The True Interest of Families, Duty 1
1. Duty of Children, to honour their Parents: and how they are to honour them.
Firſt, Children are bound to honour their Parents; which imports, Firſt, That they ſhould entertain reſpectful and reverend thoughts of them, as being under God the Authors of their Life and Being; they muſt not think ſlightingly, and under valuingly of their Parents, whatever be their weakneſſes and imperfections: They ought to hate and abhor their Vices, every thing in them that is evil, diſhonourable to God, and contrary to his Laws and Commandments; but ſtill they ought to love and honour their perſons: And if at any time diſreſpectful and irreverend thoughts ariſe in their minds, they ought to check them, to accuſe and be angry with themſelves for them; and to call to mind what God hath commanded them to do, when he ſaith, [Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.]
Secondly, This imports that they ought to expreſs their inward Reverence and Eſteem by all the outward marks and demonſtrations thereof, in their words and deeds, their looks and geſtures; theſe things are the Picture of the Mind, they ordinarily repreſent the temper and diſpoſition thereof; ſo that if there be any thing of real eſteem and regard towards any body in the heart, it will diſcover it ſelf by ſome of thoſe outward expreſſions. We ſee how Solomon carried himſelf towards his Mother, 1 Kings 2.19. Bathſheba went unto King Solomon to ſpeak unto him for Adonijah: And the King roſe up to meet her, and bowed himſelf unto her, and ſate down on his Throne, and cauſed a ſeat to be ſet for the King's Mother, and ſhe ſate on his right hand. Children are more apt to carry themſelves irreverently and ſlightingly towards their Mother, which is the reaſon, as ſome think, that ſhe is ſet down firſt. Lev. 19.3. Ye ſhall fear every man his mother, and his father.
Thirdly, This imports that they ought to cover the infirmities and weakneſſes, the imperfections and indiſcretions of their Parents; to do as Shem and Japhet did, Gen. 9.23. when Noah their Father was drunken, and was uncovered within his Tent. They took a garment, and laid it upon both their ſhoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedneſs of their father, and their faces were backward, and they ſaw not their fathers nakedneſs. Children are not to publiſh the faults and follies of their Parents; but ought to conceal them, all that they can. However, there are two things very conſiſtent with this Duty: Firſt, Children may and ought to do all that they can, by their private, modeſt, and humble Advice, to reclaim their Parents from their ſinful practices. Secondly, If they find it not ſo fit for them immediately to adviſe their Parents; or if what they ſay hath not the deſigned effect, then they may recommend this charitable office to the care of ſome other body, who is a wiſe and kind, a pious and ſerious Friend, who may have ſome more influence than themſelves towards the reclaiming their Parents. This is the greateſt expreſſion of true kindneſs, honour, and reſpect to them, when their Children ſincerely endeavour, in the diſcreeteſt manner, to be the happy inſtruments of their Converſion and Reformation; of turning them from Satan unto God: This is to be, in ſome ſort, the Fathers in Chriſt, to thoſe who are their Parents by Nature. O how happy are the Parents of ſuch worthy Children! How may they rejoyce and bleſs God, who hath beſtowed on them ſo great a Bleſſing?
If Children are thus obliged to honour their Parents;Againſt thoſe who diſhonour their Parents. what ſhall be ſaid of thoſe who diſhonour, deſpiſe, and ſlight them, all that ever they can; who undervalue them in their thoughts; who ſpeak of them with great contempt and diſdain; who ſpeak to them with great inſolence; who mock and ſcorn them; who laugh at them, and make mouths at them, and point at them with the finger; who reproach and revile them; who break indecent jeſts upon them; who make them the objects of their ſport and paſtime; who take pleaſure in publiſhing their weakneſſes and indiſcretions, that others alſo may laugh at them, and deſpiſe them? How dreadful and terrible are the Curſes and Judgments, which God hath in ſtore againſt ſuch wretched Children? Prov. 30.17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and deſpiſeth to obey his mother; the Ravens of the vallies ſhall pick it out, and the young Eagles ſhall eat it. That is, he who is a mocker and ſcorner of his Parents, who deſpiſes and ſlights them, ſhall die a ſhameful death, and remain unburied, and ſhall be expoſed to the birds and beaſts of prey, to be eaten of them. It does not follow from hence, that all perverſe wretched Children come to ſuch a ſhameful and untimely end: Only it ſhews what ofttimes happeneth, and is very uſual, to wit, that ſuch mockers and deſpiſers of Parents are puniſhed remarkably by the Juſtice of God in this World, and are made Examples to all others, who will open their eyes to conſider the hand of God againſt ſuch ungodly Children.
As for Inſtances of the Divine Juſtice againſt Mockers of Parents, all Ages and Countries are full of them. Cham was made an Example of this, Gen. 9.22, 24, 25. And Cham the father of Canaan ſaw the nakedneſs of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger ſon had done unto him. And he ſaid, Curſed be Canaan; a ſervant of ſervants ſhall he be unto his brethren. In which words, tho' Canaan the Son of Cham is only mentioned, yet Cham is not exempted from the Curſe; his puniſhment is hereby made ſo much the greater, becauſe he is not only pronounced accurſed in his own perſon (which is neceſſarily to be ſuppoſed, he having committed the ſin which cauſed the Curſe) but alſo in his Poſterity, which could not but increaſe mightily his grief, and make his puniſhment lye more heavy upon him.