ELEVENTH DAY.-MORNING.

'Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, Eph. v. 25.

How intimate and endearing the conjugal relation! If things are as they ought to be, and as they often are, husband and wife are one in residence, in property, in feeling, in desire, in affection. They are to each other the most valued society; and absence only makes them more sensible of the strength of the chain that binds them together. They contrive and act together, for each other's advantage and happiness. They do all they can to ward off evil, and to secure good for each other. They mutually make known their secrets, and unbosom their cares. What is lost to the one, is lost to the other; and what is gained to the one, is gained to the other. Their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, their comforts and bereavements, are mutual. Each would willingly undergo pain to relieve the other. Their distresses are alleviated by each other's sympathy; and their enjoyments are doubled by the circumstance of their being shared with the object whose happiness is dearer to each party than its own. They commune together, and read together, and pray together, for their soul's eternal welfare; they take sweet counsel together, and go into the house of God in company. Nor is the attachment lessened by time, or change of circumstances; it rather grows according to the time it has existed; and the very inroads of age and of increasing infirmities only render it more certain and more tender. And then, with what affecting interest is this relation invested by the consideration that it is for life! 'What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. A tie is formed by marriage which is only dissolved by the dissolution of one of the parties. When two thus join hands and hearts, on together they go, till death come in between them, and bid them part.

As, however, this connection is productive of so much happiness, where things are as they ought to be, so, on the other hand, how great the misery which it occasions when the proper char

And how may these dreadful evils be evaded, and the opposite advantages secured in the married state? Plainly, by the conscientious disduties are mutual, though we are, at present, charge of its duties on both sides. Most of these concerned chiefly with conjugal duties as they relate to the husband. These duties are summed up in the one word 'love.' 'Husbands, love your wives.' This should include what is commonly called love. Such love, in the rational sense of decided preference and cordial attachment, (though not in any foolish and romantic sense), is necessary to the true happiness of the married state. But in addition to this, there should be Christian love, enlightened benevolence, a wishing well in every way. Now, one peculiar feature of Christian love is that it takes the soul into account, and desires to promote the spiritual and eternal welfare of its object. This love in the most extensive sense, once kindled, should be carefully cherished. Married persons should guard against whatever would destroy, or damp it. They should leave off strife before it be meddled with;' and, if any slight misunderstanding unhappily arise, they should not follow out keenly the cause of dispute, but should drop it, and be thoroughly reconciled, as soon as possible.

The duty of love especially requires on the part of the husband, as well as of the wife, faithfulness to the marriage vow. Let no man 'deal treacherously against the wife of his youth; she is his companion, and the wife of his covenant.'

Supposing husbands to be faithful and inwardly affectionate, their love should be manifested in their words and actions, in the whole way in which they treat their wives. Let not the head become a tyrant, and quarrel with his partner for every trifle, and deny her reasonable comforts, and abuse, or grieve her, by opprobrious or unkind language, and act so overbearing a part to her, as shall at all events, render her life unhappy, and as may even break her heart, and shorten her days. Where is he that is guilty of conduct so inhuman? Let him stand forward, if not to the hiss and execration of the community, at least as a beacon to others; and let the husband that cannot now bear even to think of such conduct beware of all approaches to it.

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Epistle to the Hebrews. The apostle there treats of the weekly sabbath, the day of rest to be observed by every human being, and of Cannan, the earthly rest provided for the Israelites as a nation, and of both these as a figure of the eternal rest of heaven. If Jesus,' that is, Joshua, had given them rest,' perfect and perpetual rest, 'then would God not afterwards have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest,' a sabbatism, or keeping of a sabbath, to the people of God.' They who have believed do enter into rest;'believers have rest and peace in Christ; they have rest even in this life, in comparison of the wicked to whom there is no peace, and who are like the troubled sea that cannot rest. But still, their rest 'remaineth,' perfect rest is in store for them in glory; and of this the sabbath of earth in every sense, is a type. Heaven is perfect and eternal rest from labour, sorrow, and sin. Let, then, every day of sacred rest here lead forward our thoughts, our faith, and our hope, to the eternity of rest hereafter. Let us tremble at the idea of coming short of that rest. 'Let us fear, lest a promise being left of us entering in, any of us should seem to come short of it.' Let us labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.' Let us comply with the invitation to come to Christ, and he will give us rest even now. Let us give all diligence to acquire a meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. In particular, ht us hail the weekly sabbath with gladness; let us improve it to the utmost, as a preparation for the rest that still remains for us; and let it Continually keep us in mind of that blissful and glorious state of which it is so instructive and so pleasing an emblem. Dear to us be its opening, its closing, and its every hour: and may the Lord bless to us abundantly the meditation of this present evening.

EIGHTH DAY.-MORNING.

Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, Exod. xx. 12.

THE important place assigned to the commandment relating to the duties which children owe to their parents, (for it is placed the first in the second table of the moral law, and next to the commandments which enjoin piety to God himself) is, no doubt, intended to show us the great im

most generally and fully concerned with this commandment, because, in most instances, their parents are alive, and they are usually most dependent on them; it becomes us all to remember that its duties do not cease at any age. Though we may be considerably advanced in life ourselves, yet, if we are so happy as to have both, or either, of our parents spared with us, we are still bound, and should still delight, to cultivate every filial affection, and to discharge every filial duty, as scripture may direct, and circumstances require and permit. The word 'honour' is very fitly and happily chosen, as it is so definite and so strong as to be quite intelligible, and to command attention, and yet so comprehensive as to include all the duties. This commandment is justly viewed as intended to regulate the reciprocal duties of all different classes, in their several relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals. We shall, however, confine our thoughts, at present, to the duties of children to their parents. Of these duties the following are some of the chief.

I. Reverence, or respect. We have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence,' Heb. ix. 9. 'A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master,' Mal. i. 6. Suppose parents have weaknesses and faults, their children should not notice these with pleasure, or with bitterness. They should never think or speak of, or treat their parents with contempt. If parents have estimable qualities, filial affection will recognise these with delight.

II. Obedience. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right,' Eph. vi. 1. 'Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord,' Col. iii. 20. Let us observe the extent of this duty; it should be in all things,' 'in the Lord,' that is, in every thing lawful.

III. Attention to their instruction. Parents are enjoined to teach the things of God diligently to their children,' and 'to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' But, on the supposition that parents are qualified and must be a corresponding readiness to receive indisposed to do this, in order to success there struction. My son, hear the instruction of thy

father, and forsake not the law of thy mother; for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.'

IV. Love. This is due to all, even to our enemies. But the precept of love applies here with singular force. Our hearts must be steeled against every thing that is good, if they are not deeply

These are the strongest reasons why we should attend to all these duties to our parents. We should honour our parents,

1. Because it is the express command of God. Not to advert to other precepts, the fifth commandment is peculiarly positive and solemn. Had we no reason but this, it ought to be enough.

2. We should honour our parents, because it is a debt of gratitude due to them. If we have any ingenuous feeling at all, this motive will be irresistible. What have they felt, and suffered, and done for us! What care and kindness did they exercise over us in infancy and childhood! How many restless nights have we cost them! As they sat by our bed-side, or hung over us in our sickness, how did their eyes fill with tears, and their hearts with unutterable tenderness! How have they denied themselves in many respects, that we might want for nothing! And how did they labour and pray for our everlasting welfare! Shall we, then, act an ungrateful, cruel, and undutiful part to such friends as these! Shall we behave so as to grieve those who have so loved us, and to bring down their gray hairs with sorrow to the grave? God forbid! We can never altogether repay them; but let us study to do so in as far as we can.

3. We should honour our father and mother, because of the promise annexed: 'that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' 'Honour thy father and thy mother, (which is the first commandment with promise), that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth,' Eph. vi. 2. Dutiful children, by their very dutifulness, are kept out of the way of many evils, have a special promise of God's blessing, and, in so far, are in the likely way to prosperity and long life. All temporal promises, indeed, are conditional, and the particular promise specially annexed to the fifth commandment is to be viewed as made only in so far as it shall be for God's glory and

Let disobedient children repent, ask forgiveness of God for the Saviour's sake, and grieve their parents no more. Let those who are on the whole dutiful to their parents feel admonished to consider wherein they are deficient, that they may supply it; and let them habitually, cheerfully, and affectionately study to promote, in every way, the happiness of those from whom, under God, they derive their existence, and to whom they are bound by the strongest ties of nature and of religion.

EIGHTH DAY.-EVENING.

'But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father, or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition,' Matt. xv. 5, 6.

In the extensive range of meaning to be assigned to the word honour' in the fifth commandment, we must remember that it includes the duty of contributing to maintain. So the word signifies in other cases; as in the passage, 'Honour widows that are widows indeed,' 1 Tim. v. 3, 16. Children may generally be said to have nothing but what belongs to their parents, having either received everything from them, or been greatly indebted to them for the means of procuring it. Reason and the common feelings of nature combine in teaching, that to neglect one's parents when they are in distress and poverty, is most inhuman. As for scripture, it enjoins the duty of relieving them: in the strongest terms. What is included in this respect, in the word 'honour,' is plainly and fully expressed in 1 Tim. v. 4, 16, if any widow have children, or nephews, (grandchildren,) let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents; for that is good and acceptable before God.' If any man or woman that believeth have widows (really destitute,) let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.' If their parents stand in need of it, it is the duty of children to minister to their wants, and afford them pecuniary assis tance, according to their ability.

The incumbency of this duty is also insisted on by our Lord, in the passage before us this

evening. He had brought forward against the Scribes and Pharisees the general charge of transgressing the commandments of God by their traditions; and here he substantiates a particular example. The law of God enjoining filial duty was express, and it was enforced on the Jews by the most awful sanctions; but their blind guides found an expedient by which it might be quite evaded. The Scribes and Pharisees taught, 'Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift,' (Mark vii. 11, 'Corban') 'by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free;' (in Mark) And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother.' Some are of opinion, that this means, that it was taught that a man by simply having made a vow that he would not give anything to his parents, was thereby religiously released, nay, bound up from doing so. And, no doubt, this idea is involved. But on the whole, and especially when it is considered that the Hebrew word Corban signified any offering, any thing given, devoted, or consecrated to God by a worshipper in approaching him; the meaning of this seems to be, that these teachers inculcated, that if any man chose to devote any part of his substance, or what he could spare, to the sacred treasury, he was free from the duty of assisting his parents, nay, it then became sin in him to assist them. That was entirely reversing the maxim, God will have mercy, and not (or rather than) sacrifice.' It was like what became so common under the great apostacy from pure Christianity, namely, giving or bequeathing property to the church, or to religious houses; and charitable endowments, under the influence of superstition, or terror of conscience, or in the expectation of thereby purchasing salvation, while the calls of ordinary benevolence, and the just claims of near relations were Deglected. In some countries, a great part of the land had in this way fallen into the hands of the Romish priests. In the charters making over these gifts, this was a common form,- For my own salvation, for the salvation of my predecessors, for the salvation of my successors, and for the salvation of my wife, &c., I give and bequeath to God and the church,' &c. This was always a complete supplanting of the scriptural doctrines of the atonement, faith, and justification, and often a sinful neglect of the claims of relations and friends. Monastic vows fall justly under the same condemnation, as amounting, in all cases, to a dereliction of the duties owing to the public, and, in many cases, to a cruel disregard and desertion of parents and other relations. Of all such

excuses for neglecting one's parents, it may be truly said, that they are not piety, but superstition and injustice, and displeasing to God. 'I hate robbery for burnt-offering,' saith the Lord. What hypocrisy or delusion must influence those who can hold that it is in their power so to bind themselves by a vow, as that they shall not be able, without great sin, to do what the law of God requires, and that their vow must stand, though his law should be thereby made void!

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Let such notions be far from children professing godliness. Let them beware, too, of what are much more frequent causes of such cruel neglect in our day, thoughtless extravagance, and base selfishness: for there are too many who will not live frugally, or deny themselves in any respect, but who will have their own desires gratified, though their parents should be pining in neglected age and want. Instead of this, let us, if our parents are in need of pecuniary aid, cheerfully render it, in so far as we have it in our power, other claims of equal urgency being attended to. Let us also remember that there are other ways of promoting their comfort which we should carefully adopt. One of these is, a discreet, wise, pious, and virtuous conduct. 'A wise son maketh a glad father,' says Solomon, son is the heaviness of his mother.' My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.' There are various kinds of attention too, which the truly filial disposition will suggest, and the truly parental heart will appreciate. If they do not live in the same family with us, we should, if possible, see them frequently. We should study to promote their bodily comfort. should, with that respect which is due to the relation they bear to us, affectionately encourage them to attend to the things which belong to their everlasting peace. We should cheer them with our company and conversation. We should patiently and kindly bear with their infirmities. We should nurse and comfort them in pain and sickness; and do all we can to enliven and brighten the cloudy evening of their days.

Me, let the tender office long engage
To rock the cradle of reposing age;

With lenient arts extend a mother's breath,
Make languor smile, and smooth the bed of death.

NINTH DAY.-MORNING.

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The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it,' Prov. xxx. 17.

WE are here called on to meditate on the character and the doom of the undutiful child.