ij. We shew honour to oiu' heavenly Fa- ther, hy suffering: disliononr, yea, death for his sake. St. Paul did hear in his hody the " marks of the Lord Jesus," Gal. vi. 17. As they were the marks of honour to him, so trophies of honour to the gosj)el. Tiie honoiU' which comes to God, is not hy hring- ing that outward ]tomp and glory to hin), which we do to kings, hut it comes in ano- ther way, hy the suffering of his ])eople ; they let the world see what a good God tliey serve, and how they love him, and will hght under his hanncr to the death. Thus you see how we are to honour our heavenly Fa • ther: (Jod is " worthy of honour," Ps. civ. 1., " Thou art clothed with honour and majesty." What arc all his attrihutcs hut glorious beams shining from this sun ? lie deserves more honour than men or angels can give him. 2 Sam. xxii. 4., " I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to he praised." God is worthy of honour. Oftentimes we confer honour upon them that do not de- Kcrvo it; many noble ])ersons we give titles of honour to, who are sordid and vicious, they do not deserve honour, but God is woi-- thy of honour. Neh. ix. 5 , " Blessed be tliy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessings and praise !" He is above all the accliimations and triumjdis of the arch- angels. O til n, let every true child of God honour his heavenly Father ! Though the wicked disliononr l.iin by their fliigitious lives, yet let not his own children dishonour liini. Sins in you are worse than in others ; a fault in a stranger is not so nmcli taken notice of, as a iault in a child; a spot in l)lack cloth is not so much observed, but a spot in scarlet, every one's eye is upon it; n sin in the v.icked is not so mueh wonder- ed at, it is a spot in black, but a sin in a child of CJod, here is a spot in scarlet ; this is more visible, and brings an odium and dishonour upon the gosjicl. Tiic sins of God's own cliihiren go nearer to his heart : Dcut. xxxii. 19., "When the Lord saw it
he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters." O forbear doing any thing that may reflect dishonour u|)on God ! Will y()u disgrace your heaven- ly Father ? Let not 3od complain of the pro- vocations of his sons and daughters ; let him not cry out, as Isa. i. 2., '• I have nourished and lirought nj) children, and they have re- belled against me." So much for the first; if our earthly father be to be honoured, tlien mueh more our heavenly.
Use 2(1. Exhortation. First Branch. Doth God. command, " honour thy father and thy mother?" Then let it exhort children to ])ut this great duty in practice ; be living commentaries ujion this commandment. Honour and reverence your parents ; not only obey their commands, but submit to their rebukes : you cannot honour your Fa- ther in heaven, unless you honour your earthly parents ; to deny obedience to ]>a' rents, cjitails God's judgments upon chil- dren, Prov. XXX. 17., " The eye that mock- eth 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." Eli's two disobedient sons were slain, I Sam. iv. 11. God made a law that the rebellious son should be stoned : the same death the blasphemer had. Lev. xxiv. 14. Deut. xxi, 18., " If a man have a stubborn and rebel- lious son, Avhich will not obey the yoicc of his father, or the voice of his mother; then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of the city, and all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that lie die." A father once complaining, ' Never had a father a worse son than I have:' ' Yes,' said the Son, ' my grandfather had,' — a jirodigy of impudence that can hardly ])aralleled. ^ian- lius, when he was grown old and poor, and had a son ycry rich, the old father desired some food of him, but the son denied him relief', yea, disclaimed him from being his father, and sent him away with rej)roach- ful hinguage. The poor old lather let tears fall (as witnesses of his grief.) But God, to reyengc this disobedience, struck this unnatural son with madness, of which he could never be cured. Disobedient children stand in the place where all God's arrows fly.
OF THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
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Second "Brancli. Let pjirciits so carry it, tini>-, both in tlioir minority, and when tlioy astbey may piin hononr from their clilldren. eonjc to niutiuity, 2 Cor. xii. 11., " Tho Quest. Hoiv may parents so carry to- cliildren oui^ht not to lay up for tlie parents,
wards their cliildren^ that their child rtn may wiUin^'ly pry the debt of honour and reverence to their parents ?
Ans. If you would have your children honour you,