32 o Chap.2. 'Of ',ovisig our Neighbour asour,felf. Com.5. In the eight a reflraint of Covetoufnefs which is concupifantia oeulorum, the 1aJó ofthe eyes, which in refpect ofman is an offence againft the politick Rate, by doing wrong to another in his goods, and in refpeft of God perverts the ruleof Juflice prefcribed by him. In theninth a reftraint of the fpirit ofLying and Detraéïion, which our nature lufteth after , whereas the provifion of the good name of our brother is required and in refpe6 of good here is order taken for the preferving of truth. As the other Commandments refpeck all men in general fo the Fifth re- fpet`ds fome in fpecial , viz. Inferiours and Superiours , and other mutual duties. The Fifth Commandment being placed in the front ofthe fecond Table bath an eye alfo to the firft Commandment of the firftTable.The one commanded the honour ofGod ; the other ofhis Vicegerents. It containeth s Precept, and aPromife. r. ThePrecept is, Honour thy Father and thy mother. 2. ThePromife, that thy days maybe long &c. Some think the firft words contain the duty of the Inferiour and the laft words ( that thy days &c. ) contain the duty of the Superiour, becaufe it is the dutyof Parents by providing for their Children, and praying for them , to prolong their dais, and fo they are joyned Deut.5.z6. But becaufe Saint Paul makes it a Promife , Epbefians 6. s. and a Precept and a Promife are two different things , therefore it is better to divide the words into a Precept and a Promife. As God in his infinite Wifdom difpofeth all things in due order, fo here he ma- kerb hisWifdom more particularly known tous in the difpofition ofthefeCommand- ments : for by fetting this in t he firft place of the fecond Table, he would have us take notice, that after he hath taken order for his ownhonour in the firft Table, his principal and firft care is for honour to Parents, from whom next under him- felf we receive our being and therefore Phtlo faith, the honour due to Parents is fet before all other duties we owe to men,& placed as it were ¿o pcaSopius conftnir, in the confines of a mortal and eternal nature : Ir is fet in the middle , between the duties to God and man, becaufe this Commandmentis the preferver both ofthe firft and fecond Table ; for take away honour and obedience to Superiours, and all duties to God and man are neglected, and fall to the ground. Betides, we may obferve that God delighteth in his charge to As, to knit up whatfoever he efpecially commandeth in a lhort and narrow compafs , preffing more efpecially in every Commandment fome one more remarkable word, In the Commandments ne- gative, he maketh choice of the molt ugly and deformed word of that _fin whichhe prohibiteth, to terrifie us even from the very handmaids and dependants of it. And in this affirmativeCommandment he makes choice of the belt words he can, as Father and Mother, for the objeá; and of honour, tofet out the duty unto us. Now aswe Paid beforeofthe loveofour Neighbour, fo here we may fayconcern- ing honour, there are two grounds of either. a. Excellency andneernefs of the perfon in refpect of God. 2. Conjunllion or neernefs to our felves. In theordering ofour Love,we fhewed,how that we are to refpedt the conjuntlion by nature or grace in the duties of Love which we freely perform, and that we owe not fo much to thofe perlons with whomwe have no fuch Conjuntion.Thus we thould prefer a faithful man before an infidel, becaufe in the one there is only the imageof God bynature,in the other it is both bycreati,on and regeneration, and as Sainteimbrof,faith,with the faithfulfemper futuri fonus,we thall live for ever.And among the faithful, we lhould rather do good to thofeof our own country,than to Strangers;becaufe befide the bondsofReligion,there is alto a fecondbond of proxi- mity & cohabitation, and among them to our acquaintance before thofe that are unknown to us, becaufe we have an eafier entrance unto them to do themgood by perfwation &c. And among fuch, to our kindred and alliancebefore others not all:- ed's becaufe we are joyned and bound together as Icon as we areborn,and this bond cannot pettC. r 7.19:
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