confidered, on this account, as a valuable friend, and a very defirable connection.

And now let each of my readers afk himself, how far he has fulfiled this law of God, remembering alfo, that it ought to be interpreted, as including all the various relative duties between man and man.

First then, have you set out in infancy, with honoring your parents, both by your conduct and in your heart; neither difobeying them to their face, nor making light of them behind their back? Have you never grudged them fecretly the obedience you feemed to pay, nor been in hafte to affert your independence as you were growing up? If you have loft at an early age the blefling of parents, have you fubmitted, in like manner, to thofe whom God's providence has put in their place, obeying your "tep-father or ftep-mother, your elder brother or fifter, uncle or aunt? In more advanced life, have you perfevered as the duty of entire fubmiffion leffened, to fhew to each of thofe all due deference and refpe&t? In their old age have you endeavoured to repay them by your affection and watchful attention, as well as by your bounty, if they needed it, for all their care and tendernefs, and liberality to you in your infancy and youth? Are you ufed to honor all your various relations in their due degrees? Have you fubmitted yourfelf to your teachers and inftructors, to your fpiritual paftors and mafters, ordering yourself lowly and reverently to all

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your betters? And, further, is it your practice to fubmit to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake, to honor the king, to obey magiftrates, not accuftoming yourself to speak difrefpectfully of them, nor rafhly cenfuring them in thofe things which you do not understand? If you are a fervant, do you obey your mafter, not rudely anfwering again, and "not with eyefervice only as pleafing men, but God who trieth the heart?"

How beautiful is the order of fociety, when each, according to his place, and in the juft degrce, pays willing honor to his fuperiors, and when the fuperiors regularly fulfil their feveral parts alfo: when the people reverence the king, and the king governs well the people: when the children every where are feen honoring their parents, and the parents fulfil their duty to the children: when fervants are prompt to obey their masters, and mafters deal kindly with their fervants: when wives alfo and hufbands, when brothers and fillers, when partners in business, when high and low, rich and poor, according to the feveral ranks which God has established in fociety when landlord and tenant, master and workmen, minifter alfo and people, inftead of each proudly pufhing himself into the chair of his fuperior, fits down fatisfied with his own place, and endeavours humbly and thankfully, and in the fear of God, to fulfil all the duties of it!

SIXTH COMMANDMENT.

"Thou shalt not kill."

This Commandment is fometimes rendered, "Thou shalt do no murder;" and very properly, for all killing is not intended to be forbidden, though all murder is. Killing has, in fome cafes, been not only allowed, but even required in Scripture. Thus, for inftance, it is written in the Levitical law; "Whofo fheddeth man's blood, by man fhall his blood be fhed;" and the putting of a murderer to death, by the regular magiftracy, after a fair trial, is undoubtedly a means of preventing murder in general.

Murder means, the putting a person to death through deliberate malice; a crime which our very nature teaches us to view with great horror; . but to kill a perfon by ftriking him in a paffion, without intending his death, or to kill another in a duel, or in a private battle, cfpecially if we have been the aggreffors, carries, no doubt, in it much of the guilt of murder in the fight of God. To let a perfon perifh through neglect, whofe life has been entrusted to us, as the life of a child is to a nurfe, as that of all the patients in an hofpital is to the apothecary or physician, well deferves alfo the name of murder.

I would here take occafion to notice the great fin of felf-murder. We have no right over our own lives any more than over the lives of others, for we belong to God and not to ourselves; and we are exhorted in Scripture to bear even the

heavieft afflictions with patience and refignation to the will of our heavenly Father, who appoints our trials for us.

It may be proper, in this place, to remark, that the enacting of laws, which are too fanguinary in their nature, and also the entering into, or encouraging of wars, which are vindictive and unjuft, is unquestionably a breach of this commandment.

But we mult now proceed a fep further. Not only to kill is to be confidered as forbidden by this law, but also to injure, or to intend to injure. This law forbids thofe evil and angry paffions which are the feeds of murder. Cain firft envied his brother, and after that he murdered him. The Pharifees firft hated Chrift, and after that they were the means of his being put to death. Whofo hateth his brother," fays the apoftle, "is a murderer." Our Saviour allo finds fault with the Pharifees for explaining this Commandment fo loosely as they did; and then proceeds to warn his Difciples not even "to be angry with their brother without a caufe."

But again! this Commandment may be confidered as not only forbidding injuries, but as commanding good-will. Chrift our Saviour not only did not go about wounding and injuring men, and putting them to death, but he went about befriending them, and doing them good: and we fhould, according to our opportunity, 'go and do likewife.

Let us, then, examine ourselves fully respecting this Commandment; for many are apt to fancy, that having never literally been fo wicked as to kill any one, they have therefore no concern in it. Let us bear in mind, that we muft not only not kill, but that we must not intend to kill; that we muft not only not hurt, but that we must not wifh to hurt; and that, although therefore we fhould be fitting in. our private rooms, and not faying or doing any thing, yet if any fecret thoughts are indulged in our minds, which are to the prejudice of our neighbour; if we are allowing ourselves to indulge the leaft ill-will to him, we are by no means clear of the fin of breaking this Commandment. Let us reflect alfo, that when one thing is forbidden in Scripture, the thing contrary to it may often be confidered as commanded. When injuring is forbidden, doing kindneffes, therefore, may be understood to be commanded. Inftead of prejudicing our neighbour, do we then delight in doing him fervice? "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law, for this thou fhalt not kill." Do we then fhew love to our neighbour? Do we then feel a tender concern never to hurt any one by word or deed; never to give even to the meaneft of our fellow-creatures the fmalleft degree of needlefs pain and forrow? Do we confider it as a part of our bufinefs in life to fupport the weak, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, according to our ability, and alfo to com