Q. 127. What is the honour that inferiors owe to their superiors?
A. The honour which inferiors owe to their superiors is, all due reverence in heart,^[658] word, ^[659] and behaviour;^[660] prayer and thanksgiving for them;^[661] imitation of their virtues and graces;^[662] willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels;^[663] due submission to their corrections;^[664] fidelity to,^[665] defence,^[666] and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks, and the nature of their places;^[667] bearing with their infirmities, and covering them in love,^[668] that so they may be an honour to them and to their government.^[669]

Q. 126. What is the general scope of the fifth commandment?
A. The general scope of the fifth commandment is, the performance of those duties which we mutually owe in our several relations, as inferiors, superiors, or equals.^[657]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 64. What is required in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.^[152]

Q. 125. Why are superiors styled father and mother?
A. Superiors are styled father and mother, both to teach them in all duties toward their inferiors, like natural parents, to express love and tenderness to them, according to their several relations;^[655] and to work inferiors to a greater willingness and cheerfulness in performing their duties to their superiors, as to their parents.^[656]

Q. 124. Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment?
A. By father and mother, in the fifth commandment, are meant, not only natural parents,^[649] but all superiors in age^[650] and gifts;^[651] and especially such as, by God’s ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family,^[652] church,^[653] or commonwealth.^[654]

Q. 123. Which is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.^[648]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 63. Which is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.^[151]

Q. 122. What is the sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man?
A. The sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man, is, to love our neighbour as ourselves,^[646] and to do to others what we would have them to do to us.^[647]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A. The sum of the ten commandments is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.^[116]

Q. 121. Why is the word Remember set in the beginning of the fourth commandment?
A. The word Remember is set in the beginning of the fourth commandment,^[637] partly, because of the great benefit of remembering it, we being thereby helped in our preparation to keep it,^[638] and, in keeping it, better to keep all the rest of the commandments,^[639] and to continue a thankful remembrance of the two great benefits of creation and redemption, which contain a short abridgment of religion;^[640] and partly, because we are very ready to forget it,^[641] for that there is less light of nature for it,^[642] and yet it restraineth our natural liberty in things at other times lawful;^[643] that it cometh but once in seven days, and many worldly businesses come between, and too often take off our minds from thinking of it, either to prepare for it, or to sanctify it;^[644] and that Satan with his instruments labours much to blot out the glory, and even the memory of it, to bring in all irreligion and impiety.^[645]

Q. 120. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment, the more to enforce it, are taken from the equity of it, God allowing us six days of seven for our own affairs, and reserving but one for himself in these words, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:^[634] from God’s challenging a special propriety in that day, The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God:^[635] from the example of God, who in six days made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: and from that blessing which God put upon that day, not only in sanctifying it to be a day for his service, but in ordaining it to be a means of blessing to us in our sanctifying it; Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.^[636]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 62. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own employments,^[149] his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the sabbath day.^[150]

Q. 119. What are the sins forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the fourth commandment are, all omissions of the duties required,^[630] all careless, negligent, and unprofitable performing of them, and being weary of them;^[631] all profaning the day by idleness, and doing that which is in itself sinful;^[632] and by all needless works, words, and thoughts, about our worldly employments and recreations.^[633]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.^[148]

Q. 118. Why is the charge of keeping the sabbath more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors?
A. The charge of keeping the sabbath is more specially directed to governors of families, and other superiors, because they are bound not only to keep it themselves, but to see that it be observed by all those that are under their charge; and because they are prone ofttimes to hinder them by employments of their own.^[629]

Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the Lord’s day to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath or Lord’s day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day,^[624] not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful;^[625] and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy^[626]) in the public and private exercises of God’s worship:^[627] and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.^[628]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days;^[145] and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship,^[146] except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.^[147]

Q. 59. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly sabbath?
A. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly sabbath;^[143] and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian sabbath.^[144]

Q. 116. What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth of all men the sanctifying or keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word, expressly one whole day in seven; which was the seventh from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day of the week ever since, and so to continue to the end of the world; which is the Christian sabbath,^[622] and in the New Testament called The Lord’s day.^[623]

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 58. What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy sabbath to himself.^[142]

Q. 115. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested in the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath-day and hallowed it.^[621].

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 57. Which is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservent, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.^[141]