The Practical Divinity of the Papists Discovered to be Destructive, Discourse · Chapter 8 · Section 5
SECT. V.
THE Duties which Children owe their Parents, (to inſtance for briefneſs onelyonly in thoſe which the Lord hath made the exemplar of the other; and by which we may paſs a judgment on the reſt): they reduce to thoſe three, Reverence, Love, and Obedience. In reference to the firſt, They conclude that thoſe who have no more reſpect for their Parents, (h)Filius qui—ſibi dedecori & contumeliae futurum eſſe exiſtimaret ſe pro ſilio illorum haberi—ſi abſque contemptu id facit ad vitandum aliquod incommodum ſiniſtrae opinionis, vel ob aliam hujuſmodi cauſam, non peccaret mortaliter, maxime ſi parentes tacite vel expreſſe in eo conſentirent. Navar. c. 14. n. 12. Graff. l. 2. c. 51. n. 12. Lopez. c. 54. p. 279.thou to count it a diſgrace and a ſhame to be counted their Children; if it be for the inconveniences of a ſiniſter opinion, or ſuch-like cauſe, ſin not mortally: and the fault may be leſs ſtill, if the Parents conſent to it expreſly, or tacitely, to avoid ſome inconvenience. It ſeems, the Command calls for no ſuch Reverence from Children; but they may be aſhamed of their Parents, if they be poor, and low in the World. (i)Filius qui ex animo maledicit, ſive vivis, ſive jam ſaeculo defunctis, … ta…en ore tenus tantum maledicit, non amplius quam venialiter offendit. Navar. ibid.Children may curſe their Parents if they do it but with their lips, and this whether they be alive or dead, the offence is but Venial. And indeed, they al…ow Parents, to give their Children occaſion enough to curſe them: when they will not have them obliged under mortal ſin, to teach them any more (k)Sylveſt, Sum. v. Scientia. Graff. l. 2. c. 58. n. 14. Ea quae parentes tenentur facere ſub peccato mortali, ut filii addiſcant, eſt ſignum crucis, ut Credo parvum, et Pa…er-noſter.than the ſign of the Croſs, the ſmall Creed, and Pater-noſter; nor teach them theſe in a language (l)Navar. Cap. 11. n. 22.they underſtand. However Parents may come even with their Children, and if they love and reverence their Father and Mother ſo much as to curſe them; their Parents may (m)Idem Cap. 23. n. 117.curſe them again, upon as eaſie terms, only they ſhould not deſire miſchief to them in their heart, though their words expreſs that deſire. When Parents curſe their children, having no inward deſire of their miſchief, it is never a mortal ſin, ſays Soto. (n)Cum parentes fillis maledicunt, nullum intus habentes mali deſiderium, nunquam eſt peccatum mortale: quamvis conſuetudo profecto peſſima eſt: de juſt et Jur. l. 5. q. 12. art. 1. Graff. l. 2. c. 58. n. 20.(and it may ſeem ſtrange conſidering the account of it immediately added,) Although it be indeed a wicked cuſtome, and not at all for correction, beſides that the heat of curſing, often raiſes anger into hatred, and ſo alters the mind, that they often deſire, that all the miſchief imprecated may befall them: beſides the appellation of the Devil, can ſcarce be excuſed from a mortal Evil, for it is a kind of blaſphemy and ſcandal, to wiſh eternal death to any. Yet all this it ſeems may be excuſed from deadly ſin, though not very eaſily.
For Love, they may rejoyce at the death of their Father (o)Navar. C. 15. N. 10.becauſe of ſome outward advantage they gain thereby: They (p)Si filius ſcit patrem eſſe haereticum, & non ſolum ſibi ipſi, ſed & aliis prava ſua doctrina nocere poteſt debet eum accuſare. Alexand. Alenſis. fecundum eum Graff. l. 2. cap. 55. n. 8. quamvis tenetur filius ad denuntiandam haereſim patris, & ad teſtificandum de illa, Nov. c. 25. n. 50.may accuſe their Parents of Hereſie, though the effect of that will be a cruel death to thoſe, who gave them life. As to Obedience in things that pertain not to (q)Idem ibid. C. 14. N. 12.paternal government, it is no mortal ſin to diſobey them. In any things whatſoever, (r)Circa rem familiarem—in neceſſariis ad ſalutem ſicut ſunt ſpectantia ad bonos mores.—eſt veniale non obedire ex negligentia vel ſenſualitate, Sylveſt. ſum. v. filius n. 25.it is but a Venial fault to diſobey them, out of negligence, or ſenſualneſs. And ſo there's room enough for a continued diſobedience, while they live. In matters of great importance, where, if ever, diſobedience would be mortal; they exempt it from ſuch guilt. (s)Quaeritur, utrum intrare poſſint pueri vel puellae in anno pubertatis? Et dico quod ſic, etiam parentibus prohibentibus. Sylv. v. Relig. 1. n. 12.They may enter into a Manaſtery, before they are at age, though their Parents charge them, not to do it: They may diſpoſe (t)Utrum filius poteſt nubere ſine licentia patris? Reſp. quod ſic, tam maſculus quam foemina: quamvis non expediat. Angel. ſum. v. filius n. 24. In electione ſtatûs filius vel filia, non ſubjitur parentibus ſecundum S. Thom. 22. q. 104. art. 5. In Tabienna. v. filius n. 14. Vid Aquin. 3. q. 45. art. 5. addit Aquinas puella ſicut poteſt monaſterium ingredi abſque parentum conſenſu, cum ſit perſona libera, ſic & nubere, vid. Gratian, Petr. Lombard, & alios in Eſpencaeo de Clandeſt. matrim. C. 9. &. 10.of themſelves in marriage, without their Parents conſent: becauſe according to Aquinas, in the choice of their condition, they are not ſubject to their Parents, and their Parents concurrence herein is for decency not out of neceſſity. Not only in things of great conſequence as to this life; But in matters neceſſary to their Salvation, it is but a venial fault if they diſobey them; ſo it be not out of contempt, that is, out of obſtinacy and pertinaciouſneſs. (v)Sum. v. filius u. 25.Thus Sylveſter and others, de Graffiis is more particular herein, (x)Inobedientiae crimen filtus incurrit in iis, quae pertinent ad res familiares, & ad ſalutem animae, ut fugere noxia ſodalium contubernia, ludos prohibitos, & meretrices, modo non obediat ex contemptu, per contemptum hîc intelligo, obſtinationem & pertinaciam animi, unde non obedire ex inadvertentia, aut negligentia, vel ſenſualitate, eſſet veniale. Sylv. v. fil. q. 22. Nav. c. 14. n. 12. Graff. l. 2. c. 55. n. 15.a Son ſhould not be diſobedient to his Father in things which belong to the Family, and his ſalvation, as in avoiding pernicious company, and unlawful games, and Whores, he ſhould not diſobey him herein out of contempt, by which (ſays he) I underſtand obſtinacy and pertinaciouſneſs, ſo that, not to be obedient (herein) out of inconſiderateneſs, or negligence, or ſenſuality would be Venial. They encourage a Maid not only to diſpoſe of her ſelf in marriage without conſent of Parents, but alſo to give up her ſelf to uncleanneſs. If ſhe willingly be defloured, * Pet. a S. Joſeph. de 6. praecepto art. 1. (& alii). Cum illa habeat dominum in ſuum corpus non parentes, vel futurus ſponſus; ideoque illa poſſit tibere licet non licite to uti ad explendam tibidinem.they conclude it is no injury to her nor to her future Husband, nor to her Parents. Their reaſon is becauſe ſhe has the diſpoſing of her own body, and ſo may uſe it freely for the ſatisfying of luſt, though not lawfully; yet lawfully too ſo fat that they will have this lewdneſs to be no wrong at all to the party, moſt concern'd, her ſelf or others. If ſhe be unchaſt herein, yet not unrighteous; She ows not ſo much obedience to her Parents as to keep her ſelf honeſt; nor have they authority to oblige her not to be a Whore, no more than not to be a Nunn. By this we may take an eſtimate, of the honour which other Superiours muſt expect, by their rules of Morality. I muſt not deſcend to other particulars, fearing tediouſneſs.