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ter flogged him fifteen times in one day." Without countenancing these things, we have the fact that he was inured to rigid obedience, and instead of destroying his courage, he became one of the most dauntless men of his age, and not only went to Worms in spite of as many devils as there were tiles on the houses, but, like a lion, he broke off one half the power of Rome. Obedience had much to do in forming the character of the Pilgrims.

3. Obedience to parents lays the foundation of obedience to all lawful authority.

There is a sense in which all are equally obedient. All obey something; either reason, interest, conscience, or some other lawful authority; or else they obey passion, vice, the mob, or some other unlawful authority. The kind of authority men are early accustomed to obey settles their future destiny. Obedience is so much a matter of habit, that family government is the foundation of all government. It will, in other places, be what it has been at home. Men may be expected to treat others as they do their parents; whether it be uncourteous, unkind, or the contrary.

He who will not obey his parents, may never be expected to obey any law which he ought to obey, either within, or without himself. Excessive indulgence has been pleaded on the ground that it will bring a return of indulgence in old age.

Parents! Govern your children now, and you will give them the elements of patience, respect and kindness, when you are old. But let them now govern you, and they always will, and when you are old, with a rod of iron. The aged never fall into such unfeeling hands as those who have grown up without respect to parental authority. The disturbers of the school were never governed at home. Thousands never bent their wills in the nursery, and they know not how to do it in the Church. They must there be flattered and "petted," or they will break their covenant with God and go to some wild "ism" of the day. Formerly, when offended, they ran behind the door; now the same temper carries them into another ecclesiastical connection.

If all children were brought up in the discipline of the Lord, laws would scarcely need a penalty. The virtue of obedience always ranked high among intelligent heathen. Fighting beyond and contrary to orders, seven hundred of Cæsar's men were killed. Assembling the survivors, he told them that "modesty and obedience are better than magnanimity of soul." When family government is entirely prostrate, bayonets, and not laws, must keep order. Criminals are increasing from ungoverned families. The parents of young Crowningshield, who murdered a venerable citizen of Salem, ordered his teacher never to correct him. A man acquainted with Spencer, who was hung on board the Somers, says, "he was always disobedient to his parents." The biographer of Arnold says, "he was headstrong, disobedient, and often painfully wounded a mother's heart." The fifth command makes honoring parents the condition of continuing long in the land, or long a prosperous

nation. To save the Jewish commonwealth, the disobedient were to be killed off by this law. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, nor the voice of his mother, and that when they have chastised him will not hearken unto them. Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of the city. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

The greatest advantage of obedience to parents is its power to produce obedience to God. He, who, from the settled habits of childhood, obeys his parents, feels very guilty and greatly distressed if he once disobeys. This well established habit imperceptibly passes to his teacher and all lawful authority, and he feels equally pained when he disobeys. At length, he finds that he has been all his life disobeying his heavenly Parent.

The inquiry meeting is the place to see the unspeakable advantages of obedience. Two are sitting in tears-one having always obeyed his parents, has a deep sense of sin, wonders that such a rebel is out of hell, and begins to feel that there can be no mercy for one who has so wickedly disobeyed God. He soon finds mercy, and is a substantial, devoted Christian. The tears of the other are flowing, because he does not wish to be lost, and he wants the blessings of religion. He confesses himself a sinner in general terms, but cannot realize that he is very wicked. He always disobeyed his parents, and cannot understand how there can be so much harm in disobeying God. There is no fulcrum in his heart on which to fix a sense of sin, and his seriousness disappears like the morning cloud and early dew.

Were I to promote universalism, I would labor first for the annihilation of family government. This would take away all just apprehensions of the sin of disobedience to God. No man would feel that he deserved hell, and then it would be easy to prove that there will be no such punishment. Genuine conversion follows conviction of sin, and the first right affection is an act of obedience. Growing in grace is rendering more ready obedience. In Heaven there is perfect obedience, and the final result of obedience paid to earthly parents. Few have rendered ready obedience under the parental roof, who have not sooner or later become Christians. On the other hand, few who do not obey earthly parents, will ever obey the great Parent above. Parents! Your children will obey God much as they do you. If you suffer them to slight your commands, you may look in vain for their conversion. If you would have them ever to obey God, make it forthwith a matter of prime importance to secure their perfect obedience to yourselves. 4. Favoring providences await the obedient.

By habituating themselves to obey lawful authority, children not only obey conscience, reason and interest, instead of passion and sin; but God watches over them for good. Rich blessings followed the children of Abraham, Jonadab, and the Pilgrims. But

another doom awaited Spencer, Crowningshield, Arnold, and the sons of Eli. While disobedient children throw themselves without the promise of divine protection, and are exposed to all sorts of evil, God will never forget the child who denies his own inclinations to obey his parents.

Thirty years ago, I knew a lad whose passion was strong for the sea, but he gave it up at the age of fifteen, to obey his widowed mother. A favoring providence never lost sight of that lad till his eloquence filled the galleries of the Senate Chamber at Washington. "Columbus was willing to leave the University and work at wool-carding, because 'his father required it." God guided the steps of that youth till he conducted him to the new world. "When Washington was fourteen years of age, he applied for, and received the appointment of midshipman in the British navy. His baggage was ail on board a man-of-war, riding in the Potomac, just below Mount Vernon, when the entreaties of his mother induced him to sacrifice his long cherished desire to the duties of a son." Had he gone to sea, he might have become commander of a vessel, but it is not likely that we should ever have heard of him. God watched over that young man for good, till he stood at the head of our army and our country. The honors bestowed on these men are only straws in comparison with the boon awaiting the poorest children who obey their parents in the Lord.

I will conclude with some directions which should be seasonably, vigilantly, and uniformly carried out by those who ought to exact, or render, obedience.

1. Guard against the first act of disobedience.

2. Obey from Christian principle.

3. Obey with once speaking.

4. Obey immediately.

5. Obey when out of sight of superiors.

6. Obey in the presence of the disobedient.

7. Obey till perfect obedience becomes a settled habit of the heart, and then will you reap the eternal rewards of obedience in Heaven.

NATIONAL PREACHER.

No. 3. Vol. XXI.

MARCH, 1847.

SERMON CCCCXLII.

Whole No. 243.

BY REV. NATHAN S. S. BEMAN, D.D.,

TROY, NEW YORK.

Delivered before the Society for the promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at the West, at its Annual Meeting at Springfield, Mass., Oct. 28, 1846.

COLLEGIATE AND THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AT THE WEST.

Am I my brother's keeper ?—GEN.

IV.,

9.

I NEED hardly remind you of the sad story of which these words are a part. Cain and Abel, at this period, were the only sons of the first human pair. They had just now engaged in acts of professed devotion, in the use of external rites. The younger born came to the altar, perhaps the first one ever erected in our world, and, in faith, offered up his bleeding sacrifice. This offering was accepted, probably both on account of its nature, as appointed of Heaven, and as shadowing forth, in type or symbol, “The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," and because this act of obedience was performed in faith. But "Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering unto the Lord." This oblation was not accepted, perhaps for the double reason, that it had not been prescribed by divine authority, and there was no faith in the worshipper. "And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." This excitement of unholy feeling towards God, was soon followed by an act of fratricide. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."

In due time God made inquisition for blood, as He will, in all cases, sooner or later do. "And the Lord said unto Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And He said, what hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." In the reply of Cain,-"Am I my brother's keeper ?"-there is a revelation of heart, which is by no means uncommon in our world, and which is as instructive as it is common. It is an attempt to cover up

sin, by throwing off or denying responsibility. The answer of Cain to his Maker is,-when divested of its rhetorical form,-"I am not my brother's keeper." There is here a denial of a great principle of the divine government, as administered in the social universe, and a regard for which ought to live and act in every human heart. God has made us capable of feeling the power of this principle, and of carrying it out in our intercourse with others. It is embodied in the precept,-"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Had Cain been governed by this principle or affection, his arm, instead of dealing the death-blow, would have been his brother's shield in the moment of peril! Let this fraternal love reign triumphant, and personal injuries will cease, and the governing purpose of men will be to do all the good they can to their fellow men. The law of love makes us our brother's keeper. It is a part of our social existence. He has a right to claim this supervision at our hands. So far as we are capable of securing to him those blessings which he may need,-protection when assailed, succor in distress, support in weakness, instruction when ignorant, and, in one word, the means of happiness for this world and the next, the constitution of God and the law of the Bible have placed him under our social and moral keeping. Our ability to do him good, is the rule and limit of our duty.

This social law of love I shall apply to the enterprise which we have now met to contemplate and advance,-" The Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education in the West."

I. The work we have undertaken has its special difficulties. This is a preliminary thought.

Some of these difficulties are intrinsic and cannot be removed, nor easily overcome. It is no small matter to excite among the people of the East a proper pulse of benevolence, unless they see things as they are beyond the mountains. The eye must affect the heart. Few, comparatively, can visit and traverse that broad land, and take the time necessary to study and understand its intellectual, social, moral and religious peculiarities. Nor can we speak freely of everything that ought to be known, and of everything that ought to be done.

A picture of Western society drawn to the life, embracing everything that belongs to a fair and honest delineation of this kind,the state of schools, academies and colleges-the condition of the ministry and the churches-the estimation in which the Sabbath and sanctuaries are, in too many places, held-family training and the social habits of the people, would excite prejudice, and perhaps retard the cause which it is intended to accelerate. New countries are always jealous. They never fail to think themselves wiser than they are,-more advanced in learning and the arts of civilized life, than an impartial judge would accord to them; and even when conscious of their own deficiencies, in many things and

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