Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/342

 The younger  Tobias  is  the  model  of  a good  son. He  listened  eagerly to his  father’s  beautiful  exhortations,  and  made  this  promise: u I will  do all  these  things,  father,  which  thou  hast  commanded  me.”  He  kept  this promise most  faithfully,  as  you  will  see  by  what  follows. If a child does not  receive  his  parents’  advice  willingly,  he  sins  against  that obedience which  he  owes  them.

The connexion  between  the  First  and  Fourth  Commandment.  Tobias’ exhortation shows  us  how  very  important  the  observance  of  the  Fourth Commandment is  for  children. Does it  not  strike  you  as  strange  that his first  exhortation  should  be:  “Honour  thy  mother  &amp;c.”  and  that  he should  only  say  afterwards:  “Have  God  in  thy  mind  &amp;c. ?” There  is a reason  for  this,  because  reverence  for  parents  is,  so  to  speak,  at  the root of  religion  and  of  the  fear  of  God. He who  does  not  love  and honour his  parents,  who  are  his  visible  benefactors,  will  not  love  and honour God,  who  is  his  invisible  Father  and  Benefactor. The son who does  not  observe  the  Fourth  Commandment  is  ungrateful  and irreligious.

Defrauding of  wages.  Among  his  other  exhortations  Tobias  said to his  son:  “If  any  man  has  done  work  for  thee,  pay  him  his  hire.” This is  a duty  of  justice. He who  does  not  give  his  promised  wages to the  labourer,  that  lives  by  the  work  of  his  hands,  commits  one  of the  four  sins  which  cry  to  heaven  for  vengeance.

Death is  the  separation  of  soul  and  body.  Tobias  said  to  his  son: "When God  shall  take  my  soul,  thou  shalt  bury  my  body.”  By  death the  soul  is  parted  from  the  body,  and  God  calls  it  before  Him  to  be judged.  The  body,  meanwhile,  returns  to  the  earth,  until  God  shall raise  it  up  at  the  last  day,  and  re-unite  it  for  ever  to  the  soul.

The enemies  of  our  souls  are  all  those  things  which  lead  to  mortal sin. They who  commit  grievous  sins  are  enemies  not  only  of  God  and their neighbour,  but  also  of  their  own  soul;  because  they  rob  it  of God’s  grace,  and  plunge  it  into  everlasting  ruin.

The married  state.  We  learn  some  good  lessons  from  this  history of Tobias. The Angel  advised  him  to  enter  into  the  married  state. Therefore that  state  is  good  and  pleasing  to  God,  and  persons  who intend to  marry  should  not  do  so  without  consulting  God  by  earnest prayer. We also  learn  that  some  marriages  are  bad  and  full  of  danger, like those  of  Sara  with  her  previous  seven  husbands,  who  had  no  religion and no  fear  of  God  and  no  pure  motives  in  their  action. It is  therefore necessary  to  prepare  oneself  by  prayer  and  to  purify  one’s  intention by the  highest  motives,  both  before  and  at  the  beginning  of  that  holy  and difficult state. These lessons  have  double  force  in  the  New  Testament, where marriage  has  been  raised  by  our  Lord  to  the  dignity  of  a Sacrament.