7. We add, that whereas God required of the Jews fuch a portion of time to be folemnly dedicated to religion and mercy, we, to whom he hath vouchfafed higher benefits, and propofed greater encouragements, cannot reasonably but deem ourselves obliged to fequefter and confecrate as much or more time to the fame intents: we fhould indeed be content to withdraw ourselves more frequently from pursuance of our own profits and pleasures to the service of God, to the remembrance and celebration of his favours; we should willingly allow greater relaxation to our dependents: and should the public be deficient in exacting a performance of fuch duties from us, it would become us to fupply fuch defects by our private devoting fit and frequent feafons thereto; that in fome proportion we may exceed the Jews in grateful piety, as we furpafs them in the matter and caufes thereof; that we may appear in fome degree more charitable than they, as we have much greater reafon and obligation to be fo than they. So much for this.

I proceed briefly to confider the remaining commandments, the which immediately concern another object : thofe foregoing did chiefly serve to regulate our religious practice in yielding due reverence toward God; these following (which are fuppofed to have made up the second of those Tables, which, written by God's hand, were delivered to Mofes, and preferved in the ark of the teftimony) do guide our converfation and carriage toward our neighbour; in the front of which worthily is placed that which obligeth to dutifulness toward our parents; unto whom, after God and his fupreme vicegerents, we owe the highest respect, gratitude, and duty.

Honour the Father and thy Pother.

V. Commandment.

HONOUR: the word fignifies to have in weighty regard, and aptly ferves to denote thofe particular acts of duty, which are otherwhere expreffed in Scripture; fear and reverence; (Ye shall fear every man his father and his Levit. ix. 3. mother:) obfervance and obedience; (Children, obey your pa- Coloff. iii.

xxiii. 22.

rents in all things, for this is well-pleafing to God:) gra1 Tim. v. 4. titude and retribution; (Let children learn idov olxov súσEbev, to be pious toward their own family; and pos¤às άodidóvay, to render fuitable returns, or to requite their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God:) regardProv. i. s. ing their inftruction and advice; (My fon, hear the inftruction of thy father, and forfake not the law of thy mother :) it also comprehendeth a prohibition of the contrary acts, contemning, curfing, offering violence or contumely unto, difobedience and contumacy toward parents, the which are forbidden under capital penalties and dreadful comminaDeut. xxvii. tions; Curfed be he that fetteth light by his father or mother; and, The eye that mocketh at his father, and deSpifeth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles fhall eat it; (that is, God in a fearful and ftrange manner will avenge that wickednefs upon him :) and in the Law it is ordained, that the rebellious and ftubborn fon, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that when they have chaftened him will not hearken unto them, shall be stoned by all the men of his city, and put to death in that manner.

16.

Exod. xxi.

15, 17.

Whence we may learn the nature of the duty here enjoined, and what rank it beareth among other duties; what high obligation belongs thereto, of what confideration it is with God, and how grievous a crime the violation thereof is; that, briefly, we are obliged to yield our parents high affection of heart, great expreffions of respect and obfervance in word and deed; that the neglect of thefe duties is, next to that of profaneness and undutifulnefs toward God himself, the greateft diforder we can be guilty of this all civil nations have confented to be our duty; and if we confider the grounds upon which it is built, we shall find that reason, justice, and neceffity do require it St. Paul preffeth his precept of obfervance to Eph. vi. 1. parents with a, TouTO yap és dixasov, for this is juft and equal: for if we look upon the difpofition of parents in their mind toward children, we may presume them always full of tender affection and good-will toward them, full of

defire and care for their good, full of pity and compaffion toward them, in the highest and most especial degree beyond what they bear to others; which difpofitions in reafon and equity do require anfwerable difpofitions in those upon whom they are placed, and who from them do receive inestimable benefits; for if we do regard the effects proceeding from them, we shall discern, that,

1. From parents children do receive being and life; that good which nature inclineth fo highly to value and tender, as the foundation of all the good, happiness, and comfort we are capable of.

2. They are obliged to their parents for the preservation, maintenance, and protection of their life: it is a long time before we come to be able (fuch is the particular condition of man among all living creatures, fo ordered on purpose, as it were, to beget this obligation and endearment) anywife to provide for or to defend ourfelves; and the doing thereof, in that fenfeless and helplefs ftate, relies upon the care, pain, and folicitous vigilance of our parents; the which they are not only always obliged, but are commonly disposed, with admirable willingness, to spend on their children.

3. Parents not only thus at first undergo fuch care and trouble to maintain their children, but by expenfive education (often with much inconvenience and incommodity to themselves) they provide means for their future fupport and fubfiftence during life.

4. Children are fo ftrictly tied to their parents, as by their willing conceffion to partake in all the comforts of their state and ornaments of their fortune.

5. The goods acquired by the parents' industry do usually devolve upon their children by inheritance and fucceffion; whence that children live handsomely and comfortably is the reward of their parents' merit, comes from the ftore that they have carefully provided and laid up for them.

6. To which we may add, that not only the provifion for our temporal neceffities and conveniences dependeth upon our parents, but the care of our fouls, and our spi

20.

Deut. vi. 7, ritual welfare is incumbent on them: they are obliged to Eph. vi. 4. inftruct us in the fear of God, and to fet us in the way toward eternal happiness.

7. We may confider alfo, that all this they do most frankly, and out of pure kindness; without regard to any merit antecedent, or benefit confequent to themselves: as they received nothing to oblige and move them to fuch performances, fo they can feldom hope for answerable returns it is abundant fatisfaction to them, if they fee their children do well; their chief delight and contentment is in their children's good abfolutely and abftractedly, without indirect regards to their own advantage.

Upon these, and the like accounts, it appeareth, that as parents have the affections most resembling those of God toward us, as they perform toward us the actions most like to his, as they are the principal inftruments of Divine providence and bounty, (by which God's bleffings are conveyed and conferred upon us;) so they may be deemed in a fort to represent God, and, as his most lively images, have an especial veneration due to them. God himself, to endear and render himself amiable, or in the most kindly way venerable to us, to engage us to a more ready Deut.xxxii. obedience of him, to declare the nature of our duty toward him, affumes the title of Father; and all nations have agreed to ftyle him fo: reciprocally alfo, whereas the duties toward other men are termed juftice, or chaColere pa- rity, or courtesy, or liberality, or gratitude, thofe toward parents in every language (I suppose) are ftyled piety, implying somewhat divine in the object of those duties; it is more than injuftice to wrong a parent; it is more than uncharitableness to refuse them fuccour or relief; it is more than difcourtesy to be unkind to them; it is more than fordid avarice to be in their need illiberal to them; it is rather high impiety to offend in any of these kinds.

6.

Εὐσεβεῖν.

1 Tim. v. 4.

rentes.

He that returns not love in anfwer to their tender affection; that doth not (as occafion requires, and his ability permits) requite the benefits received from them, doth not defer to them an especial reverence, in regard to that facred name and character they bear, thereby inti

mates that he would in like manner be unjust, ungrateful, and difingenuous toward. God, from whom he hath received the like benefits; the beginning and continuance of his being; the prefervation, maintenance, and protection of his life: if he will not honour his earthly parents, whom he hath seen, how will he reverence his heavenly Father, whom he hath not feen? fo we may, according to St. John, argue.

I might fubjoin, that as juftice and ingenuity do enforce this duty, fo for the good of the world there is a neceffity that it fhould be obferved: if parents are not only by natural instinct disposed, but by divine command obliged, and by human law (the preservation of the world fo requiring) conftrained to undergo fuch hardships for the maintenance and education of their children, it is fit and neceffary they should be supported and encouraged in the bearing them by reciprocal obligations in children to return them dutiful respect, observance, and requital; the world could not well fubfift without children being engaged to thefe duties: there were no reason to exact, there were no ground to expect, that parents should cheerfully and faithfully discharge their part upon other

terms.

To this precept there is added a promife, (and it is, as St. Paul obferveth, the first precept that hath a promife Eph. vi. 2. formally annexed; whereby he enforceth his exhortation to the obfervance thereof.)

That thy Daps may be long upon the Land, which the Lord thy God giverb thee.

κῶν τοὺς

SO God exprefsly promiseth to blefs dutiful children with a long life in the comfortable poffeffion of thofe 'Ixavs B στις γηροβοσ good things which he should bestow upon them; this was rethe most of reward, explicitly covenanted to the Jews, in vis. regard to their obedience: there is also implied a commination of a contrary curfe from God upon the infringers of this law, that they fhould either be immaturely cut off from life, (as Abimelech and Abfalom were upon this