Divine Poems, Commandment 5
Commandment V.
Honor thy Father and thy Mother, &c
He that ſought his Fathers death
Sonleſs, yielded up his breath.
He, that would his Prince have ſlain,
Had his pardon ſent in vain,
For although the King for gave,
Juſtice urg'd her due to have,
That Rebellious Children may
Learn this precept to obey,
And the Subject ſtand in awe
How he Sins againſt this Law.
Command. V.
On them all honours due, beſtow,
Who, by the Name of Parents go.
WHat of Rebelling Subjects will become,
And graceleſs Children view in Abſolom:
For, whoſe Offence the Earth did (as it were)
Refuſal make his Bodies weight to bear,
And Heav'n rejects it; that they might preſent
Him hanging for a dreadful Monument
Through Ages all, to warn and keep in awe
The ſleighters and Infringers of this Law.
This foremoſt Precept of the ſecond Table
Unto the firſt, in this is anſwerable
They both enjoyn and Honour where 'tis due,
Their differences are theſe which do enſue:
Here bleſſing follows; there it went before
One Parent, that concern'd; This, many more.
He that ſhall break this Precept, maketh ſnares
Wherein to hang himſelf at unawares,
And overthrows (as much as in him lies)
All Common-weals, and all Societes;
Yet, ſome affect it not, but loudly cry
For times which may erect a Parity.
And, ſome who dream they keep it, are to blame
By being ignorant how far the Name
Of Parent reacheth, which we briefly ſhow,
That they might better do and better know.
We from the Parents of our bodies have
A natural being; and they juſtly crave
To be obey'd in all things, but in thoſe
Which either may Superior powers oppoſe,
Or, to ſome Being hurries us, that ſhall
Be worſe, than to have never been at all.
Beſide theſe Parents, we to many moe
A Duty, by this Obligation owe.
The Fathers of our Country, by this Law
Firſt claimeth of us, Honour, Love and Awe,
And from himſelf, the ſame Prerogatives
To his Inferiour Magiſtrates derives.
There is a Fatherhood in thoſe that be
Our Elders, and our Betters in degree.
Our Maſters alſo, may have warrant here,
To challenge from us, Reverence and Fear.
And Husbands alſo may infer from hence
Good proof of right to their preheminence;
And if a witneſs wanted thereunto,
My Wife I know would ſay the ſame I do.
And that, I give God thanks for as a bleſſing,
That is not founnd in every mans poſſeſſing.
Our Ghoſtly Fathers by whoſe careful pain
We are anew begot, and born again;
(Ev'n to a life more excellent than that,
Whereto our fleſhly Fathers us begat)
Have Honours due, no leſs than thoſe to whom,
We Sons and Daughters in the Fleſh become,
Yea and our Fathers in ſome ſort they be,
Who, from Thrall, Wants, and Death, hath ſet us free.
All theſe from us an Honour may command,
According to the place wherein they ſtand;
To ſome of them we do not owe alone,
That Honour which may outwardly be done,
Or, that unfain'd reſpect, which doth accord,
With bare Obedience. But we muſt afford
All helps, whereby we alſo, may prevent
The Want, the Shame, the Harm, or Diſcontent,
Which may befall them, we ſhould meekly bear
Their words and blows, ev'n when unjuſt they are;
We ſhould not pleaſure take in any thought,
With which diſhonour may to them be brought.
Though they ſhould curſe us, we muſt always bleſs,
Defend their lives and hide their nakedneſs,
We ſhould not hear them wrong'd: nor ſhould our tongue
To all men tell it, when they do us wrong,
But pray and ſtrive, that blameleſs we might prove,
How crookedly ſo 'ere they pleaſe to move.
For he alone who thus obey them ſhall,
Hath an Obedience Evangelical.
Among thoſe many who theſe Laws do break,
And paſs unheeded any breach to make,
On this Command, who greatly are to blame,
In being diſobedient to the ſame,
The firſt and worſt are that ill tutor'd ſect,
Who Magiſtrates, and Rulers contradict,
They who at all Superiors madly ſtrike,
And fain would have us honour'd all alike,
Are deeply guilty, and this juſt command,
They fruſtrate make; if ought I underſtand.
The other ſort, doth Government forſake,
Of whom God pleas'd this gracious Law to make,
Do ſometime alſo grievouſly tranſgreſs,
Againſt this Law when they by wilfulneſs,
By Pride, or Cruelty, provoke or ſtir,
Thoſe to rebel, who Sons or Vaſſals are.
For, he that wilfully gives cauſe of ill,
Shares equal Guilt with him that acts it ſtill.
By ſinning he brings others to be naught,
Then ſuffers by them, for the Sin he taught.
For they who Tyrannous Commands do lay,
Shall find their Servants treacherouſly obey.
The Crimes forbidden here as having bin,
Occaſions of a more immediate Sin,
Againſt this Law; are Envy, Self-conceit,
Licentiouſneſs (which thinketh over ſtreight,
All tyes of Government.) Forgetfulneſs,
Of thoſe Commodities which we poſſeſs.
By them who Rule us likewiſe we may add,
Ingratitude; Ill habits ſooner had,
Than loſt) Groſs Rudeneſs; and the Vice,
Whence moſt Sins flow inſatiate Avarice.
I now remember that I named not
Some other Parents overmuch forgot.
We have a Heavenly Father unto whom,
His Children ſhould more dutiful become
Than yet they be. But, what to him we owe,
The former Table of theſe Laws doth ſhow.
We have a Mother too, which (more our Sin)
Hath in this Age 'ore much neglected bin,
Nay worſe; (I would it were untruly ſaid)
She hath diſhonour'd been and diſobey'd,
More like a cruel Step-dame than like her,
Within whoſe bleſſed Womb conceiv'd we were.
I mean the holy Church the Spouze of Chriſt,
For we her wholſome Diſcipline reſiſt,
Her comely Ceremonies we deſpiſe,
Her Government we often Scandalize,
We ſlight her Bleſſings, we her Counſels hate,
We of her Ornaments and her Eſtate
Diſpoil her; her beſt Children we betray,
And when ſhe would embrace we run away,
In all which things we diſobey this Law,
And vengeance both on Soul and Body draw:
God grant this wickedneſs we may repent,
Before he change into a Puniſhment,
The Bleſſing promis'd: For he from the Land,
Will root the breakers of this great Command,
That men may know the danger to contemn,
A good Condition; when 'tis off'red them.
Some are already gone: And though few ſee,
Or will confeſs) that they afflicted be
For this offence: yea though few think that they,
Were rooted out, becauſe they went away
By their own choice: Yet God to them hath ſhew'd
Their error by ſome Plagues which have enſu'd;
Since their departure, that they might perceive,
How frowardly they did their Mother leave;
And that the truly penitent might there,
Enjoy the Bleſſing they did forfeit here.
God open ſo their eyes in their diſtreſs,
And ſo inſtruct them in that Wilderneſs,
To which they run, that (though like Sarahs Maid,
They fly from her with whom they ſhould have ſtaid
They may divert our heavy Condemnation,
And leave a bleſſing to this Generation.
Lord Grant thou this, and that thoſe may not ſhame
Their Brethren who departed without blame,
To civilize the Lands which know not yet,
Their blindneſs, nor what Sins they do commit.
And gracious God, preſerve a Heart in me,
Which to this Law may ſtill obedient be.
Amen.