Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-06-23
&eadiua far the Sabbath,
CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
(Original ]
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

[orglna
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.
The decalogue is apparently, if not really,
divided into two parts. The first four CON-
mandments have special reference to our duty
to God and in the last six we are taught
what duties we owe to our fellow men.
In the fifth commandment, which is the
FIRST of the second division, the duties of chill
lren to parents are all comprehended in the
words, "honor thy father and mother"
The order of the several precepts of the
moral law are worthy of our consideration.
That which is first in Importance and In the
order of nature, is placed first in the arrange
ment. Every one is not accustomed to take
common sense view of this subject. There
are not few persons who regard the relation
ship which subsists between parents and their
children as the same in every respect, ahd
nothing more than that which subsists be-
tween the lowest order of the brute beasts
and their young. Over their offspring they
exercise about as much control as COW does
over her calf, and their children have about
as much love and respect for them as two
yearold calf has for its mother. Such pa.
rents raise children and increase the numer.
ical strength of the human family. The
same may be said of wolves. These prowling
creatures multiply and replenish the earth,
but it is with wolves.
God, in his wisdom, has established rela.
tionship between parents and their offspring,
which is never disregarded but with the most
fearful consequences. God has so ordered it
that every child that is born into the world
is absolutely dependent Of all the creatures
of God, nothing is so helpless as newborn
babe. The only thing that it can do is to cry
for assistance. This hel elplessness continues ;
not for few days, but for years. For pbysic-
al growth the babe is dependent upon its
mother.
By the ordinance of heaven, parents are
bound to make certain provisions for their
children. They must furnish them food.
This, however, is no more than the birds do
for their young. Human parents must do
more for their children than old birds do for
their young ones. 1t must be admitted that
many parents might "go to the ants" and
learn lessons of wisdom concerning the tenn
porsl support of their children. 1t is sad
fact that multitudes of parents, in this favor
ed land of ours, Go not provide for their of:
spring comfortable support. Of such par
ents Paul says, "they have denied the faith." P"
Besides furnishing their offspring with food
and raiment, parents are bound by God to
bring their children up in the nurture and ad-
monition of the Lord The character Of ev-
cry civil government is fixed; not by the
character of its senators and legislators, but
by the manner in which the majority of the
parents in the territory over which the gov
ernment has Jurisdiction, train their children.
The family is the beginning point of both
Church and State Every social and civil
institution is quickened into life around the
6reside. The mothers in every country rule
the country. Not by advocating womans
rights in the forum or in the pulpit but by
teaching their sons and daughters the princi.
Piles of sound morality, beneath their own Sc.
cluded roofs. 1t is at home that woman's in
fuence is exerted. Her subjects are her own
children. There is but one power in the uni
verse greater for good than that of mothers,
and that is Almighty power; and then there
is but one power greater than mothers for
evil, and that is "the power Of the Prince of
the Air." Among the first duties which pa
rents are required to teach their children, is
to render honor to their superiors in age in
position, and in dignity and worth.
By law ofour nature, Difference is due by
the young to the old. However wise the
young may be, there are still many things
which the old have learned by experience, Of
which they are profoundly ignorant. Besides
this, there is dignity about an honorable old
age which nothing but brute can disregard.
By the laws Of society, some men are called
to occupy positions of honor and trust. Pa.
rents should teach their children to respect
these men for the position which they occupy.
One of the evils of our American form of
government is that it has a tendency to en-.
courage the speaking evil of dignitaries. No
man, from the chief magistrate to the humb.
lest officer in the republic, escapes. Beardess
boys speak contemptuously of judges, and
would not hesitate to bring up accusations
against these dignitaries which Michael, the
archangel, dared not bring against the devil.
Jude 8.
Such course of conduct produces national
weakness, and worse than that, there is in it a
direct tendency to the tearing down and
trampling under foot of all social and relig-
ious institutions. The direction of the Bible
on this subject is decidedly clear and positive
Honor all. Love the brotherhood. Fear
God. Honor the King"
Children honor their father and mother by
obeying their commands. By what we may
safely call an instinct of our nature, we all,
for at least portion of our lives, regard our
parents as perfect. 1t is only by observation
that we discover that our parents are capable
of doing or saying anything that is wrong.
Unfortunately, many parents too often give
their children unmistakable evidence of their
fallibility. They make promises and never
fulfill them, and utter threats which they
never execute. The fearful result is that chill
dren soon cease to have implicit confidence in
| the truthfnlness of their parents The com.