322 Chap.2. Of Honouring Superlours ingeneral. Corm.5. NowWall Paternity or Fatherhood be derived fromGod to men, and they be only his inftruments and fa be Fathers by participation, their dutyor office fignified in the name [Father] mull be drawn from God, as he is a Father. The word ZMFa- ther,,is derived fromMt to willanddefire,becaufe ofthat propeniìty and ready will in Parents to take care anddo good for their Children;and fo jobcalls himfelfpater Jsb, 29. 16. pauperum,a Father of thepoor,becaufe of thecare he had to do them good; and hence it is, that whofoever is made by God, a Caufeor Author of our good,is by analogy indued with the name of Father. It is true, the name is firft given to God, becaufe Gen. 4. 20. he iscaufa exiftendi, the caufe ofour being, for this alfo is implied in the Hebr. ltd, 2 Kings 2. 12. which is given to any that is thefirfi author or inventor of any thing,and fo it is given to our natural Parents, becaufe that under God they are the caufes ofour being: but then in the fecond place it belongs to them, becaufe of their case and propenfity to do good and preferve their Children.And fo the Mother hath her name fromprefer ving and keeping her Children,(aáTnpd µá u, guaro vehementer,quia vielumpartui qua- rit, becaufe the Peeks to preferve her Children ; and it appears by herCreation, that oneend was to be a helper, or afhftant to the Father in the preferving of Children. And thus byconfequence whofoever are afliftants for the Prefervation ofothers have this name communicated to them : thus thofe that by their wifdom and counfeldo fob. r2. 20. a(fift others,as the Elders and Rulers ofthe people, arecalled Parents, which the flea- kuth 4. 4. then Paw by the light ofnature; for Plato and Xenophon fay, that a goodRuler or Go- vernour differs nothingfrom a Father. So then, whomloever God bath placed in a Rate ofexcellencyabove us,to beacaufe ofour being,or well -being or anailiftant therein, thofe are commended to us by the names of Fatherand Mother. 2. Concerning the duty Hanou theHeb.1Z7 which is tranflated,to Honour, doth firft fignify to be heavy, or to make heavy, grave of e, or aggravare : this is the proper and original fignificationof the word,and indeed naturally it hath no other ; for by Metaphor only it is drawn to fignify Honour,becaufe things that are fold by weight, and thofe things whichare precious by nature,as gold and filver, &c. the weightier they are,the more precious they be,and are the more efteemed ; whence it comes that the weight ofa thing adds a price or eflimation to it,or as we call it,an Honour: and thus Superiours orperfons in Anthority,are to be efteemedand accounted of, as things weighty and precious, and fo to behonoured. It is true, a Magistrate confidered in his natural capacity as he is a man, is no heavier than another man; but when God bathclothed himwith part of his own Authority, or Excellency, whereby he repre- fents his perfon, then he becomesmore heavy and precious, and therefore is to be e- deemed and honoured by us, and not to be fet light, or accounted light in our eyes; but we are to adde as much weight to the perfon as we can by our high efteem of him. And becaufe of this weight and high efteem of fuch Perlons, it is little lets than a miracle (which the very Heathen wondred at) to confider and fee whole Nations to beat the beck ofoneMan,thac men fbould fo readily lay their heads on the Block or put theirnecks into the Halter,at the Command ofone Perlon; andofoneforte- times unwife,as Rehoboamwas; nay fometimesa Woman,or a Child : which plainly fheweth,that in perfons veiled with Authority, there is fòmething more than Man, which draws this refpedt and reverence to them to wit, a ray or. glimple ofdivine Majefty, whereby they reprefent God upon earth, , who can over -rule the hearts and a Lionsofpeople,and draw them toan humble obedience to hisVicegerent.The fame Demefi. in Thy,. fignification bath the Greek word 710 Honour, from aim Pendo, to weigh, prize and aUfl. efteem,therefore is Tial ailed to fignify theprice of athing,or the value ofit:andhence is this word, and the Latin Honour ufed to exprefs the duty of Subjeíts and Inferiours totheir Superiours,as by Solon in his laws, Plato,and the Roman writers, and all that write ofLaws,and ofthe Obediencedue to them ; and hence alfo in a fpecial peculiar Ari/f. polit.l.3, manner is 7ga4 ufed to fignify Power &Authority,byArofotle,with whom,ar',vTruaie c.7.er 1. 5. e. 6. irresare the fame withótirdtxuir órrésbecaufeHonour is due toperfons inAuthority. That we may'fhew the necefhty, and withall the original of this Honour, which is due to Superiours, we mull confider what the Apoftle (peaks, All things are for your fakes, that is,for the Churche's fake. The Church and its good is the end of all Gods works and difpenfarions here below ; for politeia eft propter Ecclefiam, the Pate or common- wealth is for the Chtrch, and for its good ,> as may be gathd frere m o f
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=