The Portland daily press., 1874-03-16
SUNDAY SERVICES.
ST. PAuL's CHURCH.

| thy God gveth thee
This commandment stands at the head of the
socond table and the honorable place assigned
| 70 IL was doubtless intended to point out the
| ;nportance of the duties it enforces.
In its broadcast sense the commandment is in.
tended to regulate the reciprocal dnties of all
classes in their several relations, as superiors
equals aud interiors, giving, as usual an in.
stance of it in the duties of children to parents
Various are the relations existing among men
of which some are natural and others conven.
tional.
The duties resulting from these various rela-
tions are all included in this comprehensive
precept. In other parts of the sacred record
they are drawn out more at large, and dwell
upon in inmate detail, and this because of theil
intimate connection with social order and hap
piness.
Filial duty is related as the example of al
other correlative duties, because parental au.
thority is the first recognized IN the world, and
is the basis of all civil government. 1t is of the
obligations aud duties of children to parents
that shall speak now. Filial duty here is ex-
pressed by the word honor" 1t is "a term pc
culiarly significant and comprehensive, EN-
bracing under many particulars the whole
range of that duty, as reverence or respect
love, attention TO parental instruction. obedi-
ence, and parental maintenance.
Easy as it was for the people of that age in
which this precept was given to render honor
10 the father, the other part of the precept
claiming equal honor for the mother was hard
ly possible among any other of the Oriental ma
tons except the Jews.
However natural it was for SOC to love his
mother, yet it was hardly possible for him to
cherish honor and respect for one whom he saw
degraded to the condition of slave to her hus-
band-''the instrument of his pleasure, the tool
of his will the victim of his passions-rarely
the bosom friend, the soothing companion, the
gentle counsellor"
How widely different was the position of
woman among the Israeltes. The Hebrew
matron was lat least according to the principle
of the Mosaic law an honored woman.
She was looked upon as one whom God might
have chosen as the future mother of their Mes
sah; and thus the legal obligation under which
the Hebrew rested, to honor his mother as well
as his father, was one, and not the least of
those many distinguishing points which mark
ed him out as a member of "chosen genera
ton peculiar people among the nations of the
EARTH"
1t is further worthy of note as marking the
equal honor due to father and mother alike
that while IN the first PRONUNCIATION of this law
precedence is given to the father by naming
him first in the reiteratiOn of it on other occa-
sons the order is reversed, and she who was
second there stands first here.
What is the foundation of this principle of
filial piety as embracing all those particulars
included in that comprehensive word, to hon
or? 1t lies in this, because your pareats are
the very symbol or image of God Himself to
you their children. They are the representa-
tive image of His creative power, in that to
them, after God, you owe your very being.
They are to you the image of God's providence
and benefcence, for to them you owe nurture
and protection, support and guidance To these
ends they spend days of patient toll and nights
of anxious thought.
How easy the transition of reverent, respect
full child towards an earthly parent to rever-
ent man toward the greater father in heaven of
whom the earthly parent is only the image and
type. This veneration and respect for father
and mother, beginning in the affectiOnate heart
of the child, finds expression in outocard acts
There will be no exhibition of temper at paren
tai reproof-no manifestation of contempt at
the discovery of parents weaknesses-no bitter
words at his faults-no exposing to public view
even parents Uices. God has placed in the
human breast an instinct of veneration for a
parent, and it should be our highest care to
cherish and not to destroy it. "My father said
so - is the final argument of a little child
In the family we find the type of all govern
ment, civil and ecclesiastical. The child in
whom has been cultivated proper feelings tow
ards his earthly father as one in whom are
united the ideas of authority and protection
anu IfleUuIy care Will l6drl more easily 10 CQer
ish sentiments of holy fear, veneration and love
towards God the Great Father and Protector
and Friend of all. Thus will he rise from the
second table of the law to the first He will
learn almost naturally to venerate that rever-
end name; never to utter it with irreverence OF
offer any affront to His governing authority or
undue familiarity. The reverent dutifu, low
ing child is very near the kingdom of heaven,
The transition is easy and natural The trans
fer of the affections from an earthly to a heay-
emily parent of loyalty from an earthly ruler to
heavenly, is less difficult.
1t is easy to mark the steps of this gradual
progress from filial duty up to the higher level
of the first table, of piety to God, in child
who is religiously brought up. Every duty of
life, however humble. is converted into an act
of pety to God by performing it promptly and
faithfully because be has commanded it.
child's affection to loving parent is a nat
ural feeling. Sometimes, however, the temp
tation to parental disobedience is stronger than
natural affection, and may break through that
strong barrier.
But when the command of God comes in, as
explained by the apostle-'children obey youl
parents in the Lord, for this is right and the
fear and the shame to offend Him iuterpose
the weight of his authority and the dread of in
curing his displeasure and thus overpower the
influence of strong temptation and of corrupt
nature and prompt to filial obedience, the act
then rises into higher sphere and becomes in
the highest sense an act of Christian obedience.
mandment, inclades the duty of maintenance
and tender care in age and decay. This is evil
dent from st. PauPs counsel TO Timothy Il.
Tim. v, ~: eff any widow have children = n
let them learn first to show pety at home, and
| to requte the parents, for that is good and &C
ceptabe before God" The binding obligation
of this duty was clearly taught by our Divine
Lord
But the spirit of this command goes beyond
the mere giving of pecuniary aid to parents
| Ind co11 xs,,1 la1,
lions which the truly tiial heart will prompt,
and which are SO graceful in the young towards
| the aged and infrm-cheering them with your
presence and conversation; or if absent, fire.
quent and cheerful correspondence; patient
and forbear3g indulgence to their infirmites
gentle care and tenderness in sickness and pain
aud in prayers to the Great Father in Heaven
that He would shower down his richest bless
ings on their heads, tius smoothing and lighting
/ up their way down into the DARK Valley.
| The blessing attached to this command to fl
| ial pety as motive to its observance is supple
mented in other parts of Holy Scripture by a
heavy penalty to its breach. Cursed be he
that setteth light by his father or mother; and
the people shall say amen" Deut. xvii, 16.
| LII the Jewish code, obstinate rebellion against
parental authority was punished Qike bias
| phemy against Cody with DEATH st. Paul
seems to recognize 1.-THE affinity between the
two vices by the arrangement of the offenders
'blasphemers, disobedieDt to parents. Though
|
sity of the united testimony Of both father and
mother, to the conviction of the offender
seems to have prevented the commission of the
crime, or the proof of the guilt, (for do no
+, recollect of a single instance in the whole sa
cred history, where the law was executed)
| Yet the wise man has given US the fate Of
parental disobedience and disrespect, as brough
about by the divine interpOsition, where tn,
| penalty has not been inflicted by the judgmen
of a'human tribunal. "The eye that mockett
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, Prov xxx II
The tragical death of the sons of Eli thu
| High Priest is a terrible example of the inflic
ton of the penalty of this law by the direc
| Interference of Him who ordained it, and veri
| fes the words of the wise man.
The miserable fate of Absalom is another
example. The accarsed memory of the would
be parricide is still perpetuated. That lofty
cone-shaped monument, the pillar of Absalom
still stands on one of the slopes of Noun
! Olives Against it the Jews still throw stone,
whenever they pass it. "How awful and last
| ing monument to the eyes of men is tn,
grave of this undutiful son" which has beer
marked by custom that has probably beer
continued through the centuries all along since
his burial there.
There ere also many beautiful instances oil
| fiial honor recorded on the sacred page. Solo
mon rose up from his throne to receive hi
mother, and bowed himself unto he
and nlaced her with hio hest homo,