perfeverence feels his happiness every day the more established. Gilpin. § 52. Duties oaving to particular perfons duty of children to parents-refpect and obedience in what the former confiftsin ubat the latter fuccouring a parent -brotherly affection-obedience to lawfounded on the advantages of society. 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 thofe more confined duties which arife from particular relations, connections, and stations in life.

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

| and when he offers a contrary opinion, he will offer it modeftly. Refpect will teach him alfo, not only to put the best colouring upon the infirmities of his parent; but even if thofe infirmities be great, it will foften and fcreen them, as much as poffible, from the public eye.

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

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.

commands.

The child will fhew respect to his parent, by treating him, at all times, with deference. He will confult his parent's indination, and fhew a readiness, in a thoufand nameless trifles, to conform himself to it. He will never peevishly contradict his parent;

There remains still a third part of filial duty, which peculiarly belongs to children, when grown up. This the catechifm calls fuccouring or adminiftering 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 fometimes evade this duty, by dedicating to facred uses what should have been expended in affifting his parent. Our Saviour tharply rebukes this perverfion of duty; and gives him to understand, that në Rom. i. 39.

E

pretence

pretence of ferving God, can cover the neglect of aflifting a parent. And if no pretence of ferving God can do it, furely every other pretence muft ftill be more unnatural.

Under his head, alfo, we may confider that attention and love, which are due to other relations, efpecially that mutual affection which should fubfift between brothers. The name of brother expreffes the highest degree of tenderness; and is generally used in fcripture, as a term of peculiar endearment, to call men to the practice 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 thewing, 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 fubmiffion to legal anthority.

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 fpecies to the beafts of the field.

Still lefs could we obtain the conveniences of life, which cannot be had without the la

bour of many. If every man depended upor himself for what he enjoyed, how deftitur would be the fituation of human affairs!

But even fafety and convenience are no the only fruits of fociety. Man, living merel by himself, would be an ignorant unpolithe favage. It is the intercourfe of fociety which cultivates the human mind. One man's know ledge and experience is built upon another's and fo the great edifice of fcience and polishe life is reared,

To enjoy thefe advantages, therefore, me joined in fociety; and hence it became ne ceffary, that government fhould be eftablished Magiftrates were created, laws made, taxe fubmitted to; and every one, instead o righting himself (except in mere felf-defence is enjoined to appeal to the laws he live under, as the beft fecurity of his life and property. Gilpin

53. Duty to our teachers and instructors— arifing from the great importance of know ledge and religion-and the great neceffit of gaining habits of attention and of virtu in our youth-analogy of youth and man hood to this world and the next.

We are next enjoined "to fubmit our felves to all our governors, teachers, fpiritua paftors, and mafters." Here another fpecie of government is pointed out. The laws of fociety are meant to govern our riper years the inftructions of our teachers, fpiritual paf tors, and mafters, are meant to guide our youth.

By our teachers, fpiritual paftors, and mafters," are meant, all thofe who have the care of our education, and of our inftruction in religion; whom we are to obey, and liften to, with humility and attention, as the means of our advantement in knowledge and

religion.

religion. The inftructions we receive from there are unquestionably fubject to our own judgment in future life; for by his own judgment every man muft ftand or fall. But, during our youth, it is highly proper for us pay a dutiful fubmiffion to their inftructions, as we cannot yet be fuppofed to have any judgment of our own. At that early age it fhould be our endeavour to acquare knowledge; and afterwards unprejuaced to form our r opinions.

fermed

attention to thefe two

ignorance;

of rude nature.

it more in their power. A vacant mind is exactly that houfe mentioned in the gospel, which the devil found empty. In he entered; and taking with him feven other spirits 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 curfe thofe means of leifure which might become fo great a bleffing.

The duty which young people owe to their inftruétors, 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 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), to free the mind from the prejudices of and to give it jufter and more enanged conceptions than are the mere growth Experience of others to your own. By reading, you add the It is the provement of the mind chiefly, that makes * difference between man and man, and ves one man a real fuperiority over another. Befides, the mind maft be employed. The er orders of men have their attention chengroffed by thofe employments in which the neceffities of life engage them: and happy that they have. Labour stands in the room of education, and fills up thofe racies of mind, which, in a ftare of idlewould be engroffed by vice. And if hey, who have more leiture, do not fubftitute hathing in the room of this, their minds will become the prey of vice; and the tfb, as they have the means to indulge

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 happinefs.

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 fatisfies them alfo. But it is wifdom to confider, that a time will come, when youth, health, and fortune, will all fail us; and if difappointment and vexation do not four our tafte for pleasure, at least ficknefs and infirmitics 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 at

tention