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II.

do come to church; but let it be remem- SERM. bered, at the same time, that none of the good stay away.

I shall in my next discourse proceed to the commandments of the second table, which contains the heads of our duty towards our neighbour,

SERMON

SERMON III.

ON THE CATECHISM.

PROV. xxii. 6.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old be will not depart from it.

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my explanation of the catechism I have SER M. already gone through with the command

ments of the first table; I now proceed to consider those of the second. These open with the injunction to honour our father and mother; and surely, in the regulation of our conduct towards each other, no precept could with greater propriety take the lead after that entire and boundless obedience

VOL. II.

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SERM. dience due from all to God, the next degree

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of respect and reverence is due from children to their parents.

For this you have the divine express command, with the promise of a reward annexed to it," Thy days shall be long in "the land, which the Lord thy God giveth "thee." This indeed chiefly respected the Jews, and might either hold forth length of days as a reward to the dutiful, individually; or might promise the long possession of the land of Canaan to the whole nation, if this precept were observed, in general: but there is no reason to doubt but that Christians also, who conscientiously honour their parents, may reasonably look for a temporal recompence to their obedience. In the first place, St. Paul, in writ ing to the Ephesians, setting before them this commandment, insists on the promise annexed to it; and secondly, dutiful children are, according to the common course

of

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of things, likely to prosper and do well in SER M. the world. The whole of life is apt to take its colour from the employment of our youth, and that employment of it, which is most agreeable to our parents, is commonly the most to our own advantage.— I need not mention motives of gratitude, they are too obvious; he, who is ill behaved and cruel to the authors of his being, the fosterers of his childhood, to whom will he be kind? he, who is negligent of this first and great duty, of what other can we expect that he will be mindful?

The sixth commandment forbids mur der. The atrociousness of this crime is so great, and it is so certainly followed by the punishment of death from the laws of our country, that there is no necessity to dwell on it. The remonstrances or warnings of the preacher can have little effect on him who can harbour in his breast any idea of it; let us, however, devoutly pray against, and

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