1. PCUS 1927, XVI-5
2. PCUS 1894, XVI-5
Let the heads of families be careful to instruct their children and servants in the principles of religion. Every proper opportunity ought to be embraced for such instruction. Therefore paying of unnecessary private visits on the Lord's day; admitting strangers into the families, except when necessary or charity requires it; or any other practices, whatever plausible pretences may be offered in their favor, are to be highly disapproved if they interfere with the above important and necessary duty.

PCUSA 1789, XV-5
Let the heads of families be careful to instruct their children and servants in the principles of religion.—Every proper opportunity ought to be embraced for such instruction. But we are of opinion that the sabbath evenings, after public worship, should be sacredly preserved for this purpose. Therefore we highly disapprove of paying unnecessary private visits on the Lord's day ; admitting strangers into the families, except when necessity or charity requires it ; or any other practices, whatever plausible pretences may be offered in their favor, if they interfere with the above important and necessary duty.

COMMENTARY:
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 457.
Dr. Smith did not include comments on BCO chapter 63.