Childrms duty to .Parents. tiHio 1hy· bt.ul, aud cbai~s abotd thj nrck,: 2· Confider alfo, that your l'arents Government is mcrff. · to your o.wn good : and it is a Government of Lo~t: As your bodies would have: pc:rithed if y~?r Parents or fomc others had not taken care for you, when you could nor help your {elves· fa yo minds would be untaught and igno~anr, even like to Bruits, if you h•d not othus ro tcaci 1 and g: vern you. No~turc: reacheth the Ch1ckens to follow the Ht:n, and all·things when they arc youn~; t be led and guided by their Dams, or elf!! ~hat would become of them. 3· Confider alliJ, rhar ;he~ mull be accountable to God (Qr you~ and tf they leave you ro your feh:cs, it may b:; tluir dctirudi– on as well as yours, as _the fad cx1mple of Eli. tclltth you. R~~cllnot thtreforc ;~g 1 inlt rhofe that God ?Y Nature and Scrtpturc hath L:r over you. Though the hlth Commandment n.quire obt:diencc to Prmo:.s~ ~n·d lvhltu<-., and P.aUors, and ocher Supcriours, ycr it namcth your Fa:ber and Motbtr 01:/y bc:caufc d.cy arc the -J!rtf of aD your Govc~nour(, .to whom by N.Jture you arc moft oblit;td. • Bur ptrh~ps you w1\l Ly, th<lt though l1.ttlc Cluldrcn rnufi be rukd by their P:ucms, yet you are grown up lO a riper age, otnd .are wife enough tO,(ule your [dves. I anCwcr, God dvth nCJt think fo; or dfe he would nor have fet Govc.mours over you: And are you wiCcr than he ? le is bur few in the wQrld that ar~ ·wife enough to rule ~h~mfelvcs: Elfe God would not have fc:t Prin,cs, and MJgi· fhau:s, apd Pallor!,. and Teachers over them, as he hath done. The SC!rv~nll of rhe family are as old as xou, and ytt are unlit to bethe Rulers of thcmfelves. God lovcth you bencr than to leave you M•llerlefs, as knowing that youth is ra{h and un<:xpcrienced. ~'e~~ But IJo,., l~JJtg are Cbildrvt under lht Cnmm11'nd 11ndWvernmtnt of thtit Pt~rtJ:U? Anjw. TAlre arc ftvcral acts and degreesof P"r~ntsGovcrnrnent, according to the ftveral ends ana ufes of it. Some acts oftheir Govtrnment arc .6ur to teach you~·to go and fpok._, and Come ·ro t.each you your labour and CJPi~tf,, and fom!! to reach you Y,ood mJ;mtrs, and the[t.Jr ofGod, or the Jt~towltdge uf the Scripturu, and fame are to feu le you in fuch_a co~trft of living, in which you fhall need t"hc.:ir nt.Jrtr ovtr{tgiJino more : When any one of thcfe en~? ue fully attained, a.nd you have all that your PJrtnts Government can help you to, than you arc paft tiJ:.~t p.~rt of their Government. Bur Hill ·you owe thlm not only Levc,and hun.,ur, and rev,nnct, but obedience al[o in all things in which .thc.y are fiiil appoimcd f~r your help ~nd guidan'e : Even when y"ou arc married from them, though you have a propriety in your own tllatcs, and they have not fo fhiC\: a charge of you as before, yet if , thc.y command you your duty to G.od ur them, you are Hill ob:iged to obey thc:m. Dirtll. 4· ~· 4· Dir.. Gt. 4.- Et coniented. with :y11ur Parents provijion for you, and di{pn~l of you : Do not rebdlioliJ]y murmur againl\ the: m, and complain of their ufage~f you; much lt:fs rake any thingagainll their wills. It is the part of a fleOtly R_ebd, and noi of an obtdient child, to be d:fcentent and mur– mur bccaufc they fart not b:!tter, or beCaufe they aic krpt from fpous and pl~y,.or brcaufc they luve not beue, cloaths; Ot)ecilufe thty have n.dt money allowed them, to fpcnd ur ufe at their own difcrr– tion. Are not you under GoVernment ? and the Government of PJrents, and not of enemies? Are ,your luHs ~'!d pleafun.s titter to govern you, than four Parents difCJetion? B:: thankful for what you. have, and rcm~mbcr that you ddc:rve it not; but have it freely ; It is your Pride or your tlclhly !Cnfu– aliry that makcth youthus eo murmur, and ·nor any wifdom or verrue that is in you. G~t down that Ptide and fiefhly mind, and rhen you will no·r be fo ea.ger to have your wills. What if your P.uems did deal too hardly wi;th you, in fOllt food, or r.Jlmcnt, or cxpenccsl What harm doth it do you? Nothing but a felftjh fi•fual mind would make fo great a matter of it. Its a hundred· times more dangnous to your fouls and bodies to be bred 100 high, and fLd !OO full and daimil)', than to be bred too low, and f<.d lOO hardly : One tcndeth topride, and gluttOHJ 1 and wantonnefsl and the overrllrow of health and life: and the other.tcndtrh to a humble, mortiticd, fdf-dcnying life, and to the h~alth and {Uundnt..fs ut tht: body. RLrnt:ffibcr how the earth opened and fwallowc..d all tho(e rebc.llious: murrmnc1s th.H gmdgcd againll M{o and A.1ron, l\·um. 16. Rc:ad it and apply it to your cafe. And remc.mblr the liory of rtbcilious AhfoJom, and the folly of the Proaig•l, Lul!J J 5· and defi~e not w be at your own diif>Ofe; nor be not ear,er tO have the VJin ddires·of y(H1r hcaus fulfilled. 'While you conttmld:y fubmit to y(.ur Parents, you are in Gods way, and may txpcCt his biClfing; but whm you willnccds·bc Carvers tor your fdVLS, you marexpc.d the puniilimemcf Rlbels. Dircll. 5• §. 5· D 1 rc.Ct. 5· HumbJe )rlltr (tlvr1 .;nd fobmit lo any lab..,llr that yourP.Jrtnts jh.;U ~PP'!intyut~ t.o. T;;.keheLd as you love your fvuls, ldi either a pruud heart. make you murmur and fay, 1h1S Wotk 1; tOO low ar.d blfe adrudgc:ry tor me? Or Id\ 1 lazy mind and body make you [Jy, This work is too hard :ind toWomc ·lor me ? Or Id\ a fooliih playful mind do make you weaty of your Book m bbour) that you may be at your fports, and fJ.)', This is too tedious for me: Iris little or no.hurt th~t is like to blfall )OU by yOur )Jbour and diligence: but it is a d.1ngc.rous thiR.q to gu a haba Ot cufiumc of"idknc:fs and volupcuoufncfs in your youth. · · Dircll. 6. §. 6 D,rt.Ct, 6. Be wiUing, and tha11k.{ul to ht infiru{Jed by your P~rtnll, or ,my ofyour 1cacl-cr!, LHI cfpcciAY ahow the[t.:r .if God, 11nd tbt m.mert of Y'"' fa/v.JtiutJo Tn.c(e are the ffiJ.trers that y~u arc: bvrn ""d live fi1r: T!l<.fe arc the things that your P .. rt:nts have tirt\ in charge to teach you. Wnhout. Rc:td Mr 't.uJ k..!towlcd,!.e and b.,linrfi all the riches and honoursuf the world arc nothing worth : an~ all your pl~lw;J;W Lu.c lUres will but undo you. 0 what a comir 1 rt is it 10 undt:rfh;~dillg P.trcnts to fee then ch1ldrm w1l~ B<;"'.~ fvr ;utlt ling to Je..rn, and to love cht \Vord of God) and lay it up in their hearts, and talk of it, and obey ir, ~1·;~1(1~"~6• and pn:pare betirne for eVc-rlaHing life? If fuch children die before their Puent~, .how joyfully may . &.1o. 1 4 • 16. tht:y pa1t with them as into the armsofChriJt, wh~ hathf.tid, that cf fHch if J~t Km~dt.~m of Hca_;:t;r, Marth. 19. lot· And if the Parents die ridt, how joyfully may they leave bch1nd_ thc.n:~ a holt teed, rhat is like to (hvc God in their generation ;md to ftJllow themmHeaven and hvc wHh them for uer. Bm, whether they I\ve or die, wha; a hear·breaking to rhc Parents: are ungodly childrehn; t at
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