346 Chap.5.. The Duties ofParents anet Chbi'lch'en. Com. ¡. Now for the Duty of Children anfwering this, they cannot parallel that of the Pa- rents in this point : for the Father beg,:rs the Son, the Son cannot beget the Father, meoniam nift pereat' nonfteiffent, becauf they had nothad their being, but fir their Fa: Prov. 1.8. their. Therefore becaufe they cannot perform any Duly anfwerable to that cf their Parents in their Procreation, they mull honour them as Initruments of their Being, Match.z 1.3o. both by hearkening to their Intlruoion, as the Wife-man counEls, Hearken to the ffrutlianofthy Father, andforfake not the law of thy Mother ; and by honouring thetn tanquatnDominos. The Father mutt be honoured in what low condition or eltate fo -+ Luke 15. 29. ever he be. We fee the difobedient Son called his Father rcúent S'ír, or Lord. And the obedient Son likewife profeffed, how obedient and dutiful he had been tohis Father for many years,thoughhe had not done fo touch for him,as for his prodigal Brother. rSatnx4:33 WickedAbflamcomingtohisFather, bowed himfëlfon his face to the ground : and 1 Rings 2. 19. King Solomon cafe rep andbowed to his Mother. And the reafm why they are toper/ finniathe greatett honour to them (next after God ) is, becaufe the greatelt part of Prov. 19. 26. Excellency is ere caufam, ro be caufe ofourbeing. Now ifany (hall be fo far gone as to rejeci his Parents as afharned at,them, or 30.17. mock at his Father, and defpife to obey his Mother ; ifLe look with a fcornful Eye, or with a crabbed Countenance, ifhedovultu Iedere pietatem, mask what punifh Gen. 9. 25. ment the Wife-man faith thall"befal filch;. The Ravens of the Pally fl di pick out his eyes, and the young Eagles fhall eat them. We may fee this in the heavy punifhment ofCbam for deridinghis Father Noah, a great curie was laid upon him. The curtit reached not only to himfelf, but to all his pollerity, being call out ofaod's favour; Prov. zo. to, for the Bleffings both of this life,and the life to come. If anyfhall go farther, andgive evil language, and reproach or curfe'them, His Exod. 21. 17. lamp !ball be pat out in obfexre darknefs, that is, he isfilius mortis but a dead man. It I. was Gods will by a fpecial Lawenaéfed by him in this very cafe; and much more he deferves to die,ifhe be one thatfmites Father or Mother, aaPaoíos; fuch a perfon was accounted by the veryHeathen to be a greater Malefakorthan a murderer ofothers. z. The fecond Duty of Parents,isistf.Pur>to nourith them continually,as the word fignifies, and not as beafts, for a months fpace. They are not only to take heed of Exod. 21.22. procuring abortive Births ('which was a capital crime under the Law ) but ifafter the Birth there be expefrtio, an expoftttg of thechild to the world, which Hagar was a: G h.a r. r0. bout to do, when the call the child under a Tree, the bottleofWater being fpent, if the Angel hadnot recalledher.If throughnegligence it happen to die,as the womans 1 Kings 3, 19. Son,which was over-laid in the night ; or ifit come to be lame, or to lofe any limb, 2 tan .4.4. 55 Mepbibofhetb, who was lame ofhis feet by a fall ofhis Nude, it is a fin contrary to that Duty which Parents owe to their Children ; for Nature teacheth every one to Ephef. 5.29. nourith their own fle[h, (as the Apoftle hath it ) which is implied in that which he z Tim. 5. r. urgeth inanother place ofproviding for their Family, and not be to unnatural, as Matt. 7.9. when theyaskthem bread,togive themaflone,which our Saviour counted an unnatural thing. or is this Nourithment all that is required of them, but they mull alto provide for them fir thefuture; according to that of the Apofile, Children lay not sip for the 2 Cor. ra. 14. Parents, bat Parents for the Children. There is an Inheritance mentioned under the Ep1ft, yg. Law. If a man be not able to leave an Inheritance, or Means when he dies, hemuff Dë6t.21. 16. take order to leave him au Art, which ( as St. Aquiline faith) ís all one withan In- heritance.Iq the choiceand, fitting the Children to which,the difcretionof the Father mutt difcern and judgof the Inclinationof his Children,to what Art or Profelhon theyarealoft apt &fit by nature,as7acob did whenhe bleffed his Sons,with this pro. Sant, 1.55. vilo or caveat, that theyallot not the worff to God,who in his Law commanded the Exod. 13.2. Firft -born to befant`difred to him,which Hannah performed in her vow ofSatnttel. TheDuty ofaChild anfwerableto this,is remuneratio, requital ofbentfits.This the Apofìleexprelly requires, that Children 'hew pietyat home, and requite their Parents, a litming that it isgood and acceptablebeforeGed : and for thofe that requiteevil for t Tim. 5.4. good, the Wife-tnanfaith, That evil (hallnat depart from theirhang. This requital prow, /9. 26. waft not beonly non fabtrabendo, by not making way walling or pilfering their Fa. tersgodds ( which is condemned as a great fault ) fucha Son, faith Solomon, caufeth (tame and reproach, and is acompanion ofa defitoyer ; but by aiding tltem,if they want ability,for fo the Apoftle requires,to requite tbeirParents,and as it follows,to take order
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