Corn.5. The Duties ofParents andChildmn. Chap.5. that he shall be florid. And there was little lets favour to fuch in the laws of the Heathen : for the Father of Itch a perfon was tobring his Son to the Judge ofthe Province,who wasnot to give what fentence he pleafèd in favour of the accui`ed,but diüurtueras fententiam plantpater voluerat, be wrtc topronouncefagh afentence aslhould pleafe the Father. Sohn being demanded, why he left out of his laws, a law again(} difobedient Children , anfwered, becaufe he thought there would be no Inch ; yet ( faith he ) I'confefs I found fome of that kind, but by diligent fearch I difcovered that they were but Suppofiritii, not true Sons but Changelings, and I thought that no true Son would be a delinquent in that kind. And the Philofophers were of opi- nion,that every Father had his Erynnis,a Fury ofHell to torment his Son that Ihould be difobedient. There is a notable exampleofGods Vengeance(I am fare) againfi Eli's two fons t Sam. 2. a;. in takinghis Grace from them, in that they hearkened not to the voice of their Fa- ther,and his Vengeance brought them to an untimely death. Nay we fee,that though 'Davidgave arid charge, that no man fhould put forth his hand again(} his rebel- lious f on Abfslom, yet God made 7oab Executioner of his wrath to kill him. I can 2 Sam. i .i n, end no better than with the Greek laying, étt aae7,ar yor=vat eretOgr, c- vearri xei3tís ; 14 Ifa man will not be obedient to his Parents,he (hall obey him that is not his Parent, that is, the hangman, he (hall come to an untimely end. Now befides the Duties between natural Parents and Children there are other like thofe oficia refultantia, ofwhich we fpake, to which the Father and Son refpec- tivcly are bound : and lira of the Father. r. BecaufeGod oft-times takes away the Father from the Son,that chief Duty can no longer be performed by him, therefore God taketh order, that there be officia re.. fultantia, performed by others to them, in the (bead and place of Fathers. And in this refped it was, that Laban called the children of acob, bis fons and daughters ; and this as he was theirGrandfather, and if7acob had died, the care of their Education would havelayn upon Laban in part. Gen. 31. 4s In the Law it is more plain, for God there giveth charge, that if any one for po- verty fhould fell himfelf; hisBrother, his Uncle, or his Uncles fon were to redeem Levit. as 4t. him. If the next of kin was by the Law to be vindex fanguinis, the avenger of blood, Numb' 5' 15' and fo to be concerned in cafe ofdeath ; much more arc thenext' ofkin concerned in cafe of life. We have an example of the care ofKinred to the children ofthe de- Gen.ir: 3i.' ceafed in Torah : for whereas Lot's Father was dead2erah ( his Uncle by the Fathers 5de,and Father to Abraham)departing out ofChaldea into the landofCanaan,thought it his duty not only to take his own fon Abraham and Sarah his wife along with him, but his Nephew Lot alto. The like did Abraham ; for his Father Tenth being dead in Haran, in the way, he took SarahandLot hisfathers brothersfon,andbrought A2.5, him into the landofConaan. The fame care tookMordocheus ofEfbher who though fhe was but thedaughter of Abigail theuncle of Mordecai yet her Father being dead, he took herfor his daughter. And for default of Kinred, where there was none to take care, God took order under theLaw, appointing every third year, after the E6h. 2. 15. people had paid their Tithes to the Priefis and Levites; that the remainderfhould be tithedover aga in,there muff be a tenthfor thefatherlefs and widow, that they may eat Deut. 26.12, andhe ratio.fled. This is for TiOetr ewvpáhein a. In the next place,as there is a duty in Fathers to the Children of their Kindred, fo likewife is there a duty ofChildren to theKinred of their Father, and their El- ... ders. We fee this molt excellently defcribed in theRory of Ruth; who thoughNaomi were but her Mother-in-law,yet fhe would not forfake her, but accompanied her in- to her own Countrey, and there was verycareful to relieve her. Thus the Kenites Rath. 0.2, tac, the pofterityofHobab, Mores his Father-in- law,dealt friendly with the Ifraelttes, de- Judges 4.11. livering Sifera to them. And for Spiritual Duties we fee, Cornelius his care, he Pent for all his Kinred, who were ready to hear what Peter had to deliver from God. Ads to. 242 And the Apoftle profeffeth hisgreat affe6hion CO his Countrymen, the Jews,his Bre- thren, his Kinfinen accordingto the fle(h,that Ise was incontinual heavinefsand for- Rom' 9.2=3. row of heart for them. 3. And yet there is one Rule more concerning this Duty; whichnot only fhould Frov,27, to, extend it felf to Kinred, but Rretch it felfto our own friend and our Fathers friend, as the Wife-man tells us , we fee the example for this in King David when Sault Ions 349
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