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ion; but must take care that every action be founded on a proper motive. It is the motive alone that makes an action acceptable to God. The hypocrite "may faft twice in the week, and give alms of all that he poffeffes:" nay, he may fast the whole week, if he be able, and give all he has in alms; but if his fafts and his alms are intended as matter of oftentation only, neither the one, nor the other, is that true fervice which God requires. God requires the heart: he requires that an earnest defire of acting agreeably to his will, fhould be the general fpring of our actions; and this will give even an indifferent action a value in his fight.

As we are injoined to ferve God truly, fo are we injoined to ferve him "all the days of our life." As far as human frailties will permit, we fhould perfevere in a conftant tenor of obedience. That lax be haviour, which instead of making a steady progrefs, is continually relapfing into former errors, and running the fame round of finning and repenting, is rather the life of an irrefolute finner, than of a pious chriftian. Human errors, and frailties, we know, God will not treat with too fevere an eye; but he who, in the general tenor of his life, does not keep advancing towards chriftian perfection; but fuffers himself, at intervals, entirely to lofe fight of his calling, cannot be really ferious in his profefon: he is at a great distance from ferv. ing God truly all the days of his life; and has no fcriptural ground to hope much from the mercy of God.

§ 162. Duties owing to particular perfons -duty of children to parents-refpect and obedience-in what the former confifts-in what the latter-fuccouring a parentbrotherly affection-obedience to lawfounded on the advantages of fociety.

From the two grand principles of "loving our neighbour as ourselves; and of doing to others, as we would have them do to us," which regulate our focial intercourfe in general, we proceed to those more confined duties, which arife from particular relations, connections, and ftations in life.

Among thefe, we are firft taught, as indeed the order of nature directs, to confider the great duty of children to parents.

The two points to be infifted on, are refpect and obedience. Both these should naturally fpring from love; to which parents have the higheft claim. And indeed parents, in general, behave to their children, in a manner both to deserve and to obtain their love.

But if the kindness of the parent be not fuch as to work upon the affections of the child, yet fill the parent has a title to refpect and obedience, on the principle of duty; a principle, which the voice of nature dictates; which reafon inculcates; which human laws, and human customs, all join to inforce; and which the word of God strictly commands.

The child will fhew refpect to his parent, by treating him, at all times, with deference. He will confult his parent's inThat man, whether placed in high eftate, clination, and fhew a readiness, in a thouor low, has reached the fummit of human fand nameless trifles, to conform himself to happiness, who is truly ferious in the fer- it. He will never peevishly contradict his vice of his great Mafter. The things of parent; and when he offers a contrary opithis world may engage, but cannot engrofs, nion, he will offer it modeftly. Refpect his attention; its forrows and its joys may will teach him alfo, not only to put the best affect, but cannot difconcert him. No colouring upon the infirmities of his paman, he knows, can faithfully serve two rent; but even if thofe infirmities be great, mailers. He hath hired himself to one- it will foften and fcreen them, as much as that great Mafter, whofe commands he re- poffible, from the public eye. veres, whofe favour he feeks, whofe difpleafure alone is the real object of his fears; and whofe rewards alone are the real ob jects of his hope. Every thing elfe is trivial in his fight. The world may footh; or it may threaten him: he perfeveres fteadily in the fervice of his God; and in that perfeverance feels his happiness every day the more established. Gilpin.

Obedience goes a step further, and fuppofes a pofitive command. In things unlawful indeed, the parental authority can not bind: but this is a cafe that rarely happens. The great danger is on the other fide, that children, through obftinacy or fullennefs, fhould refufe their parents' lawful commands; to the obfervance of all which, however inconvenient to them felves, they are tied by various motives; and above all, by the command of God, who in his facred denunciations against fin,

ranks

ranks difobedience to parents among the worst *.

They are farther bound, not only to obey the commands of their parents; but to obey them chearfully. He does but half his duty, who does it not from his heart.

There remains ftill a third part of filial duty, which peculiarly belongs to children, when grown up. This the catechifm calls fuccouring or administering to the neceffities of the parent; either in the way of managing his affairs, when he is lefs able to manage them himself; or in fupplying his wants, fhould he need affiftance in that way. And this the child fhould do, on the united principles of love, duty, and gratitude. The hypocritical Jew would fome times evade this duty, by dedicating to facred uses what should have been expended in affifting his parent. Our Saviour sharply rebukes this perverfion of duty; and gives him to understand, that no pretence of ferving God can cover the neglect of affifting a parent. And if no pretence of ferving God can do it, furely every other pretence muft ftill be more unnatural.

Under this head alfo we may confider that attention, and love, which are due to other relations, especially that mutual affection which fhould fubfift between brothers. The name of brother expreffes the highest degree of tendernefs; and is generally used in fcripture, as a term of peculiar endearment, to call men to the prac tice of focial virtue. It reminds them of every kindness, which man can fhew to man. If then we ought to treat all mankind with the affection of brothers, in what light muft they appear, who being really fuch, are ever at variance with each other; continually doing fpiteful actions, and fhewing, upon every occafion, not only a want of brotherly kindness, but even of common regard?

The next part of our duty is " to honour and obey the king, and all that are put in authority under him."

By the "king, and all that are put in authority under him," is meant the various parts of the government we live under, of which the king is the head: and the meaning of the precept is, that we ought to live in dutiful fubmiflion to legal authority.

Government and fociety are united. We cannot have one without the other; and we fubmit to the inconveniences, for the fake of the advantages.

The end of fociety is mutual fafety and convenience. Without it, even fafety

could in no degree be obtained: the good would become a prey to the bad; nay, the very human species to the beasts of the field.

Still lefs could we obtain the conveniences of life; which cannot be had without the labour of many. If every man depended upon himself for what he enjoyed, how deftitute would be the fituation of human affairs!

But even fafety and convenience are not the only fruits of fociety. Man, living merely by himself, would be an ignorant unpolifhed favage. It is the intercourfe of fociety which cultivates the human mind. One man's knowledge and experience is built upon another's; and fo the great edifice of science and polished life is reared.

To enjoy thefe advantages, therefore, men joined in fociety; and hence it became neceffary, that government should be established. Magiftrates were created; laws made; taxes fubmitted to; and every one, inftead of righting himself (except in mere felf-defence) is injoined to appeal to the laws he lives under, as the best fecurity of his life and property. Gilpin.

§ 163. Duty to our teachers and inftru&tors -arifing from the great importance of knowledge and religion-and the great neceffity of gaining habits of attention, and of virtue, in our youth-analogy of youth and manhood to this world and the

next.

We are next injoined" to submit ourfelves to all our governors, teachers, fpiritual paftors, and mafters." Here another fpecies of government is pointed out. The laws of fociety are meant to govern our riper years: the inftructions of our teachers, fpiritual paftors, and matters, are meant to guide our youth.

By our teachers, fpiritual paftors, and mafters," are meant all those who have the care of our education, and of our instruc tion in religion; whom we are to obey, and liften to, with humility and attention, as the means of our advancement in know

ledge and religion. The inftructions we receive from them are unquestionably fubject to our own judgment in future life; for by his own judgment every man must ftand or fall. But, during our youth, it is highly proper for us to pay a dutiful fub

Rom. 1. 30.

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The duty which young people owe to their inftructors, cannot be fhewn better, than in the effect which the inftructions they receive have upon them. They would do well, therefore, to confider the advantages of an early attention to thefe two things, both of great importance, knowledge and religion.

The great ufe of knowledge in all its various branches (to which the learned languages are generally confidered as an introduction) is to free the mind from the prejudices of ignorance; and to give it jutter, and more enlarged conceptions, than are the mere growth of rude nature, By reading, you add the experience of others to your own. It is the improvement of the mind chiefly, that makes the difference between man and man; and gives one man a real fuperiority over another.

Befides, the mind must be employed. The lower orders of men have their atten. tion much ingroffed by thofe employments, in which the neceffities of life engage them and it is happy that they have. Labour itands in the room of education; and fills up thofe vacancies of mind, which, in a ftate of idleness, would be ingroffed by vice. And if they, who have more leifure, do not fubftitute fomething in the room of this, their minds alfo will become the prey of vice; and the more fo, as they have the means to indulge it more in their power. A vacant mind is exactly that ncufe mentioned in the gospel, which the devil found empty. In he entered; and taking with him feven other fpirits more wicked than himself, they took poffeffion. It is an undoubted truth, that one vice indulged, introduces others; and that each fucceeding vice becomes more depraved If then the mind must be employed, what can fill up its vacuities more rationally than the acquifition of knowledge? Let us therefore thank God for the opportunities he hath afforded us; and not turn into a carfe thofe means of leifure, which might become fo great a bleffing.

But however neceffary to us knowledge may be, religion, we know, is infinitely more fo. The one adorns a man, and gives him, it is true, fuperiority, and rank

in life: but the other is abfolutely effential to his happiness.

In the midst of youth, health, and abundance, the world is apt to appear a very gay and pleafing fcene; it engages our defires; and in a degree fatis fies them alfo. But it is wisdom to confider, that a time will come, when youth, health, and fortune, will all fail us; and if disappointment and vexation do not four our tafte for pleasure, at leaft fickness and infirmities will deftroy it. In thefe gloomy feafons, and above all, at the approach of death, what will become of us without religion? When this world fails, where fhall we fly, if we expect no refuge in another? Without holy hope in God, and refignation to his will, and truft in him for deliverance, what is there that can fecure us against the evils of life?

The great utility therefore of knowledge and religion being thus apparent, it is highly incumbent upon us to pay a ftudious attention to them in our youth. If we do not, it is more than probable that we shall never do it: that we fhall grow old in ignorance, by neglecting the one; and old in vice by neglecting the other.

For improvement in knowledge, youth is certainly the fitteft feafon. The mind is then ready to receive any impreffio. It is free from all that care and attention which, in riper age, the affairs of life bring with them. The memory too is then ftronger and better able to acquire the rudiments of knowledge; and as the mind is then void of ideas, it is more fuited to thofe parts of learning which are converfant in words. Befides, there is fometimes in youth a modefty and ductility, which in advanced years, if those years efpecially have been left a prey to ignorance, become felf-fufficiency and prejudice; and thefe effectually bar up all the inlets to knowledge. But, above all, unlefs habits of attention and application are early gained, we fhall fcarce acquire them afterwards.-The inconfiderate youth feldom reflects upon this; nor knows his lofs, till he knows alfo that it cannot be retrieved.

Nor is youth more the feafon to acquire knowledge, than to form religious habits. It is a great point to get habit on the fide of virtue. It will make every thing smooth and eafy. The earliefl principles are generally the most lafting; and thofe of a religious caft are fidom wholly loft. Though the temptations of the world may,

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now and then, draw the well-principled youth afide; yet his principles being continually at war with his practice, there is hope, that in the end the better part may overcome the worse, and bring on a reformation. Whereas he, who has fuffered habits of vice to get poffeffion of his youth, has little chance of being brought back to a fenfe of religion. In a common courfe of things it can rarely happen. Some calamity must roufe him. He must be awakened by a ftorm, or fleep for ever.How much better is it then to make that eafy to us, which we know is beft! And to form thofe habits now, which hereafter we fhall wish we had formed!

There are, who would reftrain youth from imbibing any religious principles, till they can judge for themfelves; left they fhould imbibe prejudice for truth. But why should not the fame caution be ufed in fcience alfo; and the minds of youth left void of all impreffions? The experiment, I fear, in both cafes would be dangerous. If the mind were left uncultivated during fo long a period, though nothing elfe fhould find entrance, vice certainly would: and it would make the larger fhoots, as the fcil would be vacant. A boy had better receive knowledge and religion mixed with error, than none at all. For when the mind is fet a thinking, it may depofit its prejudices by degrees, and get right at laft: but in a flate of ftagnation it will infallibly become foul.

To conclude, our youth bears the fame proportion to our more advanced life, as this world does to the next. In this life we must form and cultivate thofe habits of virtue, which muft qualify us for a better ftate. If we neglect them here, and contract habits of an oppofite kind, instead of gaining that exalted state, which is promifed to our improvement, we fhall of courfe fink into that ftate, which is adapted to the habits we have formed.

Exactly thus is youth introductory to manhood: to which it is, properly speaking, a ftate of preparation. During this feafon we must qualify ourselves for the parts we are to act hereafter. In manhood we bear the fruit, which has in youth been planted. If we have fauntered away our youth, we muft expect to be ignorant men. If indolence and inattention have taken an early poffeffion of us, they will probably increase as we advance in life; and make us a burden to ourselves, and ufelefs to fosiety. If again, we fuffer ourselves to be

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$164. Behaviour to Superiors. We are next injoined "to order ourfelves lowly and reverently to all our betters."

By our betters are meant they who are in a fuperior ftation of life to our own; and by "ordering ourselves lowly and reverently towards them," is meant paying them that refpect which is due to their ftation.

The word betters' indeed includes two kinds of perfons, to whom our respect is due-thofe who have a natural claim to it; and thofe who have an acquired one; that is, a claim arifing from fome particu lar fituation in life.

Among the firft, are all our fuperior relations; not only parents, but all other relations, who are in a line above us. All thefe have a natural claim to our refpect.

There is a refpe&t alfo due from youth to age; which is always becoming, and tends to keep youth within the bounds of modefty.

To others, refpect is due from those particular flations which arife from fociety and government. Fear God, fays the text; and it adds, "honour the king."

It is due alfo from many other fitua tions in life. Employments, honours, and even wealth, will exact it; and all may justly exact it, in a proper degree.

But it may here perhaps be enquired, why God fhould permit this latter diftinction among men That fome should have more authority than others, we can eafily fee, is abfolutely neceffary in government; but among men, who are all born equal, why should the goods of life be distributed in fo unequal a proportion?

To this inquiry, it may be answered, that, in the first place, we fee nothing in this, but what is common in all the works of God. A gradation is every where obfervable. Beauty, ftrength, swiftness, and other qualities, are varied through the

creation

creation in numberless degrees. In the fame manner likewife are varied the gifts of fortune, as they are called. Why therefore thould one man's being richer than another furprize us more than his being ftronger than another, or more prudent?

Though we can but very inadequately trace the wifdom of God in his works, yet very wife reafons appear for this variety in the gifts of fortune. It feems neceffary both in a civil, and in a moral light.

In a civil light, it is the neceffary accompaniment of various employments; on which depend all the advantages of fociety. Like the ftones of a regular building, fome muft range higher, and fome lower; fome muft fupport, and others be fupported; fome will form the ftrength of the building, and others its ornament; but all unite in producing one regular and proportioned whole. If then different employments are neceffary, of course different degrees of wealth, honour, and confequence, muft follow; a variety of diftinctions and obligations; in fhort, different ranks, and a fubordination, must take place.

Again, in a moral light, the difproportion of wealth, and other worldly adjuncts, gives a range to the more extenfive exercife of virtue. Some virtues could but faintly exift upon the plan of an equality. If fome did not abound, there were little room for temperance: if fome did not fuffer need, there were as little for patience. Other virtues again could hardly exift at all. Who could practife generofity, where there was no object of it? Who humility, where all ambitious defires were excluded?

Since then Providence, in fcattering thefe various gifts, propofes ultimately the good of man, it is our duty to acquiefce in this order, and " to behave ourfelves lowly and reverently" (not with fervility, but with a decent refpect) "to all our fuperi

ors."

Before I conclude this fubject, it may be proper to obferve, in vindication of the ways of Providence, that we are not to fuppofe happiness and mifery neceffarily connected with riches and poverty. Each condition hath its particular fources both of pleasure and pain, unknown to the other. Thofe in elevated ftations have a thousand luent pangs, of which their inferiors have no idea; while their inferiors again

have as many pleasures, which the others cannot tafte. I fpeak only of fuch modes of happiness or mifery as arife immediately from different ftations. Of mifery, indeed, from a variety of other caufes, all men of every ftation are equal heirs; either when God lays his hand upon us in ficknefs, or misfortune; or when, by our own follies and vices, we become the minifters of our own diftrefs.

Who then would build his happiness upon an elevated station? Or who would envy the poffeffion of such happiness in another? We know not with what various diftreffes that ftation, which is the object of our envy, may be attended.-Befides, as we are accountable for all we poffefs, it may be happy for us that we poffefs fo little. The means of happiness, as far as ftation can procure them, are commonly in our own power, if we are not wanting to ourselves.

Let each of us then do his duty in that ftation which Providence has affigned him; ever remembering, that the next world will foon deftroy all earthly diftinctions.One diftinction only will remain among the fons of men at that time-the distinction between good and bad; and this diftinction it is worth all our pains and all our ambition to acquire. Gilpin.

§ 165. Against wronging our neighbour by injurious words.

We are next infructed to hurt nobody by word or deed-to be true and just in all our dealings-to bear no malice nor hatred in our hearts-to keep our hands from picking and ftealing our tongues from evil fpeaking, lying, and flandering."

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The duties comprehended in these words are a little tranfpofed. What fhould class under one head is brought under another. "To hurt nobody by word or deed,” is the general propofition. The under parts fhould follow: Firft, " to keep the tongue from evil fpeaking, lying, and flander. ing;" which is," to hurt nobody by word." Secondly, to be true and juit in all our dealings;" and "to keep our hands from picking and ftealing;" which is, " to hurt nobody by deed." As to the injunction," to bear no malice nor hatred in our hearts," it belongs properly to neither of thefe heads; but is a diftinct one by itself. The duties being thus feparated, I fhall proceed to explain them.

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