The fourth commandment respects the time of worship ; " Remember the sabbath-day to keep it
holy." In what manner we are to keep it holy, the Prophet Isaiah teaches nsa ; " Turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable ; and honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speak- ing thine own words." But how has this day been regarded by us ? Have we conscientiously devoted it to God, and spent those sacred hours in reading, meditation and prayer ? Have we, as well by example as by precept, inculcated on our dependants a regard for the sabbath ? and have we improved it for the wel- fare of their souls as well as of our own ? alas ! have not those blessed seasons been rather wasted in worldly business, worldly company, and worldly pleasures ? Yes, it is to be feared that however we may have kept up a mere formal attendance on the external services of the Church, we have not any of us ac- counted our sabbaths a delight, or spent them in devout and holy exercises. We may rest assured however, that of every such abuse of the sabbath we shall give a strict account ; for if God has so solemnly warned us to " remember that we keep the sabbath holy," no doubt he himself will remember what regard we payed to it.
Here end the commandments of the first table, which relate to God, as those of the second table relate more especially to our neighbour ; yet not so entirely as to exclude ourselves. We proceed there- fore with them : —
The fifth commandment, " Honour thy father and thy mother," requires a becoming deportment not only towards our own immediate parents, but towards all mankind, however related to us ; our superiors, equals, and inferiors : to the first of these we owe submission ; to the two last, love and condescension. But how often have we affected independence, and refused submission to lawful authority ! How often have we envied the advancement of our equals, or exalted ourselves above them ! How often have we
a Isai. Iviii. 13.