A Complete Body of Divinity, Sermons · 175 (Questions 63-64)
SERMON CLXXV.
QUESTION LXIII.
WHICH is the Fifth Commandment?
ANSWER.
THE Fifth Commandment is, Honour …y Father and thy Mother, that thy Days may be long upon the Land which the Lord …y …d giveth thee.
We have formerly obſerved, That the Ten Commands, are diſtributed into Two …henive Parts according as God Himſelf …ſed to write them, in Two Tables. The … directing us to the Dities of Worſhip, … the letter to Duties of Charity. Which …tion our Saviour gives Countenance to, …le reduceth all Moral Obedience to theſe …, Matth. 22.37, 38. Jeſus ſaid unto … Thou ſh…t love the Lord thy God with all thy … and with all thy ſoud, and with all …hy …ind. P… the firſt and great command m…n…. This … favoured by the diſtributing the Principle …ence, into Ho…eſe and Right …ouſ … …. The one ſerving to firſt Table, the … ſecond Table Duties. The reaſon of … …artition, is warily to be obſerved. Let us … both remember, that God is the Laſt End … Sopream Object of all our Obedience, nor … accepted by Him, except we terminate it … Form: for every Command in the word of …, belongs to Religion, which muſt have Him …im Object, elſe it cannot be reckoned to be …ligion. But we are to conſider this Obedience with a diſtinct and diverſe reſpect, which i… …s to the Object of it, which gives the … of this diſtinction. viz. in reſpect of the … and immediate Object, which our Obedience in directed to; God is the next or immediate Object of all firſt Table Duties, for theſe all point to Religious Worſhip, which cannot be performed to any other but Him, Matth. 4.10. Thou ſhalt worſhip the Lord thy God, and him only ſhalt thou ſenv…, It is therefore Idolatry to pay it to any other; Whereas Man is the Immediate, Object, of our, Charity, or of ſecond Table Duties, tho' all muſt ultimately terminate on God, All Obedience is called Love, 2 Tim. 1.13. But then it is divided into the Love of God, an… of our Neighbour; and we are to remember, that we are to Love God for Himſelf, but to Love our Neighbour in and for God. It is not enough that we Love Him, but we muſt, take the meaſures by which we tegulate this Love, from the Mouth of God; and for this reaſon, this, Love is in Scripture frequently called, Righteouſneſs becauſe when we do them Juſtice, we th… Love them; if otherwiſe, we do not Love but ſtate them. Hence that, Lev. 19.17. Thou ſh…lt not hate, thy Brother in thy bear. Our Saviour ſums up all Second Table Duties in that One, Mat. 22.39. Thou ſhall love thy Neigh…ur as thy …. And He giveth that gloſs upon it in Math 7.12. Therefore all things whatſoever ye would that men ſhould do … you, do ye even ſo to them: for this is the Law and the Prophers. I ſhall here only further remark, that as we formerly took notice, that the Firſt Command in the Firſt. Table comprehends the ground and reaſon of all the other Precepts relating to Worſhip, ſo this Fifth, which is the Firſt in the Second Table, is the foundation of all that follow, and they may be reduced to, and inter…ed from it: Nevertheleſs, God hath ſeen meet to divide theſe Duties under ſeveral heads, which contain ſo many particular Precepts for our better information, and therefore there is ſomething peculiar in each of them, which we may take up in their Order: We may herefore proceed to conſider this in the ſame Method which our Catechiſm is yeth down, and which hath been obſerved in thoſe which went before.
HERE then,
QUESTION LXIV.
WHAT is required in the Fifth Commandment?
ANSWER.
THE Fiſth Commandment requireth, the pr…ſ…rving the …, and performing the … belon…ing to every one in their ſever… … and Relation, as Superio…, …, or Euqua…
THAT we may take right meaſures in laying forth the mind and meaning of this Command, and conſider the juſt Compre…ſion of it, let us in general Obſerve, That the Fifth Commandment hath a proper reſ…ct to the O…der which God hath placed among Mankind; and the Relative Duties which do …low from the Nature of that Order. Only it muſt be conſidered, that all Relations, and the Relative Duties which ariſe from them; do not ſtrictly belong to this Procept, as it is diſtract from thoſe which follow, tho' we obſerved, they may be redma…d to it: For it is a Truth, that every Duty hath le…s Duty founded in ſome Relation, which we bear to the Object of it; and therefore there are Relative Duties …eſ…ging to every of the Precepts. But that which the Co…d deſignedly hath reſpect to, is the O…der it ſelf which God hath in Wiſ…io… ſeen meet to place Mankind in; which cannot be orderly maintained without ſome ſtared Rules for the upholding of it. That therefore we may come at the things contained in the Aſſ…r…r… part of the Command, let us in general obſerve,
1. THAT GOD hath oppointed this there ſhould be ſerveral Ranks & … among Mankind in this World. That there are ſuch Orders, de facts, cannot be denied, becauſe we ſee it every where; and tho'. ſome barbarous and b…nitiſh Nations have but little of it; yet they have ſo much as will …, that there is a Principle rooted in the Nature of Man, that there ought to be ſuch a thing: And that it is of God, Ordination, that there ſhould be ſuch Orders, is certain, not only becauſe the Light of Nature convinceth Mankind, of the Neceſſity of it, and without it the World could not be kept in Order, but would forthwith run into Confuſion, and fall into a Rent; but alſo God hath told us His mind in this regard in His Word; and the ſeveral Rubes there laid down for Men's Carria…re therein, fully proves it; as will afterwards be more particularly conſidered. Nay, this Order was neceſſary during Man's Integrity, much more under the Apoſtacy. One part of the Harmony in Heaven, is the Order there is among the Angels; and were those not ſomething of it uphold among the Rebal Rout of Devils. Hell muſt disband. And tho' all Orders which Men may ordain, are not approved by God; yet that there ſhould be Orders is His revealed Will and Pleaſure: Rom. 13.1. The … that be are ard…i…ed of God.
THAT GOD hath ſuited Duties … ſe…l Orders, which He hath placed Men …. The neceſſity of this appears, from the … of their Appo…n…ment, viz. For the Goods Mankind, and the maintaining of Peace … Society among Men: Now this …ad … attained but by ſetting the due b…nds and … mits to theſe Orders, and accommodating of Duties to the ſeveral ſorts and …nds of th…. Theſe Rules were at firſt written upon M…t Hearts, and Man would have known his Duty by the Narure of the Station which God … put him in; but the Apoſtacy hath … blurred theſe Rules, ſo that Men's Co… ences labour of Error about them; and … there is a diſorderly Diſpoſition in Men, is reaſon of C…ual Lu…s, which makes th…ſe in Soperiout Order … be Boundleſs and … … bittary, and ſo Tyra…ion; and ſuch … Inſcrio… to be …ſy, and not willing … the Yoke, or be under any Command. Men to rectify both of theſe diſorders, God … laid down Prece…es in His Word, by which in hath ſet bounds to …ath theſe Exo… … will alſo afterwards be conſidered.
3. THAT theſe … be … diſcharged, … they ought, … a … born … to …ther, according to the Order … in they ſhound ſo re…d. A due reſpect … in the Heart for others, according … the … which God …ch ſet them … ſo…ely neceſtary for the Obediential … of the Duties which th… Procept … to them in. For tho' if we outwardly … it … them very …aitly and pl…ſibly… … it ſati…yed, becauſe they do not … Hear…; yet … is no Act of Obedience … any further th…n we have a du… regard … Command, which r…quires, not Compl… tal …, Cordial Carriage in all our … wards Man; as, 1 Job. 3.1…. My … drow, let us not love in …work…, neither … but in doed end in trut…. And as God … it, ſo He knows the Heart, and will … of out Carriage by it. …, if we do … … tain this reſpect in us to th…m, th… … the contrary Co…pt, which … ſtanding all our …ing to diſſemble… … w…y or other diſcover it ſelf, and mad… … Tranſgreſſo…s. It will …ke this W… of Obedſance that God hath laid upo… … uneaſy, which would otherwiſe be …, and ſo prompt un to break all Order.
4. THAT e…f th…ſe Orders, together … Relations Duties belonging to them, and the Pri… ciph from which this Obedience … to this a Command. This indeed is generally … nied by the Saci…i…ns, and they will … nothing more to be intended in it, but … Duties ariſing from the Relation there is between Parents and Children: And the ground of their denial is, becauſe they would … duce their Natural Religion, as that which is more perfect than that which is laid out is the Scriptures: And for that reaſon would perſwade …, that there are more Moral Duties re…ied of Men, than are comprehended in the … or Ten Commandments given on Mount …. That there are ſuch Duties required of …, i… regard of theſe Relations cannot be de…d, for in other Texts of Scripture they are … …id. Here therefore to clear this mat…, let us obſerve,
1. THAT all the Duties both Moral and …, which are required in the Word of God, … to one or other of the Te… Command…. When therefore our Saviour had given … of them, as comprehended in the Two …word, …e adds Matth. 22.40. On theſe … hang all the … and the prophets. If all the Precepts which are to be found in … Scriptures, are but Comment…s on …, and are therefore methodically to be … to …e or other of them. For this rea… Two Tables, or the Precepts therein con…, are called the Covenant, Deut. 5. beg. For this Covenant conſiſted of Two parts, viz. … God was, or …l… be to them, contained … Preface; and, what He expected they … be to Him, expreſſ in the Commands …ives; ſo that all Moral Obedience, or all … requires of a People in Covenant with … is …arily contained in them.
2. THAT the ſeveral Orders which God hath … Men in, and the Relative Duties reſer…, are reducible to no other Command … Decalogue, but the Fifth. That they … be redured to one or other is evident, be… … the Decalogue would not be a perfect … of Manners or Moral Obedience, which will be to Charge God with imprudence or …, which is highly derogatory to …. That they do not belong to any of …pes of the Firſt Table, is therein ma… cauſe all of them are reſtrained to Re… Worſhip, which hath God for it's imme… Object; whe… theſe Orders are placed … Men, and are therefore nextly to be … to them, a… their immediate Objects. … they be reduced to any of the other … in the Second Table; becauſe tho they … ſome Relation that Men ſtand in one …; yet they do not reſpect the diſ… Orders of Men, but concern the Comi…. Aſſ…ies of Mankind, as they ſtand in a …, with regard to the Duties therein enjoy…l, … will appear when we come to take … under a diſtinct Conſideration; it therefore … that they belong to this. Hence,
3. THAT a right taking up the meaning of …rds of the Command, according to Scripture, … Application of the general Rules, formerly … for the Underſtanding of the Decalogue, … up this matter to us. I ſhall not here … the Rules which were laid down, in the …ſ…tion of the Forty-firſt Queſtion, where … had Nine Rules given for our Direction in this Affair. But we may here take an Ac… of the Preceptive part of this Command and the import of the Words, in which it is …p…ſſed. The Command it ſelf conſiſts of Two …, 1. A Precept, Honour thy Father and thy Mat…. 2. A M…tive …rge …, T…t thy Days … be…ng … the L…d which the L…rd thy G…d giveth that. A…d it is the former of theſe that we have pr…ſ…nt Concern withal: And we are to obſerve, that the Precept is laid drown Aſſ…matively, whereas all the reſt are laid down only Negatively, except the Fourth, which is expreſſed in both ways: But we have formerly obſerved, that when any Duty is enjoyned, the contrary Sin is forbidden, …cr…tra; for in regard to every Command, it i… capable of being Sinned againſt, either by Omiſſion or Commiſſion: Nor need we over-… riouſly to ask after a Reaſon why God expreſſeth ſome Aſſ…m…tively, others Negatively, only it may ſuffice, that God would have us to know, that it is not enough to abſtain from the more groſs violations of his Commands; but that He alſo expects that we do carefully Conform to the Practice of the Duties required in them. In the Precept it ſelf, Two things are to be obſerved.
1. THE Thing required with reſpect to theſe Orders of Men; Honour. The word in the firſt Conjugation ſignifies to be Heavy; but in another, to Honour: Metaphorically intimating, that the root of Honouring another, is in the Opinion we have of them, which is heavy or p…der…s; and hence on the other hand, to Contemn is a word which firſtly ſignifies Light, and therefore it is Metaphorically ſet forth, by being ſightly eſſeemed, 1 Sam. 2.30. And tho'. Honour nextly points to the reſpect and deference which is paid by an Inferiour to a Superiour; yet it is here extendible to all the Duties, which are manually to be performed by all Orders, one to another; in whatſoever Rank they ſtand related each to the other: And this is explained in the Ce…echiſin in Two things;
(1.) THE Preſerving the Honour. Honour in propriety of Speech, intends, the inward good Eſteem that we have of one for any Eminency or Excellency we obſerve in him; or for any Dignity which God hath in His Providence put upon him: Now the preſerving this Honour comprehends Two things in it. 1. The maintaining of this Eſteem in our Hearts. 2. The endeavouring to u…d is in our Carriage or outward Converſation among Men. But theſe things will come to be diſtincly and ſeverally laid forth afterwards.
(2.) THE Perſe…ing of the Duties which belong to them; for then we practically Honour a Perſon, when we carefully diſcharge the Duties we owe to him, according to the Station which he ſtands related to us in. It is not enough to maintain an inward eſteem of them, but it muſt be manifeſted in a way wherein it may be duly teſtifi…d. And it muſt …e only the Duties which belong, or which we owe to Him on the account of the P…ſ… which he is in: To do leſs than this is to diſhonour him; to do more argues either groſs Ignorance, or vile Contempt, or ſordid Flattery. What theſe Duties are, may alſo be referred to their proper place.
2. THE Object of this Duty; …y Father and M…ther. Cut Cat…chiſm expounds …. Everyone in their ſeveral Places and Relations: But this needs to be explained. We have before been told, that this Precept doth not engroſs all the Relations in which Mankind do ſtand concerned one with another: But only thoſe of Order; and therefore we are to underſtand the following Words in the Anſwer to be Exegetical and Inſtructive of the former, viz. Whether Superious, Inferiours, or Equals. The Words in the Command are Emphatical and Comprehenſive, and are to be underſtood both properly and tropically.
1. PROPERLY; and ſo it intends, the Immediate Parents of a Perſon; and are therefore particulatly mentioned, becauſe this Order is moſt Natural, (as we ſhall have occaſion to obſerve,) and therefore are moſt fit to be mentioned, nothi…g being more convin…ingly evident by the Light of Nature, than that ſuch a reſpect is due from Children to their Parents. Father and Mother are the common Root from which Children ſpring; and hence the reaſon is elſewhere given, Prov. 23.22. Hearken unto thy father that bega… thee, and deſpiſe not thy mother when ſhe is old. And to this Head do alſo belong all Progenitors in a direct Line, as Grand Parents, and all aſcending; becauſe we are lineally deſcended from them: And for that reaſon they are called our Fathers and Mothers in Scripture Language.
2. METAPHORICALLY; and ſo the word is often uſed in the Scripture: And ſo it comprehends under it, all Superiours, in what reſpect ſoever: We ſhall therefore find this Title given to Kings; it was a common Title put upon the Kings of the Philiſtines; Ahimelech, which ſignifies, My Father the King; and the Servants of Naaman addreſſed him with this Title, 2 Kings 9.13. Thus the Prieſts were entituled by the People; hence that, Judg. 17.10. Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a prieſt. Thus was the P…ophet accoſted by the King, in, 2 Kings 6.21.13.14. Thus Paul applies himſelf either to the Elders or Ancient Men in Jeruſalem, Acts 22.1. And in all theſe reſpects it is to be underſtood in the Command.
3. SYNECDOCHICALLY: For as we have obſerved, all the Duties which are mutual between Perſons in reſpect of the Order they ſtand in, are here to be underſtood. It is certain, that from all the Relations that Men bear each to other, there are reciprocal Duties incumbent on them; and there are Precepts given in the Word of God for them, on both ſides, and they cannot be ſo properly referred to any other Command. So that as the Duties to Superiours is in the firſt place pointed nextly to, which is to be paid them by Inferiours; ſo there is to be conſidered under this Precept, the Duties which Superiours do owe to Inferiours; for they are no more left by the Word of God to be deſpotical, than the others to be diſobliged: And we have before obſerv…d, that this latitude, is neceſſary to be allowed, to the r…ght under…tanding of the Law. So that, …o…h …hildren with reſpect to their Natural Parents and Progenitors; and all Subjects, in whatſoever kind or … of Subjection they are placed among M…, are here to be taught and inſtruct…d in their Duty which they owe to ſuch as are Superiour to them. And our Catechiſm alſo brings in Equals; for there are ſome who ſtand on even Ground, and in the ſame Rank with others, to whom alſo they owe a Duty in that Order. Now, though it is certain, that the Duties are mutual, yet they are not the ſame between Superiours and Inferiours: There is one ſort of Duties, which God hath laid upon thoſe whom he hath placed above others i… Dignity or Authority; and another ſort of Duties required of ſuch as God hath put below others; and made to owe Submiſſion or Subjection to them: And there are Duties diſtinct from either of theſe, which are incumbent on Equals, as ſuch, between themſelves; and therefore all of theſe a… to be taken apart, and handled by themſelves ſeverally. If therefore we would underſtand the Mind of this Command in the Latitude of it, out way is to enquire after the ſeveral Orders which God hath placed among Men; and then enquire, what is the Exp… ſion of Honour which is appropriated to … of theſe, under the conſideration of their ſtanding ſo related, one to the other: And for this the Word of God is to be conſulted; and … muſt warily obſerve what Duties are co… to All Men, as they are Men; and what belong to the ſeveral particular reſpects which they bear one to another, with reſpect to Dignity, either Equal or Unequal: And … i… may be obſerved, that one and the ſame P… ſon, may bear divers Relations of Ordes, with regard to others, and that either to diſ… Perſons; or ſometimes to the ſame Perſon: Thus a Queen, may be both a Wiſe and a Subject to the King: A Man both a Hu… and Subject to a Queen: A Man be both a Brother and a Servant to his Brother: Y…, One Man may be both Superiour and Inferiour to another, according to the different O… der he ſtands in: Thus a Man, who beats … Office of Civil Authority on him, may has Father to one who is in great place of Dignity; and yet it is certain, that each of theſe … tions, hath it's Duties inſeperable from it; and the one doth not diſannul or diſcharge … the other, but each ought in it's place duly … be obſerved. In the Inveſtigation of th…ſ… Duties, we muſt in each of them conſider the Relate, and the Correlate in Conjunction; becauſe their mutual Duties do infer each other: And we may begin with thoſe that ſtand into Inequality, viz. Superiours and Inferiours; becauſe theſe are nextly and immediately poi… ed at in the Command. Now as the ground of the different Orders among Men is for the due maintaining of Humane Societies, that they may be kept in a good State, and not be turned into a Rout; Man being made a Sociable Creature, and his outward Happineſs having a neceſſary Dependance on the Peaceableneſs of this Society; it is therefore fit that every one do know his Rank and Station in it: ſo there are ſeveral Orders between Men, made …d appointed by God, the principal whereof, may be reduced to two heads, viz. Natural, and P…tical. I know others generally diſtribute them, into Oeconomical and Political: But tho' I liſt not to contend about Terms, eſpecially when the things themſelves will amount to the ſame in the iſlue; yet I chuſe rather to follow it, under this diſtribution. A brief account of …ch of theſe, may be taken in the further Pro…tion of the Duties required by this Com…d; and Friſt of Natural.
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