"They are delinquent in this duty of love, who hate or despise their parents; who rejoice in their adversity, or deplore their prosperity, or who wish evil to them; also those who distress their parents, frown upon them, speak unkindly to them, &c."

The duty of filial affection is illustrated by the manner in which Joseph honoured his father, Gen. xlvi. 29.-" Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him: and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while." And again, by a reference to 3 Kings, ii. 19., (i. e. to 1 Kings; in the Doway Bible the Books of Samuel are called I. and II. Kings,)" Bathsheba therefore went unto King Solomon to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand."

"The Roman catechism also teaches that we honour our parents, when we imitate such actions and manners as are commendable, according to that passage, John viii. 39—‹ If ye are Abraham's sons, do Abraham's works.""

Towards the close of this section, however, there is one dead fly, which gives the box of ointment a taint of Popery. It is made the duty of pious children to provide a prudent confessor for their parents in the article of death, but there is no Scripture quoted for this, as in the preceding cases. For this omission, we cannot blame Peter Dens, as Moses and all the prophets and apostles, have certainly not recorded any thing about the matter in question.

The 88th Section contains some sound rules relative to the obedience due to parents, mutilated, however, by that unfortunate propensity of distinguishing between mortal and venial sin.

The 89th No. treats of the claims of parents upon filial duty. They are three, viz. 1. legitimate birth; 2. a decent education; 3. proper instruction in the rules of life and in morals.

"Under the third head, parents are obliged to see to it

that their children are baptized as early as possible, and they ought to teach them the first rudiments of the faith, to send them to catechism, and when reason has developed itself, use their endeavours that they may convert themselves to God; further, by precept and example to direct them, and by reward and punishment restrain them from sins: concerning which, however, parents are to be admonished that they do this not through anger and too many blows, but rather by withdrawing from them their food, play, and other pleasures,” &c.

"From this infer that parents should be regularly asked at confession, whether they have children, whether they instruct them properly, whether they send them to catechism and to school, whether they do not permit them to be out at night and to keep dangerous company, &c."

The claims of parents to due regard from their children are sustained by several quotations from the Apocrypha. The genuine Scriptures would have furnished many that are more to the purpose. However, we will not be captious, for if Papists and Protestants follow the advice addressed from the Apocrypha, they will do well in so far as this precept is concerned. Parents, it seems, are required to have their children baptized as early as possible; to this we have no objections, provided the ceremony be performed by a Christian minister, with the application of water only, in the name of the Holy Trinity. But we cannot understand why it is, if children are regenerated by baptism, (as the priests believe and teach), that parents must use their endeavours that these regenerated children may be converted when they attain to years of discretion. This to us is even a greater mystery than the practical benefit to soul or body to be derived from the addition of oil, salt, or spittle, which are some of the elements of the Popish laver of regeneration,

"The Roman catechism adds a fourth general reason for honouring parents and all superiors, viz.-that in them, we honour God, because all power and superiority is from God, and God wills that we honour superiors as representing God;

hence the apostle, Eph. vi. 5. -Servants be obedient to your masters according to the flesh-as to Christ. 6. Not with eye-service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7. With goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men.'

66

Spiritual directors properly present this motive to obedience, in order that they may induce children and others who are in subjection to obey, by proposing to them, whether if God himself should enjoin anything, they would not cheerfully fulfil it, but that when a command of a superior is obeyed, God accepts it, as though he had himself enjoined it."

We must be permitted to demur here. When a parent or any one in authority enjoins something that is clearly a duty, then from the above Scripture, it is evident that we are bound to do THE WILL OF GOD from the heart; but the case is very different when a priest dignifies his own will, lust or passion by making it equivalent to the will of God, as priests have done in thousands of instances, to their eternal infamy! There are circumstances in which “we must obey God rather than men," as Peter Dens properly remarks in a previous section, (88) but even there, "God and the church" are associated as though of equal authority. The following is the paragraph to which I allude:

"Should we always and in all things obey our parents? "Ans. No. We are not obliged to obey-1. When a precept of a higher power is in the way; and 2. When in this matter, the son is not subject to his parents: and thus the son is not obliged to obey, if they enjoin anything against the law of God or the church, or which is in any way sinful."

"Under the name of parents are included—

"1, and chiefly, those who have begotten us according to the flesh, &c.

"2. Ecclesiastical and spiritual superiors, as the Bishop, Pastor, Confessor, &c.-for they produce and promote spiritual life in us; hence Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 15.-'I have begotten you through the Gospel.'

"3. Secular superiors are also meant, as the king, magis.

trate, masters, &c. Thus the servants of Naaman called him father. (2 Kings, v. 13.)

4. Those are meant to whose care we have been committed, such are tutors, guardians, masters, &c. Thus Elisha called Elijah, father. (2 Kings, ii. 12.)

"5. Aged persons also come under the name of parents, concerning whom it is said, Lev. xxix. 32., 'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man.'

"6. All these persons we honour by the abovenamed acts, by love, reverence, obedience and assistance; but not all equally, but according to the order of superiority, relationship and subjection, as S. Thomas remarks, &c.- -The inferior is bound to obey his superior, according to the order of superiority, as a soldier the general of the army, in such things as relate to war; the servant the master, in those things which relate to the performance of servile works; the son the father, in those things which pertain to discipline of life, and domestic concerns, and so of other things.'

In case of contracting marriage, children are not obliged to obey their father-but they ought to ask the counsel and consent of their parents.

When two superiors enjoin things which are incompatible, the greater is to be obeyed; the nature of the injunction is also to be considered, &c.

What is to be done, when both are of equal authority is not stated, and we leave the question to perplex some future casuist. (No. 90.)

The 91st Section contains a short dissertation on the promise appended to the command "Honour thy father and thy mother-that thy days may be long in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee." The promise is correctly interpreted as including eternal life as well as a long and happy existence upon earth; the dispensations of God's providence which not unfrequently remove good men in early life, are shown to be perfectly consistent with this promise. God may see that a longer life would not be good for them; or they may be taken from the evil to come; hence when premature death overtakes good men, grievous calamities may justly be apprehended. The promise that their days shall be long upon the earth is conditioned by the question

whether long life upon earth would be to their advantage, and at all events, they are abundantly compensated by an eternity of happiness in heaven. "He cannot be said to be deceived to whom gold is given, when silver had been promised." The doctrine of this section is Scriptural, and we sincerely wish we could endorse every chapter in Dens' Theology as cheerfully as we can this.

The Sections 92 and 93, which treat of the remaining precepts of the decalogue, contain nothing of special interest, in so far as the peculiar dogmas of Popery are concerned. They are sound, logical and Scriptural expositions of the duties enjoined by the Great Lawgiver upon all men; and there is not a moral sentiment in them which may not be cordially approved by every true Protestant. It is not necessary to insert them, as they may be found in substance in almost every Protestant catechism. The only objection which we have to these sections, is the plea for the division of the tenth commandment; this is rendered necessary by the forced union of the first and second precepts of the decalogue. The ninth commandment in the Romish catechism is,

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife."

"What is forbidden by this?

"Ans. Every secret sin against chastity, such as inclination, desire, a lingering delight ;* for that, which in the sixth commandment (the seventh) is forbidden in deed, is here forbidden in desire.

"In the same way, the tenth commandment corresponds to the seventh, (the eighth,) and the things which are there forbidden in deed, are here forbidden in desire."

The tenth commandment then, according to the Romish catechism, is this, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's

* I have translated the words "delectatio morosa," a lingering delight, rather than a morose delight, because the etymological root of the adjective is "mora," which signifies "delay." The meaning is, "an impure delight upon which the mind is permitted to dwell." The reader will please regard the words "lingering delight" as a technical term.