2.7.8 Chap.4. The Reafotis oftIJt3 Coinininrinrent. Coin 4. for voter . t. Firft for the Parer familial, the Matter of the Family. It is reputed to be on èfpecial preferment to be fet over the Family bythe Lord of thefamily. And as Mar. 24 45 Luke 21,48. It rs honos, anhonour, Fa__ it is same, too, a charge, for cal plus darter, ab eo plusp tb- tar; towhom much is given, of him fhaH be much required ; and therefore the &It charge is laidhere uponhim, that is-the ',chief. For 'as long as man is in the condi- Jofh.24.79. tion of a fon, or afervant, fo long hetnay'fay, Ego férviam, I will ferve, but ifonce he come to have thechargeofa Family, then hemuff faywithyofhua, Ego & donuts mea, I and my houfe will ferve the Lord. In reference whereto, when Chrii had converted Zacheuu, he faid, This day is Luke t 6. falwition cometo this houfe r why ? beçaufe thisman (who is chief of the Family) Gen.24.3o: is the fee of .Abraham; and Abraham inftrufted hisFamily. He mutt fay tohis Fa- Jo. '3.15. mily, as Chrift did to his Apoftles, Exemplumdedt vobee, I have given you an ex- Ga1.xa "03' ample. For if Peer, or whofoever is principal, fall away, then others, yea Ear- nabas himfelf will be drawn away too.. So though hedifcharge the dirty himfelf, yet if hetake not care that othersunder 'hint difchargeit alto, he is a debtor. That he ought to be fo far from givingoccafionhimfelf, or fuffering othersto violate that clayby working , or letting them that are under him to fervile work , that he, toge- ther with them , mull fee the day fanEìified, and take care that all join in thofe holy duties whichare requilte to the fanclification of the day. 2 Children, in Z. The fecond is concerning children. SaintAmp/pars argument is good upon veer. 2o. s. that in Deut. zo. Where if a man had new built an houfe, the manner was toconfe- crate it. That if a man that hath built a boufe becareful to confeerate it, beingbut the fruit of his hands , then much more lieth the careupon him of confecrating the fruitof his loins. We fee this careful affeflion in Abraham, that he Wouldcommand Ceuta. 19. his foris to.keep the way of the Lord;: for wherethe.greateft love is, thre is all° the greateft delire of conjunetion as well in fpirit as inbody , and in grace and holi nefs, and the means thereof (the fervice of God) as innature, even natural love, if it be true and rightly guided, teaches man curare ¡iberos, to 'take care for their children good as well as their own , and that for their fouls aswell as their bodies.. . 3 Servant,. 3. In the third place, Servants are prbhibited fromwork on that day. We fee Gen. 1849. in the place before quoted, that Abraham was commended by God for the care 6o1.311. he took for his houthold to do his fervice.' And the Apoftle faith',: that in the fervice of God, God takes no notice of the difference of fervants from others, in Chrift is no difference of bond or free , thy Servants muff reft as well as thy »car.f.rf felf. And God elfewhere gives another reafon for it, Remember thou waft á' fervant, where thou waft oppreft with labour. God hath a care of them ; and charity and humanity requires , that we weare not out our Family with to Much toyl, left the Çommonwealth be, endangered, by their hard ufage. We read that in the Spartan and other Commonwealths, divers Infurrections have troubled the States, by overburdening of fervants: therefore God (for the pre- fervatio of Commonwealths) provides here, that they may have a day of reft and refrethment. 4 cattle. .} So likewife of Beaus. Gods mercy, care and providence extends likewife Kid. 36.7 to them. Thou, Lord, (faith thePfalmift) jhalt lave bothman and beaft, howea-- Prin. r% ro. cellent is thy merry, O god.? it extendeth tothe bodies and lives of them , for A righteous manregardeth the life ofhis bead, faith Solomon. God therefore here takes order that the beaft benpt overtired. He hath alto charged, that the earth fhall have Job ix. 38. its fabbath : if it have not, it wiN cry sgainft us, and the furrows thereof will com- C plain, as holy 7obfpeaks, for Qodcaret alterna requie databile non of : neither land nor cattel, if they reft not fometimes, cannot hold out: one end of'God's Providence herein is to reftrain ourcovetous.hutnotir and defrre, which is luth that (rather then. lofe theleaft gain) wewill put our landandcattel to the utmoft, therefore by this claufeGod takesorder to reftrain it.', Another end is; that by beholding thebeats to reft, we might be themore ftirred Joh.3.7. up, and moved to fanftifie a reft our felves ; not that the reft of beaffs is accepta- ble to God,i.or required for it felf, but.that wemaybe affefted therewith, and put in mindof our duties. We read that in the fait of Nineveh, command was given, Let neitherman nor beaft, herd nor flock, tafle_ any thing: Let them not feed not drink
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