The Whole Duty of Man Epitomized, Part 14
PARTITION XIV.
Of Duty to Magiſtrates, Paſtors. Of the Duty of Parents to Children, &c. Of Childrens Duty to Parents.
I Come now to the Duty to Parents.neareſt kind of Relations, and in the firſt Rank of thoſe I place our Duty to Parents, whether Civil, Spiritual or Natural.
The Civil Parent is To the Supream Magiſtrate, Honour.he who by a juſt right poſſeſſes the Throne, and to him we owe Honour and Reverence; we are to look upon him, as a Perſon upon whom God has ſtamp'd a great deal of his own Power and Authority, and upon no Account to ſpeak evil of him or revile him.
Next we owe him our Tribute, which we are to pay him with the utmoſt, both of Juſtice and Freedom; Thirdly, Tribute, Prayers and Obedience.We are to Pray for him, that God would direct and aſſiſt him in all his Undertakings. And Fourthly, We owe him a ſolemn and ſtrict Obedience; which both the Laws of God and Nature have commanded us to obſerve wi… the moſt awful and religious Submiſſion.
The ſecond ſorts of Parents a… the Spiritual, viz. th… Miniſters of God… Duties to our Paſtors.Word, and ſuch a… are entruſted with the Salvation of Souls; to them we owe the higheſt Love and Kindneſs we are oblig'd to eſteem and value them as our beſt and trueſt Friends we are likewiſe to contribute to their Maintenance, Love, Eſteem Maintenance, Obedience, and Prayer.and witha… to look upon them a… Gods Meſſengers, and upon that Account t… behave our ſelves … them with a great deal of diſtance and reſpect, and to put up our earneſt Prayers to God for them, that he would grant them the aſſiſtance of his Spirit, to enable them rightly to diſcharge their Holy Calling.
The third ſort of Parent is the Natural, Duties to our Natural Parent.by which is meant the Fathers of our …leſh. Towards theſe …e are to demean our Reverence, Love, &c.…lves with Reverence and Humility, and …pon no Account to contemn or …ſpiſe them, either in our outward …ehaviour or in our Hearts; we we them our moſt ardent Love and …ndereſt Affection, and ought to …hor every thing that can give them the leaſt Cauſe of Grief or …iſquiet.
We owe likewiſe Obedience.…r Obedience to all …e Commands of our Parents, that …e not oppoſite to the Laws of …od, and cannot violate them, …thout expoſing our ſelves to the Puniſhments he has ſo often denounc'd in Scripture againſt diſobedient Children.
Children are not to Marry without the Children not to Marry without the Conſent of their ParentsConſent of their Parents, every Child is ſo much the Right and Poſſeſſion of his Parent, that he mu… be guilty of Theft to diſpoſe … himſelf without his Conſent. We are likewiſe bound according to … Abilities, to ſupp… their Wants, and … To provide for their Wants. Duties to the worſt of Parents.adminiſter to them … any kind of Extremity: and all this is … be done, even to th… worſt of Parents.
But as there a… many things due fro… Duties of Parents to Children.the Child to the … rent, ſo there are ſo… from the Parent … the Child. The Parent is oblig… to nouriſh and ſuſtain the Chi… till he comes of Age to do it himſelf, he is likewiſe to take Care for his Soul, by bringing him early to the To bring them to Baptiſm; to educate them.Sacrament of Baptiſm; and by having him timely inſtructed in the Principles of Religion, and educated in the true Faith, and Fear of God; and as a Means to improve his Education too; he is Means towards their Education.to encourage and correct him, and to uſe all wiſe and gentle Means in order to impreſs upon him a timely Sence of Vertue, and good Morals.
Thirdly, The Parent The Parent to watch over the Childs Soul.is to watch over the Soul of his Child after he comes to years of Maturity, and as often as he finds occaſion, to exhort, encourage and reprove him; he is likewiſe to take Care of his outward To provide for their Suſtenance.State, by providing him with a ſuitable Condition of Life; but above all, he is to lay before him a good Example, To give them good Example.and to make his own Life a fit Pattern for him, from whence he may tranſcribe the true Rules of Vertue, Honour, Honeſty and Godlineſs; and then he is to Bleſs him, and Pray To Bleſs them, and to give them no unreaſonable Commands.for him, and to recommend him often to God's Care and Protection: And beſides, all this too, he muſt be extreamly careful, that all the Commands he laies upon him are juſt and reaſonable, and in all reſpects utterly diſtant from all ſorts of harſhneſs or ſeverity.