Gods Holy Mind Touching Matters Moral, Tract 2 · Part 66 – Part 67
Hitherto of the precept, now to the confirmation of it by a promise made to such as yeeld obedience to it in these words. Exod: 20.12. That thy dayes may bee long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee.
Quest: How is it that the Apostle calls this the first Commandement: which promise, Ephes: 6.2. seeing there is a large promise of shewing mercy to thousands, to them that louelove God, and keepe his Commandements, annexed to the second Commandement?
Answ. This is the first Commandement that hath a speciall and particular promise, the other promise annexed to the second Commandement is generall to all those that louelove God, and so not restrained onelyonly to that precept; but is extended generally to the obedience of the whole law.
Quest. What is the blessing promised in these words, That thy dayes may bee long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee?
Answ. Length of dayes, long life and prosperitie,Ephes. 6.3. Deut: 5.16. and whatsoeuer belongeth to a mans welfare and well beeing in this life.
Quest. Why is the blessing of long life and length of dayes promised to them that honour their parents, rather then any other particular blessing?
Quest. For this reason, because parents are instruments and meanes of this life, therefore it pleaseth the Lord to make this promise, and to giuegive them long life for a blessing who dutifully and respectiuely behaue themselues towards their parents.
Quest. Is long life in this world a blessing, and a thing to bee desired?
Answ. Yes it is;Eccles: 9.4, 5, 6, 10. Psal: 6.5.6. for our temporary life is giuen vsus that in it we may vse all good meanes to attaine to life and saluation, and it is the time of repentance, and the time of grace and of saluation.
Obiection. Mans life in this world is full of trouble and griefe, and subiect to many miseries: Moses saith, Psal: 90.10. The time of our life is threescore yeares and ten, and if they bee of strength fourescore yeeres, yet their strength is but labour and sorrow. And Eccles: 12.1. Salomon calles old age, euill dayes and yeeres wherein we shall say we hauehave no pleasure; therefore long life and length of dayes may seeme to be rather a discommoditie then a benefit or blessing.
Quest. How is this to be answered?
Answ. The answere to this is two-fold.
Quest. What is the first answere?
Answ. This; mans life in this world is full of trouble and misery, not of it selfe, but by mans owne fault, and therefore notwithstanding the troubles and miseries of it, in it selfe it is to be esteemed a benefit and blessing of God.
Quest. What is the second answere?
Philip: 1.22.23 Heb: 12.10.11. …. Pet: 1.10.Answ. This; troubles and miseries of this life are sanctified to Gods children, and made good and profitable to them, and to them they are sweetned with supply of inward comfort, and the Lord giues grace to his children liuing long in this world to increase in grace and goodnesse, and to gaine vntounto themselues more assurance of eternall life, and therefore though mans life bee full of miseries; yet as God promiseth continuance of it to his children it is a great blessing.
Quest. What is that land here spoken of in this promise, That thy dayes may bee long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee?
Answ. In respect of the Israelites the land of Canaan, which was giuen them of the Lord for a possession; but in respect of vsus it is to bee vnderstood generally of any place wheresoeuer wee bee in the world: that such as honour their parents, they hauehave right of dwelling in that place where they be from the Lord, whose is the whole earth, Psal: 24.1.Psal: 24.1. Therefore the Apostle puts it downe generally, Ephes: 6.3.Ephes: 6.3.
Quest. How is long life and length of dayes in this world a blessing peculiar to such as honour their parents, seeing the wicked, and disobedient to parents sometimes liue long?
Answ. For the most part it falleth out that the wicked and disobedient to parents, are punished with vntimely death, Prou: 20.20. Prou: 30.17. But if God giuegive long life to them in this world, it is either in mercy to bring them repentance,Iob: 31.13.14. Eccles: 8.12.13. Isai. 65.20. Rom. 2.5. they being such as belong to Gods election: or in iudgement to heape more misery on them in this life, sometimes in the same kinde by the stubbornenesse and disobedience of their owne children and inferiours, and to leaue them more inexcusable at the day of iudgement, and to heape greater wrath on them.
Quest. How is the promise here made fulfilled, seeing some that honour their parents are taken away and die in their youth?
Answ. So farre as long life may bee good,Gen: 25.8. Iob: 42:17. 1. King. 14.13. Isai: 1.57.1. and a benefit to Gods children; so farre God giueth it to them, but if hee in his infinit wisedome see it better for them to be gathered to their fathers, and so to bee free from sinne, and from being infected with the corruptions in the world, or from the miseries and euils to come: hee takes them away, and hee recompenceth the want of temporall life, with eternall life.
Obiection. But is it not Gods promise, for he here promiseth long life in this world.
Quest. How is that to be answered?
Answ. Thus; the Lord taking his children from earth to heauen in their yonger dayes doth not breake his promise, but increaseth his blessing, as hee that promiseth a penny and giueth a pound breakes not his promise: so the Lord is not to be challenged of breach of promise.
Quest. What things may bee further gathered from this promise, that thy dayes may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee?
Answ. Three things especially.
Quest. What is the first of those?
Answ. This;Coloss. 3.20. that due respect and due carriage of inferiours towards superiours, of superiours towards inferiours, and of equalls one towards another is greatly pleasing to God.
Quest. What is the second thing.
Answ. This;2. Sam: 13.14.28.29. 2. Sam… 15.1. that the best course that parents can take that it may goe well with their children, is to instruct and nurture them in godlinesse, and to bring them vp in the feare of the Lord: and that they that are carelesse and neglect this duty, (doe as much as in them is) shorten the dayes of their children.
Quest. What is the third thing?
Answ: This;Psal: 31.15. Eccles: 8.8. that long life in this world commeth not by nature or good constitution of body, but of the good pleasure and prouidence of God, the Lord granting it, and blessing the meanes to that purpose.
Now to the sixt Commandement.
Thou shalt not kill.
Quest. Why is the Commandement that forbids killing or murder, next to that of honouring parents?
Answ. For two reasons.
Quest. What is the first of those?
Answ. This; because the Lord hauing in that Commandement of honouring parents, established degrees amongst men, and humane societies; nothing is more necessary for the continuance and safegard of humane societies, then that the life of man be preserued.
Quest: What is the second reason?
Gen: 4.5. Gen: 27.41. Gen: 37.4.5.8.20.Answ. This; because murder commonly comes from the breach of the fift Commandement, and the breach of the fift and sixt Commandements commonly goe together: the first murder that euer was, came from a desire of superioritie, because Cain thought himselfe not so greatly fauoured of God as Abel; so Esau, so Iosephs brethren.
Quest: Why is the Commandement that forbids murder set before the other Commandements that follow?
Iob: 2.4.Answ. Because the greatest hurt and wrong that can be done to a man is touching his life, death taking away a mans being simply, which other wrongs doe not, and of all earthly things life being most precious to a man, and in greatest account with him.
Quest. What are the words of the sixt Commandement?
Answ. Those that we finde, Exod: 20.13. Thou shalt not kill, or thou shalt doe no murder.
Quest. Doth this Commandement forbid killing of any thing that hath life?
Gen: 9.3. 1. Cor: 10.25. Deut: 22.6.7. Prou: 12.10.Answ. No it doth not; notwithstanding this prohibition the Lord hath giuen to man libertie to take away the life of some creatures; as of herbes, plants, and of bruit creatures, being appointed fo… the nourishment of man, and wee may lawfully kill them for our vse, time and place, and other circumstances being duly obserued, and so as in killing of bruit creatures we are not cruell, nor put them to more paine then we must needes.
Quest. VVhat is then meant by the Word, Kill or Murder, Thou shalt not kill, or thou shalt doe no murder?
Answ. Any kind of wilfull hurting or endammaging of the life and person of man.Gen. 9.5.
Quest. What is the ground of that prohibition, Thou shalt not wilfully hurt or endammage the life and person of man?
Answ. Both the participation of the same image of God, and also of the same flesh. In that all men beare the same image of God as they bee reasonable creatures, and eueryevery man is also of the same flesh comming of one roote, namely, of Adam: Gen. 9.6. Isai. 57.7. Act. 17.26.and therefore for one man to kill or murder another is a wrong to Gods image, and repugnant and contrary to nature; for it is contrary to nature for a man to be cruell to his owne flesh
Quest. What is the summe of this Commandement?
Answ. This; that the life and person of men bee not any way by man impeached, hurt or endammaged,Gen. 9.5.6. but that it be by man eueryevery way, and by all good meanes preserued.
Now this Commandement being negatiue, I will first shew what it forbids.
Quest. What doth this Commandement forbid?
Answ. In generall eueryevery thing whatsoeuer that tendeth to the hurt or hinderance of the life of man; either the life of his body, or the life of his soule,