direction of St. Peter: Submit yourselves to all human authority, for, God's sake; whether it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors, as being sent by him, for so is the will of God; looking on the king as the common father of all under his care. 1 Peter ii. 13. Lastly, behave as Christians to your pastors, or spiritual fathers: regard them as the ministers of God, who, through the gospel, are the authors of your spiritual life. 1 Cor. iv. 15. Regard them as the Ambassadors of Christ, and receive them with respect proportioned to the dignity of him that sent them. 2 Cor. xx. You must respect them for their work, no work so precious as the saving of souls; you must obey them in spirituals, hearken to their instructions, their counsels, their admonitions ; lay them up carefully in your heart, and, by practice, turn them to your eternal good: fix that saying in your mind, He that heareth you, heareth me; he that despiseth you, despiseth me. St. Luke x. 16. He that hears them, hears God; he that despises them, despises God. If they sin, this does not destroy their authority, and ought not to abate our respect and obedience to them: the sacred character yet remains, and Christ has said, Whatever they bid you do, (in spiritual matters) do it; though not according to their works, when they are evil, St. Matt. xxiii. Pray for them, that God would govern them, in order to govern you; bless their labours, and assist their pious endeavours in the great work of your salvation. ૨. WH of revenge. THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Thou shalt not kill. A. Wilful mur HAT is forbidden by this? INSTRUC. As charity enjoins us to do no wrong to our neighbour, this commandment forbids murder, this being the greatest harm we can do him, because it deprives him of life, which is the dearest thing of all; for it deprives him of every thing else that is dear to him in this world, as wife, children, goods, estate, and of the time God has given him, to work out his salvation. God expressed his horror of this crime to Noah: The blood of your lives will I require at the hand of man; whosoever sheds man's blood, his blood shall be shed, because man is made to the image of God, Gen. ix. 15. Murder then is a heinous thing, and ought never to go unpunished, because it is an irreparable injury to our neighbour, an insolent contempt of God, whose image he is, and a rebellious usurpation of his authority, for God is the Lord of life and death, and none can have any power over the life of another, but by commission from him; so it is lawful to kill in a just war, for the defence of one's king and country, and for magistrates to put villains to death; because this prevents murder, and is not against the commandment, but promotes the end of it; for the magistrate beareth not the sword without cause, Rom. xiii. 4. But it is never lawful to take revenge for ourselves, even when another has done us an injury that is deserving of death, because no one is to be judge in his own cause: and if that were allowed, all places would be filled with blood and slaughter: for this reason, God has reserved revenge to himself, and appointed kings and magistrates to exercise it on earth whenever it is just. Hence we prove duelling to be a great crime, because in that case a private man, without authority, seeks to revenge himself, and at the same time rashly endangers his own life: Tou belong not to yourself, but to God, 1 Cor. xvi. 19. and therefore you have no power over your own, or another's life. By the same reason, this commandment forbids whatever has a natural tendency to murder, as quarrelling, fighting, maiming of others, in which there is often a malice of heart equivalent to murder: anger, hatred, and revenge, must also come under the same prohibition, because from hence murder proceeds; for it is first in the heart and will that the sin of murder is committed. Hence it appears how careful we ought to be not to provoke others to these passions, not to widen the breach in quarrels, and by our presence give encouragement to them; but keep peace with all as far as in our power, and to be peace-makers for others, otherwise we have it to answer for, as well as those that fight: Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be · called the sons of God. St. Matt. v. 9. All these mischiefs being the effect of pride and anger, nothing but humility and patience can prevent them; therefore, we are so often advised to humble ourselves, and in much patience to possess our souls, to leave our cause wholly to God, and even not to harbour in our minds the least angry thought, malice, or revenge, which often breaks out into words, actions and murder itself.-Upon occasion of this commandment, we must also beware of scandal, which is a spiritual murder, whereby a man kills the soul of his neighbour, by making him fall into sin, against which, terrible woes are pronounced in the gospel. EXHOR.-Learn, O christian, from this instruction, ever to abhor and detest wilful murder. It is a most enormous crime, and cries to heaven for vengeance. Remember the punishment Cain underwent, for spilling the innocent blood of Abel. Nay, the very brute was not spared, that was contaminated with human blood, but dying, says God let him die. As you have no power over another, so much as to hurt a hair of his head, much less have you to harbour anger and revenge in your heart against him, much less to revile him by injurious words, much less to strike or maim him. Love is the fulfilling of the law; and as all these are destructive or diminishing of that love, they are the breaking of the law: and as the fulfilling of it is life, so the destruction of it is death. How often have you been forwarned by Christ against these lesser breaches of charity? He who is angry with his brother, (without a just cause) shall be guilty of the judgment; and he who calls him fool, (with malice in his heart, or contempt) shall be guilty of hell fire. St. Matt. v. 22. He who hateth his brother is a murderer. 1 John iii. 15. Before you offer your gift at the altar, go first and be reconciled to your brother, and then you shall come and make your offering. Matt. v. 24. Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Matt. v. 44. He com mands you to do good, and no ill, either in words or actions to others. Above all things, beware of murdering your neighbour's soul by scandal and bad example, a thing too common among christians. O how many learn to lie, to swear, and curse, by the wicked life of others! How many become drunkards, libertines, and void of all religion, from the profane talk of others? There is no sin attended with greater woes from the mouth of Christ, than scandal, Woe to the world for scandal. St. Matt. xviii. 7. As there are, alas! too many who draw others from good by their vices and ill example, see you draw others to virtue by your edify. ing life: as great will be the comdemnation of the one, great will be the recompence of the other: They who instruct others unto justice, shall shine like stars for all eternity. Dan. xii. 8. If at any time you have been the cause of your neighbour's spiritual ruin, beg for mercy, and make amends to the best of your power, not only by your sorrow, but by a christian holy comportment for the future, that may bring back those you have scan-dalized. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. Thou shalt not commit Adultery. Q. WHAT is forbidden by this? A. All carnal sin with another's wife or husband, also fornication, incest, the sin against nature, and all sins of lust in general. Q. What is commanded by it? A. That husbands and wives love and be faithful to one another. Q. What else? A. That all live chastely and resist that bent of concupiscence, that incline them to use their bodies contrary to the institution and law of marriage. Q. Why is lust hateful in the sight of God? A. Because it defiles our bodies, which are the members of Christ, and the temples of the Holy Ghost. INSTRUC. It is with good reason, that after God had expressed his will to us, in forbidding wilful murder, he proceeds next to forbid adultery, since the greatest injury, next to the deprivation of life, we can do our neighbour, is the defiling of the marriage bed. By it you not only rob the woman of her innocence, but also rob her husband of the most precious worldly treasure he has, the love and fidelity of his wife; his right whereto he cannot, if he will, give away to another; and, by consequence, this his right no one can invade, without the most horrid injustice to his neighbour, as well in violating his marriage bed, as for the ill consequences of it, in depriving them both of their mutual love, which ought to last till death; and often bastardizing the family, with many other mischiefs, too long to be recounted. Also by this commandment, as it is expounded in the Mosaic law, (see Deut.) are forbid all carnal sins of what species soever, as well as adultery: as fornication, which is a carnal act between a single man and woman, who have neither bound themselves by the bond of marriage, or by a vow of chastity; for if either party be consecrated to God by a vow of chastity, a carnal act with such a one is sacrilege; and a carnal act with a virgin is more than simple fornication, and alters the nature of the sin. Incest, which is a carnal act between a man and woman who are within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity, and the nearer in blood the greater is the sin. A rape, which is a carnal act committed on the body of another by force, against the will and consent. The sin against nature, which is a carnal act between two of the same sex, or between persons of a different sex, whether married or unmarried, when such means and actions are used, from whence generation cannot follow, under which head is forbidden self-pollution. In short, this commandment forbids all kind of uncleanness whatsoever that leads to debauchery, all immodest actions, touches of ourselves or others, lustful embraces, immodest looks or words: nay, we ought not even to harbour wilful thought of immodest things to take pleasure in it, and endanger ourselves, or to say or do any thing that may endanger others. Alas! too many are induced to break this commandment through the importunites and allurements of others. |