into two tables by Jews and Chriftians. The 6th The order alfo of fome of them is a little 7th 8th in in the Sep- altered in the old Greek tranflation. But tuagint. every diftribution and divifion, among the perfons of all perfuafions, and in all languages, the precept now before us, Honour thy father and thy mother, is always ranked immediately after thofe, which fet forth our duty to Almighty God. The order in this inftance is fo natural and undeniable, that neither defign, nor accident has ever difturbed it. After that entire and boundless obedience and veneration due from all to God, the next degree of refpect and reverence is that due from children to their parents. The relation between the Creator and his creatures admits, in ftrictnefs, of no comparison; yet when He is pleafed to represent himself to us under notions accommodated to our capacity, there is not any character He affumes more frequently or willingly, than this of a parent. No No resemblance can exactly fet before us his nature or operations, what He is in himself, or what He is to us; but this, we may prefume, has in it the leaft impropriety. He not only condescends to take the title, but claims, and as it were glories in it; calling at the fame time for all those sentiments and returns from us, which are fuitable to that relation. One God and Father of all. God the Eph. iv. 6. Father, of whom are all things, - I Cor.viii. and we in 6. him. We have had fathers of our flesh, Hebr. xii. which corrected us, and we gave them reve 9. rence; shall we not much rather be in fubjection to the Father of Spirits? — A fon honour- Mal. i. 6. eth his father, and a fervant his master; if then I be a father, where is mine honour? What great respect must be due from us to that character, which the Supreme Nature has chofen to be the reprefentation of his own! The authority of a father can be seen in no fairer view, than by this reflected light. When you look on the parental power, you behold the image of the divine. Not that we are obliged to have recourfe to metaphors, and oblique arguments, on this fubject. The duty of children towards their parents is bound upon them by the most immediate and obvious, as well as the most powerful and indispensable obligations. In the first place, here is the command of Almighty God: Honour thy father and thy mother. What need of reasoning to evince our obligation? or what room for evafion, if we could be willing to difown it? Secondly, The command is exprefs. What we are to do in the other instances, is left to be inferred: and in direct terms we are only warned to avoid that, which is wrong. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. - Thou shalt not make unto thee any any graven image. Thou shalt not take 10. It is repeated alfo, and enforced in the new Teftament. Children, obey your parents Colof. iii. in all things; for this is well pleafing unto the Lord. Our Saviour has fhewn great respect to this commandment, not only by obferving it, being fubject to his parents, # 3 the 4, 5, 6. 1 the one of them only fo called, and the other honoured above all human creatures in being fo; but also reftoring it, when it was degraded, to it's proper rank, and declaring it to be indifpenfable. Alms to the poor, no doubt, are good; the support of God's temple and worship was certainly acceptable to Him: but even fuch valuable things as these, he has taught us, are to give place to others yet Matth.xv. more neceffary. God commanded, saying, honour thy father and mother: but ye say, whosoever shall fay to his father or mother, it is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; that is, I have given to God what might have relieved my parents; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Acts of charity and devotion are not well timed, when they obftruct us in this duty. God will accept of nothing, till we have paid this neceffary debt at home: and when we |