Christian Economy, Treatise · Chapter 14
CHAP. 14.
Of the Sonne.
THe sonne is he, who is in subiection to his parents.
The duties of a son to bee performed to his parents, are principally two.
First to yeeld them obedience, whether they be his naturall parents or otherwise, as his step-father & step-mother, and that while he liueth. Eph. 6. 1. Children obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. Luke 2. 51. Then hee went downe with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subiect to them. Exod. 18. 19. Moses father in law said vntounto him, Heare now my voice, I will giuegive thee counsell, and God shall be with thee. Ruth 3. 5. And Ruth said vntounto Naomi her mother in law, All that thou biddest me, I wil do. Iob 1. 5. And whē the daies of their bāquetting were gone about, Iob sent and sanctified them.
This obedience must shew it selfe in two things.
First in the choyce of a lawfull calling, wherein the child is to be ordered and appointed at the discretion of the parent.
Secondly in mariage: For in that, the parent is the principall agent and disposer of the child. Now although his authoritie be not so great, as that the child is to be forced and compelled by him; yet the reuerent and dutifull respect which the child ought to beare towards him, ought to be a strong inducement, not to dissent, or renounce his aduice, without great and waightie cause. Yea the child must endeuour by all manner of dutifull cariage to ouercome, or at least to mitigate his parents seueritie in that behalfe.
Now for the daughters: They must yeeld obedience to their parents in all Domesticall labours, that they may be skilfull in houshold affaires. Thus did the seuen daughters of the Priest of Midian, accustome themselues to draw water, and fill the troughes to water their fathers sheepe, Exod. 2. 16. Thus Rebekah was seene to come out of her fathers house, with her pitcher vponupon her shoulder, and to go downe with it to the well to fill it, and giuegive drinke to her fathers Camels, Gen. 24. 16. 17.
The second dutie of the sonne, is to recompence his fathers louelove, and care ouer him, by relieuing him in case of want, if God giuegive abilitie, with food and rayment, and other necessaries. Herein children must deale with their parents, as the brood of the Storke is reported to do with her, by feeding her when she is old; wherein they doe no more but what shee before hath done vntounto them. It is Pauls counsell, that childred & nephewes should recompence the kindnes of their kindred in the first place, 1. Tim. 5. 4. and therefore to their parents, the head & foūdation of their kindred. When Ioseph was in prosperitie, and his father Iacob in want, he first gaue him corne freely; and afterwards sent for him to Egypt, and there prouided for him; in so much as the text saith of him, that he nourished his father and his brethren, and all his fathers house-hold with bread, Euen as the mother puts meat into the childs mouth, Gen. 47. 12. When Naomi the step-mother of Ruth was of great yeares, and her strength spent, Ruth gathered corne in the haruest for reliefe of them both. Yea when Boaz gaue her to eate and to drinke, she reserued part of her victuals, & brought it home with her gleanes to refresh her mother, Ruth 2. 14. 18.
The necessitie of the performance of these duties is so great, that if the sonne neglecteth them, and doth the contrarie, by ill vsage of his parent, either in word or deed, he is worthie of death, euen by Moses law: Exod. 21. 15. He that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the death.
The law of the first borne of a mans children, that he should hauehave a greater portion of his fathers goods, then any of the rest of his brethren, is perpetuall, and admits no exception, but only in the case of notorious wickednes. Deut. 21. 17. He shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the first borne, & giuegive him a double portion of all that he hath, for he is the first of his strength, and to him belongeth the right of the first borne. This was the law; yet we reade that Ruben lost this prerogatiue, by reason of his incest, and Iudah the fourth sonne of Iacob had the dignitie of the first borne, Gen. 49. 8. Thou Iudah, thy brethren shall prayse thee—thy fathers sonnes shall bow downe vntounto thee.
In the Church of the old Testament, the priuiledge of the first borne was three-fold; the first of gouernment and royaltie, the second of Priesthood, the third of the double portion. And it is probable that this was for the most part Ceremoniall, and was accomplished and determined in Christ, who was the Image of the inuisible God, & the first borne of eueryevery creature, Colos. 1. 15.
Heere two questions are propounded.
Quest. I. Whether is it lawfull for the sonne to make a vow belonging either to religion, or to ciuill conuersation, without the consent of the parent?
Answ. A vow so made is not of force to bind the child, but by the Law of nature & common equitie, is to be made void. For it is a ruled case, that he which is not his owne man, that is to say, at his owne libertie, but vnderunder the power of another, cannot bind himselfe. Againe, the authoritie of the parent by the law of God is great; For it alloweth the father to make void the vow of the child pertaining to Gods worship, Numb. 30. 6.
Quest. II. Whether is the consent of the parents to be required in the second mariages of their children?
Answ. 1. Of ancient times, both by *C. de Nuptijs. L. vidua, & L. in cōiunctione.Ciuill lawes, & also by Imperial constitutions, it was prouided that no widowes, though made free by their former mariages, should make any contract againe, without the good will of their parents. 2. Consent in this case, though it be not absolutely necessarie, yet it is to be thought fit and conuenient, because children in some regards exempted from parents authoritie, doe owe notwithstanding the dutie of honor vntounto them, by Gods expresse commandement, Exod. 20. 12. and consequently ought to testifie the same, by being ordered and aduised by them in some sort, euen at the after-bestowing of themselues. Hence it is, that*Beza de repud. & diuort. sect. de spōsalibus abs que consensu parfactis. later Diuines hauehave holden vponupon good ground; That the espousals of widowes, who hauehave some more libertie, then the child first married, being made without their parents knowledge, cannot but incurre iust reprehension, howsoeuer they may stand in force without it.