THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.
"HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER, THAT THOU MAYEST BE LONG-LIVED UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD WILL GIVE THEE." [1]
THE preceding commandments, having God as their imme- diate end, take precedence in order as well as in dignity and importance; but those which follow, although ultimately referred to God as the end contemplated in the love of our neighbour, have for their immediate object to instruct us in the duty of " loving our neighbour, and, therefore, deservedly hold the next place. Hence our Lord himself has declared, that these two commandments, which inculcate the love of God and of our neighbour, are like unto each other. [2] The advantages arising from a faithful observance of this commandment can scarcely be expressed in words, bringing with it, as it does, not only its own fruit, and that in the richest abundance and of superior excellence, but also affording a test of the sincerity of our love for God: " He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth," says St. John, "how can he love God whom he seeth not?" [3] In like manner, if we do not honour and reverence our parents whom we see, how can we honour or reverence God, the su preme and best of parents, whom we see not? and hence the obvious analogy and accordance of both commandments.
The application of this commandment is of very great latitude: besides our natural parents, there are many others whose power, rank, usefulness, exalted functions, or office, entitle them to parental honour. It also lightens the labour of parents and superiors: amongst the duties which devolve on them, the principal one is to mould the lives of those who are placed under their care, according to the maxims of the divine law , and the performance of this duty must be considerably facilitated, if it be universally felt, that to honour parents is an obligation, sanctioned and commanded by no less an authority than that of God himself. To impress the mind with this truth, it will be found useful to distinguish the commandments of the first from those of the second table. This distinction, therefore, the pastor will first explain, and will accordingly teach that the divine precepts of the Decalogue were written on two tables, one of which, in the opinion of the Holy Fathers, contained the three preceding, the other the remain-
