THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. 



*,erg, c-t the young and the old, and of governors 

 and their subjects ; together with all those dis 

 positions of reverence, submission, affection, 

 gratitude, and respect, with which the perfor 

 mance of these duties ought to be accompanied. 

 It must also be considered as forbidding every 

 tiling that is opposed to these dispositions, and 

 to the obedience required ; as contumacy, re 

 bellion, and want of respect, on the part of chil 

 dren towards their parents ; disobedience of ser 

 vants to the reasonable commands of their mas 

 ters ; and every principle of disaffection and of 

 insubordination among the various ranks of so 

 ciety. That all this is included within the range 

 of this precept, might be proved from the princi 

 ples on which our Saviour explains the sixth and 

 seventh commandments, in his Sermon on the 

 Mount, and from the illustrations of these duties 

 which are given in the Apostolic epistles, and 

 in other parts of Scripture. 



As it forms no part of my plan, to enter into 

 any particular explanations of the duties required 

 in the Decalogue, which have frequently been 

 expounded by many respectable writers, in works 

 particularly appropriated to this object, I shall 

 simply illustrate, in a few words, the reasonable 

 ness of this, and the following precepts, from a 

 consideration of the effects which would follow, 

 were these laws either universally observed, or 

 aniversally violated. 



Were this law to be reversed, or universally 

 violated, it is impossible to form an adequate 

 conception of the dreadful scene of anarchy and 

 confusion which would immediately ensue. 

 Every social tie would be torn asunder, every 

 relation inverted, every principle of subordina 

 tion destroyed, every government overturned, 

 every rank and order of mankind annihilated, 

 and the whole assembly of human beings con 

 verted into a discordant mass cf lawless bandit 

 ti. Every family would present a scene of riot, 

 confusion, insubordination, contention, hatred, 

 tumult, and incessant execration. Instead of 

 love, peace, unity, and obedience, the son would 

 rise in rebellion against his father, and the father 

 would insult and trample under foot his son. To 

 use the words of our Saviour, &quot; The brother 

 would deliver up the brother to death, and the 

 father the child ; and the children would rise up 

 against their parents, and cause them to be put 

 to death ; the daughter would be set at variance 

 against her mother, and the daughter-in-law 

 against her mother-in-law ; and a man s foes 

 would be they of his own household.&quot; Children 

 would be unprovided with proper food, clothing, 

 and instruction, and left to wander, houseless 

 and forlorn, as vagabonds on the face of the earth ; 

 and parents, abandoned by their children, in sick 

 ness, poverty, and old age, would sink into the 

 grave in wretchedness and despair. The young, 

 instead of &quot; rising up before the hoary head, and 

 honouring the face of the old man,&quot; would treat 



the aged and infirm with every mark of scorn, 

 derision, and contempt ; and would feel a diabo 

 lical delight in vexing, thwarting, and overpower 

 ing their superiors in age and station. No in 

 structions could be communicated by teachers and 

 guardians to the rising generation ; for riot, in 

 solence, insult, derision, and contempt, would 

 frustrate every effort to communicate knowledge 

 to a youthful group. No building nor other work 

 of art could be commenced with the certain pros 

 pect of being ever finished ; for its progress would 

 depend upon the whims and humours of the 

 workmen employed, who, of course, would re 

 joice in endeavouring to frustrate the plans and 

 wishes of their employers. No regular govern 

 ment nor subordination in a large community, 

 could possibly exist ; for the great mass of socie 

 ty would endeavour to protect every delinquent, 

 and would form themselves into a league to pre 

 vent the execution of the laws. These effects 

 would inevitably follow, even although the re 

 quisition contained in this precept, were to be 

 viewed as confined solely to the reverence and 

 obedience which children owe to their parents. 

 For, were this obedience withdrawn, and an op 

 posite disposition and conduct uniformly mani 

 fested, the young would carry the same disposi 

 tions which they displayed towards their parents, 

 into all the other scenes and relations of life, and 

 fill the world with anarchy and confusion. But 

 it would be needless to expatiate on this topic, as 

 it appears obvious to the least reflecting mind, 

 that a universal violation of this law would quite 

 unhinge the whole fabric of society, and would 

 soon put an end to the harmonious intercourse of 

 human beings. 



On the other hand, a constant and universal 

 obedience to this precept would produce such 

 effects on the deformed aspect of our world as 

 would transform it into a paradise of moral 

 beauty, of happiness and love. Every family 

 would exhibit a picture of peace and concord, of 

 harmony and affection. No harsh and bitter 

 language, no strifes, nor jars, nor contentions 

 would ever interrupt the delightful flow of recip 

 rocal affection between parents and children. No 

 longer should we behold the little perverse mem 

 bers of the domestic circle, indulging their sulky 

 humours, and endeavouring to thwart the wishes 

 of their superiors, nor the infuriated parent 

 stamping and raging at the obstinacy of his 

 children ; nor should we hear the grating sounds 

 of discord, and insubordination which now so 

 frequently issue from the family mansion. Every 

 parental command would be cheerfully and 

 promptly obeyed. Reverence and filial affec 

 tion would glow in every youthful breast towards 

 the father that begat him, and towards the mother 

 that gave him birth. Their persons, and their 

 characters would be regarded with veneration 

 and respect, and their admonitions submitted tr. 

 without a murmur or complaint. To gladden 



