THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

"Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.'

My duty towards my neighbour is to love him as myself (Matt. xix. 19.) This love consists in the following line of conduct :--

"To do unto all men as I would they should do unto me," (Luke, vi. 31.) This is called the golden rule. A rule which, if universally pursued, would prevent many cruel wrongs, many a bitter hour, many a biting sarcasm, many an unkind word, indeed almost all the evils of society. If Haman had learnt and acted upon this rule, he had not hanged on a gallows.

To love, honour, and succour my father and mother. This Commandment hath a promise attached unto it, long life and happiness; be assured of this ye who are blessed with parents; rebellion against them, disobedience to them, estrangement from them, is concomitant with every unholy feeling, every unhappiness; hardness of heart follows on their steps. I feel sure estrangement from parents is immediately attended with estrangement from God and all that is good. Jesus set us an example of subjection to parents, although they were so to him only in name. St. Paul exhorts

us "to obey our parents in the Lord," that is, to submit to them in all things wherein no evil is concerned, when their commands do not militate against the Lord's. It may be sometimes a hard

struggle, but by such struggles we honour the Lord, exert our Christian graces, and call down a blessing on our heads. Their experience may be a restraint galling at the time, but happy are they who reap the fruits of the experience of others. Many griefs do they escape who are blessed with wise parents and submit to their guidance. How prettily Solomon enforces this duty. "My son keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother; bind them continually upon thy heart, and tie them about thy neck, for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head and chains about thy neck." (Prov. i. 9; vi. 20.) So that it is not in the presence of parents only, but in their absence children should testify their love by acting always in such wise as will please them. Love is testified by actions, not by words only. It is vain to profess love and take every opportunity to gratify self by disobedience or unkindness. Ruth truly loved her mother-in-law, and reaped the consolations she had herself given.

But this command is relative; it binds parents to do their duty likewise, by seeking the good of their children, by commanding wisely not hastily; by suitable rewards and punishments; not unduly overrating right actions or wrong; not making a foolish or tiresome trick on an equality with moral wrong, although the former be more annoying to them than the latter. As in the ways of Providence that reward and that punishment is best, which is apparently the effect of the good and the evil done.

"Parents promote not your children to anger; by injustice, which creates rebellion; by a harsh demeanour, which overpowers love; by partiality, which fosters jealousy; by tantalizing merriment,

which arouses passion; by constant complaints, which produce contempt: but bring them up in the obedience of God's commandments. Never forget for their future happiness or misery you are in a degree responsible. As you love them earnestly seek to correct every evil propensity, to encourage every noble aspiration from earliest infancy, so shall they be a blessing to you while you live, and a comfort when you die. Eli had saved his family dreadful sorrows had he punished his sons for their evil conduct.

To honour and obey the king and all who are placed in authority under him. "Christianity is friendly to every government based on the principles of equity, and exhorts her followers to treat those who have power as they do their parents; to maintain peace, and strictly to attend to the laws of society.

The worst government is better than anarchy. When, as in Israel, there was no king and every man did that which was right in his own eyes, the murderer, the robber, the oppressor did whatever he pleased. Happy in our government, may we never, never know the horrors of such a

state.

There is no power but of God. The gradation of rank is founded in nature, and is necessary to the well-being of every community, and we are to do our duty in that state of life unto which it has pleased God to call us. In no other are we on our post. Parents would rather have their children do what they asked than what the children fancy to be most useful. So, to please God, we must pursue with industry and animation what He hath appointed us.

"Render unto all their dues;

" for no govern

ment can be supported without: honour is necessary to the support of royal dignity: tribute is necessary to the remuneration of those who protect you by their bravery, their talents, and their labours. "For the magistrate holdeth the sword as a terror to evil-doers."

Jesus set an example of submission to all right authority. St. Paul likewise revered the power of the High Priest, and the authority of the Roman governors.

They who delight in disturbing the peace of a nation-in exciting discontent-are not following the precepts of Christianity.

"To submit myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual pastors, and masters. This is a lesson to pupils of every description, to servants, and to the members of a congregation. These are authorities of a lower degree, but more connected with immediate duty. Respect, attention, obedience, are due to them; and benefit arises from "him who gives and him who takes." Are not they, by superior age, talents, and experience, worthy of respect; and, if immediately connected with you or yours, deserving of love and gratitude? Think you it has not taken many a laborious hour to constitute them what they are? Think you not, if they implant the seeds of virtue, of happiness, of future usefulness and prosperity, in the hearts of their charge, they are not bestowing on society a service, on you a benefit, on them a blessing?

St. Paul advises servants, including pupils and apprentices, to be obedient to their masters; "not only to the kind and gentle, but also to the froward," and members of the church; "to know them who labour over them in the Lord."

Likewise are these duties relative, the master must not be too exacting towards his servant; the teacher must labour entirely to fulfil a duty which may be a blessing to both parties by judiciously, firmly, and gently performing the task assigned; the pastor must be a faithful shepherd of his flock, advising, reproving, exhorting, and comforting all, without respect to persons. Yet it does not follow that, because if one party fails in duty, the other is loosed from his; for each must give an account of himself, not of another.

To order myself lowly and reverently to all my betters. And who is my better? They who are more aged, more learned; they who are wiser, better; they who are of superior station and rank. It is said of one ancient people, the youth always rose in public when the aged entered-a noble testimony of reverence. "Rebuke not an elder," says St. Paul.

Knowledge is power; if God has granted superior light to any man, he is an honourable member of society, if he conduct himself well, and can assist your weaker understanding or more limited means to know more of such things as conduce to your comfort, to your pleasure, or to your apprehension of divine things. Mistrust not such a one because you do not see things as he does, despise him not, try to search out the truth before you condemn what perhaps appears to you absurd only because you are ignorant. There can be no doubt knowledge is the cause of the superiority of a civilized over an uncivilized nation.

A wise man, who puts the knowledge he possesses to his own and his neighbour's benefit is, of all others, to be consulted and beloved, and in the origin of nations the bravest and wisest individual