The Chief Interest of Man, Section 12
SECT. XII. How much Religion conduces to the good of humane Societies. And firſt, of Families, preſcribing ſuch rules to all therein, as well obſerved, would make them happy in each other.
IF thou be wiſe, thou ſhalt be wiſe for thy ſelf, ſaith the wiſeſt of Men. Prov. 9.12. He that hath the fear of God, which is the beginning, or chief and principal of all wiſdom, doth (as is evident from what hath been ſaid already) beſt provide for himſelf, and conſult his own ſoveraign good, and indeed God hath out of his abundant goodneſſe to mankind, ſo twiſted and interwoven their happineſſe with his own glory in the buſineſſe of our ſalvation, that while they beſt ſerve him, they do moſt advantage themſelves, and according as they ſeek his Glory, they promote their own happineſs; but yet we are not born for our ſelves, but as every member ſhould do its office for the common good of the whole body, ſo every Man ſhould as a member of the univerſe or community, ſtand the whole in ſome ſtead, and not be as a Wen or a Wolf, a diſeaſe or deformity only drawing away nouriſhment from the body, without doing it any ſervice, being an unprofitable burden of the earth, living undeſired, dying unlamented. Wherefore I will now come to conſider Man as a ſociable creature; and as he ſtands in relation to others, and ſo we ſhall find that a good Man is a common good, and that Religion and holineſſe doth not only make men Tzadikim, or juſt but Chaſidim, or good, for which (if for any) men will venture their lives. Rom. 5.7. And firſt, I ſhall conſider Men in an Occonomical ſtate. Families being the firſt in order among the Societies of Men, others being made up of a conjunction, or combination of ſeveral families, as families are made up of ſeveral perſons. Now in Families there is a threefold ſociety.
The 1. Conjugal between Husband and Wife.
The 2 Paternal between Parents & children.
The 3. Deſpotical between Maſters & ſervants
Though all theſe not be found in every family, yet they are all found in ſome, and ſome in all. And let us but conſider the Rules preſcribed to all theſe by Chriſt in the Goſpel, and we ſhall ſee a perfect draught of Oeconomicks, and the moſt exact pattern of an happy well governed Family. And if any profeſſing Godlineſſe do not come up to ſuch rules, what I have undertaken to prove holds good in Theſi, and it is not Mens Godlineſſe, but their want of it which is to be blamed; though we may find this amongſt Chriſtians, ſooner than Plato find his Common-wealth, or the Stoicks their perfect man. For the Conjugal Society, Husbands are to love their Wives as themſelves, as their own bodies; yea, as Chriſt loved his Church, a proof of which he gave in giving himſelf for it, ſo that he is to provide for her whatever is meet and neceſſary, not to be bitter againſt her, to be tender towards her, giving honour to her, by how much more honour God hath given to him, to inſtruct her in whatever is meet for her to learn of him; and in a word to forſake all others in the World, and cleave only to her, reckoning her and himſelf no more two but one fleſh. Wives on the other hand are obliged to ſubmit themſelves to their Husbands, to reverence them, to obey them, diligently and frugally to manage the affairs of their Family, and to eaſe their Husbands as far as may be of the burden of cares that lyes on them; and to carry themſelves, with that prudence, modeſty, chaſtity, gravity, that they may be a Crown to their Husbands, that the heart of their Husbands may truſt ſafely in them, and that they may do them good, and no hurt all their dayes. So in the Paternal Society, Parents are bound to take care of the Souls of their Children, and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to teach them the way wherein they ſhould walk, while they are young, and to take care of their bodies alſo, providing for them, laying up portions for them, and not to uſe too much rigor and ſeverity towards them, ſo as to diſcourage them, yet to give them that moderate correction, which the vanity of childhood and youth many times makes neceſſary. So Children are to obey their Parents in all things lawful, to honour and reverence them, to requite their care of them, by maintaining them (if need require) in their Old Age concealing their infirmities, and abſtaining from all expreſſions of contempt and diſreſpect. In the Deſpotical Society. Maſters are obliged to exerciſe humanity towards their Servants, not ruling them with too much imperiouſneſſe, or rigor, conſidering they have a Maſter themſelves likewiſe in Heaven, by whom they would not be dealt with, in ſtrictneſs and ſeverity; they are to provide for them, to give them that which is juſt for their ſervice; yea, that which is reaſonable and equal, rewarding induſtry and faithfulneſs with more than Servants can in ſtrictneſs require. So Servants are bound to ſubmit themſelves to their Maſters, not only in doing their work, but doing it in ſimplicity and ſingleneſſe of heart, as to God, conſidering it as a duty which they owe to God, as well as to Man, and that they muſt look for their recompence from him, ſo they muſt ſtudy to pleaſe their Maſters, not provoking by rude or croſs anſwers, not purloyning or waſting unneceſſarily their Maſters goods, not taking of their time, which is their Maſters, to ſpend in their own ſervice, or in pleaſure, or idleneſſe. Oh! how happy would families be, if all therein did obſerve theſe rules? We ſhould have no complaints of the churliſhneſſe, or careleſſeneſs of Husbands, of the Prodigality and diſloyalty of Wives, of the harſhneſs or ſeverity of Parents and Maſters, of the undutifulneſs and unfaithfulneſſe of Children and Servants.