A Christian Family Built by God, Section 13
SECT. 13.
THe ſecond paire in this building of God are Couplings, and they are
1. Children,
and
2. Parents.
1. Children next to their duties to God are bound to doe their duties to their Parents. Theſe ſtand,
1. In Reverence.
2. In Obedience.
3. In Thankfulneſs:
1. They owe reverence to their Parents; for acting of which there are,
1. Duties which they muſt do.
2. Sins which they muſt avoid.
1. Their Duties are grounded in a ſingular love, ſuch as Ruth had to Naomi; and they Ruth 1.are two, ſtanding in a reverent awe of them, as God ſaith, Ye ſhall fear every man his mother Levit. 19. 3.and his father. God placeth the mother firſt, becauſe they ſooneſt are deſpiſed thorough their own indulgence. Next, they muſt teſtifie this their reverence five wayes.
1. By ſpeaking reverently unto them, as Iſaac, here am I my father; and that ſon in the Gen. 22. Matth. 21. 30. 1 Kings 2. 20.Goſpel, I goe Sir; and Solomon, Aske on my mother.
2. By humble craving their bleſſings. Though they have no prophetical bleſſings, as Iſaack had for Iacob and Eſau; yet God Exod. 20.ſaith, Honour thy Parents, that thou maiſt live. God hath promiſed them to be an ordinary means to get life of him for honourers of them.
3. By riſing up before them. You know Prov. 31. 28what Bathſhebah ſaith, Her children riſe up and call her bleſſed.
4. By bowing and baring to them (as ſigns of civil honour.) Thus Ioſeph though a mightie Prince, and his father in want, yet Gen. 48. 12 1 Kings 2. 19.bowes to the earth before him, and Solomon to his mother.
5. By not witneſſing againſt them, except Deut. 33. 9.in caſe of Treaſon and Rebellion! for at ſuch a turn, Levi ſaw not his father, nor his mother or brethren.
2. Sinnes to be avoyded by children are; Firſt ſetting light by Parents: Curſed be he, Deut. 27. 16.(ſaith God) that ſets light of his father, that is, gives not reſpect to him, as God and nature requires.
Secondly, Mocking of Parents; The eye Prov. 30. 17that mocks his father, and deſpiſeth the inſtruction of his mother, let the Ravens pick out, and the Eagles devour: and this I ſpeak upon my own knowledge, that I knew a ſonne many yeares who forſook the courſe of his good father, & neglected the counſel of his religious mother, and as he was going homeward from his bowzing companions in the evening, he fell among buſhes, and died before morning, and was found by his friends that ſought him, with his eyes picked out either by Crows, Ravens, or ſome birds of prey.
Thirdly, Curſing of Parents. He that curſeth Levit. 20. 9his father and mother ſhall die the death, ſaith God; and our good Saviour doth ſecond it.
Fourthly, Smiting Parents, For he that ſmiteth Mark 7. 10 Exod. 21. 15.father and mother ſhall die the death. The very Heathens ſowed ſuch children in a ſack with a Dog, Cat, Viper, and Ape, as Emblems of unnaturalneſſe, and drowned them together.
2. They owe Obedience unto their Parents: Obey the father that hath begotten thee, and deſpiſe not thy mother when ſhe is old, ſaith Prov. 23. 22. Col. 3. 20.Solomon: Children obey your Parents in all things, for this is pleaſing ſaith Paul. To Obey is an humble being at the command of Parents, and a patient holding out to the end, as Iſaack to Abraham when he was to be Gen. 22.ſacrificed.
And this Obedience reacheth to all things to which the commanding power of Parents extends. It muſt be ſhewed in all good things for body, ſoul, ſtate, either preſent or future: Jer. 35. 6. & 18.In things indifferent, as the Rechabites, who for it, were looked upon by God with a good eye: In harſh and unpleaſing things, as we ſee in Joſeph, when he was commanded to go to his envious brethren that loved him not, and Gen: 37. 13. 14. Gen. 22.in Iſaack, who was able enough to reſiſt, yet reſiſted not.
All the queſtion will be, how far children muſt Obey? And it may be quickly anſwered, Luke 14. 26. Puto genus pietatis Impium eſſe pro Domino. John 2. Deut. 33. 9.ſo far as may ſtand with the honour of God; for otherwiſe ye reade of Hating father and mother; and ye ſee the beſt pattern Chriſt, who checked his mother, and obeyed not againſt the houre of his father at the beck, and word of his mother.
Again, they muſt obey ſo far as ſtands with the honour of Government; for if a ſon be in place of honor, and he commanded baſe things below him, and unſuitable with his ſtate, he may humbly deny: Yea, and ſo far muſt they obey as ſtands with the honour of the Family. Gen. 2.God ſaith, Forſake thy father and thy mother, and cleave to thy wife. How forſake them? Not forſake the duty of honouring them, or the dutie of helping them; but the dutie of Cohabitation, when they have a wife of their own; and the duties of adminiſtring their houſhold affairs, when they have Families of their own to provide for.
3. They owe thankfulneſſe to their Parents, which muſt be held forth in three duties.
Firſt, in relieving their Parents that they may recompenſe them as Paul phraſeth it. Parents helped them when they could not 1 Tim. 5. 4.help themſelves; ſo muſt they deal by their Parents that are helpleſſe. Thus did Chriſt, David, and Ioſeph. Let all children look ſeriouſly upon theſe examples to follow them, John 19. 26 1 Sam. 22. 3 Gen. 47. 12or elſe remember that memorable ſtory of Luther. A good Father had put over his ſtate to his ſons in Germany, reſerving onelyonly to himſelf a power by turns, to come and take his diet at their Tables. One of his ſons, being at dinner, and having a gooſe before him, ſpied his father coming, and ſet th… …ooſe underneath the table till his father was gone again. Then takes he up the gooſe which God had wonderfully turned into a great toad, which leaped into his face, and notwithſtanding all his ſtriving, it could not be removed till it had ſtifled him, to make him an example of all unthankfull children.
Secondly, In praying for them. If for all that are in authoritie, why not for them firſt.
Thirdly, In burying them: therefore it is now grown into a word Parentare, to bury Parents; and the ſolemnities are called Parentals. Thus did Iacob, Eſau, and Ioſeph.
Oh that all children would be carefull to know theſe things in Gods building, and do them. I know what many children plead for themſelves.
Object. Saith one, my Parents are childiſh and divers.
Sol. So wert thou, and they were glad to pleaſe thee night and day.
Obiect. Saith another, my wife will not be content.
Sol. Oh, in other things thou canſt rule her, in this thou wilt not, to ſave thy purſe.
Object. Saith a third, I am not able to do for them.
Sol. Indeed above this God requires not; yet know that Parents will beg for children, why not children for Parents?
Object. Saith a fourth, I had no great matter from my Parents.
Sol. For ſhame ſay not ſo, they were a cauſe of thy Being by Generation, of thy Living by Education, and of thy Learning by Information by themſelves or by others. Say no more, but (children) up, and be doing, or elſe remember Abſalom, who being unnatural to his Parents, was hanged betwixt heaven and earth, as unworthy of either, or both. If this, or the like ſhould be thy caſe, Farewel life, farewel heaven.