Part II. 1. By reverencing their Perfons, looking upon them as God's Anointed, and behaving ourselves towards them as Perfons vefted with his Authority.

2. By obeying their Laws, made for the Prefervation of Order and the publick Good: for fo we are bid to obey them that have the Rule over us, and to fubmit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's fake.

3. By paying Tribute, and entertaining a grateful Senfe of the many Bleffings and Privileges we enjoy by their Protection, the better to eafe and affift them under the Burden of their weighty Cares and Troubles.

4. By praying for them, and calling in the Aid and Affiftance of Heaven for their Welfare and Direction in all their Affairs, that under them we may live quiet and peaceable Lives, in all Godliness and Honefty. All this, Reason and Religion, as well as the common Safety, ftrongly oblige us to.

Moreover, we are to honour our Spiritual Fathers and Paftors;

1. By reverencing them as the Ministers of Christ, and Stewards of the manifold Grace of God: Know them that labour among you in the Word and Doctrine (faith the Apoftle) and esteem them highly for their Work fake, 1 Theff. 5. 13. For they watch for your Souls, as thofe that must give an Account: and therefore he would have them accounted worthy of double Honour, and to be treated as the Ambaffadors of Chrift.

2. By receiving their Doctrine; being, while they keep to their Rule, the Word of God, and not of Man: for which reafon our Saviour himfelf declares, He that beareth you, heareth me; and he that defpifes you, defpifes me.

3. By affording them Maintenance, and particularly that which God himfelf, as well as the Laws of the Country, have allotted to them, the Tithes and Offerings; which whoever withholds in whole or in part, is a Robber of God, and guilty of vile and notorious Sacrilege.

4. By praying for them, that they may have thofe Affiftances of God's Holy Spirit, as are neceffary for the Difcharge of their Holy Calling; that both Minifters may keep to found Doctrine, and the People hear and receive it as the Oracles of God. All this, the Duty we owe to God and our own Souls, do evidently exact from us.

Furthermore, Servants are to honour their Mafters and Fathers of Families;

1. By obeying all their lawful Commands, for fo the Apoftle's Charge is, Servants obey your Masters in all things, Eph. 6. 6. and that not with grudging or anfwering again, but with a ready and willing Mind, as doing Service to the Lord, and not unto Men.

2. By fhewing all Fidelity in what is inttufted to them, not embezzling or purloining their Mafter's Goods, but to be true to their Truft, and faithfully manage and account for what is committed to them; that they may receive the Reward of good and faithful Servants, and be admitted into their Mafter's Joy.

3. By fhewing all Diligence in the Work and Business that is fet them, not with Eye-fervice as Men-pleafers, but with Singleness of Heart, doing it as to the Lord.

4. By fhewing all Meekness and Patience, not answering again, but receiving all juft Rebukes, and amending upon

them.

This, Christianity hath made due from all Servants to their Masters; and that not only to the Good and Gentle, but likewife to the Froward, as we are told in 1 Pet. 2. 20. Laftly, We are to honour our Fathers in Age, Dignity, or any other Gifts and Endowments of the Mind:

1. By rendring them all due Refpect and Reverence. This is due to the Wifdom and Experience of aged Men: A boary Head (faith Solomon) is a Crown of Glory, if found in the way of Righteousness; and therefore we are bid to rife up before the hoary Head, and honour the Face of an old Man, Lev. 19. 32.

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2. By lending an ear to their Counsel and Instruction for Youth is oftentimes rafh and heady, too apt to be mifled and overcome with every Temptation, and there fore ftands in frequent need of the Advice of the Wife and Aged; for which reafon we are bid to ask Counsel of the Antients, for Days will speak, and Multitude of Tears teach Wisdom

3. By fubmitting to their grave and juft Reproofs, which are fometimes neceffary to awaken and reclaim us, and therefore fhould be receiv'd with Meekness and Gratitude Let the Righteous fmite me friendly, and reprove me (faith holy David) and it shall be a precious Balm, that shall not break my Head.

4. By bleffing God for the Gifts and Graces confer'd upon them, endeavouring to improve by them in Virtue and Knowledge, and learning from their Inftructions and Example. VOL. II.

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Thefo

These are the Duties of Inferiors towards their Superiors. But because the reciprocal Duties of Superiors to their Inferiors are likewife here imply'd and commanded in this Precept, 'twill be requifite to mention fome of the chief of them. And,

1. Natural Parents are to love, educate, and provide for their Children, bringing them up in the Fear and Nurture of the Lord, thereby providing for the Happiness and Salvation of their Souls. Moreover, they are to breed them up in fome honeft Calling or Course of Life, for the Suftenance of their Bodies; that they may not only be arm'd against their own, but able to relieve the Neceffities of others. They are to begin with their Children betimes, inftilling good Principles into them, and setting before them a good Example; but above all they are to pray for them, to give them their Bleffing, and to recommend them to the Grace and Bleffing of their Father in Heaven.

2. Civil Parents, that is, Princes and Governors, are to protect the Perfons and Rights of their Subjects, ruling over them with Juftice, Clemency, and Moderation; knowing that they are God's Minifters to them for good, attending continually on this very thing; not bearing the Sword in vain, but ufing it to the Terror of Evil-doers, and the Defenfe of them that do well: more efpecially, Kings are to be nurfing Fathers, and Queens nurfing Mothers to the Church, preferving it in that Fulness of Power and Authority with which Chrift hath invested it.

3. Spiritual Fathers and Paftors are to teach and inftruct the People committed to their Charge, feeding their refpective Flocks with found Doctrine, and going before them in a pious Example; ruling over them with Diligence and Fidelity, and like good Stewards of the Myfteries of God, difpenfing to every one their Meat in due Season.

4. Mafters and Fathers of Families are to rule their Houfe well, governing their Children and Servants with Meeknefs and Discretion, not provoking them to Wrath, or being bitter against them, but gentle and eafy to be intreated; providing things honeft in the fight of all Men; encouraging the Good, and correcting the Bad; in all things fhewing themfelves the Servants of God, knowing that they themfelves have a Master in Heaven.

Laftly, Fathers in Age, Experience, or any Endowments of Mind, are to be Patterns of Gravity, Wifdom, and Sobriety to the younger fort, advifing and directing

them

them in cafe of Doubts, wifely rebuking their Rafhness and Folly, and guiding them in the Ways of Virtue by their Counfel and Example.

Thus we fee the Senfe of this Precept, of honouring our Father and Mother, which is an excellent Rule to direct Inferiors in all their Duty to their refpective Superiors. To which is added,

2dly, A Promife to encourage and enforce the Practice of it; That thy Days may be long in the Land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Bleffing here promis'd is a long and happy Life, and that to be spent in the Land of Canaan, the great Mercy promis'd to the Ifraelites, and that to which all their Hopes and Defires tended fo that the Promife, in its literal Senfe, feems peculiar only to Jews, as referring to the Land of Canaan, which was alone promis'd and given unto them. Indeed the Jews being a Carnal People, and wholly affected with terrene and worldly Objects, were allur'd to their Duty chiefly, if not only, by temporal Promifes; Length of Days, and earthly Profperity, efpecially in the promis'd Land, were the great Motives to Obedience. Hence God Almighty preffes this Commandment with a Promife to blefs dutiful Children with long Life in the comfortable Poffeffion of that good Land; and we find Solomon preffing Wisdom upon the like Inducements, becaufe Length of Days was in her right Hand, and in her left Riches and Honour.

But tho the literal Senfe of this Promife concern'd the Jews only, to whom this Land was given, yet the mystical Senfe and Subftance of it appertains likewife to us Christians; for the Land of Canaan was a Type of Heaven, and under the Promise of that was couch'd another and better Country: So Abraham and Sarah understood it, who look'd thro' this Land of Promife to a better and heavenly Country, and so 'tis expounded by Chrift and his Apostles, who will us to tread in the Steps of thofe Forerunners in the Faith, that look'd upon themfelves as Pilgrims and Strangers upon Earth, and by their Patience and Conftancy fhew'd that they fought another, even a celestial Country, where their long Life is run into Eternity, and their happy Days crown'd with Glory and Immortality.

The Sum of all is, that the Promife of a long Life was literally intended and fulfill'd to the Jews by their enjoying many and happy Days in the Land of Canaan. To the

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Chriftians

Part II. Chriftians it is fulfill'd partly in the Letter, and partly in the Mystery; in the Letter, by enjoying a long and profperous Life upon Earth, when it is convenient for them; in the Mystery, by tranflating them to a longer and happier Life in Heaven: the Apoftle affirming that Godliness hath the Promife of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come; I Tim. 4. 8.

And here we may obferve the Congruity between the Duty and the Reward: They who are grateful to thofe, from whom under God they receive Life, fhall enjoy that Life long and well; which Mercy is deriv'd partly from the Bleffing of God upon dutiful Children, and partly from the Care, Suftenance, and Prayers of pious Parents.

This is a brief Account of what is requir'd in this Commandment; namely, a faithful Difcharge of the Duties we owe to all those who by any Relation, Power, or Pre-eminence, are plac'd above us, to whom we are to pay all Acts both of internal and external Honour. Hereunto we are encourag'd by the greateft of all Rewards, viz. length of Days here in this World, when it fhall make for our Happinefs, and eternal Life in the World to come; both which are owing not only to the Difpenfations of Divine Providence, but in fome measure to the nature of the thing: for Obedience to Superiors keeps all things in that due Order and Decorum, that conduces much to the Comfort and Continuance of Life, and tends mightily to promote both the publick and private Peace. And now nothing remains, but to be mindful of thefe Duties in our feveral Stations, and to pay all that Honour, Reverence, and Obedience, that is due to our refpective Superiors: fo will the World turn upon the right Hinges, and we fhall enjoy Peace here, and enlefs Profperity hereafter.

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