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the few Sabbaths, and few days which we have to come on earth; that we may enter, at the conclusion of them, into that eternal Sabbath," that rest, which remaineth for the people of God,” in heaven.

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LECTURE XXII.

Fifth Commandment.

PART I

HAVING explained the precepts of the first table, which set forth the duty of men to God; I now come to those of the second, which express our several obligations one to another.

Now the whole law, concerning these matters, is briefly comprehended, as St. Paul very justly observes, in this one saying, "Thou shalt love thy "neighbour as thyself." Our neighbour is every one, with whom we have at any time any concern, or on whose welfare our actions can have any influence. For whoever is thus within our reach, is in the most important sense near to us, however distant in other respects. To" love our neighbour," is to bear him good-will; which of course will dispose us to think favourably of him, and behave properly to him. And to "love him as ourselves," is to have, not only a real, but a strong and active good-will towards him; with a tenderness for his interests, duly proportioned to that, which we naturally feel for our own. Such a temper would most powerfully restrain us from every thing wrong, and prompt us to every thing right; and

(2) Heb. iv. 3, 9.

(1) Rom. xiii. 9.

therefore is "the fulfilling of the law," so far as. it relates to our mutual behaviour.

But because, on some occasions, we may either not see, or not confess we see, what is right, and what otherwise; our Saviour hath put the same duty in a light somewhat different, which gives the safest, and fullest, and clearest direction for practice, that any one precept can give. "All

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things whatsoever ye would that men should do "unto you, even so do ye unto them."3 Behaving properly depends on judging truly, and that, in cases of any doubt, depends on hearing with due attention both sides. To our own side we never fail attending. The rule therefore is, give the other side the same advantage, by supposing it your own; and after considering carefully and fairly, what, if it were indeed your own, you should not only desire (for desires may be unrea sonable) but think you had an equitable claim to, and well-grounded expectation of, from the other party, that do in regard to him. Would we but honestly take this method, our mistakes would be so exceedingly few, and slight, and innocent, that well might our blessed Lord add, "For this is "the Law and the Prophets."

Yet, after all, there might be difficulty sometimes, especially to some persons, in the application of a rule so very general. And therefore we have, in the Commandments, the reciprocal duties of man to man branched out into six particulars; the first of which, contained in the fifth Commandment, relates to the mutual obligations of superiors and inferiors; the rest to those points in which all men are considered as equals.

It is true, the precept now to be explained, mentions only one kind of superiors." Thou "shalt honour thy father and thy mother." But (3) Matt. vii. 12.

(2) Rom. xiii, 10.

the case of other superiors is so like that of fathers, that most of them have occasionally the very name of father given them in most languages; and therefore the regard due to them also, may be very properly comprehended, and laid before you under the same head. It is likewise true, that the duty of the inferior alone is expressed in the Commandment; but the corresponding duty of the superior is, at the same time, of necessity implied; for which reason I shall discourse of both; beginning with the mutual obligations of children and parents, properly so called, which will be a sufficient employment for the present time.

Now the duty of children to their parents is here expressed by the word Honour, which in common language signifies a mixture of love and respect, producing due obedience; but in Scripture language it implies further, maintenance and support, when wanted.

1. Love to those, of whose flesh and blood we are, is what nature dictates to us, in the very first place. Children have not only received from their parents, as instruments in the hand of God, the original of their being, but the preservation of it through all the years of helpless infancy, when the needful care of them gave much trouble, took up much time, and required much expense; all which, parents usually go through, with so cheerful a diligence, and so self-denying a tenderness, that no return of affection, on the children's part, can possibly repay it to the full; though children's affection is what, above all things, makes parents happy. Then, as life goes on, it is their parents that give or procure for them such instruction of all kinds, as qualifies them, both to do well in this world, and be for ever blessed in another; that watch over them continually with never-ceasing attention, consulting their inclinations, in a multitude of obliging instances, and bearing with their

perverseness in a multitude of provoking ones; kindly restraining them from a thousand pernicious follies, into which they would otherwise fall; and directing their heedless footsteps into the right way; encouraging, rewarding, and, which indeed is no less a benefit, correcting them also, as the case requires; full of solicitude all the while for their happiness, and consuming themselves with labour and thoughtfulness for these dear objects, to improve, support, and advance them in their lives, and provide for them at their deaths. Even those parents who perform these duties but imperfectly, who perhaps do some very wrong things, do, notwithstanding, almost all of them, so many right and meritorious ones, that though the more such they do, the better they should be loved: yet they that do least, do enough to be loved sincerely for it, as long as they live.*

2. And with love must ever be joined, secondly, due respect, inward and outward. For parents are not only the benefactors, but in rank the betters, and in right the governors, of their children; whose dependance is upon them, in point of interest, generally; in point of duty, always. They ought therefore to think of them with great reverence, and treat them with every mark of submission, in gesture, in speech, in the whole of their behaviour, which the practice of wise and good persons has established, as proper instances of filial regard. And though the parents be mean in station, or low in understanding; still the relation continues, and the duty that belongs to it. Nay, suppose they be faulty in some part of their conduct or character, yet children should be very backward to see this; and it can very seldom be allowable for them to show that they see it. From the world they should always conceal it, as far as

(4) See Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates, lib. 2. c. 2.

they can; for it is shocking beyond measure in them to publish it. And if ever any thing of this nature must be mentioned to the parents themselves, which nothing but great necessity can warrant or excuse; it should be with all possible gentleness and modesty, and the most real concern at being obliged to so unnatural an office.

3. Love and respect to parents will always produce obedience to them; a third duty of the highest importance. Children, for a considerable time, are utterly unqualified to govern themselves; and so long as this continues to be the case, must be absolutely and implicitly governed by those, who alone can claim a title to it. As they grow up to the use of understanding, indeed, reason should be gradually mixed with authority, in every thing that is required of them. But at the same time, children should observe, what they may easily find to be true in daily instances, that they are apt to think they know how to direct themselves, much sooner than they really do; and should therefore submit to be directed by their friend in more points, and for a longer time, than perhaps they would naturally be tempted to wish. Suppose, in that part of your lives which is already past, you had had your own way in every thing, what would have been the consequences? You yourselves must see, very bad ones. Why, other persons see, what you will see also in time, that it would be full as bad, were you to have your way now. And what all, who are likely to know, agree in, you should believe, and submit to. Your parents and governors have at least more knowledge and experience, if they have not more capacity, than you. And the trouble which they take, and the concern which they feel about you, plainly show that your good is the thing which they have at heart. The only reason why they do not indulge you in the particulars that you wish, is, that

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