HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 1-3.-The duUes of children to parents. There is a beautiful and appro• priate simplicity in the counsel here addressed to children. Their duties are founded in nature. 'l'hey derive their being from their parents; they are fed by them ; they are trained by them for the duties of life. I. THEm DUTY IS BUMMED UP IN THE ONE WORD "OBEDIENCE.'' But it includes four important elements. 1. Love. This is au instinctive feeling, but it is not the less a comma.nded duty, for it is the spring of all hearty obedience. It makes obedience easy. Yet we are not to love our parents more tha.n the Lord; we are rather to love them in the Lord. 2. Honour. This is only another form of obedience: "Honour thy father and thy mother." Children are never to set light by their parents (Deut. xxvii. 17); "A son honoureth his father" (Mai. i. 6); "Thou she.It rise up before the hoary head, and hononr the face of the old man" (Lev. xix. 32). God has, indeed, given his own honour to parents. We may not always be called to obey them, but we are always to honour them. "Hearken unto thy father that bega.t thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old" (Prov. x.xiii. 22). This honour is allied to reverence: " We have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, a.nd we gave them reverence" (Heh. xii. 9). 3. G-ratitwie. It is onr duty to requite our parents (1 'l'im. v. 4), and our Lord implies that we a.re to do them good (Me.tt. xv. 4). We ought to remember their love, their care, their concern for us. Joseph provided for his father Jacob in old age, and the women said to Naomi of Boaz, "He shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age." 4. Subfection. "Children, obey your parents in oil things;" that is, in all things falling within the sphere of a parent's authority. If parents command their children to steal, or lie, or commit idolatry, they are not to be obeyed. They are to be obeyed "in the Lord." There are several reasons to make obedience natural. (1) Parents know more than their children; therefore "a wise son heareth his father's instruction" (Prov. xiii. 1). The child must take much of his knowledge for granted on the mere authority of his father. (2) 'l'he habit of obed,cnce is good as a discipline. It is even good for the health of a child, as a desultory and dawdling obedience breaks its temper and injures its health. (3) Children a.re not able to guide themselves; for" folly is bound up in the heart of n child" (Prov. n:ii.15). ( 4) Society is benefited by the due subordination of family life. II. THE REASON OF ODEDIENOE ASSIGNED IN Tms PASSAGE IS SIMPLY "FOR THIS IS RIGHT," It is right (1) according to the light of nature; (2) according to the Law of God, " It is well-pleasing unto the Lord" (Col. iii. 20). It is embodied in the Decalogue, and holds the first place among the duties of the second table, and" is the first command- ment with promise "-the promise or a long life. '!'his implies (1) that the fifth com- mandment is still binding on the Christians of this dispensation; (2) that long life is to be desired ; (3) that disobedience to parents tends to shorten lifP. 'l'here may be undutiful children who live to old age, ancl dutiful children who die young, but tho promise a.bides in its general purpose. It is like the saying, "'l'he hand of th_e ,liligcnt maketh rich," yet diligent persons have felt tho bitteruess of poverty. Cl11lJ.ren are therefore justified in having regard firstly to the comrunnd of God, and then to the recompense of the reward.-'!', C, Ver. 4.-Duties of parents, They nro horo summarily expressed, first in a nega.tivo and then in e. positive form. I. THERE MUST DE INSTRUCTION. "Train up n child in the way ho should go." Parents must not sufl'cr them to grow up without instruction, ns lloussenu suggested, because not to teach religion is to teach impiety ailll infiuclity; not to teach truth is to 266 THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE EPHESIANS. [ea. VL 1-24.
teach em.'IT. 1. Jn v,}iat pri'.ricipl6S P (1) In the principles of the Divine Word, which are able t~, make the younge,;t " wise unto salvation" (2 'l'im. iii. 15). "Desire the sincere milk d the Word, t-hat ye may grow thereby " (1 Pet, ii. 2). This is counsel for babes. (:?) Tn1<h them they are ~inners. (3) Lead them to Christ ns the Saviour, and pray th,1t the Lord may place his hands of power nud blessing upon the littlo ones, as he did when ,,n earth. (4) Train them in habits of piety, church-going, and religious action. ~- In 1chat manner? (1) Early, like Timothy; (2) gradually (Deut. vi. 6-9) • (3) patiently (Deut. vi. 20-23); (4) lovingly; (5) by ex.ample-your own example' and Scripture examples ; (6) prayerfully. ' II. THERE MUST BE DISCIPLINE. 1. Children soon manifest a corrupt and selfish nature, for folly is bound up in their hearts; therefore they need correction (Heb. xii. 9). 2. Parents must isolate them by their personal authority from evil or evil com- panions or temptations to evil. 3. Parents must use discipline with due discretion; they must not" provoke their children to wrath, lest they be discouraged" (1) by unreasonable commands; (2) by undue severity; (3) by exhibitions of auger. llL ENCOURAGEllEl<"TS OR MOTIVES TO THE FAITHFUL DISCHARGE OF PARENTAL DUTY. L The promise: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when· he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. x:rii. 6). 2. We shall have the interests of eternity secured early in life. 3. We shall thus restrain them from many follies and sinful habits which wonld othenvise be the burden and curse of their after life. 4. We shall be promoting our own happiness and comfort in old age. 5, We shall be shaping the desticies of future generations.-'.r. C.