Ej.*

f^'i'-.U'lv^'i

..^3^=. ¦'¦¦¦I

.'-^^

,:;^

.1*,
fW.?-^
^-*}?^' ;¦ .¦¦'
¦>.jp>jf" ; '¦ ¦
¦ ;¦¦.' ¦ >••'> ¦
.Sri'
¦'. "
¦;-?.'
;« >.h
\'.' %
efi: ¦> ¦»
YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

SERMONS

oir

%\it Comma[ntiment0.

BT

ROBERT JONES, D.D.
IiATX SXKIOR CHAPLAIN AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPS.

If thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments,
Matt, xix. 17.

Blontron ;
PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON,
NO. 62, ST. PAULS'* CHURCH-YARD;
SOLO ALSO BY J. HATCHARD, PICCADILLY.
1818.

Printed Li/ H. and R. Gillytrt, St. .To/m't Sqiimi;, London.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE following Sermons pretend to no
thing more, than a plain zealous enforce
ment of religious and social duty; and to
afford them an opportunity of more exten
sive usefulness is the main object of their
publication^

CONTENTS.

SERMON I.
FIRST COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX, % 3.

PAGE

I am the Lord thy God, Thou shall have
no other gods before me  1
SERMON II.
SECOND COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX. 4:, 5j 6.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any thing that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth ,
beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth : Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them ; for I the Lord
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children
nnto the third and fourth generation of
3

CONTENTS. PAGE
them that hate me ; and shewing mercy
unto thousands of them that love rrie, and
keep my Commandments  21
SERMON III,
THIRD COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX, 7,
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain; for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless, that taketh his name
in vain   4J
SERMON IV,
FOURTH COMMANDMENT,
Exodus XX. 8, 9, 10, 11.
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all
thy work : but the seventh day is the sab
bath of ihe Lord thy God : in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son,
nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor
thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
.stranger that is within thy gates; for
in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and

CONTENTS. Page
rested the seventh day; wherefore the
Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hal
lowed it • •  59
SERMON V,
FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX. 12.
Honour thy father and thy mother ; that
thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee .... 79
SERMON VI.
SIXTH COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX. 13,
Thou shalt not kill  99
SERMON VII,
SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX, 14,
Thou shalt not commit adultery  • ¦ • 1 17
SERMON VIII.
EIQHTH COMMANDMENT,
Exodus XX. 15,
Thou shalt not steal • • ¦  135

CONTENTS.
SERMON IX,
NINTH COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX. \6.

PAGE

Tliou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbour  152
SERMON X.
TENTH COMMANDMENT.
Exodus XX, 17.
Thou shalt not covet thy neigbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's
wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-
Servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any
thing that is thy neighbour's • • ¦ • • • • 173

S ER M O N I

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.

EXODUS XX. 2, 3.
I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have
no other Gods before me.
!PftACTlCABiLiTY is one of the beSt effects,
as it certainly is the best proof of religious
wisdom. In going through life, it is essential
to settle in our minds, and impress upoii our
hearts what is really requisite to the dis-
charge of duty. We must free the rule of
moral conduct from every difficulty and ob
scurity; we must distinguish and sepa,rate
the probable from the positive good. Amidst
much that brings doubt, amidst more that
brings temptation, we must keep in view a
guide and a motive, both clearly known,
B

2 The First Commandment.
and both unalterably binding. It is a matter
not so much of ingenuity as sincerity. There
is no discovery to be made, nor is any needed
in morality. Our path is clear, unless we
obscure if. If we doubt and go astray, the
error is ours. The fault is the fault not of
the rule itself, but either of our ignorance
or obstinacy.
In the passage of the children of Israel
through the wilderness from Egypt to Ca
naan, the moral laws that were to regulate
their conduct, were promulgated by God
himself through the means of Moses. These
laws, thus given "and sanctioned, are the
Ten Commandments.
With respect to the Ceremonial Laws;
those laws relative to the sacrifices and other
ceremonial offices of the Jews, as well a^
those respecting their civil polity and go
vernment, we at this day are not so muph
concerned. Most of them were local and
temporary. Not .so the moial law^ « Not

The First Commandment. 5
Onfe tittle of which,*' says our Savioui'j " shall
" pass away till all be fulfilled." Certain
customs Would naturally cease with the times
that required them* Ceremonies, requisite
iand obligatory upon peculiar persons and
places, would cease and disappear. The
rule of right conduct, on the other hand^ is
Universally and eternally applicable. Suit
able to all nations, and extending to every
individual. With this view, the Ten Com^
mandments have been divided into two
parts: the four first inculcating duty to God;
the six last duty to our neighbour. Under
this two-fold division, our Saviour himself
included *the whole of the Decalogue. On
being asked which was the great command
ment in the la,w, Jesus said, ** Thou shalt
" love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
" and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ;
" this is the first and great commandment ;
" and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
" love thy neighbour as thyself* On these two
" comniandm^ts bang all the Law and the
« Prophets."

4 The First Commandment.
I shall adopt and preserve this division of
the subject, in the following Sermons upon
the Ten Commandments ; taking each Com
mandment as the ground of a separate ex
amination. To return, then, to the consideration of
the subject of our text, " I am the Lord
" thy God ; thou shalt have no other gods
" before me." * Why,' it may be asked, * en
deavour to prove and make evident a truth,
which none in a Christian congregation can
be supposed to doubt .?' This question may
be answered, by asking another. Do all
who believe that there is a Go<i, live as
though their belief was genuine and per
suasive ?^ Do they acknowledge the existence
of God, by their, constant fear to offend, and
their anxious endeavour to please him ; in
all they think, and say, and do, is God be
fore their eyes ? Do they confess his power
to punish, by their avoiding sin ? Do tHisry
avow his mercy by being penitent ? Do they
believe by practical belief, a belief whose

The First Commandment. 5
fruit is morality, and whose recompense, the
favour of Heaven ! If not, surely the dis
cussion of the subject cannot be without its
use ; it cannot fail, with God's blessing, and
the assistance of his Holy Spirit, of teaching
us the duty of serving our Creator " in since-
" rity and truth." I shall therefore endeavour
to shew.
1st. What reasons we have to believe in
a God ; and
lid. What should be our conduct and
conversation on the admission of this truth.
I. The first proof of the existence of God,
is the consent of nations. Go where you
will, throughout the whole globe, you will
find every people, who can be said to know
any thing, acquainted and impressed with
this truth. In some countries, it is granted,
you will see this persuasion of a Deity mixed
up with the vainest superstitions, and in
others, with the grossest rites of worship.
But still the main fact, the essential doctrine:

(J The First Commemdment.
is credited. It has indeed been said, that
some wild and barbarous nations do not ap^
pear to have such a belief. But it has been
so said, often without proof. When we re
member that savages can hardly describe,
however they may feel what with us is the
most common of all sentiments ; such as li
berty and gratitude, and so on, are we
therefore to say, that they have no ideas of
liberty and gratitude. Are we then to be
surprised, that through want of sentiments,
and what is still more, want of a language
understood by both, they may fail of con-?
vincing the trayeller of their belief of a God,
But though the sentiment be not expressed
by words, it is often more strongly expressed
by actions. Where there is- any worship
paid by men, whether to stocks and stones,
to the sun, or moon, or any other objecti
however foolish the idol, still it proves that'
there isr in the mind of the worshippers the
idea of Divinity. When the Lithuanian'.
worships the serpent, the Hottentot the fly^
the Egyptian the bull, and the Persian the
sun, they show their belief,' however absurdr

The First Convmandment. 7
and imperfect, of a Deity. But were we to
allow that a people has been really dis
covered so ignorant and brutalized as to be
wholly void of any such worship, what would
even that prove .'' Some men are born with*
out the use of their senses, without reason,
sight, the power of speaking or of hearing ;
these individual case.s do not disprove the
general rule. It only shews that throughout
nature there is often irregularity against the
common course of things* If the mind of a
savage is so imperfect j as to be incapable
of a belief of a God under any shape or form
whatever, surely that does not lessen the
truth of what we say ; namely, that where
the human mind has the power to under
stand and believe at all, the notion of a God
is common to every people on the face of th«
earth *.
The next proof of the being of a God^ is
the order and usefulness of the material
world. In the visible creation, we see e\e$x
* Bishop Burnet,

8 The First Commandment.
and incontestable proofs of Almighty wis
dom and power. « The Heavens," says
the Psalmist, « declare the glory of God, and
" the firmament sheweth his handy work; day
«* unto day uttereth speech, and night unto
" night sheweth knowledge *." If to chance
is to be traced the constant motions of the
celestial bodies, of the sun, moon, and stars;
the divisions of the earth into sea and land ;
the different seasons of the year; the different
climates of different countries; the curious
form and variety of animals, and plants, and
fossils; and above all, the fashioning of the
master-piece of creation, man; jf all this be
the effect of chance, how is it that chance
should do so much at once, and should be
able to do nothing ever since; if accident
fi\er had power, it would stiU have it. No;
the world was made in wisdom, and its Cre
ator is God. We read the great artificer ot
the world in the works of his own hands,
and by the existence of (iny thing, we prove
tjbe first cause of qU things f .
xix. ?, t Bishop Burnet,

The F^rst Commandment. 9
A third proof of the existence of God, is
the power granted to individuals of working
miracles. Upon great occasions, and for
answering some especial purpose of good,
certain persons have wrought works per
fectly beyond man's power, and altogether
contrary to the course of nature. Such
persons, therefore, must be assisted by a
power superior to either, and that power is
of God. Such were the wonders Wrought
by Moses in the wilderness, and in Egypt,
by the speaking of a few words, or stretch
ing forth of a rod. And the like is to be
said of the miracles performed by our Sa
viour and his Apostles. We are sure, that
no natural means, no mere human en
deavour, could do this ; and the facts being
clearly and undoubtedly proved to have
taken place, the existence of an over-ruling
Providence is fully established.
Other very sufficient arguments might be
furnished, and made plain, from the neces
sity of some first cause ; as also from pro-

10 The First Convmandment.
phecy ; — -the power of foretelling future
events ; and, lastly, from the evidence
arising within every man's own breast upon
the subject, from the force of conscience
and of consciousness. Enough, however,
has been already said, to convince any
mind, that can have a doubt upon so
evident and serious a subject; and which
is capable and willing to admit truth. We
will therefore pass on to the consideration
of our second point ; namely, what should
be the conduct of our lives, on the reception
and belief of this truth.
II. If we really and sincerely believe in
God, we shall acknowledge his attributes, we
shall fear him for his power, we shall love
him for his mercy, we shall worship him,
we shall honor his holy name and his word,
and serve him truly all the days of our lifer
In the first place, then, we shall fear him.
We shall remember that he has madie, and
still supports alt things; that he is eternalj

The First Chmmandjnent: IV
and all-wise; that he is omnipotent, and
every where present; that Heaven is his
throne^ and earth his footstool. We shall
recollect, that if we continue sinful and dis
obedient, he can withdraw the light of
his countenance from us here, and punish
us for ever hereafter. " The fool hath said
** in his heart there is no God * ;" and there-
fcre, that is, because he is a fool, does not
feel afraid to commit those sins which of-r
fend God. He says so in "his heart;''
though he is not so bold and so shameless as
to deny God with his lips, yet in his life he
denies him, because he disobeys and dis
honors him. If we had a sincere and awful
iear of God ever before our conscience, we
^ould never go far astray. Frail and
weak ourselves, we should tremble and be
humble before Perfection itself; while a
jsense of our own ignorance would lead us
to confide in, and adore that wisdom which'
pever errs. To acknowledge God^ with ©ur
* Psalm xiv, I'.
5

12 The First Commandment.
tongue, and yet disavow him with our lives ;
to confess his power, yet wantonly provoke
it ; to allow that he knoweth all things, and
yet live on, as though he knew nothing;
what is this but to say with a fool's heart,
" There is no God."
But to avoid the crime and punishment
of such folly, we are not only to fear God,
but to love him also. We are to love him,
not merely for what he has done, and con
tinues to do, but for what he has graciously
promised to do. Has he separated man
from all other created things; has he
stamped upon our minds the image of Di
vinity; has he made us in the likeness of
himself, and breathed into our nostrils the
breath of life ; hath he given us conscience
to direct, and hope to console, a reason to
determine, and a will to perform! Has it
been our lot to be born in a civilized, free,
and Christian country ; a country rich in
domestic virtue, and high among the nations
of the earth. Have we been born with our

The First Commandment. 13
faculties and senses all perfect; have we
been blessed with health and competenc*,
or with kind friends to supply their place.
Have we been preserved through childhood
and manhood; has religious education en
lightened our minds, sanctified our hearts,
and guarded our morals; have all, nay,
have any of these blessings fallen to our lot ?
Think then for a moment, how much has
been given, and yet how little has been
deserved ! Think of this, with the gratitude
it merits, and the Divinity shall stir within
you. Leave it to the fool to say in his
heart, "There is no God." Leave it to the
unbeliever to cavil, and the reprobate to re
vile, while with humble thankfulness, and
fervent faith, you believe and adore. But
this is not all. Kind and watchful though
the protection and mercy of God have beei^
towards us, and however undeserved on our
part, still they cease not. His loving kind
ness waxeth not cold. Still is the arm of the
Almighty our buckler and defence. StiH
4oes it ward off the numberless and fatal in-

14 The First Commandmemt.
juries that threaten ; " the arrow that flieth
« in darkness, and the pestilence that destroy-
" eth at noon day." If, then, we add to these
past and present blessings, the promises of
God in his future dealings towards usj we
cannot surely fail of being thankful, and
thankfulness is love. He holds out to those,
who obey his commands, and rely upon the
atonement, and exemplify the virtues of
their Saviour, the hopes of Heaven, peace
here, and eternal blessedness hereafter.
Misfortune and sorrow may overtake us,
but neither shall eventually harm us: we
need not fear what man doeth, as long as
the Lord is on our side. We know the
God in whom we believe, the Saviour on
whose merits we rely, and the Holy Spirit
on whose aid we trust.
If, moreover, we thus fear, and thus love
the great God of heaven and earth ; if we
fear him for his majesty and power, and
love him for his protection and his mercy,
we shall also worship him, both in public

The First Commandment. 15
and private. Cherishing the hope of glory,
we shall reverence and improve all the
means of grace. We shall thus deem it a
privilege, and feel it a pleasure to wait
upon him in his Temple. We shall con
sider it a sacred and indispensable duty
to attend ourselves, and enable and en
courage those, over whom we have an in
fluence, to do the same. Remembering in
whose presence we are, and the purpose
that brings us hither, we shall behave our
selves with seriousness and attention. Nor
shall we forget family devotion. We shall
assemblje our domestics, night and morning,
to offer up our common and acceptable sa
crifice of prayer and praise. We shall,
moreover, rightly and duly value the Sacra
ments of the Eucharist and Baptism ; they
will have a distinguished place and influence
in our belief and conduct ; the one to pre
serve the " perpetual memory of our Sa-
** vdour's precious death until his coming
** again," and the other as the means ex
pressly instituted by our Saviour, to admit

16 The First Commandment.
us into the Christian Covenant. Humbly,
also, shall we confess our sins before God ;
and sincerity of repentance will be followed
by more perfect obedience. In addition lo
which> we shall never use nor suffer others
to use the name of God, but With reverence
and holy fear. If we sincerely believe in
God, we shall be ever careful of the honour
due unto his name.
We shall again honour, not only God's
holy name, but his holy word. We shall
regard the Scriptures, as the rule of our life,
and the ground of our belief. We shall
meditate thereon day and night.^ We shall
study diligently,, teachably and profitably
the revealed will of God. And as we our
selves have felt comfort and edification in
so doing, we shall be proportionably anxious
and active that others may be partakers (rf
these benefits. We shall be zealous to
spread the Scriptures, and to afford to all
ranks of society, the education and assist
ances necessary to comprehend themi,

The First Commandment. 17
If then we unite and realize such sen
timents respecting God; if, 1st, we be
lieve in him ; 2dly, fear him ; 3dly, love
him ; 4thly, worship him ; 5thly, honor
his name and word : we shall not fail,
with his divine blessing, and the assist
ance of his Holy Spirit, to add the proof,
the seal, the sanction to all these, by serving
God, by sincere and constant obedience,
the remainder of our lives. It is not enough
to know these things, but we must live as
thouo-h we felt them. It will not do to
say " Lord, Lord," without fulfiUing the
virtues which God has enjoined ; it will not
do to profess our belief in the only living
and true God, while we idolize in our
hearts and practice the lusts of passion, the
gains of lucre, or the vanities of ambition.
« I am the Lord thy God," says the text,
" Thou shalt have none other gods but
" Me." Every duty to that God is not only
strictly, but exclusively enforced. We are
commanded to have him for our God, and
him alone ; we are commanded to give our
c

18 The First Commandment.
obedience to him, and to him only. " We
" must present ourselves a living sacrifice,
" holy, acceptable unto God, which is our
" reasonable service *."
Both before and after the Ten Com
mandments were given to the children of
Israel, the world in general believed in a
great number and variety of gods. Every
folly, and even every vice had its peculiar
and presiding deity. Amidst this crowd of
false gods, the true God was forgotten.
It was against this plurality of gods, that
the Commandment was more especially di
rected; not that the New Testament is
silent upon the subject ; our Saviour himself
speaks of the only true God, and that he alone
is to tie worshipped. As Christians, there
fore, we, in common with the Jews, ac
knowledge only one God, the Father and
Cause of all things: but again, as Chris
tians, we go further than the Jews, in-
* Romans xii. 1.

The First Commandment. 19
asmuch as we are commanded to worship
God, m the name, and through the merits,
of his Son and our Saviour, Jesus Christ ;
and with the assistance and fellowship of
the Holy Ghost ; one God and Three Per
sons. Let this then be the adoration which we
pay ; faith working and aided by fear and
love, and both realized into virtue. Let
the thought of God's power to punish, and
his willingness to forgive, never cease to
dwell upon our minds, and influence our
practice. Though he is a God of terror
to the wicked and impenitent, yet, " as a
" father pitieth his children*," so is the
Lord merciful to all who call upon his
name, and depart from iniquity. Let the
one thought keep us from presumption, and
the other preserve us from despair.
* Psalm ciii, 13.

c 2

SERMON 11.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENi'.

EXODUS XX. 4, 5, 6.
Thou sJialt not make unto thee any graven
imagey or any likeness of any thing that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth : — Thau shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them ; for I the Lord
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me ; — and shelving mdrcy
vnto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my Commandments.
I HAVE already explained to you the duties
of the first Commandment, shewing you the

22 The Second Commandment.
reasons that we have to believe in God, and
so believing, why, and how we are to serve
him. I there set forth the different mani
festations, which God has been pleased to
make : Igt, By the works of his hands, — the
light of Nature. 2dly, By Moses and the
Prophets, — the Jewish Dispensation. 3dly,
To Christians, by Jesus Christ our Saviour,
one with the Father, and the Holy Ghost,
one with both. Three Persons, and one
God,— the Gospel Revelation.
I shall therefore now proceed to consider
the import of the Second Commandment.
In which idolatry is forbidden ; that is, in
the largest sense of the term, the worship of
the creature instead of the Creator.
It might, indeed, be supposed, where a
knowledge of God was once established in
the mind, that the mere commandment of
the worship, due to him, would suffice.
When, however, we remember, how easily
and fatally human nature is led astray;

The Second Commandment. 23
how imperceptibly the understanding, be
ginning with right, soon deviates into
wrong: how good intentions, and sound
principles, if not watched and strengthened,
become perverted ; how the best zeal, if not
purified, becomes licentious; how much
the heart is swayed, and the conduct di
rected by the flattery and influence of the
senses ; how things seen, shut out from the
mind things not seen; how earth ecfipses
heaven ; how the man forgets the God ;
when we see all this, we shall not be sur
prized at the careful and constant anxiety
of Scripture, in pointing out the errors that
mislead the judgment, and the temptations
that corrupt the heart.
The first sort of idolatry is little better
than atheism, or disbelief of a God. This
is the case, where men set up some imagina
tion of their own vain and silly minds,
as the object of their adoration, or the
only God which they allow ; such as what
they call nature, fate, fortune, necessity.

24 Tlie Second Commandment.
chance, and so on. They pretend to deny
an all-wise and directing Providence, and,
through fond conceit of their own wisdom
and discoveries, they ascribe to the fore
going causes," the order, beauty, and pre
servation of the world. I have given a suf
ficient answer, in my last sermon, to such
wild and blasphemous opinions.
The next kind of idolatry, is the worship
of the sun, moon, and stars, or the adoration
paid to dead men, such as warriors, prin
ces, heroes, and so forth. The former is the
worship of the Persians, and many other
nations, at this day ; and the latter was the
practice of the ancient Greeks and Ro
mans; — a people, ingenious and proficient
in learning and the arts, but mere savages
in religion.
A third species of idolatry, is the worship
of false Gods, not to the exclusion of the
true God, but in common and in union with
him. Even in the days of Abraham, we

The SeHond Commandment. 25
find the adoration of the eternal Jehovah,
accompanied and nearly obscured by the
fables and abominations of Pagan riles. In
succeeding times, this abuse is seen still to
prevail. The Israelites, though led by
miracles from a land of bondage, could not
refrain from mingling with their worship of
the true God, the profanations of their for^
mer cruel and idolatrous task-masters;
though all the miseries, suffered by this way^
ward and rebellious people, were chiefly in
flicted upon them for this very crime, still
did they lust after, and practise the super
stitions of Egypt, and " join themselves in
" the worship of Baal-peor in the desert"
Images-worship, (a fourth description of
idolatry,) is, when men worship the true
God, and perhaps him only, but yet after
an idolatrous manner, under some peculiar
form. To describe and imagine God as
the invisible author of all things, under the
likeness of the sun or moon, those most

26 The Second Commandment.
resplendent and powerful parts of the uni
verse, is, doubtless, gross idolatry; but it is
such as to an ignorant and pagan mind
presents itself with much temptation : but
that men should present God under the
likeness of a beast, a bird, a fish, an insect,
a post, or a stone, would appear incredible,
did not unquestionable fact and testimony
prove it to be true. Indeed, Sacred History
tells us, that the Israelites set up a calf in the
wilderness, and absolutely worshipped it as
the God who had brought them from the land
of bondage. In after ages, we are told,
that Jeroboam, king of Israel, set up
calves at Dan and Bethel, as representa
tive of that God, who had expressly com
manded the people to worship him at
Jerusalem, in the temple, and without an
image *.
Though there were among the Jews some
* Dr. Jortin.

The Second Commandment. 27
wise and holy men, worshippers of the only
living and true God in sincerity and truth,
we yet see them as a nation forgetting the
God of heaven, and directing their prayers,
and sacrificing their offerings to dumb, and
senseless idols. And mark the gradation
of the crime ; from worshipping God under
an image, they soon persuaded themselves
to forget God altogether, and worship the
image only.
Happy would it be, were the sin and evil
of such idolatries confined to times so dis
tant from our own. But alas ! God is still
defrauded of his worship. As to those hea
thens, who still give themselves up to such
superstitions, but upon whose minds the
light of revelation has not yet shone, how
ever we may bewail their ignorance, it is
not for us to decide. The case of such
pagan nations is not ours ; nor does our re
sponsibility belong to them. " Where much
" is given, much will be required." If,

28 The Second Commandment.
with the Gospel in our hands, we sin. We
" sin wilfully against the knowledge of
" the truth ;" — our error is not the error
of ignorance, but delusioni
The language of the New Teistament is
in no degree less strong and severe against
idolatry, than what we find in the Old.
St. Paul preaching to the Athenians, thus
cautions them against this sin ; " Forasmuch,
*' then, as we are the offspring of God,
** wis ought not to think that the Godhead
" is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven
" by art and man's device." The primitive
Christians kept themselves free from such
idolatries* We find every ecclesiastical
writer, of the first four centuries, arguing
against the pagan practice of image-wor
ship: deducing their arguments from the
pure spiritual nature of God, and the plain
and decisive declarations of Scripture upon
the subject* About the fifth century, how*
ever, the worshipping of images, the invo-

The Second Commandment. 29
cation of saints, and the adoration of relics,
began to corrupt the Christian Church*.
The images, and relics (either the bones
or clothes, or what not) of those, who had
suffered and distinguished themselves by
martyrdom, were first had in veneration,
and that soon become adoration. Cures
were said to be wrought by visiting the
tombs of these men ; while to have possession
of some relic, formerly belonging to them,
was considered as the best preservative
against every spiritual and temporal evil.
The crafty sold, and the credulous bought
them, to the disgrace at once of religion
and of reason. Wh^,t is worse ; such pro
ceedings were established and defended by
a thousand lying miracles and vile impos
tures, and by the utmost violence and inhu
manity. Surely, if it be idolatry to worship the
* Burnet.

30 The Second Commandment.
image of God himself, or the image of Jesus
Christ, who is no less God, it must be double
profanation to adore the images, bones and
relics of saints and martyrs, or the virgin
Mary. Moreover, how impious and un-
scriptural to invoke their aid, and propitiate
their favour, to offer up prayers either to
them, or through their merits and names
to God, when we are expressly told that
we have only " one Mediator between God
" and men, Jesus Christ*." In his blessed
name, and through his availing merits only,
guided and blessed with the assistance of
the Holy Spirit, are we taught in the Gospel
to approach the throne of God. " The
" only images," says Origen, in his celebrated
epistle to Celsus, " that are to be dedicated
« to God, are not to be carved by the hands
" of artists, but to be fashioned in our hearts
" and lives by the word of God ; namely,
" the virtues of piety, wisdom, temperance,
* 1 Timothy ii. 5.

The Second Commandment. 3 J
" and justice. These are the only statues,
" by which it is fit to do honor either to
" the God that made, or the Christ that re-
" deemed us."
It has indeed been urged by the Roman
Church, where the practice of idolatry is
still openly and pertinaciously allowed, that
the images and pictures, made use of in their
worship, serve well to fix the attention, and
by that means to interest and maintain the
feelings of devotion. All this might perhaps
be allowed, did we not know that the mind,
particularly when ardently and even piously
engaged, is apt to run into extremes. Wc
would guard therefore against the temptation,
by doing away the occasion of it. When
the judgment is cool and unbiassed, and
when the passions are under due controul,
we may gaze unhurt at the bust or picture,
thait pourtrays the crucifixion of our blessed
Lord. Taste is gratified, and, it may be,
piety is improved. But when in the extacy

32 The Second Commandment.
of zeal we bend the knee before these sym
bols, what can it mean ? If sincere it is ido
latry, if not sincere it is mockery. Innocent
at first, it now becomes criminal ; it is no
longer admiration, but homage. The praise,
the prayer, intended for the original, now
pass to the copy; the substance vanishes,
and the shadow only remains. The cru
cified is forgotten, while the crucifix is
adored. We then bow in reverence, not
to the Saviour, who is one with the Father,
invisible, omnipresent, and immortal, but
to a lifeless, senseless, perishing image. On
the other hand, the Gospel tells us to worship
God " in sincerity and truth :" to worship
the Saviour as no less present and powerful in
heaven lo intercede for us, than on earth
lo help us. We need no intercessor with
the Father, but him alone ; we want no
curious device of man's hands to raise our
gratitude, or confirm our hope. His " king-
" dom is within us," and that kingdom is
spiritual. Away then with the superstitions

The Second Commandment. 33
that would "change the glory of the iii-
" corruptible. God into an image, made
•i' like unto corruptible man, and to birds
" and four - footed beasts, and creeping
" things *."
From such image - worship, you, who
hear me, may perhaps congratulate your-»
selves that you are free. There are how
ever other idolatries, to which the heart
is prone, and against which it must be
guarded. Do riches engross your affections
your thoughts, and lives to the exclusion
of religion ? if so, it is idolatry. " Covetous-
" ness," says St. Paul, is " idolatry," and
the covetous man is an idolater. So, because
vicious and debauched persons are wholly
and eagerly given up to the gratification
of their sensual appetites, the same Apostle
represents these also as idolaters, " whose
" God is their belly, lovers of pleasure more
* Roma s L 23.
B

34 The Second 'Comm(mdment.
" than lovers of God." They also are to be
ranked with idolaters, who are devoted to
their own selfish and ambitious views, or
who become slaves to the great and power
ful, obeying man rather than God,, and who
vainly rely and pride themselves upon their
own means and ability, neither asking^, nor
needing the blessing of heaven, to further
and sanctify their endeavours. By so doing,
we serve " the false God of this world."
The Scripture says, " Cursed be he, that
" maketh a graven image and worshippeth
" it;" the same Scripture saySy " Cursed is
" he, that trusteth in man, andmaketh flesh
" his arm, and whose heart departeth from
" the Lord." Here is idolatry more fatal,
than that of images and relics* In the one
case, fear operating. Upon ignorance may
prostrate the devotee at the shrine of his
beloved saint, while he invokes his aid and
adores his image. But the idolatry of vice
is gross, sensual, devilish. Here, there can be
no mistake, and thereforer no excuse. The

3

The Second Commandment. 35
idol, here worshipped and obeyed, is known
to be an idol ; the service, here given, is
nothina: less than avowed and shameless
sacrilege.

Having thus explained to you the exten
sive nature, and the heavy crime of idolatry,
I shall, in conclusion, briefly notice the
punishment that follows the breach, and the
reward that is promised to the fulfilment of
tlie Commandment. " I the Lord thy God,
" am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the
** fathers upon the children, unto the third
" and fourth generation of them that hate
" me, and shew mercy unto thousands in
" them that love me, and keep my Com-
** mandments."
Neglect of God's laws soon leads to a
neglect of Grod himself, and disobedience
soon ends in hatred. Once substitute any
idol in God's place, and you open a door to
Bins, whose curse shall pass down from ge
neration to- generation. Children by the
H 2

36 The Second Commandment,
bad example of wicked parents, become
even more wicked than the parents. What
their own guilty heart suggests, the pattern
get them confirms. They drink in vice with
their mother's milk, and the father's name,
which should tend to shame and correct
their faults, is thus used to vindicate ahd
multiply their sins. Warned as the Israel
ites had been by Prophets, afflicted as they
were in their different captivities, yet we
,find that nothing could remove from the
ofllBpring of this perverse and carnal people.
the love and practice of idolatry. " The.
" children of Israel," says the Psalmist,.
" forgot God, therefore lifted he up his
" hand against them to destroy them ! to
" overthrow their seed among the nations,
" and to scatter them among the lands.''
We have only to view the degraded rem
nant of this once-favoured nation of the
Jews, now scattered over the face of the
earth, to be convinced of the real and awful
crime and punishment of forgetting God.
The stain of sin continued in a family or

The Second Comm^indment. 37
people, becomes darker and deeper. Vice,
like disease, will sometimes remain in the
blood * ; and the longer they continue, the
more fatal the effects, and the more difficult
to remove them.
As the entailing of such a curse upon
posterity must furnish a most powerful dis
couragement to neglect of God and the
practice of sin, so are we to remember that
the advantages and blessings which descisnd
to the children of the pious and the good,
should be the best incitement to religion,
" He sheweth mercy unto thousands of
" them that love him, and keep his Com-
" mandments." It is here plain that God
is a thousand times more disposed to per
form acts of mercy than severity f. " I
" have been young," says the Psalmist,
" and am now old, yet have I not seen th^
" righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
* Dr. Jortin. t M^-

38 The Second Commandment.
« bread." " For the Lord forsaketh not
"his saints; they are preserved for ever;
" but the seed of the wicked shall be cut
" off," Obey then the Commandments of
your God, and teach your children to do ttie
same. And the light of heaven, which
shines upon your heart and beautifies your
life, shall be reflected upon the generations
that succeed you,
At the same time, it must be acknowi.
ledged, that neither the rewards foretold,
nor the punishments denounced in this Comr
mandment, are so evidently and literally
distributed on earth under the Gospel re
velation, as they were under the Law- To
the Jews many of the promises and threat?
related to, and were fulfilled in their tem
poral condition. But still, God requires us
Christians to worship him in spirit and in
truth, and will punish and i:eward accoi'd-
ingly. " If the ministration of condemn-
" ation be glory, much more doth the minis-

The Second Commandment. 39
** tration of righteousness exceed in glory *."
The nature of our service is spiritual, and
the rewards may be either spiritual or tem
poral, as seems best fit to God. But even in
this life, the religious man is always the
happiest. The providence of God acts in a
silent and unseen manner, and may bring
forth good to those, who fear and love him,
in a variety of ways, which we perceive
not, A good parent gives his child a re
ligious* example and a religious education :
these, under the blessing of God, will not
fail (however poor he may be) of making
him contented with his lot, and zealous to
discharge to the best of his power his duty
both to God and man. And he shall not
lose his recompense. For this will ensure
a purity of conscience surpassing all price ;
a peace of mind, which the world can
neither give nor take away.
* 2 Corinthians iii. 9.

SERMON III.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.

EXODUS XX. 7.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless, that taketh his name
in vain.
J. HE great difference between divine and
human laws is this, the latter admit of
doubt. Read human laws, and you are, in
many cases, left to hesitate how to act. The
moral laws of God, on the other hand, can
not be mistaken. We may, and do per
suade ourselves to disregard them, but still
we understand their meaning, and are
made perfectly acquainted with the punish-

42 The Third Commandment.
ment that will overtake us, if we disobey
them. After reading the text, can you doubt one
moment of the sin, and the consequences of
swearing! "God will not hold those guiltless,
*' who take his name in vain." God, who
is infinitely wise, considers it as guilt ; God,
who is infinitely just, will punish it as such.
This is quite plain ; and should be quite de*
cisive on our minds and conduct.
The prohibition of the text must, how
ever, be confined to that sort of swearing,
which is wanton and uncalled-for. We are
not to take the name of God in liain. A
sacred oath, taken with a due sense of its
responsibility, and for a purpose sufficiently.
important to require it, is both lawful and
religious. But as we thus make it an act of
reverence and necessity, the abuse of it
must become more daiigerous and sinful.
Consequently, the first and most serious

T/te Third Commandment. 43
breach of this commandment is perjury.
That is, when before heaven, and in the
presence of men, we say, upon oath, what
we know to be false. For the happiness of
society, recourse must be sometimes had to
the pliglited good faith of individuals. And
surely nothing would seem more likely to
bring forth truth, than by uniting the sanc
tions of the law^ both of God and man to
make the mind honest. The solemnity of
a public oath aggravates the crime of per
jury, because it makes it more deliberate
and more scandalous. If, then, the sacred-
ness and the utility of such tests be once set
at nought, if men, from any cause, can be
brought to lay their hands upon God's word
with a lie upon their lips, there is an end
of society. Without conscience, and with
out shame villainy would soon triumph. No
one would know what to believe ; no man's
life, or property, or character, would be
safe- Commerce with other nations, confi-
4)mce amongst ourselves would cease. Let
BO base interest of our own, no fpolish com-

44 The Third Commandment.
passion for others, ever induce us to give
testimony, which we do not know to be
thoroughly true; or make engagements,
which we do not intend, and are able most
exactly to perform. A vow to God, though
not accompanied by an oath, has the nature
of an oath, inasmuch as it is a solemn pro
mise to God.
In the second place, we are not oply for
bidden to swear falsely, but foolishly. But
it is by swearing foolishly, that we come at
last to swear falsely. For how Qan he long
respect God, or the oath that is made in hi.s
name, who upon every light and silly sub
ject calls God to witness; — who scruples not
to invoke his Maker's sanction to all the
noise and nonsense that escape his lips. Fa
miliarity lessens reverence, and the sin of
blasphemy, like every other sin, grows by
degrees, and gains influence in exact pro
portion to its indulgence. In most other
sins, however, there seems some sensual
passion to gratify : but, in the common ha-

The Third Commandment. 45
bits of cursing and swearing, there is not
even this excuse. What enjoyment is there
in an oath ? It is guilt without pleasure, the
service of sin for the bare love of it.
To guard against the crime, we should
avoid those occasions, from which it is seen
most frequently to arise. The first and
great cause of swearing is bad company.
Ignorant, vulgar, and irreligious men, sel
dom talk without profane language: Iheii'
tongue seems only fluent in words of blas
phemy. They catch terms from each other,
and they employ them as the best under
stood vehicle of their meaning. It has also,
as they fancy, an air of liberty and courage,
and shews a resolute and brave spirit, to set
both God and man at defiance ; — to outrage
and forget the commands of the one, and to
insult the moral and modest feeUngs of the
other. Besides the keeping of bad company, pas
sion and anger are great incentives to swear-

46 The Third Comniartdmenf,
ing. If we do not bridle our tempers, it i»
not likely that we shall bridle our tongues.
" Out of the abundance of the heart the
" mouth speaketh ;" and, when the heart is
filled with resentment, it too often vents its
revenge in oaths and blasphemies.
Drunkenness is another cause. By this
vice conscience is laid asleep, and reason is
bewildered; the appetites are all loosed;
the confidant becomes jealous, the friend
becomes the foe ; argument becomes strife,
and counsel is repaid by insult. Health suf
fers, property diminishes, and character de
parts* What language can we look for froiri'
such persons, but that which dishonours
God, and " makes a mock at sin."
Gaming is another source of swearing;
As its practice is always united with strong"
passions and low arts, it "engenders strife;"
and strife, where there is no fear of God,
ends in blasphemy. The deceitffil hopes,
^nd bitter disappointments,- the rage and

Tlie Third Commandment. 47
despair, the loss of fortune, of character, and
of conscience, attending the seductive and
sinful occupation of gambling, chifl all the
better charities of the heart; it fills the
mind with madness, and the tongue with
bitterness of reproach, — with lies and exe
crations. Such are some of the main causes that
lead to swearing. There are other causes,
however, which not so criminal in them
selves, betray equally to the sin in question.
These may be distinguished into vanity and
carelessness. In the opinion and conduct
of some men, especially of young men,
swearing seems to be considered as a re
lease from painful obscurity, and from the
orderly and humble restraints of education.^
Indeed, it is ever the aim of the young to
affect the vices of more mature age: they
are anxious to copy not only what is done
but what is said, by the men around them.
Hence come that flippancy and blasphemy
^f tongue, which dishonours God. If the

48 The Third Commandment.
father curses, will the son refrain ? If the
aged talk impiously and impurely, what caa
be expected from the young ,'' Parents re
collect your children. Recollect there are
young minds around you, that mark, and
will endeavour to imitate your vices. Would
you teach those lips of infancy, which have
never yet been stained by sin, to mix curses
with your name ^ Would you teach them
to lisp the lessons of your blasphemy, and
arm their little lips with curses upon their
guilty parents ? If there be any thing that
chills the heart with horror, it is the sight
of those, who infants in age are adepts in
sin ;^who live in the contagious air of blas
phemy, and imbibe corruption with- their
earliest breath. " Bring them up therefore
** in the fear of the Lord." Destroy in the
bud the impious vanity of their foolish hearts.
Teach them to honour their God, and to
set at nought the corrupt example and fool
ish ridicule of bold bad men. Nay, as ye
hope for respect yourselyes from the wise
and the good, and likewise from the chil-

The Third Commandment. 49
dren whom God may give you, remember
and obey the precept of the text. Recol
lect the dignity of the old man's character.
Hoping ourselves to be old, we look up to
the aged with filial respect and tenderness.
Sad then, indeed, is his case, whose im
piety breaks down this gravity and reve
rence. He has nearly completed his pil
grimage here below ; he has had abundance
of experience to fix his opinions, and regu
late his conduct ; — 'enough to estrange his
wishes from this short and troubled vvorld>
and point them to a better ; yet thus dis
ciplined by time, thus entering upon eter
nity, hear him blaspheme the God who gave
him his lengthened days ; hear him invoke
the vengeance of Heaven upon that head,
thus spared to insult its Benefactor; hear
him scattering curses and contamination
with his faltering breath ; see him employ
the few years, that God may yet grant, in
confirming more fatally the habits of the
bad, and deserving more surely the abhor
rence and avoidance of the good I
E

50 The Third Commatidntent.
Set therefore a seal upon your lips. If
you cannot be distinguished otherwise than
by profaneness, be content to be pure and
unnoticed. Court not the praise of fools.
Strive rather to keep the commandment*
of God, that you may be guiltless before
him. But it is not in vanity only, whether
in the young or old, but in carelessness,
that the sin in question often originates.
We guard against great and daring crimes,
because their enormity and influence strike
us forcibly and at once. But no man is of a
sudden shamelessly wicked. By not attend*
ing to the progress of evil habits, they he-
come confirmed. Many men, for instance,
indulge he sin of swearing, and seem to
consider it as scarcely criminal. But such
forget, that though custom renders swear
ing, or any other violation of God's word,
less odious and irreligious in their creed, it
makes it more so in the sight of Heaven.
** They have &lleij, they confess, into the

The Third Commandment. 51
" practice of swearing, but they mean no-
" thing by it.'; Why, then, do so ? Why
swear, if no object is answered ? Why call
upon the name of God upon all the foolish
passions and trifling vexations that overtake
us every day of our lives ? The reason is,
the love of God is not shed abroad in their
hearts; or their obedience would be con
sistent. Those, whom we love, we are ever
and anxiously careful not to provoke ; we
give heed to their words, and endeavour,
to the best of our power, to fulfil their
wishes. We are grateful for their kindness,
nor do we ever vilify their name. Not so
the wanton swearer. He takes that Holy
Name in vain, which the wisest and the
best of men are found to reverence. How
ever foolish, or however false his words may
be, he heeds not. He thinks it not, enough
to trifle away his time in silly converiation ;
but he must add impiety to his folly, and
contagion to his example.
It is of the first importance, to have a
E 2

52 The Third Commandment.
somewhat pure and lofty before the mind :
a somewhat, which can secure its veneration,
and hallow its respect. In our journey
through life, where there is so much to de
base the understanding, and pervert the
affections, it is meet, it is holy to have the
fear of God before our eyes. It raises us
from the dust, on which we tread ; it mixes
Heaven with our habits ; it dignifies our
endeavours, and immortalizes our hopes.
The Scriptures prove with what holy dread,
and humble reverence, the name of God is
used. Both in the Old and New Testa
ments, the sublimest and most fearful epi
thets, and the grandest and holiest images
are employed to designate the Almighty,
or the attributes by which he is distin
guished. Indeed, in our own times, we are
not wanting in instances of this sacred
veneration of the Almighty. The great
Newton, great alike for his science and his
piety, is said never to have mentioned the
name of God, without uncovering his head.
It is only for common and vulgar minds to

The Third Commandment. 53
revile and blaspheme ; — it is only for impo
tence and ignorance to dishonor that Holy
Name, which Saints and Angels tremble at
and adore.
But such respect can never exist in that
man's mind, who calls for the heaviest judg
ment of God upon others, or even himself,
upon the most trifling occasions ; who
curses his neighbour without a cause, and
who introduces into his common talk rash and
ungodly oaths. He who swears in ordinary
discourse, plainly tells us that his bare word
is not to be credited. If a man speak truth,
why swear ? if lies, the sin of falsehood is
sufficiently heinous, without the aggravation
of blasphemy and perjury. But he, who
is constantly swearing, must often swear
falsely. How can he value the I ove of
truth, who venerates not the God of truth ?
What will prevent him from infringing his
duty to his neighbour, who has already
forgotten his duty to his God ? Tmth
needs no assistance, and least of all that of

54 The Third Commandment.
swearing. But, if to convince be the object
of the swearer, he fatally fails : the serious
ness of his oath ever creates doubt, where
mere assertion would have been sufficient.
Against such unneeded protestations, sus
picion is ever on the watch. We seldom
believe, and are always disgusted.
" Swear not at all," says the Apostle.
Abstain from all the little abbreviations of
blasphemy ; — every modification of cursing
and swearing. The taking of God's name
in vain, may be common ; it may be thought
entertaining by some, and called fashion
able by others ; it may have the sanction of
proud names ; still, is it a heavy crime in
the sight of God. The fool may laugh,
and the reprobate may revile, and both may
disregard : it matters not. Here stands un
altered the threat of God himself against
the crime : " The Lord will not hold him
" guiltless, that taketh his name in vain."
" Let your communication," says our

The Third; Commandment. 55
Saviour, the pattern of truth and purity,
" let your communication be yea, yea ; nay,
" nay ; for whatsoever is more than these,
" Cometh of evil." That is,be sincere in your
conscience, and plain in your words. Think
uprightly, and speak simply. Use no crafty
prevarication, no propliane allusion. Say
what you have to say without a wish to
offend God, or mislead man. If you fancy
that you cannot persuade others without
swearing, remain silent ; be satisfied and
convinced that they are not worth persuad
ing, who prefer blasphemy to argument,
brawling v/ords to those of truth and sober
ness. Independently, indeed, of any higher
motive, we should be careful to avoid pro
fane language, inasmuch as we find it most
employed by the reprobate and abandoned.
The religious man will avoid it for its sin
fulness ; the educated man will avoid it for
its grossness. The true gentleman will
disdain in his own conversation, and repress
in the conversation of others, the commission
of a sin, which he cannot follow, but m

56 The Third Commandment.
common with the lowest and basest of
mankind. In addition to which, we shall, thus im
pressed with the nature of the crime, not
only speak, but think of God, with the
reverence due unto his name. We shall
encourage no sinful distrust of God ; noi*
shall we ridicule religion, nor any thing
connected with it *. Nor shall we frequent
God's worship, and " draw nigh unto him
" with our mouth, and honour him with
" our lips, while our hearts are far from
" him -f." We shall, on the contrary,
" have a due sense of all his mercies, our
" hearts shall be unfeignedly thankful, and
e' we shall shew forth his praise, not only
" with our lips, but in our lives :|;."
The devotions of the Sabbath will be
thus transferred to the business of the week,
* Archbishop Seeker. f Matthew xv. 8,
j: General Thanksgiving.

The Third Commandment. 57
"VVe shall be careful to preserve in ourselves,
in our children, servants, and dependants,
a due and awful sense of a Supreme Being.
Every family is a little society ; and the
master of that society should use his utmost
endeavours to repress irreligion and immo
rality amongst his domestics. He who thus
acts is a public benefactor, as well as a good
private Christian Whether others will
follow his example, and profit by his coun
sel, or not, he hath performed his part. He
hath employed every means in his power
to vindicate the cause of his Creator and
Redeemer, and to be held guiltless before
God, in not suffering either himself or others,
to take his name in vain.

SERMON IV.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENt,

EXODUS XX, 8, 9, 10, 11.
Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all
thy work, but the seventh day is the sab
bath of the Lord thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work; thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant,
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor
thy stranger that is within thy gates;
— -for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them
is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore
the Lord blessed the sabbath day and
hallowed it.
The four first Commandments make up
what is called the first table ; in which table

60 Tlie Fourth Commandment.
is laid down our duty to God. By the first
Commandment, we are taught to believe
and acknowledge one true and living God ;
the second instructs us to worship him,
and him alone; the third that we are to
revere and honour his holy name; and the
fourth that we are to set apart one day
out of seven, to be devoted to the service of
our Maker.
It would seem, that this last injunction
was meant to secure our attention and obe
dience to the three preceding ; as we appear
in this, more especially called upon, when
the sabbath returns, and brings its devo
tions, to remember our duty to God. In
duly regarding the sabbath, we can hardly
fail of also duly acknowledging our belief
in God; of worshipping him aright, and ho
nouring his holy name.
I shall first explain the difference between
the Jewish and Christian , sabbath, and
shall then lay before you such reasons and
advantages, as may convince you of the

The Fourtli Commandment 61
duty and the happiness of keeping holy the
sabbath day.
In making a distinction between Jewish
and Christian customs, Ave would not con
sider them as wholly independent of each
other: Moses and the Prophets partially
revealed those truths, which the Gospel of
Christ has clearly and fully establish-ed.
Indeed, the separation of one day in the
week, to the special service of God, is much
more ancient than the times of Moses. The
creation of the world was an event equally
interesting to the whole human race, as it
was to the Jews. In the patriarchal ages,
therefore, we find that the sabbath was
constantly and reverentially kept, to com
memorate the creation, and acknowledge
the Creator thereof. The Israelites them
selves were acquainted with the sabbath,
and were accustomed to keep it holy, be
fore the promulgation of the Levitical law:
though we are not thus at liberty to trace,
as to its origin, the sabbath to the laws of

62 The Fourth Commandment.
Moses ; at the same time, it must be al
lowed, that the veneration of the sabbath
is much enforced by the stress which is laid,
on its due celebration, in this commandment
The Jews were enjoined to hallow the sab
bath, no less because God rested on the se
venth day, than to remind them of their
deliverance from their Egyptian bondage.
" Remember that thou wast a servant in
" the land of Egypt, and that the Lord
" brought thee out thence; therefore, he
" commanded thee to keep the sabbath
« day*."In common with the Jews, we Christians
separate one day out of seven to the public
worship of the Creator. So far we agree ;
hut we differ in this : the Jewish sabbath
is on the last day of the week, our Sunday
is on the first. The Christian sanctifies one
day out of seven in honour of his Creator,
and the first day of the seven in honour of
* Deut. V. 15.

The Fourth Commandment. 63
his Redeemer. And surely, if the Jew should
keep that day holy, in memory of his fi-ee-
dom from Egyptian slavery, well may- we
dedicate to God that better day, when our
spiritual freedom from the yoke of sin and
Satan uas secured, by the resurrection of
our blessed Lord. Certain it is, that from
that time, the celebration of the sabbath
was transferred by the example and au
thority of the Apostles, from the last to the
first day of the week. On the very day that
the Saviour of mankind arose, beino- the
first day of the week, the Apostles were as
sembled for religious purposes ; and on that
day week, we find them again assembled *.
The celebration of these two first Sundays
was sanctioned and honoured with our
Lord's own presence. And that none may
doubt the lawfulness of the change in the
day, it plainly appears, from several pas
sages of St. Paul, that Christians are not
bound to observe the precise day of the
* Bishop Horsley.

64 The Fourth Commandment.
Jewish sabbath. Indeed, the first day of
the week, the Christian Sunday, is called by
St. John, "the Lord's day." From the
Apostle's days to these, the Sunday has
been the constant sabbath of the Christian
Church. As the Jews had rejected the
promised Messiah, and, as in over-anxious
zeal for ceremonies, they seemed to sum up
tlie whole of religion, it was expedient that
the Christian sabbath should be different
from the Jewish *. In the same act, there
fore, that we acknowledge the Creator of
the world with the Jews, we protest against
the Jews, as depositaries of the true religion*
By changing their sabbath unto ours, we
confess the Christ whom they crucified.
Our sabbath is the Sunday; — the day on
which " arose our Sun of Righteousness,
" with healing in his wings*" The Christian
Sunday is, moreover, distinguished by our
Saviour's gift of the Holy Spirit to his
Apostles on that day*
* Bp. Horsley.

The Fourth Commandment. 65
The day then being fixed ; it behoves us
to enquire into the second portion of our
subject; — the duty and the happiness of de-*
dicating the Sunday lo the service of God.
For though the sabbath of the Jewish ri
tual is abolished. Christians are no less
bound to obey the moral and spiritual part
of the fourth Commandment, in keeping
holy the sabbath day. To this end, there*
fore, the two main objects, under the Gos*
pel di^spensation, that should engage our
attention, and secure our obedience to this
duly, are these ; the creation of the world,
and the redemption of man ; by the first,
we are instructed, that this day should be a
day of rest; by the second, that it should
be a day of religion. We are not only to
pause from our weekly occupations, but we
are to employ the leisure, thus afforded, to
the glory of God, and the benefit of man.
In the first place, then, the Sunday is to
be a day of rest; rest both to man and
beast. These breaks of time, and interrupt
F

66 The Fourth Commandment.
tions to the ordinary employments of life
check the selfish and carnal passions of
manl^ind. In acknowledging, on pne
stated day, the existence and power of that
God, whose creatures we all are, the pride
of the haughty is humbled, and avarice and
sensuality become ashamed of their idols^
We shake off the ties, that bind us to tliis
earth. We have leisure to review the cir-.
cumstances of the past week. The silence
and the sacredness of Sunday check the
libertine in his career of sin, while Ihey
teach the avaricious man, that there are
tempers that call upon his attention, beyond
those of heaping and loving riches. It
should, indeed, not only be a day of rest to
ourselves, but to our dependants. Our ser
vants and labourers should find the ad
vantage of this day's return. When, but
on this day, shall the husbandman separate
himself from the labours of the field, and
remember that he is immortal, and gifted
with reason ! On this day, the poor man
tisserts the independence of our common

The Fourth Commandment. 67
nature. Surrounded by his family, he
shares the humble meal, which his honest
industry has earned. Masters, remember
this; remember that a sabbath has been
blessed by Heaven, — ^has been hallowed by
the rest of God. On that day, you are
commanded to give respite and repose to
the servant and the cattle, that labour for
you the other six. That God, who could
as easily and as equitably have made you
a servant as a master, has surely a right to
say, that one day out of seven should be
the servant's privilege; and that the horse
and ox should cease from work. " The
" righteous man," says Soloinon, " re-
" gardeth the life of his beast." When for
the mere pleasure or convenience of our
selves, we subject either our servants, or
even the animals belonging to us, to the
same labour, which of right they perform
for us the other six days; when, without
consideration or mercy for their fatigue, we
de this, we certainly forget that they, like
U.S, are equally the creatures of God's
F 2

68 The Fourth Commandment.
hands. On the Sunday, therefore, man is
to hold a sort of communion with the ani
mals beneath him*; thus acknowledging,
by a short suspension of his dominion over
them, a common Creator, and confessing
that his right over any thing is permitted
by the God and maker of all things. No
thing is so destructive of the order and se
renity of the Sunday, as needless travelling.
It imposes a necessity upon some, and
furnishes an excuse for others, to trespass
upon the peace and purity of that day,
which God has especially blessed and hal
lowed. At the same lime, it must be re
marked, that our Saviour has expressly said,
that the sabbath was " made for man, and
" not man for the sabbath." The Sun
day is a merciful institution, not a bur
den -f-. It was plainly and graciously in
tended" for the happiness of man, for the
ease and refreshment of the body, and the
improvement and purification of the mind,
* Horsley. t Dr. Jortin.'

The Fourth Commandment. 69
Works therefore of necessity, and cases
which admit of no delay ; deeds of mercy,
of charity, of professional assistance ; all
these are allowable on this day. The sab
bath was made for man ; — for the benefit, for
the innocence and enjoyment of man : it is
to be a day distinct from worldly business
and dissipated pleasure, but it is not to be a
tiresome, dismal day. Whatever tends to
preserve life, or to increase virtuous happi
ness, is rather a fulfilment than a breach of
the sacred duties of the Sunday.
But in the second place, the Christian sab
bath is not to be a day of rest only, but of re-
Kgion ; it is not only intended to wean the
mind and heart from earthly, but to direct
them to Heavenly objects. And towards
this end, we must be careful to attend the
public worship of Almighty God. It is by
assembling here together, that we give the
most open proof that we are not ashamed
to confess and shew ourselves Christians.
Without public worship, there would soon

70 5 The Fourth Commandrntnt,
be no religion. Were men left to worship
God when and how they pleased, they^
would cease to worship hiin altogether.
We are all satisfied that we ought not to
forget the God who made us ; and that we.
ought as little to forget that we are sinful,
helpless, perishing creatures *. We, how
ever, should forget both, if on one day out
of seven we were not reminded of these
things. How do we forget both the mer
cies and the judgments of God when they
have passed away .'' and as surely should
we forget the God who sends them, if we
were not taught continually to remember
him, by frequenting his holy Temple. How
soon do we forget our best friends, when not
reminded of them ! Again, what would
become of those who are wholly engaged
with the concerns of this world .'' they would
never think of another. Nay, we may
learn what men would do, were they left to
themselves, when we see how little attention
* Bi«hop Wilson,

The F\)urth Commandment. 71
is paid to Religion by some, notwithstand
ing all the means afforded them. It is in
this place, and perhaps in this place only,
that we hear those things that make the
sinner tremble, and the fool ashamed of his
folly. Here we are taught lo remember
that there is a God, a Christ, a Heaven,
and a Hell. Here " the rich and the poor
" meet together ; the Lord is the maker of
" them all." From this tribunal is the
cruelty of the powerful reminded of its op*
pression. Where else shall guilty greatness
and splendid vice be rebuked. We here
learn the nobleness of innocence, and the
dignity of compassion. Asking forgiveness,
we ourselves forgive the trespasses of others.
We cannot return thanks to God for the
blessings we enjoy, without feeling also a
lively charity towards the frailties and ne
cessities of others. At the same time we
shall impress a good example, in attending
Church, upon the manners of the young
and uneducated. A matter of most serious
moment. Prone as youth is to follow the

72 The Fourth Commandment.
pattern set them, it is of the first consequence
for them to see that their elders and supe
riors are punctual in sacred duties ; and
strict in enforcing that of their domestics.
As to the poor and unlettered, if they at
tend not Church, they will assuredly pervert
the leisure of the Sunday ; they will either
run into vice, or be persuaded lo visit the
conventicle, and listen to those equally
ignorant with themselves. We should
come to Church to be edified, not amused :
not to gratify the itching ear of curiosity,
but to purify the heart, and amend the life.
You may, perhaps, hear from this place
nothing but what you knew before ; but as
we ail need to be excited to those duties,
which we know much better than we
practise, it becomes a sacred and positive
duty to frequent the public and solemn wor
ship of Almighty God. Such is the dignity,
the reality, and the interest of the truths of
which we treat, that it is scarcely possible,
without some advantage to the weU-disposed
hearer, to set before you the reasons of your

The Fourth Commandment. 73
faith, and the grounds of your hope ; yes,
it is scarcely possible not to suggest some
what that will arrest the attention, and
touch the heart. None is so perfect as not
to be improved ; none so abandoned as not
to be reclaimed. The best of men mav hear
" a word in season," that shall fortify his
virtues ; the worst of men may have his
conscience awakened to penitence, and re
formation. We cannot quit the Temple
of God but with purer purpose of mind ;
with at least a determination to do better.
By humbly prostrating ourselves before the
throne of mercies, our devotion must be
improved ; meeting together, " in Unity of
" spirit, and in the bond of peace," charity
to others cannot fail of being encou
raged. Leaving Church with a heart thus
filled with piety to God, and benevolence to
man, we shall be careful to spend the re
mainder of the day consistently with such a
temper. Private meditation shall further and com-
4

74 The Fourth Commandment
plele what public worship has begun. Let
us take care, that custom does not bring us
to observe the Sunday merely by alien dance
on public worship. " This People draw
^ nigh unto me with their lips, but their
" hearts are far from me," was God's com
plaint against the Jews ; and it will equally
be the complaint against us, if we persuade
ourselves, by the deceitful imagination, that
a scrupulous attendance on Divine Worship
will atone for the sins, which we commit the
remainder of the day, or the following six
days of the week* Are we then to clothe
the Lord's Day with gloom and terror.?
No ; but, can there be no happiness without
guilt ? is it impossible to be at once religious
and cheerful ? We serve a God who " pre*
" fers mercy to sacrifice," — a Saviour who
delights not in the cold and formal worship
of the Pharisee, but in the chec;rful obedience
of innocent and joyful hearts. It is the wild
laugh of the scorner, the mad revelry Of the
sensualist, that leave behind the gloom of
despair and the sting of sin. The calm
3

The Fourth Commandment. 75
and solid delights of religion always seem
tasteless, and perhaps melancholy to the
minds of the vicious and unthinking. But
such delights are no less real and satisfactory.
Every pleasure is allowed on this day, which
does not disturb the seriousness of thought
and sobriety of conduct, which public wor
ship is so well calculated to call forth. Edi
fying and cheerful conversation, the reading
of serious books, and due attendance at
Church will profitably employ the leisure
of the sabbath. Nor can I omit another
duty peculiarly adapted to this day, and not
destitute of that interest, which must engage
every pious and humane mind. I would
allude to the instruction of the children of
the poor and uneducated. With their minds
and lime employed on the business of the
week, many of these children have no other
opportunity of instruction than what the
leisure of the Sunday supplies. What then
can be expected, when the religious im
provement of such a child is neglected, and
he is suffered to spend the Sunday in idleness.

76 The Fourth Commandment.
ignorance, and vice! The love of sinful
pleasure lakes early possession of his heart ;
neglect of Sunday leads to neglect of God ;
and that soon leads to thoughtless, shameless
profligacy. It is often too late to talk of
instruction, when the prejudice of years has
made the mind contented with its ignorance ;
when there has grown around the heart a
vulgar, foolish vanity, which holds wisdom
at naught, and bids authority defiance.^
If^ indeed, such calm and simple pleasures
which employments as these produce, — if the
study of the Scripture-s, and other holy
books ; if harmless conversation, if the in
struction of the ignorant, and relieving the
distressed, if prayer and praise to God,
afford no pleasure, how will you become
meet partakers of the Kingdom of God ?
Before we quit earth for Heaven, we must
enjoy somewhat of Heaven upon earth. If
then we are so averse to the worship of God
here below, how shall we worship Him ever
lastingly above ,? If a sabbath^ peaceful,

The Fourth Cormnandment. 77
holy, and occasional, offer you no employ
ment, and bring no pleasure here, how will
you spend an eternal sabbath hereafter ?
But in a mere temporary view, and Con
sidering it only as a civil institution, the due
observance of the sabbath should be main
tained. As you value then public order, and
private virtue, keep, as far as you can, unde
filed and holy the Lord's day. Guard it
with sacred care. Be satisfied with pure
and peaceful enjoyments, pleasures easily
procured, innocent in their present pursuit,
and satisfactor)' in their past remembrance.
Give rest to yourselves, your servants, and
your cattle on this day ; for " God rested
" on the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
On that day the creation of the world, and
aU that therein is, was perfected. As crea-
tures, therefore, are we bound to dedicate a
sabbath to the Creator ; but as Christians,
we are further bound to venerate that better
day when our redemption was completed ; —

78 The Fourth Commandment.
when rose from the slumbers of the grave
the Saviour of the world. Gratitude both to
the God that made, and the Christ that re
deemed us, our own happiness here and
hereafter, public duty and private charily,
all conspire, and urge to the fulfilment of
the commandment of the Text, " Remem-
" ber the sabbath day, to keep it holy."

SERMON V.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT,

EXODUS XX, 12.
Honour thy father and thy mother, that
thy days may be long upon the land,
which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
JjLaving already detailed to you the pre
cepts of the first table, and explained at
large the various duties of man to God, I
ahall now proceed lo consider the Com
mandments of the second table, as including
our duties to each other. At the head of
which, stands the text. Thus proving the
peculiar and distinguishing importance as
signed by God to the Commandment, and
how essential and beneficial its fulfilment.
Honour thy father and thy mother^^

.if

80 ' The Fifth Commandment.
" that thy days may be long upon the
" land, which the Lord thy God giveth
« thee." The closest and dearest tie of relation
ship, after husband and wife, is that subsist
ing between parent and child. To behold a
being sprung from our own body, to be
hold such a being helpless and ignorant,
entering upon a world, where there are
so many serious duties to perform, and so
many painful sufferings to endure, — a being
whose present happiness here, and whose
eternal salvation hereafter, depend so much
upon the education, and early habits of
childhood, cannot fail of raising in the pa*
rent's bosom the varied feeling of affection,
hope, and anxiety. On the other hand, to
regard our parents as the authors of our
existence, — as the fond guardians of our
youth, who have watched, and wept, and
toiled for us, must create and secure in the
child the affection of love and gratitude,
and the veneration of esteem and honour,

The Fifth Commandment. 81
The very beast of the field shows strong
attachment to its offspring. But however
ardent for the time this instinct, it is short
in its duration. The dam forsakes and for
gets its young, when they are old and strong
enough to procure food, and to defend them
selves from injuries. The connection, no
longer needed or useful, is at an end. With
man it is otherwise ; grey hairs, and feeble
ness of mind and body, may be the portion
of those, who were once strong and active
to provide for our wants, who " rose up
*' early, and late took rest, and ate the
" bread of carefulness," but their kindness
suffers no decay. No length of time can
subdue the affection and the interest of a
parent's care. They have tended us through
the helpless w^nts and numberless perils
of infancy. With untired forgiveness they
have pardoned our faults ; — with unbroken
hope they have encouraged our virtues.
Education, through their means has en
lightened and exalted our minds, and cor
rected our tempers. Their hearts have
a

82 The Fifth Commandment.
glowed with the promise of our youth, and
shared the fortune of our riper years. Our
disgrace has been shame to their cheek ;
our praise has been melody to their ear.
In infancy, and youth, and manhood, their
love has never slept. The sun of their af
fection has been our guardian through the
day of life. In the morning it led us on
to strength and hope and enlerprize ; at
noon-time it has shone upon our prosperous
labours ; and its departing beam, about
lo sink in the ocean of eternity, shall shed a
fond, though tempered glow upon the even
ing of our day !
Honour, therefore, thy Father and thy
Mother. The Commandment tells us not
merely to obey, but to honour the authors
of our being. Need I tell you, how bitter
to the heart of kind and good parents is the
ingratitude and disobedience of a child.
Age, want, sickness, or misfortune has per
haps broken down their spirit, and soured
their tempers. Little habits, innocent in
3

The Fifth Commandment. 83
themselves, and endeared by custom, have
grown into second nature. The persons,
with whom they were children, the days
when they were young and happy, as you
are now, will dwell upon their memories,
and engage their conversation. Bear with
all this ; listen with patience lo their twice-
told tale. No man loses his respect by the
honour, which he gives his parents, however
humble they may be. Are they uneduca
ted ,P GratefuUythank that kind Providence,
which has placed in your way the means
of superior knowledge ; but deride and ex
pose not thy parents' ignorance. Are they
vicious ? Win their hearts by your affection,
and reclaim their lives by your virtues. Are
they poor ? and shall they still remain poor,
while their children have the means of as
sisting them ? They have laboured for you,
and the fruits of their industry may have
exalted you above themselves. Repay this
obligation by gladly relieving their neces
sities, and administering to their comforts.
If the father be a l)ad man, the conduct of
G 2

84 The Fifth Commandment.
his child, firm in religious principle and.
amiable in filial duty, may tend to reform
him. He may yet lift up to Heaven his
repentant and grateful prayer ; however un
accustomed and unworthy to pray, admira
tion of his child's goodness, and remorse
at his own guilt, may warm and soften his
cold hard heart; the full feelings of his
soul shall give language to his lips, to call
for God's blessing on his child. If the fa
ther be a good man, the thought of his
child shall be holy gladness to his memory.
He falls down upon his knees, while the
affection of the parent, and the devotion
of the Christian mingle in his pi'ayers. Here
is the reward of his unwearied exertions ;
here is the fruit of his religious instruction
and virtuous example.
However we must not wait for such
extreme cases, to fulfil the duties com
manded in the text. Though there are
few, let us hope, in a Christian country,
that would not reheve the absolute want
of parents, there are many, nevertheless,

The Fifth Commandment. 85
who do not hesitate to refuse that ho
nour, which is no less their due. Chil
dren are too apt to view the care and
counsel of parents, as unnecessary strict
ness ; their feelings, untutored by experi
ence, will admit no happiness, but that of
the present moment. With weak reason
and strong passion they cannot be mode
rate, and they wish not to be opposed.
Hence, the authority of the parent is always
repugnant to the foolish pride and eager
wishes of youth. But without this controul
on the part of the parent, there Avill be no
obedience on that of the child. The spirit
of the Commandment implies this superin-
tendance. When, however, we are told
to honour parents, it supposes at the same
time that parents discharge their duty to
their children. Not that parents so often
fail in their duty, as children do ; and it is
no ordinary failure of the one, that can de
stroy the obligations of the other. Still, pa
rents are enjoined, by religion and by na
ture, to provide for the spiritual and eternal
welfare of their children; to check them

86 The Fifth Commandment.
firmly and kindly when they do amiss ; tq
avail themselves of every meaias for their
religious instruction and education ; to pro-r
vide for their support till they are of years
to maintain themselves ; and to encourage
them to habits of industry, honesty, and tenir
perance, " to get their own living, and to
?' do their duty in that state of life, into
" which it shall please God to call them.''
This must the parent do.
The parent is the protector given by Pro?
vidence,to warn us of those dangers and temp
tations, that surround pur path. Honour
them, therefore, for their age, confide in them
for their experience^, and love them for theip
kindness. Fear lo offend their just anger,
and pay a willing and cheerful obedience
lo that meet and necessary authority, put
into their hands by the laws of God and
man. " A wise son," says Solomon ; " maketh
V a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth
" his mother." The world with one con
sent ever leagues against him, who reveal^

The Fifth Commandment. 87
and proclaims the defects and failings which
every parent must have; who neglects their
commands, and disdains their love. A time
may come, when parents yourselves, as
parents you shall feel. Then, will you know
the guilt and the bitterness of your disobe
dience. But it mav then be too late. The
tomb may have closed upon the mortal
remains of your parents ; they have gone
down to those mansions of death " where the
" wicked cease from troubling, and the weary
*' are at rest." Your ingratitude has brought
down their grey hairs with sorrow to the
grave ; that grave — whither repentance can
never reach ; — where every reparation is un
availing. Under this Commandment, may be eur
forced not only the duties, which are appli
cable to parents, but also to those, who have
a kind of parental authority over us, and also
the mutual duties ofsuperiors and inferiors*.
* Oxford Catechism.

88 The Fifth Commandment.
We are hence taught to honour and obey
the king as supreme, and all that are put
in authority under him. To submit to
governors, teachers, spiritual pastors, and
masters, and to behave lowly and reve
rently to superiors. " The powers that be
" are ordained of God*;" by whom "kings
" reign, princes rule, and nobles, even all
" the judges of the earth •f ." He therefore
that resisteth these, resisteth not man, but
God. We must obey then all lawful au
thority, not only " for wrath J," that is,
from the fear of temporal punishment, but
also for " conscience sake," that is, out of
regard to the word and will of God. Both
rulers and people have the sanction of the
laws of the land ; the one to execute and
the other to submit ; those to use the power
vested in their hands justly, and these to be
peaceable and loyal subjects, thankful for
the blessing of a free government, true to
their God, their country, and their king.
* Romans xiii. 1. f Proverbs viii, 16.
X Romans xiii, 4,

The Fifth Commandment. 89
Another relation, implied in this com
mandment, is that between the minister of
the Gospel and his congregation. It is our
duty to warn and to instruct and to com
fort those, committed to our sacred charge :
watching and caring for your souls, as they
who must give an account hereafter of their
stewardship *. " We would beseech you in
" Christ's stead, to be reconciled lo God-f."
Seeking indeed " to please men for their
" good, to edification J," but fearing no
man in the discharge of what we believe to
be our duty. " Hightly dividing the word of
" truth §," and " shewing ourselves in all
" things patterns of good works |j." But the
duty is mutual : as all duties are. It is your
part, therefore, constantly and seriously to
improve every means of gf-ace ; regularly
to frequent Divine Service, and to behave
yourselves when there with that deco
rum and solemnity, befitting the place and
* Heb. xiii, 17, taCor. V, 20.
X Rom. XV, 2. § 2 Tim, ii. 15.
II Titus ii. 7.

90 The Fifth Commandment.
object of your attendance ; lo pay due re
spect, not to the man, but to the minister ;
not to please him, but for the honour and the
interest of that cause, which he sincerely,
though perhaps imperfectively, advocates.
Attached and sincere to that Church, which
your- forefathers have steadily adhered to ;
under whose ordinances they lived full of
Christian virtue, and died full of Christian
hope, you will rest satisfied. Not persecut'?
ing those, who secede from our Establish*
ment, but proving, in your own example,
that the best Churchman is the best Chris
tian. Thus will you repay the zeal of yoiir
minister, — thus aid and encourage him in his
" labours of love ;" — thus co-operate in all
his endeavours to enlighten the mind, and
moralize the heart.
A third set of duties included in this com
mandment, are those of masters and mis
tresses of schools, and their scholars. In the
absence of the parent or guardian, the in
structor stands in his stead. And no trust

The Fifth Commandment. 91
can be more serious. To discharge it well,
the master or mistress will take heed that
what is taught is proper in itself, and tho
roughly comprehended: will watch over tlie
conduct, and contribute to the comfort of
their scholars, and, above all, instil into
their minds principles of religion and of
truth ; careful to keep up due authority, but
to use no unnecessary severity, and to en
force their precepts in their own lives and
conversation. On the part of the scholar,
every re.spect should be paid to the master ;
and every gratitude felt and manifested to
wards those, who are anxious and active to
forward their education. Every industry
should be exerted, and every pains taken to
perfect themselves in their studies. And
while they advance in knowledge, they will
thus, with the blessing of God, advance in
goodness also : always remembering, that it
is religious instruction, above all things, that
teaches the wisdom, which can " make us
." wise unto salvation."

92 The Fifth Commandment.
To the master and the servant again, this
commandment offers instruction. The mas
ter of a family will, on all occasions, give
to his servants what is their right. Enforc
ing indeed, with due authority, what is ne
cessary to be done, but careful at the same
time of their comfort, and promoting as much
as possible, both by precept and by practice,
their religious edification, and their moral
and mental improvement. " He that will
" rule well his own house," must be mode-:
rate and mild in his demands upon the
labours of his dependants, though firm
in enforcing obedience. Servlants, on the
other hand, must be sober and temperate,
kind to each other, courteous and re
spectful to their masters ; mindful of their
commands, and fearful of their displeasure.
To the fear of offending, they will join the
dread of wronging their employers. They
will neither loiter away their time, nor
waste their master's property ; and as they
keep their hands from squandering and em-

The Fifth Commandment. 93
bezzling, they will likewise preserve, their
tongues from lying and from malice. They
will not attempt to screen their own faults,
by exposing and aggravating those of their
master. For there is perhaps nothing so fatal
to the peace of a family, as the busy gossip
ing tongue of a faithless servant.
Another branch of the commandment still
remains, which are the mutual duties of the
old and young. To age appertain wisdom-
and sedateness. Experience, but not morose-
ness, belongs to their character. They can
do much in encouraging the young; in cor
recting their mistakes and tempers, and
training them up to " the nurture and fear
" of the Lord." The duty of the young is
to venerate the old ; to bear with their in
firmities, and contribute to their ease and
happiness. Again, the duty of the rich is to succour
the poor, and the duty of the poor is not to
repine, and to envy the condition of their

94 The Fifth Commandment
superiors. The duty of the educated is to
iutruct the ignorant ; and the relative duty
of the latter is to be thankful for the means
employed, thus to fit them for usefulness and
respectability in this world, and, yet more,
to prepare and purify them for a better.
Such, then, 'are the comprehensive duties
of the Comrnandment. Nor shall we com
plain of the full and general improvement,
which has thus been given to the text, if we
recollect the union, that subsists between all
the virtues of religion. He, who " breaks
" one point of the law, breaks all," is a doc
trine equally true in its reverse. He, who
from duty, that is, from principle and from
habit, honours his parents, must have a
heart well adapted to cherish all other social
relations. Religion, in such a mind, is not
a cold and narrow creed, but a real and
lively principle, that prompts and cherishes
all the charities and the duties, which belong
to the patriot king, the peaceable and loyal
subject; the conscientious minister and his

The Fifth Commandment. 95
attached flock ; the discreet instructor and
the docile scholar ; the kind master and the
faithful servant ; dignified age and modest
childhood ; liberal superiors and grateful in
feriors. But, if the duty enjoined by the Com
mandment is thus great, correspondently
great is the reward attached to its discharg-e.
" Honour thy father and thy mother, that
" thy days may be long upon the land, which
" the Lord thy God giveth thee." St. Paul
seems to have thought, that the promise of
long life was not done away by the Gospel.
" Honour thy father and thy mother," says
the apostle, in the Epistle to the Ephesians,
" that it may be well with thee, and that
" thou mayest live long on the earth."
Many of the rewards offered to the Israel
ites were temporal and local, but we may
see, from this passage, that even under the
Christian dispensation, the promise of long
life is attendant still upon filial obedience.
And experience will shew the general com-

96 The Fifth Commandment.
pletion of the promise. There is, as before
remarked, such a connection between this
and other virtues, as must preserve from
those scenes and dangers, lo which vice so
often exposes men. Cursed with this crime,
the heart becomes barren and fruitless. No
virtue, public or private, can take root and
flourish. A child begins by disobeying and
dishonouring his parents and instructors. He
gives himself up to vicious courses and bad
company; he loses his peace of mind, he
ruins his health, his character and his pro
perty; at full liberty, as he thinks, to in
dulge every passion and satisfy all his follies,
death overtakes him unawares. The disease
of intemperance preys upon his strength ;
the pangs of conscience, and the miseries of
want goad him to despair. He is tempted
to crimes, which he expiates with his life on
the public scaffold. How many a criminal
has confessed, in his last moments, that dis.
obedience to parents was the origin of that
depraved and desperate wickedness, which
led him to sin, to infamy, and death. Duel-

The Fifth Commandment. 97
ling and suicide often terminate a wicked
mispent life.
How different from this, the condition of
him who honoureth his parents. Wise, tem
perate, and courteous, such a character
passes his days in honour and in happiness.
Fulfilling all the kinder duties, and partak
ing all the rational enjoyments of life, he
finds the reward of honouring and obeying
his parents.
Again, if God should bless him with
children, he may justly look for that love
and reverence which he has shewn to
his parents. Surrounded, and loved and ho
noured by his children, and his children's
children, in age and innocence, full of years
and holiness, he shall close his eyes upon
this mortal scene, while he leaves behind
him a bright and sacred reputation for
others to prize and to imitate. But, whatever
may be the portion of his days here, in a
world to come he shall have life everlasting,
H

98 The Fifth Commandment.
confiding in the merits, and no less follow
ing the example of that blessed Saviour,
who retired to the practice of the ordinary
and fameless virtues of the text, till the pe
riod of his public minisjtry arrived ; — who
fled, when a child, froni the praise and ad
miration of learned Rabbles at Jerusaljem,
to the humble village of Nazareth, where,
from youth lo manhood,, he practised those
commandments, which he came not to de
stroy but to fulfil. — And Jesus, says the
Evangelist, returned from Jerusalem to
Nazareth, where increasing in wisdom, and
in stature, and in favour with God and
man, he was subject unto his parents **
* Luke ii. 51,52*

SERMON Vl.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT,

Exonus XX. 16.
Thou shalt not kill,
J- he word "kill," is merely another word
for murder. In the original, they mean the
same thing: Killing with design, and without
authority* The preservation of human life is so es
sential to the confidence, nay, lo the very
existence, of society, that it is strictly guard
ed with the protection of the laws both of
God and man. After being instructed, by
the five foregoing commandments, in our
duty to God, to parents, and their represen
tatives, we are in the remaining five taught
H 2

100 The Sixth Commandment.
what is due to men generally; and, in the
first place, we are to respect the life of each
Other, nor in any way endanger it.
It may assist and simplify the treatment of
this subject, first, to consider what is not the
sin against which the text is directed, as
thus, secondly, we shall be better able to
discuss the different branches, into which
killing unlawfully, or murder, presents it
self. In the first place, the killing of an enemy
in time of war, by means sanctioned by the
laws of nations, is not murder. Two states,
from some real or alleged grievance, go to
war. The question is not a matter of pri
vate discussion and personal revenge. It is
a trial of national strength or skill. The
country of each party calls upon its sons to
support and vindicate its cause. The sol
dier here obeys a noble and public duty;
for, next to the blessing of a country, worthy
of defence, is the courage lo defend it It

The Sixth Commandment. 101
would be belter, it would be wiser and hap
pier, were there no wars ; but, if one coun
try will assume the right of conquering and
enslaving another ; if ambition, or avarice,
or cruelty, will be restless and oppressive,
force must be met by force. The Christian
warrior performs a painful, but needful task;
though his firm arm is lifted up against the
enemies of his king and country, he has yet
a heart to feel for, and a generosity to alle
viate, as much as possible, the horrors and
miseries of bloodshed.
Akin to this, is self-defence. God, in giv
ing life, gives also a right to preserve it.
Against the ruffian, who willingly aims at or
endangers my life, I am sanctioned, I am
commanded to arm. Care, however, miist
be taken, too much care can scarcely be
taken, that the reality and extremity of the
danger is evident: and that nothing less
than such a desperate measure on our part,
will secure our own safety.

102 The Sixth Commandment.
Again, the magistrate in pronouncing,
and the executioner in fulfilling the sen
tence of the law against a malefactor, are
not guilty of the sin of the text. They here
do not act of themselves, but are the instru
ments only of carrying into effect the ver
dict of those laws, to which all men living
in a civilized country become responsible.
Lunatics and infants, also, being inca
pable of judgment (which crime supposes)
are also incapable of murder. Nor does the
death arising from accident come within the
compass of the commandment.
These exceptions being noticed, we wiU
now pass on to consider what is the nature
of the heinous and aggravated crime, which
we are commanded to avoid.
The crime is murder ;-r-a crime, at the
very mention of which our hearts shudder.
Life is the highest earthly gift from God lo
man. We have, therefore, no right from

The Six^i Commandfneni. 103
any private reason whatever, to take that
away, which we can never restore. In cold
thought, and with a bad hard heart, to cut
off a fellow creature from life and hope ; to
sever him from the world, from friends, and
society, and country; to be a bar to all
the good he might have done, and all the
happiness he might have enjoyed; how hor
rid and complicated a sin ! But that is not
all., Thie evil is Without repair. No re-
morslB can briU^ back the departed life ; no
tears wash aWay the blood upon the mur-
derer''s hand. An immortal .spirit has been
sent into the presence of its Judge, without
notice ; Wilhout one moment to bid adieU to
this Worid, or prepare for anpther. A blow
too has been sti'uck at the interests and
peace of society in general. Who is safe
while murder is abroad ! What innocence
can save, what courage defeat, what secu
rity guard against the assassin's arm, cover
ed with the darkness of night, and urged
with the vengeance of hell! Well and
wisely, then, have the laws of God and man

104 The Sixth Commandment.
fenced life round with every safeguard.
" Whoso sheddeth man's blood," was the
decree of the Almighty, so early as the
days of Noah, " whoso sheddeth man's
" blood, by man shall his blood be shed ;
" for in the image of God made he man*."
In the Mosaic law, the same decree is often
repeated, and awfully enforced. But, if the
murderer should escape the punishment upon
earth, so justly due upon his crimes, he shall
not be able to deceive the all-seeing eye of
God, " No murderer," says the apostle,,
" hath eternal life ;" and again, " Murder-
" ers shall have their part in fhe lake which
" burneth with fire and brimstone, which is
" the second death -f-." In addition to these
scripture proofs of the sinful and detestable
crime of murder, we must also observe, that
it is held in abhorrence by every nation at
all civilized, and uniformly punished in
every Christian state by death. However, as
individuals we must submit to the laws, nor
* jGren, ix, 6, f Rev. xx^, 8.

The Sixth CommandmerU. 105
think ourselves justified, except for self-pre
servation, in employing tlie means of retri
bution, upon the offences of the criminal.
We are bound to make every endeavour to
discover and secure the perpetrator, but we
must leave the punishment to those powers,
who " bear not the sword in vain*."
If such be the crime of murder, what shall
we say to the duellist, to the man of honour,
as he calls himself, who, with prepared pur
pose and unpitying heart, seeks the life of
his antagonist. Here is forethought ; time
to cool, and opportunity to forgive ; here
stratagem to elude justice ; here, in a word,
every proof of calculating deadly malice.
That the death, which arises from such con
duct, is not murder, who can aver ! The
customs of the world are no way binding,
but when they are innocent ; when, indeed,
sinful, it is our bounden duty to disobey
them. The duellist confesses that he fears
* Rom. xiii. 4.

1 06 The Sixth Commatidment.
tlie censure of fools more than the dispiea-
¦sure of God. liideed, he can have Utile
dread of his Maker, who, from injured va
nity, from a hasty woW, spoken in anger,
and perhaps regretted as soon as uttered,
can find no satisfaction or redress, but that
of seeking the life of another, and risking
his own. Peaceful, quiet men, are rarely
found in contentions of this Sort; not that
they are less braVe than the noisy and the
insolent, but they have more command over
themselves. They are careful never to offend,
and are therefore seldom offended. The
duellist is either right, or wrong. If right,
why risk his life against a vain, senseless,
quarrelsome bully. If wrong, let him con
ifer his fault ; let him not aggravate error by
crime; let him not add madness to folly.
We have no more right lo endanger the life
of another, than to expose our own. The
due^Ilist does both. By him the cry of the
Widow, and the weeping orphan, are un
heeded; the happiness of a fellow creature
m this worid, and his Salvation in another.

The Sixth Commandment. 107
weigh nought with him. Vanity is offended,
revenge stimulates, fashion justifies, and
murder must be done !
If the commandment condemns duelling ;
it also condemns suicide, or self-murder.
God is, in all cases, the giver of existence.
Our life is not our own. It is granted to us,
upon the condition of preserving it. We are
placed by Providence in that situation
thought fit by unerring wisdom. We must
therefore wait with patience " all the days
" of our appointed time, till our change
" come *," When a good man resignedly and
nobly meets misfortune, combats against
neglect and calumny, is cheerful in want
and sickness, hopeful in the midst of sor
rows, with a heart pierced with many
griefs, but yet directed unto Heaven ; such
suffering shall not be forgotten . The God
who made him, and the Christ who redeemed
him, look down with mercy on his virtues ;
his name shall be written in the book of life.
* Job xiv. 14.

108 The Sixth Commandment.
If, on the other hand, smarting from the
horrors of a guilty conscience, and the mi
series of a mispent life, the bad man medi
tates his own destruction, let him pause
upon the brink of ruin ! In a moment of
foolish wrath, or trivial disappointment, pol
luted by sin, and desperate from its effects,
would he ungratefully fling away his life,
and rush with his own blood upon his head,
into the presence of his God and Judge!
Who can know the purposes of Almighty
mercy. The very torment, which he endures,
may be sent to awaken and amend, may
be sent, in pity, to make him feel, and be
wail, and forsake the guilt and the misery
of sin. Lel him then bear and improve the
discipline; let him repent of his wickedness
and live. Surely, there is some little consi
deration due to surviving friends. Conceive,
for a moment, the dismay, and horror, and
disgrace, that must fall upon those linked to
the suicide by the ties of relationship, or by
the more ordinary ones of friendship and ac
quaintance. We will suppose the plea, which

The Sixth Commandment. 109
you may urge. You have drained the cup
of vice to its last and loathsome dregs ; you
have sacrificed your conscience, your cha
racter, your health and fortune, upon your
lusts and follies ; the remembrance of the
past, and the fear of the future, rise up as
evil spirits lo follow and reproach you. Be
it so — but pause. Think of others beside
yourself; think of the shame that will
overtake the innocent ; remember those you
leave behind. Coward, delay the deadly
selfish deed. Hitherto you have lived only
for yourself, five on for others. What has
father and mother, and friends and kindred
done, to bear this last and foul disgrace ! has
husband or wife, has child, has brother, has
friend, has country, no hold upon your affec
tions,^ Shrink not basely from your post. All
may yet be well. God's grace may yet visit
and subdue your bad heart ; repentance may
yet reach your benighted mind. While there
is life, there is hope ; while there is room for
penitence, there is a chance of pardon.

J 10 The Sixth Commdndment.
We must not only avoid the actual sins
forbidden by the commandment, but all
those practices and incentives, wJiich lead
thereto. We are not, therefore, foolishly
to expose the safety of our own lives, nor
are we to injure our health and strength, and
shorten our days by intemperance and de
bauchery. We are also to have a guard
upon the violent passions of hatred and re
sentment, which so often prove occasions of
bloodshed. We must beware also of covetr.
ousness. Too anxious a desire to have what
is not our own, soon begets the resolution to
have it. And when once this determination
has gained possession of the heart, the most
desperate and wicked means will be em
ployed. He who scruples not lo steal, will
very soon scruple not to murder. The vil
lainy, which urges a man lo deprive another
of his property, wUl soon lead and persuade
him to take away his life. In most robberies,
murder is not the first intention perhaps of
the thief, and yet in how few serious robberies
do we see theft unaccompanied by murder ?

The Sixth Commandment. Ill
Again, in those quarrels, which lead
to death, how seldom is it that there is
malice in the first instance. Passion engen
ders hatred, and hatred is not slow to re
venge. How soon is the temper roused to
vengeance ; how soon the taunts of ridicule
turn lo bitterness of reproach, and how
soon the provocation of the tongue fires
the heart, and arms the hand with murder.
How carefully, then, does it behove us
to watch the commencement of sin; to
oppose it more strongly at every new
step of strength ; to regulate all the passions
equally and strictly; lo suspect and subdue
the evil and fruitful heart of sensuality
and unbelief.
As we are commanded to do no violence
against the person of our neighbour, so
should we refrain from injuring his health,
his peace of mind, and his character, dearer
to a noble mind than life itself. Whatever
contributes to the preservation and comfort
of life, a, good name, and ease and happi-
8

1 12 The Sixth Commandment.
ness of heart, will be thus held sacred and
unmolested. No outward devotion, no formal piety,
can compensate the want of charity. " If
" a man say, I love God and hateth his
" brother, he is a liar *." Whenever the
leaven of malice once reaches the heart, it
soon corrupts all its finer feelings, all its hu
mane and holy tempers. Passion will soon
break through the restrictions of religion and
of reason. Lost to shame, and careless of
reputation, deprived of the coniforts of this
world, and blotting from the conscience the
terrors of another, the reprobate neither va
lues his own life, nor does he scruple to mo
lest and destroy the life of another.
Christian and civilized as this country is,
it is painful, it is dreadful lo hear and read
of such atrocious murders as are daily cora-
mitted throughout the land. We can scarcely
stir a step, without hearing of some fresh in
stance of this appalling and inhuman crime.
IJohniv. 20.'

The Sixth Commandment. 113
The severity of the punishment, inflicted by
the laws upon the perpetrators of svich
wickedness, seems inadequate to lessen
either its extent or its enormity. The evil
is owing lo the religious and moral igno
rance of the people, and their turbulent and
licentious lives. Penal codes may be mul
tiplied ; laws, justly severe, may be strictly
enforced; but till by education we rectify the
principles, and purify the habits of the
lower orders, no substantial and permanent
reformation is to be expected.
Knowing the value of life, let us be care
ful in every way to preserve it. And may
our lives be employed to the glory of God.
God made man, and breathed into his nos
trils the breath of life. Let us prize the
gift, and be grateful to the Giver. We bear
the image of the Deity; we are redeemed
by Christ; and have to assist, to guide an<j[
sanctify us, the Holy Spirit. These are dis
tinguished privileges, and should not be
abused or lightly esteemed. Let no black-

114 The Sixth Commandment.
ness and revenge of our own heart, nd
obedience to what the world calls honour,
no violence of passion, no cowardly despair,
no love of gain, no prospect of secrecy,
ever tempt us to seek or endanger another's
life, or throw away our own. When re^
venge would stimulate, when desperation
would subdue, remember life is not ours. It
is entrusted only to our care and steward
ship. " God is faithful, who wifl not
" suffer us to be tempted above that we
" are able ; but will with the temptation
" also make a way to escape, that we may
" be able lo bear it*." Recolleclinff this.
we shall keep the hands pure from blood,
and the conscience from reproach. We/
shall check and suspect the first risings of
enmity towards others. We shall enjoy the
blessings which we have, not repine and
despair for the want of greater. We shall
neither quarrel with our own lot, and un-
tlervalue our existence, nor enyy the lot of
* I Cor. I, 1^.

The Sixth Commandment. 115
others, and try by wicked means to supplant
them. And, as we are thus anxious for the
safely of earthly life, we shall be propor
tionably fearful to lose life everlasting.
*' Fear not them which kill the body, but
*' are not able to kill the soul : but rather
" fear him who can destroy both body and
** soul in hell *," That is, though you can
not but dread the loss of your mortal exist
ence, ever think of, ever strive to secure
the safety of that spirit within you, which
shall live for ever : for ever lo be miserable
in the mansions of the damned ; or for ever
to enjoy the blessed9ess of heaven, " I am
*' the way," says our Saviour, " the truth
" and the life." Christ is the giver of that
life, and the way that leads to it. Let us
then pray to be kept from temptation ; let
us pray for the directing influence of the
Holy Spirit to regulate our tempers, purify
* Matthew X, 28,
i2

116 The Sixth Commandment.
our lives, and sanctify our faith. Relying
on the merits, we shall copy the loving-
kindness and innocency of our Saviour : we
shall purify ourselves as he is pure. Loving
God, we shall love our brother also. " We
" shall put away all bitterness and wrath, and
" evil speaking *." Using this life, but not
abusing it, we shall go on our way blessed
and blessing others ; and having faithfully
discharged our duties here, we shall receive
hereafter a crown of life, " When this
" earthly tabernacle is dissolved, we shall
" have an house not made with hands, eter-
" nal in the heavens," * Eph. iv. 31.

SERMON VII.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.

EXODUS XX. 14.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
J- HE Commandments give us in short
weighty maxims, the sum and substance of
our duly. The specification of the vices,
which they condemn, is fully insisted upon
in other parts of Scriptui'e. If, when they
tell us, that we are not to kfll, they mean
to enforce, also, the avoiding of the occa
sions and provocations of murder, the im
port of the text before us, must as naturally
extend to the habits and incentives, that
lead to adultery. No vice is complete at
first; it requires time, and sophistry, and
bad example, wholly to deprave the moral
sense. If then, we detect and expose the

118 The Setenth Commandment.
temptations, we, at the same time, narrow
the prevalence of iniquity. By arming the
mind with caution, we guard its innocence ;
if we teach men how subtle and seductive
vice is, we take the surest means, with
God's blessing, of fortifying their virtue.
We shall therefore, first of all, consider
the peculiar crime, against which the text
is directed, and secondly, notice those cur-
cumslances, which have a tendency to; eui
courage it.
In whatever view we regard the rela
tionship of matrimony, we shall see its holy
preservation attended with every virtue,
public as well as private, It is " an estate
^' instituted by God in the time of man's
" innocency ;" and protected and honoured
by the laws of almost every nation \:^pon
earth. I need not dwell upon the pure
and tender affections of so hallowed an
union. What happiness can be greater,
than to ha ye one kind and sincere friend.

The Seventh Commandment. 1 1 9
to share our joys, and to alleviate our sor
rows. Forsaking aU other, man and wife
become one. Before the altar of God, they
have vowed eternal devotedness to each
other. There they have engaged lo bear
and forbear; to pardon each other's fail
ings; to encourage each other's virtues;
to share one common heart; to acknow
ledge one common interest; the one to
protect, and the other to console ; the one
with manly condescension to give honour
to the wife, the other, with meek and fe
minine tenderness, to yield submission to
the husband. In God's name and presence
they have said, and who dare unsay it, that
they will be kind and faithful to each other ;
in poverty, in riches, in prosperity and ad
versity, in sickness and in health ; that they
will remain in peace and love together, un
to their lives' end. But the blessings of mar
riage are not only private but public. In
stead of a race of beings roving about the
earth, with no religion to direct, and no in
dustry to support them, the sons of no man.

120 The Seventh Commandment.
and the scorn of all ; instead of this, the
children of wedded parents, grow up to he
useful members of society. The parents'
care shall provide for the wants of this life,
the parents' instruction and, example fit
them for a better. Private profligacy can
not but corrupt public principle. The same
loose voluptuous sophistry, that perverts the
reason, and vitiates the morals, is soon
transferred to more general conduct.
Where shall we meet with the man,
whose wise counsel is to direct, and whose
bright pattern is to reform a nation ; where
but amongst those, who value and obey
the Commandments of God? The same
motives, that raise and ensure the love of
private virtue, cannot fail, if genuine, of
strengthening and endea,ring public and
patriotic integrity. In whatever view then
we regard the subject, we find it full of
moral interest, and attended with conse
quences of the most serious importance.
Independently, however, of the temporal evils
attending the breach of this Commandment,

The Seventh Commandment. 121
independently of the wounds inflicted on
the peace and character of individuals, as
also its injuries to society, we have to re
collect the curse of God that rests upon the
crime : " Marriage is honourable in all,
" and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers
" and adulterers God will judge *."
Again ; " the works of the flesh are adul-
*' lery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivioiis-
" ness ; and they which do such things shall
" not inherit the kingdom of God -f ."
Recollecting the guilt and the conse
quences of the crime of adultery, we shall
be careful to guard against impurity in
general. It may suit the wild temper of
youth to think and talk lightly of these
things, but such mirth shall end in sorrow.
How sadly, and yet how truly, has it been
said, that the first part of life is generally
spent in making occasions of regret for the
last. Youth, as a dream, fleeth away;
* Heb, xiii. 4, f Gal, v. 19. 21,
6

122 ^he Seventh Commandment.
then comes the cool hour of reflection,
the bitter pang of reproach ; then comes the
sigh, that rends the heart ; then comes the
wish, alas ! in vain, that Religion had hal
lowed our thoughts, and directed our goings ;
that the first days of our life had passed on,
pure and unv^nquished th^'ough the perils
of passion \
Fools laugh, where angels tremble : But
though " fools make a mock at sin *," its
enormity is equally dreadful, and its punish
ment equally certain. " Know ye not," says
the apostle "^' that your bodies are the mem--
" hers of Christ ? Shall we then take the
" members of Christ and make them the
" members of an harlot ¦\ ?" Other sins pol-?
lute only the soul, but fornication corrupts
both flesh and spirit. To sin with those,
who have been ruined by others, is a great
offence against God ; but to seduce a poor
unsuspecting v/oman from the path of in
nocence and happiness ; lo blind her sense
* Proverbs xiv. 9. 1 Cor, vi. 15.

The Seventh Commandment. 123
of right and wrong; to bring upon her
guilt, and want, and v/retchedness ; to
make her the victim of remorse, or steel
her bosom against repentance; and this
to gratify a base and brutal passion, is a
crime of such foul and multiplied base
ness, as only to be named in a Christian
congregation, to raise, let us hope, in all
hearts the execration and abhorrence it
deserves. Yet, this does the seducer ; this
does the man, who employs his arts and
stimulates his passions, to ruin the inno
cence and poison the peace of unprotected
helpless woman ; lo rob her of all, that is
good and lovely in her sex !
To be free from such sins, we must
cleanse the thoughts of our mind and the
wishes of our heart: We must make a
complete surrender of our carnal wills,
" Whosoever," says our Saviour, " looketh
" on a woman, to lust after her, hath commit-
^* ted adultery with her already in his heart"

124 The Seventh Commandment.
God sees not as man sees ; His eye pierces
the most secret desires, his omniscience
unveils all the fond visions of corrupt fancy,
all the loose and lawless rovings of the
affections. If the will consents, the sin is
committed ; if once the conscience yields
to temptation, it is no longer a question of
virtue but of policy. But it is not only pu
rity of thought but of conversation, that
must be preserved ; indeed, where the one
is vicious, the other can scarcely be blame
less. " Out of the abundance of the heart,
" the mouth speaketh." It is pitiful, it is
cowardly to wound the delicacy of others,
to take advantage of the timidity with
which youth and modesty are ever accom
panied, and to insult and disgust them with
wanton lips. It may appear allowable
and pardonable to the world in general,
to make use of indecent innuendos and al
lusions. But what says the Gospel of
Christ, " Every idle word that men shall
" speak they shall give account thereof in

The Seventh Commandment. 125
" the day of judgment *." And if for
idle words we shall be thus seriously re
sponsible, how nmch more so for filthy
words. No man can calculate the evil,
occasioned by immodest language. The
passions, which otherwise might have slept,
are thus awakened. The vicious jest is
retailed. It acquires influence and corrup
tion in its progress. Servants and children
hear, and are proud to tell it. The vain
repeat it out of folly, and the sensual out
of grossness. It reaches you know not
whither; it contaminates you know not
whom! We cannot determine the torments of
the damned ; all we are told is, that " the
" worm dieth not, and the fire is not
" quenched -f." But if there be anything,
that can multiply and sharpen the pangs
of hell, it must be the recollection that life,
and perhaps talents, have been granted
? Matthew ^. 36. t Mark ix, 44.

126 The Seventh Commandment.
only to be abused ; that cool untempted
depravity has left to posterity the record of
its baseness. The hand that framed it, shall
crumble into dust; the heart, the pander
of guilty fancy, shall beat no more. Not
so, the impure song, the licentious novel,
and wanton picture. Still they live, still
they seduce, still they ruin. Insatiate and
permanent in mischief, they yet exist to
bhght the happiness and sully the innocence
of succeeding generations. The destruc-'
live fame, which such men covet, must be
perennial, the havock, in which they glory,
must be universal. Defeat their base and
desolating ambition ; scorn their cruel and
sinful legacy. Hesitate not a moment to
commit to the flames every page, which
the modest cannot read without a blush,
nor the inexperienced without defilement
In addition to these cautions, care must
be taken to shim every thing which may
appear trivial in itself, but which becomes
serious, if it tend to inflate the passions.

The Seventh Commandment. 127
Levity of behaviour and immodesty of dress
must be avoided. We must also " bring
" our bodies into subjection." We must be
temperate as well as chaste. Meat and
drink are given to refresh not to ruin, to be
moderately enjoyed not sinfully perverted.
It is not only gluttony and drunkenness
which may lead to impurity, but idleness.
" Fullness of bread and abundance of
" idleness," says the Prophet, " was the
" iniquity of Sodom *." When sin finds
us unemployed, it generally leaves us guilty.
Industry on the other hand not only sweetens
the enjoyments, but upholds the duties, of
life. Vice wears a fair form at first; is
bountiful of promise; bold in exact pro
portion lo our weakness, and active as we
are indolent. Know then your spiritual ad
versaries and suspect them '• " Use the world
" as not abusing it ;" " live in the flesh, yet
" crucify its lusts ;" " resist the devil, and he
" will flee from you." Thus will you make
* Ezekiel xvi, 49,

128 The Seventh Commandment.
those passions slaves, which through indul
gence would soon become tyrants.
It would much lend to check the auda
city and the prevalence of vice, were it to
meet with the treatment it merits. Let us
not mask wickedness, nor call gross vices
by soft names. Let us shun and detest the
company of those, known to be guilty of
such enormities. Let this be done, and we
shall no longer hear the profligate make a
boast and a glory of his iniquities. Let him
feel the value and the want of public ap
probation, and he will strive to deserve it.
When the debauchee is sanctioned, and his
excesses meet with indifference and pardon,
what can be expected! By associating with
the vicious, we encourage the vice, and dis
courage the opposite virtue. Innocence is
sacrificed, and morals infringed, without
shame, when the betrayer goes unpunished.
But, though supported and forgiven by the
loose manners and opinions of the age, still
the recompence of evil deeds will be in-

'I'he Seventh Commandment. l2£l
flicted. " Be not deceived: God is not
mocked *." Should the sinner go on un
checked and undismayed through this life,
should he be unstopped in his wild career,
by loss of health, of fortune, of character,
and of peace of mind, let him remember
there is another world; let him remember
that there is a tribunal, which shall bring, to
light all the deeds of sin and darkness* Let
him tremble at the awful sentence, that they
that do such things shall never see God.
The miseries of war are many and melan-'
choly; but even peace between contending
nations, is not unattended with disadvantages*
And, perhaps, by no cause have the morals
of this country suffered, or at least been en
dangered more than by the foolish ambition
to imitate the manners and fashions of a
neighbouring kingdom. It would indeed be
vi^ell, were the endea:vour to copy confined
to such trivial matters as dress and_ external.
appearance. But, it is much to be dreaded,
* Gal. VI. 7,
K

130 TJie Seventh Commandment.
that the contamination of evil communica
tion is much more deep and serious. Let
not, however, the example of a frivolous
and irreligious people seduce you from your
sterling and home-bred virtues. Leave lo
them the careless, heartless gaieties of vice.
Prize and cherish still, those domestic cha
rities, which are the pride and solace of a
Briton, Regard not marriage, as they do^
as affording only greater facilities and im
munities for vice; but look upon it rather
as that blessed union of minds and hearts,
sanctioned by the voice of God, revered
-by the laws and customs of your coun
try, and adorned and endeared by all the
virtues, which can make men happy here,
and fit and purify them, through the merits
of a Saviour, for spotless and immortal hap
piness hereafter.
Heed not a vain and vicious world. Fol
low not its precepts, and hold at nought its
ridicule ; the one would sediace you into sin,
and the other would laugh at your credu-

The Seventh Commandment. 131
lily. Take rather the Gospel of Christ, as
your guide and safeguard. Be transformed
to the image of him who lived for your pat*
tern, and who died for your salvation.
" Walk as children of light, and have no
" fellowship with works of dar kness *." To
the reading of the Scripture add prayer;
prayer for sincerity of repentance, and reso
lutions of holiness. And He, who knoweth
whereof we are made, and in what a world
we are placed, will graciously impart the
influence of his Holy Spirit to cleanse the
heart, and regulate and confirm the prac*
lice. As long as we continue in this scene
of trouble and of trial, passion will assail
and tempt us. It is wbdom to be aware of
danger, it is virtue lo conquer it* Sinful
tlioughts in this fallen condition of our na
ture, it is impossible to exclude altogether
from the mind* To admit them is our
frailty, but to indulge them for one moment
is our crime. Give them no welcome, and
they will soon leave you. They may and
» Eph, V, 8, 11.
k2

1.32 The Seventh Commandment,
will distress you for the lime, but faint not
Remember, that " with every temptation
" there is a Avay to escape," with every trial
a support God knows what we can do,
and therefore what We ought to do. His
md is not given without our asking; nor
can we even be kept from temptation with
out prayer. We are expressly told, that we
must " work out our own salvation ;" that
is, we must use and improve all the means.
To pray to God, and make no virtuous en
deavour, is hypocrisy; to depend entirely
upon ourselves, is presumption. In the union
of the two consists true religion ; humility
in asking a blessing, and firmness in im
proving it.
May they, therefore, who have never
been entangled by such lusts, keep their
minds and their bodies holy and undefiled.
And let those, who have been guilty, turn
from their lawless and ungodly ways. Let
the memory of past transgressions fill them
with shame and penitence. Lel them avoid

The Seventh Commandment. 1.33
all occasions and temptations of sin, lest
they again offend God, and totally pollute
and ruin their own souls. " Know ye not,"
says St Paul, " that ye are the temple of
" God. If any man defile the temple of
" God, him shall God destroy *." Let chas
tity, meet minister of such holy rites, offer
up the sacrifice of the entire affections upon
the altar of sincerity. Let me then beseech
you, as you would live innocent, and die in
hopes of heaven, where no uncleanness can
ever enter — let me then beseech you, in the
language, and with the zeal of the apostles,
" to purge your conscience from dead
" worlcs," and to " abstain from fleshly
" lusts, that war against the soul." " Thus
" being made free from sin, and become
" the servants of God, ye shall have your
" fruit unto holiness, and the end everlast-
" ing life." * 1 Cor, iii. 16, 17.

SERMON Vm.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

EXODUS XX. 15.
Thou shalt not steal.
In turning our attention lo the character
of advanced and cultivated society, we are
forcibly struck with the confidence and the
comfort, which man here enjoys, in com
parison to what is yielded in a barbarous
and lawless life. If, on the one hand, the
dfesire lo plunder and destroy, be checked
by punishment and disgrace, the protection,
on the other, that is given, and the bles
sings residting from this protection, are
more than a counterbalance to Che abridg
ment and controul of savage liberty, and
universal and fearless rapine. In 6very ci-

136 The Eighth Commandment.
vilized community, there must be indivi
dual property, and where there is property,
there must be laws to secure it
And, in truth, when -we recollect, that
avarice, or the wish of having, is the pre
vailing passion of mankind, we shall be
prepared to admit and revere every injunc
tion, that keeps . within due bounds, S(^
strong and dangerous a propensity.
We shall therefore proceed to consider
the prohibition of the text, first, as it respects
open and shameless theft; and secondly, as
it forbids all fraud and cheating,
Vice is practical ignorance. It is ig
norance, because it defeats its own ends.
It does not anticipate, and therefore it
does not regard ponsequCnces, It respects
only, the present advantage, Were th^
robber tp place before his min4 a just and
clear view of the crime, he is about to com-^
mil; was, he to remember the certai^n fea^-^

The Eighth Commandment. 137
and the probable punishment that await
him, he would find at once, not only the
sin, but the folly of purloining what is not
his own, A mere sense of policy would
restrain him. Bad men cannot see far
enough to be honest. " They are taken in
** their own craftiness *." Vice poisons the
heart, and veeakens the understanding. It
encourages the evil passions of the one, and
distorts the moral reasonings of the other.
" The integrity of the upright shall guide
" them ; but the perverseness of transgres-
" sors shall destroy them -f-."
Meet is it that vice, like virtue, has its
appropriate recompense ; else would society
present one wide scene of fraud and assas
sination. If the profligate and the idle
were suffered to seize with impunity, the
property of the industrious and the pro
vident, there would be a speedy and fatal
bar to all virtuous effort and economy; if
* Job V. 1-3. t Proverbs xi. 3.

138 The Eighth Commandment.
the harvest is to be swept away by another,
who would till the ground ? Who would
" rise up early and late take rest, and
" eat the bread of carefulness," to feed
wretches, at once indolent and rapacious ?
As already said in the Sermon upon mur
der, theft and bloodshed are twin vices.
The same villainy, that persuades the rob
ber to attack your defenceless person, or
taking advantage of the darkness and un-
protectedness of night, to break into your
dwelling and pillage your property; the
same hand that does this, the same har
dened conscience that permits it, would not
scruple to do worse ; — ^would not hesitate^
was there found, or even fancied an excuse,
to rob you of life.
*' But the end of these things is death ;"
d;eath to all virtuous happiness here, and
ieternal happiness hereafter. Is the robber at
ease ? Is he at peace, and contented with
his wicked gains ? Does he not rather find.

The Eighth Commandment. 139
" that treasures of wickedness profit no-
*^ thing*." Again; "the wicked flee
" when no man pursueth -f ." Every hint
is misconstrued into accusation. Every
false alarm teems in his mind with real
dangers. Companions in his plans of
plunder may reveal the dreaded secret.
Circumstances may disclose it Conscience
may once more awake, and force confession
to stifle its terrors. Every foot is ready to
overtake the robber, and every tongue to
disclose his lurking-place. The fears of
all are roused: personal safety and pubUc
j^UStice ; the laws of God and those of man,
all unite against the despoiler. A shame
to relatives and friends, he spends his days
a vagabond upon the earth, or finishes his
sinful life by an ignominious and untimely
death : undone in Ihjs world, and without
repentance, for ever miserable in the next
" Be not deceived," says the Apostle,
" neither thieves, nor extortioners, shall in?
'* herit the kingdom of God."
* Pfoy, X. 2, t ^rov, xxviii. 1,

140 The Eighth Commandment.
But it is not against open and flagrant
theft only, that the spirit of the Command
ment is directed. We are not lo employ
any art, to obtain or conceal what does not
belong to us. Dishonesty does not lose
any of its iniquity, because practised to
wards the community at large. The same
sound and sacred honesty, that leads to
equitable dealing with our neighbour, wifl
be equally binding upon public honour.
Were we indeed to reason from analogy",
public integrity would be paramount to
private. Patriotism, for instance, requires
that love of country should outweigh per
sonal safety and selfish advantage. In
war against a common enemy, individual
is sacrificed to public good. Transfer this
noble temper to questions of national trusts!
Recollect the injury, that public credit
suffers by the dishonesty or connivance of
its official and beneficed servants. Crime
too becomes more criminal, from the in
fluence of its example, and the absence of
temptation. It is not only base but wanton

The Eighth Commandment. 141
dishonesty, where the circumstances of the
defaulter, affluent and paid by the pubhc,
seemed to hold out no lure for embezzling.
Again ; how the command of the text can
be said to be reverenced and obeyed by
those, who make no hesitation, in many
cases, to evade the taxes and dues of go
vernment, it would be difficult to deter
mine. If it be once allowed, that the State
is to be respected and supported, we must
surely allow also the dishonesty and the
disloyalty of robbing that government of
its rights. No subject, who enjoys the pro-
lection of a government, should infringe its
lawful revenues. If the imposts and taxes
of the crown be legally due, they should be
faithfully and punctually paid.
But the principle is not confined to pub
Uc honesty. It reaches and regulates all
our dealings one with another. To avail
ourselves of the ignorance and credulity
of our neighbour, by turning them to our

124 The Eighth Commandment.
profit, is no less a sin than downright rob
bery. Yet this the gamester does. The
end of justice is to protect the weak against
the strong ; to shield the innocent and the
upright, against the low crooked knaveries
of fraud and cunning. GambUng defeats
this object It gives opportunity to the
crafty mind, and selfish unpitying heart,
to inveigle and to ruin: to take advantage
of the eagerness and heedlessness of youth.
and inexperience ; and to conceal, under the
guise of allowable, ?ind, perhaps, fashion
able amusement, the grossest passions of
deceit and covetousness.
It is no less an imposition upon the con
fidence of another, and therefore no less
a breach of the Commandment, to contract
debts, which we have neither the means nor
the prospect of discharging. We may in
tend, perhaps, to repay what is bought or
borrowed, but intention, without proba-
biUty of fulfilling it, signifies nothing.
We should calculate only on the resources
8

The Eighth Commandment. 143
within our knowledge and our reach; if
these are conditional, or contingent, ho
nesty becomes a mere matter of accident
If a man already lives to the extent of his
income, and incurs a debt beyond the
payment of that income, how can he, in
common honesty, be said to intend its
liquidation ? " The wicked," says the
Psalmist, " borroweth, and payeth not
" again." The misfortune is, that the
punishment of such expensive and dis
honest practices falls upon the innocent.
Prodigal men are always selfish men : pro
fuse of their own, and greedy after another's
property. Upon their own vices and fol
lies they cannot lavish too much, nor to the
comforts of others can they administer toa
Hltle. Of what moment . is it to such a
man, that want and wretchedness are the
bitter portion of his wife and family, so that
he can gratify his own sensual and selfish
vices! Home may be cheerless, and cre
ditors may be clamorous; all avails not
To self-indulgence and personal vanity, he

144 The Eighth -Commandmeki.
sacrifices his own character and honour,
and the comfort and respectability of those,.
whom he is bound, by the laws of God and
man, to provide for and protect Nor is it
less foolish and wicked to affect an appear
ance of wealth and grandeur in our houses
and establishments, or apparel, to which
our income is not equal. What signifies
the gaze and the applause of flatterers,
when, in the end, ruin and disgrace must
overtake us, - The world soon discovers
and derides the cheat, and the vain mis
taken man then sinks, harassed by debts,
and driven to despair. He, on the other
hand, who lives within his income, how
ever narrow that may be, is rich and inde
pendent; he fears no man's look; he imi
tates, he envies no man's mode of livino-.
He ealeth his humble and honest meal in
peace, and blesseth God who hath pros
pered and rewarded his industry.
But if the. customer should be honest, the
tradesman must be honest likewise. He

The Eighth Comrnandmeva. 145
will ask and wish no unjust profit on the
commodity he sells. He will disdain to
assign a price to his merchandize, which
he knows it is not worth, and which he is
only led lo impose from the ignorance or
necessity of the buyer. Fair competition
and adequate remuneration must be al
lowed, or trade would not continue. " Shall
" I count them pure," saith the Lord,
*^ .with the wicked balances, and with the
** bag of deceitful weights*.?" Neither
can the plea of a family nor any other ex
cuse justify a man, in making a cruel and
fraudulent use of his wealth and shrewd
ness ; the one in forestalling and monopo
lizing the necessaries of life, or the other by
artful and oppressive means to entrap the
unwary, and " grind the faces of the poor -f ."
The same doctrine applies to professional
advice and assistance. " If, therefore, thou
" sell ought to thy neighbour, or buyest
* Micah vi. 11, f Isaiah iii, 15.

146 The Eighth Commandments
" ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall
" not oppress one another *,"
With this Commandment in view, mas
ters will be just towards their servants. No
man labours for another from mere choice ;
necessity is the cause, and maintenance the
object of the service. " The bread of the
" needy is their life ;" "he that defraudeth the
" labourer of his hire is a bloodshedder -f."
" He" on the other hand, " that hath pity
" on the poor, lendeth unto the Lord." The
wealthy are the guardians of the indigent.
From their charity shall arise knowledge
to the ignorant, health to the sick, right
to the oppressed, and bread lo the hungry.
But at the same lime,- the servant or de
pendant must lake care not to wrong his
employer or benefactor. He must do his
duty honestly and strictly; he must not
misemploy his time, nor must he purloin
* Levit. XXV, 14, f Eccles, xxiv. 21, 22,

The Eighth Commandment. 147
or waste his master's property; the disho
nesty of servants is more despicable, as it
is a most ungenerous and ungrateful abuse
of the confidence reposed in them.
To these instances of more open and
avowed dishonesty, may be added that
pilfering disposition, seen in some people
and most children, to seize Upon trifles
which do not belong to them. They think,
oral least they say, that it is excusable thus
to steal, because what is taken is of no va
lue. Why then take it ? if it is worthy of
thefti it is worthy for the same reason of
being kept by the owner. Worthy or not,
the Commandment tells us to steal nothing.
Have nought in your possession, which is
not truly and conscientiously your own.
You may err by taking the least thing;
you cannot err by leaving it, where you
found it. Moreover, the vice of stealing
like every other, begins by small sins. The
commencement may be trivial and easily
corrected, but the event, encouraged by
l2

148 The Eighth Commandment.
habit, may be dreadful, and visited by the
severest punishments of divine and human
laws. The language of the Commandment is
applicable lo all ranks and all ages; to
the young and old, to rich as well as poor.
It applies equally to public and private
honesty. Whatever is due to the state or
the individual we are not to steal, or un
justly detain, nor are we to partake or con
nive at the thefts of others. It also strictly
behoves us, if we have wronged others, to
make every recompense in our power. If,
therefore, through fraud or cunning, no
matter upon what pretence, or on what
occasion we have embezzled ; the curse of
the Commandment lies at our door, till we
have made every restitution. This wiU not
excuse or cancel the injury in the first in
stance, but it will be the means of diminish
ing or removing the consequences arising
from it ; which, when a crime is committed,
is in many cases all that can be done. " Lel

The Eighth Commandment. 149
" him that stole, steal no more : but rather
" let him labour, working with his hands the
" thing which is good

* "

Industry and frugality, under the blessing
of God, seldom fail of success. " For a
" man's life," says our Saviour, " consisteth
" not in the abundance of the things
" which he possesseth ; take heed, and be-
" ware of covetousness -f-." Never depend, or
calculate upon what is called good fortune ;
do not raise and cherish hopes, which there
is little probability of ever realizing : Gain
what you do gain, honourably, and enjoy
it rationally. When we trust lo our own
activit}' to acquire, and our moderation
to use, a sufficiency of this world's goods,
we have then secured the great auxiliary
of honesty ; contentment, " He that ga-
" therelh by labour," says Solomon, " shall
" increase, but wealth gotten by vanity is
" diminished*." * Ephes. iv. 28. t Lute xii, 15,

150 The Eighth Commandment.
Religion does not, indeed, forbid us to
make all due and honest exertions to pro
vide for ourselves and families. The pa--
rable of the talents, on the contrary, fully
illustrates' and enforces the duty of employ
ing the faculties which God has given us,
to the best advantage. While, however,
we attend to worldly concerns, we must
not neglect other and higher objects. " For
" what is a man profiled, if he shall gain
" the whole world, and lose his own soul.?
" or, what shall a man give in exchange
'.' for his soul * ?" And if the possession of
the whole world, is no equivalent to the
ruin or danger of our souls, what shall
we say of the madness of those, who for
paltry gain, or for some trivial and uncer
tain profit, scruple not lo stifle conscience
and forego Heaven ; to sacrifice the recti
tude of the man, and the hope of the Chris
tian ? Provide honestly for this life, but
forget not another. And though affection
and duty both urge you lo make fit pro-
* Matt. xvi. 26.

The Eighth Commandment. 151
vision for your families, let their immortal
interests share some portion of your atten
tion and your zeal. Bring up your chil
dren in the fear of God. Teach them
not only the guilt, but the meanness of
defrauding and deceiving another. Severely
punish every propensity to steal. Let them
know early, that however they may conceal
their little arts and petty thefts from man,
there is a Power above who seeth all ; whose
" eyes are in every place, beholding the evil
" and the good *." Study rather to leave
them upright and poor, than rich and wicked.
We shall soon bid a final and eternal adieu
to wealth, and all that wealth can bring —
what avail riches on the bed of death } can
they luU the -agonies of pain.? can they
soothe the drooping spirit.? If we wish " to
« die the death of the righteous," we must
live the Ufe of the righteous.
" Render, therefore, unto ah, their dues,
«« Tribute to whom tribute, custom to
• Prov. ?^v, 3.

152 The Eighth Commandment,
" whom custom *," " Render unto God
" the things that are God's, and unto
" Caesar the things that are Caesar 's-f. Owe
" no man any thing." Lel your treasures
be in Heaven, and let your hearts be with
your treasures. These are the riches, which
shall sanctify and recompense all your
care; which shall purify your happiness,
and secure your innocence. Keep your
heart stedfast, and your life will be blame
less. And He, who " became poor for your
" sakes," will not fail to be with you unto the
end. ^' We brought nothing into this world,
" and it is certain we can carry nothing
" out Having food and raiment let us be
" therewith content The love of money is
" the root of all evil ; which, while some
" coveted after, they have erred from the
" faith, and pierced themselves through with
" many sorrows : But thou, O man of God
" flee these things ; fight the good fight of
" faith ; and lay hold on eternal life |."
* Romans xiii, 7, + Matthew xxii. 21.
X 1 Timothy vi. 7, 8, 10, 11, 12,

SERMON IX,

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.

BKODUS XX. 16.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbour,.
W E are not exalted above the beast of the
field by any excellence so much, next lo
reason, as by speech. In common with our
selves, and in some instances even superior,
the animal part of the creation share many
capabilities. But, in the power of express
ing by words the sentiments of the mind,
and the aflfections of the heart, man stands
nobly single. Thus gifted and distinguished,
how greatly should we prize, and how care
ful should we be in not abusing so noble

154 Tlie Ninth Commandment.
and exclusive a privilege. The more valu
able the trust committed to our care, the
more sinful and fatal its application to un
worthy ends.
The more distinctly lo comprehend the
importance of the text, we shall, first, treat
of the different ways of bearing false wit
ness ; and, secondly, recommend the means
of its prevention.
In the Sermon upon Swearing; I have
already pointed out the sin, and the evils of
perjury; that is, when upon oath, and in
public, we bear false witness against our
neighbour. We are bound by the laws of
God and man to speak the whole truth.
Neither by maliciousness to asperse the cha
racter of an enemy, nor by silence, oi" pre-
varicktion, or through false and wicked
fondness, to vindicate unjustly that of a
friend. A true regard for the person ac
cused, should rather make us more reso
lutely honest ; as it seldom happens that

The Ninth Commandment. 155
equivocation is not discovered ; and it never
happens, that such discovery does not bring
odium and suspicion upon the parties and
the cause. At all events, by telling the bold
truth, we shall not offend God or our own
conscience. " The bearing of false witness against
f our neighbour," in private life, may arise
from depravity and malevolence ; from re
venge and envy ; and from loquacity and
idleness. We shall speak of each.
The worst sort of calumny is the offspring
of a cruel bad heart. Pure unprovoked base-?
ness, which delights in poisoning that hap
piness it never can enjoy ; in blasting that
character it never can attain. Such tra-
ducers are the veriest pests of society ; mis
creants of the moral world : mere reptiles,
that feast and fa,tten on the failings of the
good, and the errors of the wise ! Do the
virtues, the talents, the fame, and the hap
piness of another excite thy detestation .? Go
4

156 The Ninth Commandment.
and endeavour to sully his name, and de-^
stroy his peace. Collect into one view all
his little errors (from which humanity was
never free) — all the imperfections of a great
and good mind, of a noble and generous
heart Forget the brightness of the sun, and
magnify its spots into one foul and hateful
blot. Pervert every excellence, and magnify
every weakness. Call around the fool and the
reprobate to behold and admire the picture.
Teach them to forget God and despise wisr
dom ; as piety, however sincere, is found to
be frail ; and knowledge, however extensive,
is seen to err.
A second cause of " false witness," is re
venge and envy. When resentment for real,
and as often for imaginary, injury, once
takes possession of an irreligious heart, the
tongue becomes a " a world of iniquity, and
" is set on fire of hell *." The jaundiced
eye of vengeance sees not but offence ; the
* St. James iii, 6.

The Ninth Commandment. 157
ear is closed against truth, and the heart
against mercy. The past kindness of years
is forgotten in a moment ; and the injuries
of an instant are resented with the hatred of a
life. Was this savage and vindictive temper
confined to the affections merely, though its
effects would still be dreadful, yet they
might prove transient ; but when passion
so strangely perverts the judgment while it
poisons the tongue, the most exasperated
revenge and grossest obloquy are soon justi
fied by the coolest and most plausible sophis
try. Such is revenge. Envy is nearly allied
to it. If revenge prompt us to defame the
character of him, who has aggrieved us, envy
is no less ungenerously active against him,
who has surpassed us. A sense, or a fear of
inferiority is the ground of both. Revenge
takes fire at the insuU, envy at the merit of
another; self-opinion in each instance is
wounded; and self-opinion in each instance
finds its antidote in abuse. Human endeavour
needs the stimulus of example. It is fit to
be reminded of what may be done by

158 *rhe Ninth Commandment.
ourselves, from what has been done by
others. Emulation therefore is not merely
allowable, but essentially needful. It only
becomes a fault, when it savours of spleen
and jealousy. Emulation excites us to excels
envy to degrade a rival* The one is a gene
rous feeling, and disdains unjust and paltry
expedients ; the other a low-born passion, the
offspring of vanity and impotence. At once
busy and cowardly, it retires from open and
honourable competition, to indulge in secret
and in safety its lies and rancour.
There is yet another mode of calumny
and " bearing false witness," which, though
not wearing the formal and serious appear
ance of the foregoing instances, is yet too
general in practice, and too fatal in its ef
fects, to be past by unnoticed. We would
allude to the little backbitings of vulgar cu
riosity and ill-natured gossiping, — lo the petty
scandals of idleness ;— to that frivolous, and
yet audacious loquacity, Which, for mere
amusement, preys upon the reputation of

The Ninth Commandment. 159
others, without either measure or compunc
tion. Though they, who indulge in this
minor warfare of detraction, this colloquial
anatomy of conduct, may disclaim any male
volence of intention : Still the injury is no
less real and destructive. Many hear the re
proach, who have no opportunity, alas ! who
have no wish, lo hear the justification.
What is first said in jest, is soon repealed in
earnest. What is to-day surmise, is to-mor
row accusation. The arrow, that is sent
forth by the levity or folly of one, is caught
up by another, dipped in poison, and aimed
with malice. No character, however unex
ceptionable or exalted, is free from such as
saults We need not add, what irreparable
injuries have arisen from the lips of the slan
derer. " The words of the tale-bearer,"
says Solomon, " are as wounds." Innocence
itself is no protection. Rank is no safe
guard. Characters, dignified by station and
public virtues, and amiable in all the cha
rities of private Ufe, have thus become the
sport of most false and malevolent insinua
tions.

160 The Ninth Commandment.
To guard, then, against a crime so com
monly and unreservedly committed ; so de-*
ceitful, and perhaps harmless in appearance,
and yet so fatal to men ,and hateful to God,
we would offer the following cautions, as
means Of its prevention.
In the first place, therefore, let us culti
vate a love of truth, God is a " God of
** truth *." As therefore we wish lo please
him, we must endeavour to imitate him.
The devil is a liar, and the father of lies -f.
By a lie, sin and death first entered into
the world. Falsehood degrades our nature,
removes us from God, and assimilates us lo
Satan. Even Heathens hold it in detes
tation. It is a sin against the voice of the
Deity, which speaks alike lo the cultivated
and savage breast Truth is the main foun
dation of all public and private happiness,
'Falsehood, on the contrary, puts an end to
all friendship and confidence between man
and man. It accuses the innocent, it de
frauds the upright, it screens the guilty. It
* Dent, xxxii. 4. f John viii. 44,

The Ninth Commandment. 161
makes us bold towards God, and base to
wards man *. It is not only sinful in itself,
but aggravated in its evils. One lie is fol
lowed and justified by more. It taints every
virtue, and perpetuates every vice. The
liar, ever loquacious and ever mischievous,
has no scruples to restrain him. Truth is
single, and admits of little variety ; where
as falsehood is endless, fruitful in invention
and active in deceit It makes what it finds
not, and mars what it finds. Profuse of
slander, which it cannot establish, and of
engagements which it cannot realize. Breach
of promise is practical falsehood. We should
therefore make no pledge, which we are
either unwilling or unable to redeem : we
should enter into no compact but what is
just and feasible; once made, let it be
minutely and faithfuUy performed. To
a love of truth, we should add a love of
charity. A sincere and constant sense of
our own defects, wiU teach us lenity and
* Tillotson. M

162 The Ninth Commandment.
forgiveness towards those of others. In
searching; " for the mote in a brother's
" eye, we shall consider the beam in our
" own." "Charity Ihinketh no evil, but
" rejoiceth in truth." As, therefore, we
wish for justice from another, let us be just
lo him. As we ask forgiveness from God,
we shall forgive men their trespasses ; and
as also, we are so anxious, and so properly
anxious, to have our characters respected
and unsullied, we shall raise no false and
injurious reports, and repress, as far as we
can, the slander of others. To repeat and
give currency to a malicious insinuation, is
nearly as criminal as to invent one. We
shall therefore avoid and discountenance
the tale of scandal ; we shall discourage all
irony and bitterness of merriment all con
versation and all conduct, which can injure
and degrade another. Truth, at times,
compels us to be just, but mercy should
always persuade us to be lenient-
With truth to guide the mind, and with

The Ninth Commandment. 163
charity to influence the heart, we shall not
" bear false witness against our neighbour."
We shall recollect the importance and the
delicacy of character : how easy it is to as
perse, how difficult to retrieve. Any rude
hand can demolish the stately edifice, the
hand of skill can only rear it. One foul
imputation, and character is gone for ever.
A conscience, void of offence towards God
and man, may guard the heart from anguish
and despair ; still, no one can willingly and
undeservedly bear disgrace: to his own
heart he may stand acquitted, but the world
around him, is fluent in surmise, and cruel
in reproach. What avails the example of
the best amongst us, if some false and bab
bling tongue spread tales to our discredit ;
if our virtues are misinterpreted, and our
faiUngs made worse ,?
We should, however, bear in mind this
truth, that our conduct is scanned in pro
portion to the industry and pleasure, which
we manifest in diseusdng, or hearing dis-
M 2

164 The Ninth Commandment. ,
cussed, the character of others. The ca
lumniator and gossip are at once listened
to and suspected. If they please our love
of slander, by enumerating and exag
gerating the errors of others, they alarm
our selfishness, by the just fear that we
shall, when absent, have as little mercy at
their hands. On the contrary, by despising
and discountenancing the " tale-bearer," we
shall ensure justice to ourselves; what is
more ; the timid and the good will fly to our
care ; — to our protection they will retreat, as
lo a safe and sacred asylum, from the
despiteful lips of the wicked; from the
taunts of him who wilfully mistakes and
ungenerously arraigns ; " who casteth fire-
*' brands, arrows, and death," and then
cries, " am I not in sport * ?"
In addition to which, we should con
stantly and seriously remember the uniform
threatenings of God's word against the
* Prov«rbs xxvi, 18, 19,

The Ninth Commandment. 165
practice. " With what measure ye mete,
" it shall be measured to you again." A
" false witness shall not be unpunished,
" and he that speaketh lies shall not es-
" cape *." " Who shall abide in thy ta-
" bernacle," says the Psalmist " who shall
" dwell in thy holy hill,? He that back-
" biteth not with his tongue, nor taketh up
" a reproach against his neighbour." " If
" any man among you seem to be re-
*' ligious, and bridleth not his tongue, this
" man's religion, is vain -f ." What calum
niator, be his profession what it may, can
hear this without fear and trembling .?
But a love of slander is no less a reflec
tion upon our piety than our taste. It
proves the defect, no less of our hearts than
our understandings. Has literature, has sci
ence no charms .? Can they offer no substitute
for disengenuous cruel tattle .? Can religious
and moral sentiment give rise to no subject
* Proverbs xix. 5. t James i. 26.

166 The Ninth Commandment.
of discourse .? Is all this, with one consent,
to be banished from conversation, to make
room for personal anecdote and flippant
ridicule,? Are we for ever, like the beasts
of the field, to live only upon the destruction
of each other.? Shall knowledge cease to
inform, and fancy lo delight ; shall discus
sions, from which we may rise with fuller
minds and kinder hearts, be treated with
disdain and coolness, while vapid jests, and
thrice-told scurrility, are always to be wel
comed and enjoyed .?
If, however, all these considerations have
been unavailing ; if no sense of duty to God
and man has deterred us from wanton slan
der and evil speech, there remains only one
means, (imperfect as it is) of remedying
the mischiefs we have occasioned: — the en
deavour to wipe away that stigma, which
either our wickedness or folly has fixed
upon another. It is an inadequate, but it
is the only compensation. The accusation
may have spread, where the recantation can

The Ni7ith Commandment. 167
, never travel : the false and base imputation,
once made, finds admittance into minds,
that will not reason, into hearts that cannot
feel. Commendation, or even justification,
from the lips of such men, is ever accom
panied with shrewd distrusts, and hu
miliating reservations; while censure is
listened to, and repeated with the most
credulous and unqualified freedom. Misers
are they in praise, but prodigals in abuse.
In avoiding one error, we must not how
ever, be guilty of another. Neither Scrip
ture, nor reason, asks of us to sanction and
to praise the bad. We are not to follow
the false liberality of a vicious age, by
making no distinction between virtue and
vice. At the same time, we are to calum
niate none; we are to paint none worse
than they are ; we are lo '* bear false wit-
" ness" against none. Unless some benefit
to the individual, or to the public, is likely
to arise, the laceration even of a bad man's
character, falls within the censure of the

168 The Ninth Commandment.
text and for this reason, the attack is wan
ton and uncalled-for : resentment or gossip-
ping, and not justice, being the incentive.
But there are, nevertheless, reasons which
justify animadversion ; — correction, and cau
tion ;— correction of the crimes and follies of
the offender, and caution to those whom
such crimes and follies may injure. W; ;en
publicly called upon by law and justice to
to give evidence against a criminal, we must
obey the summons, and declare the truth.
Nor is the rule less binding in private life ;
murder, theft, and every other abomination
would desolate the world, if bad men were
not controled by their fears. It as much
behoves us to make known gross villainy
in protection of the innocent, as to point
out to the traveller the dangers, that aWait
him in his journey. This may be done
without incurring the crime of the text, but
it must be done from real necessity ; it must
be free from malice and exaggeration. Let
us not be the means of rendering a man

The Ninth Commandment. 169
worse than he really is, by representing him
already such.
Check then the spirit of calumny and re
proach, as no less mean than wicked. Speak
of men's character as if vipon your oath.
Be candid in your opinions, and cautious
of giving offence. Above all, prize and
practise truth and charity. Inculcate upon
the minds of the young the sin and hate-
fulness of lying. " My son," says Solomon,
" let not truth and mercy forsake thee ; bind
" them about thy neck, and write them upon
" the table of thine heart." Where a love of
truth is early and thoroughly implanted in
the mind, it will be seen to regulate and
adorn in after-life, all religious and social
duties: it will inculcate sincerity towards
God, and justice towards man. If God is
a God of truth. He is also a God of love.
As fellow-men, and more especially as fel
low Christians, it behoves us to " love
" one another." If there be mercy in
the heart there will ever be charity on the

1 70 Tlie Ninth Commandment.
lips. " Take heed also to your ways that
"' you offend not in your tongue." Take
care that your life is blameless, and you
will then have no temptation to blazon
for 111 ail other's faults, to justify or conceal
your OAvn. As masters and servants, as
parents and children, whether rich or poor,
young or old, " bear not false witness
" against thy neighbour." " Speaking the
" truth in love*." Be true to God for he is
holy, be compassionate to thy brother as tiiou
art frail thyself.
Thus, freed from timidity on the one
hand, and eensoriousness on the other, we
shall become true Disciples of that Saviour,
who mingled boldness in rebuking vice,
with compassion to the penitent : who
preferred mercy to sacrifice, who broke not
the bruised reed, nor quenched the smok
ing flax, who confronted the charge of
the officious self-righteous Pharisees by an
* Eph. iv. 15

The Ninth Commandment. 171
appeal lo their own corrupt and guilty
conscience ; while to the wretched woman
trembling in tears, and exposed lo the gaze
and insults of the multitude *, he thus could
speak. " Woman ! where are those thine
" accusers, hath no man condemned thee .?"
" She said, no man. Lord. And Jesus said
" unto her, neither do I condemn thee, go
" and sin no more." / * Bishop HaU.

SERMON X.

THE TENTH C0MM.4NDMENT.

EXODUS XX. 17.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his man-servant, nor his maidservant,
nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing
that is thy neighbour's.
J.T is by regulating the heart that we be
come consistently and substantially virtuous.
Liable as men are to commute their vices,
to allow some forbidden and fond indul
gence, on condition of refraining from
others ecjually interdicted, though less dear ;
to make zealous profession and plausible
externals, supply the place of sincerity and

174 The Tenth Commandment.
purity ; liable as our fallen nature is to this
warring between the lusts of the flesh and
the graces of the Spirit, the tenth Command
ment cuts off all subterfuge and hypocrisy,
by lelUng us to value not the alleged, but the
real motive, to watch and sanctify not par
tially the conduct, but altogether the con
science.

We shall therefore find this last Com
mandment the best safeguard of all thte
other duties of the second table ; as without
a thorough knowledge and observance of
this, none of the rest will be religiously per
formed. " Out of the heart," indeed, " are
" the issues of life * ;" — " but out of the
" heart," also, " proceed evil thoughts, mur-
" ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false-
" witnes.s, blasphemies -f-." We must, there
fore, " keep it with all diligence."
We are then to hanish all vain, and we
* Prov. iv. 23. f Matt. xv. 19.

Tlie Tenth Convnandment. . 175
shall thus check ail criminal desires. We
are to regard with distrust all v2gue and
wandering longings. We are not to be too
anxious, even ia the pursuit and enjoyment
of lawful objects. It behoves, indeed, to
discharge well the labours, and make a due
provision for the necessaries and comforts of
life, but our hearts must not be engrossed
and enslaved by tliem. We must be aware
of the sure and increasing influence of evil
thoughts. A mere wish, long cherished
' gradually strengthens into ardent desire, and
desire obstinate through habit, will erewhile
break out into action. This concupiscence
not only prepares the mind for vice, but un
fits it for happiness. Endless in its cravings,
it becomes indifferent and thankless for both
past and present blessings. The attainment
of one object, serves only to create and
sharpen an appetite for new. The calm
pleasures of content become tasteless, and the
choicest gifts of heaven pall in posseasion.
Covet not, therefore, but gratefully receive.

176 The Tenth Commandment.
and rationally prize those comforts and con
solations, which every condition of life can in
some degree supply. Neither murmur, lest in
the lust and pursuit of what you have not, you
may lose what you already have. " Your
*' heavenly Father knoweth what you need :"
but his kindness is not to be requited by dis
obedience and impatience. Take heed also,
that God deals not with you as he did to the
Israelites : " So I gave them up vinto their own
" heart's lusts, and let them follow their own
"imaginations*." However hidden from
the eves of men, God sees within : he sees
the "reprobate mind," the "evil heart of un
belief." Thus guarded by holy fear, we shall
not covet that which is our neighbour's, nor
shall we be guilty, of any lust or intemper
ance, even in contemplation. Sincere before
God, we shall be just towards man, and
strict towards ourselves. Thus knowing the
frail and carnal temper of the heart; the
* Psalm Ixxxi. 13.

The Tenth Comniandment. 177
trials and temptations by which it is beset,
we shall learn lo combat and subdue " the
" World, the flesh, and the devil."

Such then are the duties of the Ten Com
mandments It may indeed be said, that
the Decalogue^ abstractedly considered, does
not include all Ihe moral lessons, which have
been induced. When, however, we recol
lect that our Saviour has enlarged and sanc
tified the obedience due to the moral law,
we certainly iare justified, in assigning them
a force equally extfensive and authoritative.
But morality is the language of God lo
all mankind. We Shall find it enforced, im
perfectively indeed, in the writings of many
Pagan authors, and partially known and
practised even by unlettered and barbarous
nations. Long ere the Commandments were
formally promulgated by Mose.s, we shall
discover in the eariiest pages of the Penta-

1 78 The Tenth Commandment.
tench abundant instances of these moral and
universal truths* In the Decalogue, howf
ever, these laws of Nature, or rather of Na*
lure's God, were collected and arranged.
Though already written on the hearts, of
men, it was thought meet by Almighty wis
dom, more uniformly to announce, and more
awfully confirm them ; to the end that all
mankind might be reminded of their duties,
by a renewal of those impressions, blotted
out or obscured by the idols of superstition,
or the lusts of passion *.
Under the Jewish dispensation, the re
wards were chiefly temporary. Their rites
and ceremonies, " sanctified only to the puri-
" fying of the flesh," but did not " purge the
" conscience from dead works -f." The Gos
pel hath commanded us lo deny all ungodly
and worldly lusts, and taught us to " look
*' for that blessed hope, the glorious appear-
" ing of the great God and our Saviour
* Bishop Andrews. t Heb, ix. 13, 14>

The Tenth Commandment. 179
*' Jesus Christ *." The penalty t<j the Jew
for disobedience of the moral law was the
loss of life, to the Christian it is the loss of
heaven. As, however, our reward is " far
" more exceeding," and as our duties are
more spiritual and difficult, the aids to as
sist us in performing the conditions of the
second covenant, are more spiritual, and
strengthening. Thus will " the righteous-
" ness of the law be fulfilled in us, who
" walk not after the flesh, but after the
" spirit -f."
Our Saviour came not to destroy, but to
fulfil X : and how far the moral duties of
the Decalogue are explained and expanded
in the Gospel, will very evidently appear.
If the first and second Commandments tell
us, in common with the Jews, to have and-
* Titus ii. 13, + Romans viii. 4.
+ " Or to fill up, as the Greek ^tX-n^uaan imports, be-
" cause Christ did enlarge and perfect it."
Preface to Bishop Andrews' Sermons..
5f2

180 The Tenth Commandment.
serve only one God ; the Gospel adds, that
as there is one God, " there is one Saviour,
" one Holy Ghost, one hope, one faith, one
" baptism." We are therefore enjoined to
" keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of
" peace *," and to idolize neither the images
of the hand, nor the lusts and vanities of the
heart If we are forbidden in the third Com
mandment to take God's name in vain, the
Gospel says, " SWear not at all -f-." Swear
neither falsely nor vainly. Avoid every
temptation, which may banish the fear of
God from the mind, and stain the lips with
blasphemy. The sabbath of the fourth Command
ment is strictly a Jewish sabbath ; partly ce
remonial and partly moral. We, Chris
tians, sanctify the first day of the week as
our sabbath, in memory of the rest of God
on one day out of seven, and also of our
* Eph. iv, % t Matt. V. 34.

The Tenth Commandment. \%\
blessed Saviour's resurrection on the first
day. If the Jews were restricted on their
sabbath from secular engagements. Chris
tians equally refrain from their weekly la
bours : improving, however, the institution,
by deeds of charity and innocent recreation.
^' The sabbath was made for man, and not
" man for the sabbath*." But the Christian
Sunday has a yet more spiritual and solacing
import, as typical of that rest, which awaits
the people of God from all the toils and sor-
rowof this life ;-?— a sabbath eternal in the
heavens. The fifth Commandment has received
this com.ment from our Saviour, '^ God com-
" manded, saying, honour thy father and
" mother, and he that curseth father or
" mother, let him die the death; but ye
^' say, whosoever shall say to his father or
." mother it is a gift, and honour not his
" father or mother, he shall be freef," The
* Mark ii. 27. t Matt. xv. 4, 5, 6,

182 The Tenth Commandment.
word "gift," here alludes to any offering
or vow, made for religious purposes. From •
which we learn, thai no pretended sanctity
towards God can atone for real neglect of
parents. To honour our parents, therefore,
is not only to reverence them, but afford
them, as far as we can, all the comforts and
consolations that they need. Nothing is so
dear, nothing so sacred as the name of Pa
rent " Our Father which art in heaven,"
is the form of prayer, which our Saviour
hath taught and left us. Under the title of
parents and children, the Gospel has in
cluded all the social and relative duties of
superiors and inferiors. " Fear to whom
" fear, honour to whom honour *."
The sixth Commandment has likewise
had the most awful and minute confirma
tion from our Saviour. "Ye have heard
" that it was said by them of old time, thou
" shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill,
** shall be in danger of the judgment; but
* Romans xiii, 7.

The Tenth Commandment. 183
I say unto you, whosoever is angry with
" his brother without a cause, shall be in
** danger of the judgment *." Instead of the
rage and rapine, that poUute the hand with
blood, we are told, — " love your enemies,
" bless them that curse you, do good to
" them that hate you -f."
If, in the seventh Commandment, adul
tery only is forbidden, we are cautioned in
the Gospel against all sinful concupiscence,
every impurity of thought, and word, and
deed. We are likewise enjoined lo " bring
" our bodies into subjection," and to be
" temperate in all things J."
Instead of the crime of theft, as iiiterdicted
by the eighth Commandment, as Christians
we are bound to wrong none, either by open
robbery or covert knavery : — to be content
with the blessings of our own lot and to
assist in aUeviating the wants of others.
* Matt. V. 21, 22, t Matt, v. 44,
J lCor.ix.27,25,

1 84 The Tenth Commandment.
The ninth Commandment has likewise
been enlarged an4 spiritualized by the Gosr
pel. " Not rendering railing for railing,
" but contrariwise blessing* ;" and above all
things, we are instructed, upon every occa
sion, to speak the truth, npt in bitterness,
but with charity and injustice.
The tenth Commandment, as conserva
tive, of the rest, approaches nearest the sin
cerity and purity of Christianity ; as we
there learn to watch and cleanse the heart,
to regulate its vain wishes, and correct its
deceitful and corrupting lusj;s.
Such then are the duties to God and man,
which the Commandments, with the com
ment of the Gospel, Avould inculcate. We
have, indeed, the authority of our Saviour,
not only sedulously to perform, but spe
cifically and zealously enforce the moral
law. " Whosoever," says our blessed Lord,
" shall break one of these least command-
*, 1 Pet. iii, 9.

The Tenth Commandment. 185
^* ments, and shall leach men so, he shall
" be called the least* in the kingdom of
*' heaven, but whosoever shall do and teach
" them, the same shall be called great in
" the kingdom of heaven -f."
And it is of the highest use, lo bring der
finite and forbidden practices boldly lo th^
touchstone of the Gospel. It was at St^
Paul's reasoning " of righteousness, lempe-
" ranee, and judgment," that " Felix trem-
" bled." From censures in the gross the
sinner in detail escapes : while general and
gentle admonition loo often says " peace,
" peace, where there is no peace J." The
sinfulness and hatefulness of the crime
are lost in the urbanity of the .sentence.
No darling habit is denounced, no fond
vanity aggrieved ; — all is courteous, and all
is safe. The spark does not alight upon
the individual heart and kindle up its fears ;
* " He shall not be admitted as a true member of my
*' kingdom." Whitby,
f Matt. V. 19. t Jer. vi. 14,

186 The Tenth Commandment.
nor does the conscience, at once abashed
and honest, direct its merited application — -
" Thou art the man."
Not that we would decry the value or
avoid the discussion of points of doctrine;
but they should be ever urged in union
with practice ; for as the belief of any and
every doctrine is only valuable and availing,
by its influence on the heart and life, abun
dant experience testifies the great and cer
tain danger of giving to its enunciation
loo exclusive and th eoretical a stress. The
wildest errors and the grossest sins have been
at least encouraged by zeal without know
ledge, speculative belief without practical
holiness. Faith" on the merits of a Saviour
win not avail us, nor' will the aid of the
Holy Spirit he really imparted, without
being accompanied in us by sincere repent-
ance and new obedience ; — without being
evidenced by those moral virtues, which
our blessed Master himself no less preached,
than practised. Faith may be, presumptive.

The Tenth Commandment. 187
and the visions of enthusiasm may be mis
taken for the impulse of the Holy Spirit;
but when we try the zealot by the man, the
profession by the performance, the creed
by the life, we take the only scriptural
means of ascertaining his sincerity. Other
criteria may be more easy, but none so safe ;
other tests may be more flattering lo our
vanity, and palatable to our frailty, but none
So honest. By therefore regarding mora
lity as the command of God to all mankind,
as the hinge both of the law and the pro
phets, as confirmed, enlarged, and evangeli
zed by the Gospel, as most strictly enjoined
upon our lives by our Saviour's precepts,
and most minutely realized in his own ; by
feeling this thoroughly, and fulfilling it
sincerely, though at best imperfectly, we
^hall not fail to be accepted by that Saviour,
nor shall we lose the comfort and co-opera
tion of the Divine Spirit to sanctify and per
fect our endeavours. Do we thus " make the
« cross of Christ of none effect.?"— God for
bid ! We are saved only through his atoning

188 The lenth Commandment.
merits, renewing our hearts, and directing
and purifying our lives. Christian virtues
from Christian motives, in the language of
our Articles, " are pleasing and acceptable
" to God in Christ" The propitiation of
Christ complete though it be, does not dis
pense with personal morals on our part.
The one is the efficient cause, the other the
indispensable condition of salvation. " Faith
" if it hath not works is dead *," and works
without faith are not the virtues of the
Gospel, If either be genuine, the other
cannot fail of being so. The Scriptures,
viewed as a whole, and attentively and
impartially considered, will teach us never
to separate faith from morals, the tenets
from the ethics of Christianity, They
will acquaint us, in words as awful as they
are unequivocal, that Jesus Christ " gave
^' himself for us," no less " that he might
" redeem us from all iniquity," than to
" purify unto himself a peculiar people, zea-r
" lous of good works -f ."
* James ii. 17, f Titus n. 14.

The Tenth Coinmandment. 180
With this view of the subject we shall
discover and preserve a due harmony be
tween the first and second covenants ; be
tween the moral law of Moses, and that
more merciful dispensation given by grace
through Jesus Christ. Convinced that both
are insisted upon, there we shall rest;
nor perplex ourselves and others by doubts
and cavils, which always unsettle the mind,
but seldom edify and improve either the
heart, the temper, or the conduct. In a
higher and purer state of being, faith will
be lost in sight and hope in fruition.
We shall no longer " see through a glass
" darkly." Eternal truth and wisdom will
illuminate and reconcile each " mystery
" of godliness." In the mean time, let us
not attempt to enquire " above that which
" is written." Let us only practise what
we already know, and we shall not be so
anxious and inquisitive to know more.
TliaLnks be to God, all that is essential is
plain. We cannot fail of happiness, earthly
and eternal, by humbly and entirely rely]

lug

1§6 The Tenth Coinmandment.
on the sufferings and expiation of a Saviour*^
death, and by unceasingly and sincerely
endeavouring to copy the purity and benefi
cence of his Ufe..
I shall conclude this series of Sermons
on the Ten Commandments, in the words
of one, celebrated alike for his rank and
talents, his piety and his virtues. However
imperfect, therefore, these Discourses may
be, — however unpersuasive they may. have
proved, — ^^the consolation Avill yet be left me,
that they have been brought to ^ valuable
close* Behold, then, the picture of a true
Christian character. May its remembrance^
with the blessing of God, be for ever
" written in your hearts," and idenlifi&d
with your lives.
" He, that fears the Lord of heaven
" and earth, walks humbly before him,
" thankfully lays hold of the message of
" redemption by Jesus Christ; strives
*' to express his thankfulness by the sin-

The Tenth Commandment. IQ\
" eerily of his obedience; is sorry with
" all his soul when he comes short of his
" duty ; walks watchfully in the denial of
" himself, and holds no confederacy with
** any lust or known sin ; if he falls in
" the least measure, he who is restless
" till he has made his peace by true
" repentance; he who is, true lo his pro-
" mise, just in his dealings, charitable to
" the poor, sincere in his devotions; that
" will not deliberately dishonour God, al-
" though with the greatest security of im-
" punity; he that hath his hope and his
" conversation in heaven ; he that dares
*' not do an unjust act, though never so
" much to his advantage ; and all this,
*^ because he sees Him that is invisible, and
" fears him because he loves him ; fears
" him, as well for his goodness as his great-
" ness : Such a man, whatever be his sect
" or profession, or b'y whatever religious
" name he calls himself, or is called by
" others, he hath the life of religion in
"him, and that life acts in him, and will
7

1&2 The Tenth Commandment.
" conform his soul lo the image of bis Sa-
" viour, and go along with him to eternity,
" notwithstanding his practice or non-praC-
" tice of- many indifferent things. On the
" oiiief sicV, if a man fears not the eternal
'' God, dares commit any sin with presump-
'¦' tion, can drink to excess, lie, swear vainly
" or falsely, live loosely, break his promises i
"such a man, though he practise every
" ceremony never so curiously, notwith-
** standing a thousami external confomilties,
" or zealous opposition to them, he wants the
" life of religion *."
* " The Sum of Religion, written by Sir Matthew
" ,Hale, Lord Chief Jxistibe of England." ,
Dr. Palei^t

THE END.

JPrmied hy R. nrd R. GUbert, St. John's.Siiuart, Lonilen,-

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 08844 7140

¦ .¦¦•¦¦' ¦¦¦*il*^;.-'F i- ¦¦¦¦ •!!!¦' ?4V'£!B-,,-.' :i. ;&i«. ¦'¦.'5.iX-*Kaf«s